Hammer's Fall (The Breakers' Bad Boys)

Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

ISBN: 978-1-77130-756-7

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

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except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to

actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

HAMMER’S FALL

The Breakers’ Bad Boys, 1

Laurie Roma

Chapter One

“Umm, excuse me?”
Jared “The Hammer” Caufield froze in place just as he’d been bending over to grab a towel to

wipe at the sweat rolling down his face. It was late, and most of the other men who frequented his
gym had already gone home, leaving him in peace and quiet to finish his own workout. Unfortunately,
the heavy muscles of his massive body that had relaxed during his cool down session tensed up again
at the soft, timid whisper of sound.

He knew that sweet voice, and every time he heard it he went instantly hard as stone.
Hammer had opened the Fight Hard Training and Rehabilitation Center about two months ago.

The facility was members only, although he had been surprised just how well it had done since he’d
opened the doors and started signing people up. As an ex-Army Ranger and former professional
MMA fighter, he had the means and knowhow to make it a success.

Created out of an old, gutted warehouse, the gym was a well lit, large space, with several

separate areas sectioned off in the lower level for the practice of various disciplines. There were
basic weight machines and treadmills located in the front of the gym, and an area with hanging boxing
equipment off to the right. To the left was a set of tatami judo mats used for floor work and grappling.
In the back were two full size boxing rings, which were frequently used for sparing matches between
the members, and were even used to host a few local matches when needed. On the second level, they
had created a treatment center for former athletes like him who had injuries or needed rehabilitation.

When Hammer’s career as a professional fighter ended due to a knee injury, he had been at a

loss as to what he wanted to do with all his free time. After a few months of doing nothing, starting a
gym seemed like the perfect plan to keep himself from going crazy. During his rehab, the more he had
thought about the idea, the more he’d liked it. Now that Fight Hard was open, everything was exactly
the way he wanted it. The only pitfall to his success was the Sinfully Sweet bakery across the street…
for two very distinct reasons.

One was because he had a sweet tooth that went against all of his training, despite his being

retired. And the other reason was currently standing right behind him.

Hammer finished bending over and grabbed the towel from the bench, wiping at his face and

neck to buy himself time to calm his frantically beating heart and to will away the erection that had
sprung to life just from hearing her sweet, siren’s voice. He wanted Kalista Redford, the owner of the
bakery, more than he had ever wanted another woman in his entire life. From the first time he’d seen
Kalista, or Kali as he thought of her, he’d known she was the woman for him.

And his hunger only grew every time he saw her.
Too bad she was already taken. No matter how much he wanted her, he didn’t poach…

although he was pretty damn tempted. Kali was already dating someone else, some pencil-dick bank
manager or something. Whenever Hammer saw the fuckhead, he wanted nothing more than to pound
him into bloody dust, but he had a feeling that Kali would never forgive him if he did that. Much to his
regret.

Hammer liked to tell himself that her relationship would have never stood in his way if he had

truly wanted to claim her, but she was too sweet and innocent for him. She deserved far better than a
roughneck fighter. Kali was the type of woman who needed candlelight and roses, not to be bent over,
taken like an animal and fucked hard like he craved. No, he couldn’t do that with a woman like his
Kali. She was like some sort of mythical fairy that no man should be allowed to possess. She always
smelled of her creations, like vanilla and a hint of mystery that was her own natural scent. It made his
mouth water and made him hard as hell.

He couldn’t count the number of times he imagined taking her down on the mats, ripping her

clothes off and spreading her wide so he could feast on her. Since he had met her it had been a strain
on his control. It was easier when he had been in the middle of rehabbing the warehouse, with the
work crews constantly needing something, but seeing Kali everyday now that the gym was complete
was like pure torture.

Hammer knew he should stay the hell away from her, but he found himself visiting her shop

far  too  often  for  comfort.  Whenever  he  saw  her  through  the  window  of  her  shop  or  went  into  her
bakery, it killed him to see her shy smile of welcome. She knew what his favorite flavors were, and
sometimes  she  even  had  something  new  for  him  to  try,  as  if  she  valued  his  opinion.  Kali  always
served  him  a  cup  of  black  coffee  that  she  flavored  with  cinnamon,  vanilla,  or  some  other  spice
depending on what kind of treat he got. It was always the perfect pairing, and when he was done, he
worked both the sugar and lust out of his system until he felt like he was going to drop.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to stay away from Kali for very long. Hammer

usually visited her shop at least three or four times a week, but he really wished he could stop in
everyday just to see her smile without her thinking he was stalking her or something. They remained
friendly business owners, and in the months since Fight Hard had opened its doors, she had never
come over to his gym, as if she wanted to keep her distance as well.

