Bull: An MMA Stepbrother Romance (16 page)

Unbroken

Lisa and Janis ran through the hotel lobby toward the arena entrance. They had crossed the street from the sports bar in seconds.

“Janis, they’ll try to stop me,” Lisa said. 

“I won’t let them,” Janis replied. She was running right behind Lisa.

As they neared the entrance to the arena an usher stopped them. Lisa flashed the tickets at him and he motioned for them to continue. 

They ran into the arena. It was dark, but the cage was lit up by a hundred flood lights. Massive screens the size of houses hung over the cage. They showed close-ups of the fight to the thousands of fans in the nosebleed sections.

They ran down the aisle to the floor seats, showing their tickets to the ushers whenever stopped. As they ran Lisa looked up at the giant screen and saw with horror that Oliveira had Jake on the ground. He was raining hard elbows into Jake’s face that Jake only barely managed to deflect. One of every three or fours elbows would make it through Jake’s guard. It would slam into his head causing it to bounce sickeningly off the mat.

The bell rang ending the fourth round. Oliveira forced himself off Jake and returned to his corner, exhausted from the work he had done on Jake.

Jake was slow to get off the canvas. He propped himself up on an elbow as he looked around the cage for his corner. He was facing the wrong side of the cage, oblivious to the shouts of his cornermen from behind him.

One of his cornermen finally ran into the ring, lifted Jake up and carried him limping to his stool.

Lisa and Janis were nearing the cage. A thick velvet rope staffed by security guards separated the floor seats from the cage.

They were coming up to Jake’s corner. 

Janis sprinted in front of Lisa at the security guard in front of them. She threw herself into his arms and clamped her mouth on his as she pressed her breasts into him. With one arm, she reached behind her and lifted the velvet rope and Lisa slid under and bolted to Jake’s corner.

You’re the best, Janis.

Janis had bought Lisa just enough time to get lost among Jake’s cornermen. The guard couldn't identify her.

Lisa looked back to see two guards rushing in to take Janis into custody. 

“Lisa, what the hell are you doing here?” It was Cole.

Jake turned around and squinted outside the cage. “Lisa?” he mumbled through his busted face.

“Jake!” Lisa shouted. “Help me up, Cole,” she said.

Cole lifted her up onto the edge of the cage bringing her face to face with Jake.

Jake put his bloody hand on the cage and Lisa pressed hers to his. The clock was ticking away. They only had seconds left before round five started and Jake’s corner was screaming at Jake to focus.

Jake ignored them.

“Lisa...you came,” he said.

Lisa fought back tears. Oliveira had busted up her man. His face was barely recognizable. Her heart sank to see him this way.

“Jake, you don’t have to do this. Please stop!” she begged.

“Lisa, this is what I do,” he said.

“Jake, look at you,” she said as the tears erupted. She had wanted to be strong for him, but was not prepared for how he looked up close.

“Lisa,” he managed to say through his bloody mouth, “are you my girl?”

“Yes, Jake. Yes!” she said through her tears. “I’m your girl.”

The ref yelled at Jake’s corner. Time was up. 

Jake felt Lisa’s hand through the holes in the cage with his bloody, trembling fingers. He smiled at her and rose off the stool as his cornermen ran out of the cage. 

Jake

Chapter 24

Bull

“He’s down all four rounds, with at least a couple of those being 10-8 rounds. Would you say he’s going to have to finish Oliveira to win this fight?” one announcer asked the other.

“Yes, for sure. Listen, a decision win is not possible for Jake at this point. He has to knock Oliveira out, or submit him,” the other answered. “There is no other way.”

Their words faded away as Jake focused on Oliveira across from him. The  Brazillian was breathing hard. The effort had fatigued him, but he had sustained little damage.

Jake knew he was a bloody pulp.

He willed his fists up to protect his head and found this time they went there. He felt lighter, springier.

Lisa had made it. Joy filled his heart. She was by his side. She was his girl. Nothing else mattered. 

The realization brought with it another realization. He didn’t care if he lost the fight or not. He just wanted it over. He just wanted to be in Lisa’s arms. To hold her, to kiss her.

Time to finish this one way or the other.

“Fight!” the ref yelled as he threw his arm down.

This time, Oliveira hesitated.

This time, Jake rushed.

Set it up, he thought, as he charged in. As he neared Oliveira he threw a quick double jab at Oliveira’s face. It worked. The punches didn’t land, but Oliveira had to raise his hands to deflect them. It left his midsection wide open.

Jake bent under Oliveira’s arms and shot in. He threw everything he had into Oliveira’s waist. As he plowed through the Brazilian he wrapped his arms around the man's legs.

Jake steamrolled right through him and took Oliveira straight down to the canvas. They landed hard, and this time it was Oliveira’s head bouncing like a basketball.

Jake heard the breath leave the Brazilian’s body. Jake had stunned him. Jake had knocked the out of him and he was gasping for breath.

Jake pulled back and slammed a hard elbow down into Oliveira’s face. It rocked him. Jake could see his eyes go glassy. Jake was close. He could finish this right here.

He pulled back again, but the crafty fighter turned away just as Jake slammed his elbow down. He avoided the elbow but had turned his body just a little too much. He had turned his back to Jake.

Jake snaked an arm around Oliveira from behind and clasped his hands together in a Gable grip. He pushed Oliveira's legs open and passed his guard. He was on Oliveira like a backpack. He wrapped his legs around Oliveira’s waist in a body triangle. That let him squeeze more of the air out of the Brazilian.

Jake fought to get his arm under Oliveira’s chin. Oliveira resisted, but Jake could feel the man had no strength left in his arms. He had blown them out using them to beat Jake up. 

Jake finally managed to squeeze his right arm under the chin. He tucked his right hand into the pit of his left elbow and pulled the left arm behind Oliveira’s head. A rear naked choke.

Mata Leon, the Brazilian’s called it. The Lion Killer. For the first time in his life Jake realized he shared a name with the deadly choke. Once he had sunk the choke, it didn’t matter how big or strong you were. It didn't matter what drugs you were on, or what you knew about fighting. You were going out. 

Jake squeezed his arms together, constricting the Brazilian’s carotid arteries. It felt like nothing.

The Brazilian raised his hand and tapped Jake’s arm three times. The ref jumped in and pulled Jake off Oliveira.

Jake had won.

The cage door flew open and people flooded in as the crowd erupted. Jake rolled away from Oliveira, exhausted.

He rose to his feet just in time to catch Lisa who had flung herself at him. 

He pulled her to him and inhaled, filling his lungs with her sweet scent. His girl had come back.

“You did it,” she whispered into his ear.

“You helped,” he said.

“Bullshit. That was all you. My man,” she said as she smiled and kissed him. She had finally come to accept it. He was her man, just as she was his girl. She had just seen a true fighter and now knew what it would take for her to fight for her man. 

She was ready to put in that work, to spend the rest of her life defending her claim to this man.

Lisa

Chapter 25

Together

Jake closed the hotel door behind him and flipped the safety lock. He turned to face Lisa and smiled.

The fight doctors had patched his face up and reduced the swelling. He was beginning to look like himself again.

Lisa came up to him and he took her in his arms.

She put a gentle hand on his face. “Does it hurt?” she asked.

“Not now,” he said.

“Are you done?”

“Yes, the presser’s finished. It appears I’ve caused a bit of a ruckus. They’re saying they had to close the sportsbook early because they couldn’t cover the winnings for the people who bet on me. Anyway, it looks like they’re going to give Oliveira an immediate rematch. It’s cool. He deserves it. That won’t happen for at least three months, though.”

Lisa must have looked as worried as she felt.

“Don’t worry,” Jake said. “I’ve got his number now. The next time won’t be like this. Not if you’re by my side.”

He pulled her to him and kissed her.

She melted into his arms and gave herself to him. His kiss ignited her passion. She wanted him.

He broke off the kiss. “I didn’t have time to shower before the presser. I’m disgusting, Give me a few minutes?”

Lisa nodded.

Jake stepped back and pulled his shirt over his head. His muscular body was covered in bruises and he winced as he lowered his arms back down.

“You’re hurt,” she said as she saw the extent of the damage.

Jake smiled. “I’ve never felt better in my life.”

He removed the rest of his clothes and stood before her completely naked. His chiseled form was unlike any man she had ever seen. He looked every bit as powerful as he was.

As he walked to the shower she again admired the form of his ass. She remembered that first time she had admired it. When he and Cole had been grappling in her mom’s backyard. He had seemed so arrogant and forward then, not like the strong yet tender man she now knew him to be.

Now he was hers.

He turned on the shower and steam began to billow out into the room.

He stepped into the shower and closed the door.

He was hers. The thought was intoxicating and almost unbelievable. In the past, she would have found some reason why she wasn’t good enough. She was passed that, though. Now she was just grateful and inspired to live up to his expectations. She was ready to be the woman she was meant to be.

She undressed and let her clothes fall to the floor. She walked into the bathroom and opened the shower door. Hot steam hit her as it flowed out of the shower stall. Through the misty steam, she could make out Jake leaning against the far wall, his head on his arm.

She came up behind him and put a hand on his massive back. There was a black tattoo of a charging bull emblazoned on his skin. She traced the curves of its sinewy form as Jake sighed.

“That feels good,” he said.

The hot water flowed over their bodies. His sleek, muscular frame gleamed with wetness.

She picked up a bar of soap and worked up a lather. She rubbed the soap into his skin with delicate, gentle hands. Jake moaned his appreciation as she lathered the soap into his body, washing away the grime of his fight.

“Thank you,” he said as he leaned against the wall.

She reached around and grabbed his soft cock. She caressed it, lathering the soap into it. As she stroked it she could feel it stiffening.

Jake chuckled. “I was beginning to wonder if I had it in me,” he said.

“Don’t worry if you have anything in you or not,” Lisa said. “Just relax.”

She stroked his cock as the hot water flowed over it and washed away the soap. She again marveled at the size of it. This time, she was the one that chuckled.

“What?” Jake said.

“Bull,” Lisa said with a giggle.

“It wasn’t my idea,” Jake said. He pushed himself off the wall and turned toward her, his massive cock jutting out lewdly in front of him.

He pulled her mouth to his and kissed her softly.

She pushed back from him gently. “Just relax,” she said.

She sank to knees in front of him as the hot shower hit his back.

She took his big cock into her hands and kissed the wide head. She continued kissing it down the shaft, inch by inch as Jake moaned.

“Ahhh, Lisa,” he said. He put a hand on the shower wall to brace himself.