But she was here, now…
Turning slowly, Hammer braced himself for the sight of her, not that it did any good. Seeing

her was always like a shock to his system. Kalista was a petite woman, with short red hair,
highlighted with gold streaks, and she had the most startling green eyes he’d ever seen. She had
delicate features, but her body was all woman with lush, full curves that made him want to grab hold
of her and never let go.

God, she looked beautiful.
Even in jeans and a pretty purple v-neck shirt she looked like a little fairy princess, too

beautiful to be real. She was holding a white, quilted coat folded over her arm, and the way she held
her arm tight to her chest seemed to push up her breasts so he could see an intriguing hint of her
cleavage in that small gap at the top of her shirt. The sight made his mouth water with the need to
taste.

He wanted his hands and mouth on those breasts, wanted to suck on those tight, little nipples

he could faintly see puckered beneath the thin material of her shirt. Damn, he figured she had no clue
what the sight of her did to him, but she would if she chose to look down at his dick.

Christ, she took his fucking breath away.
He shifted his stance slightly to hide his reaction, and tried to think of anything that would help

him gain some damn control over his body. He was a man of discipline, and he used his training to
center himself enough to cage his raging lust back so he wouldn’t jump her and take her down like a
lion would a gazelle.

Their eyes met briefly, then hers skittered away as they always did whenever she made eye

contact with him. He fought the urge to grab his shirt and cover up his bare chest. He knew what he
looked like. Covered in tattoos and rock-hard muscle, he looked like the dangerous predator he was.
He shaved his head so it only showed a hint of dark hair that matched his dark-brown eyes. He knew
he made her nervous. Of course she would be when he literally towered over her. Shit, he knew he
made grown men nervous if he stared at them for too long.

At six foot four, Hammer was a big man, and he hunched his shoulders in a laughable attempt

to make himself look smaller. Not that he could. Hell, he was built like a fucking tank. His size had
always been an asset in the ring, but he cursed it whenever he was near Kali. She was small, delicate,
and almost a good foot shorter than he was. She had no clue that he would never hurt her or that he
would rather cut off his own arm than raise it to any woman in anger.

In fact, any violence against women made him sick.
Growing up, he had been forced to watch his father hit his mother and quickly learned how to

take the brunt of the anger himself. For years he had suffered in silence…until he had hit puberty and
grew. No longer able to use his family as his own personal punching bag, Hammer’s father had
resorted to another type of violence. One fateful night, Edward Caufield had tried to kill his wife and
son by shooting them both. Hammer had taken a bullet in his side before he had been able to get the
gun away from his father. In the struggle, his father had been shot and killed.

And they had finally been set free.
After that fateful night, the people of Breakers swarmed in, giving them love and support.

Breakers, Texas was a the sort of town where the citizens took care of one another, but he and his
mother had always been too ashamed to reach out and ask for help. Once people found out what was
going on, there was no more hiding allowed.

His mother had found her calling working at a local diner. She was sweet and kind, and

everyone loved her. His father had refused to let her work for years, but with him gone, she seemed to
blossom being around people. Still searching for his place in the world, Hammer had joined the Army
when he turned eighteen. It gave him comfort knowing his mother was being looked after when he left,
and it allowed him to focus on his future. For years he had found a home with the Rangers, but when
he left the Army five years ago he found a new career fighting in the ring.

Long ago, he’d learned to channel his anger through his study of martial arts. As his studies

continued, the smoldering rage that had always burned in his gut had eased. People often found it odd
that fighting had taught him control and patience, but it did. It helped him focus, and he quickly
learned that just because he could, it didn’t mean he should.

Proficient in several fighting styles, Hammer quickly became a fan-favorite in the ring and

won several titles. He loved fighting, but the truth was, no matter who he fought in the ring, he was his
own greatest opponent. For the first few months, he started out winning several of the smaller circuit
championships, which got him noticed by the Cage Fighting League. The CFL was the number one
mixed martial arts promotional companies in the world, and there was big money to be made fighting
for them.

For the next few years Hammer fought for the CFL and got a chance at the big title, becoming

the CFL’s heavy-weight champion. He had also landed a lucrative sponsorship with the well-known
Rough and Tough sports apparel company, and still remained one of their spokesmen. He’d known it
was only a matter of time before he was unseated as the champion, but the challengers didn’t have a
chance. His life changed drastically when he re-injured his knee during a training session, and he’d
ended up needing ACL reconstructive surgery.

The months of painful rehab after his surgery allowed him to think about what he wanted to do

now that his career as a professional fighter was over. He’d always known he would move back to
Breakers when he was ready to retire from the ring and start a business with the money he had saved
over the years. With the help of his friend Rever, who seemed to have the magic touch when it came
to investing, Hammer had been able to triple the money he won fighting.

Financial freedom allowed him to make the choice to create the training and rehab facility, but

Rever and their other friend, Daryk Nyght, had insisted on partnering with him on the new business
venture. Hammer had allowed both of his friends to buy in a quarter share of the business. No matter
what they said, the gym wasn’t their dream. They wanted to do it for him, and to be honest, Hammer
wanted them tied to Fight Hard to give the other men a home base for whenever they were ready to
settle down.

There was a tight bond between the three of them. They had all served together overseas, and

when they came home, Rever had helped Hammer train as well as taking care of all of his finances.
Nyght had also been in the Army with them, only he was a trauma surgeon. Now their friend was off
doing some sort of clandestine work with a special task-force he couldn’t talk about. Hammer knew
that  was  code  for  something  dangerous  as  fuck,  but  he  knew  better  than  to  ask  questions.  He  just
hoped  that  his  friend  was  okay.  He  was  familiar  with  that  sort  of  life,  even  had  the  occasional
nightmare  to  prove  it,  but  that  part  of  his  life  was  over  now.  Now  at  thirty-three,  he  could  simply
focus on his gym and enjoy his life in peace.

Aw hell, who was he kidding…what he really wanted Kali.
Now, if only the woman that haunted his dreams would cooperate with him.
“Hello, Kali.”
He smiled down at her and watched as she shivered a little. Brows creasing in concern, he

wanted to pick up his sweatshirt and wrap her up in it. He usually kept the gym cooler since most of
the guys working out sweat a lot, but he hated seeing her uncomfortable. He silently cursed as images
of how he could keep her warm with his own body flashed in his head.

Fuck! Get it together, asshole.
“Hi, Jared. I’m sorry to bother you—”
“Honey, you could never bother me.” Hammer noticed the way her eyes widened as she

looked up at him and wondered what she was thinking to put that dreamy look on her face.

Studying her, he was distracted by the way her soft lips parted, and he wanted to curse again.

Just imagining her looking up at him like that as she sucked on his cock had all the blood draining
down to his throbbing dick, making him so hard he could probably crack stone with it. He had to
move his hand still holding the towel in front of himself to try and hide his straining erection from her
view.

Fucking hell, he had absolutely no self control when it came to her. He commanded himself to

stop thinking about her mouth anywhere near his cock and…son of a bitch. That did it. Just telling
himself to stop thinking about it had the damn thing jerking in his shorts as if trying to get closer to
her.

Forcing himself to relax, he smiled at her again. “What can I do for you, Kali?”

“Oh,” she said after blinking rapidly, as if she had forgotten why she had sought him out.

“Yes, I…well, I was wondering if you maybe offer self-defense training or something.”

His body stiffened. What the fuck? Was some asshole bothering her? His eyes narrowed on

her, and he noticed she was breathing rapidly now. Fuck! He was scaring her, but he couldn’t help it.
If someone was bothering her they would be dealing with him. No one fucked with his fairy and got
away with it.

“Why do you need self-defense training?” he asked slowly, trying to sound calmer than he felt.
“Well, I don’t really…I mean, every woman should know something, right?” Kali let out a

light laugh that didn’t fool him for a minute.

“Kali, why do you need self-defense training?” he asked again, taking a step closer to her. “Is

someone bothering you?”

“What? No!”
Her gaze fluttered back to his face, then trailed down over his bare chest. He wanted to shout

with glee when his saw her pupils dilate as she took in his muscular form. He fought the urge to do
something stupid like flex just to see her reaction. She looked away and a faint blush turned her
cheeks a light-pink color that made his hands fist so he wouldn’t grab her.

Fuck, he had to get her out of here before he did something unforgivable. Like throw her down

and ravish her until neither of them could speak. He barely held back a groan as she nibbled on her
lower lip, then Kali turned away from him like she was going to leave.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have bothered you with this.”
Before she could take a step away from him, he took her hand in his, holding her in place. He

felt her tremble and prayed it wasn’t out of fear. “Tell me, honey. I’m happy you finally came to visit
me, but if something or someone is bothering you, I want to know what it is.”

She took a deep breath, and focused on staring at the heavy bags on the other side of the room.

“My cousin is getting married soon, the second weekend of February, actually.”

Okay, that wasn’t what he was expecting. Deciding to wait her out, he stayed quiet and rubbed

his fingers gently over hers, enjoying the feeling of her soft skin. Her shoulders slumped as if there
were a heavy weight pressing there.

Damn it, he didn’t like seeing his fairy looking so…defeated.
“My boyfriend David just broke up with me. Well, I was going to break up with him, but he

did it first and…never mind. Normally, I wouldn’t be too worried about this, but my cousin Bethany
is marrying David’s brother, Aeron. My mother thought…well, she said maybe now was a good time
to listen to David’s advice and lose a little weight.”

She broke up with her boyfriend? Kali was free? Hammer could feel the grin spreading on his

face, then he froze, his entire body going rigid with battle ready awareness.

Hold the fuck up…what did she just say?
She let out a slight squeak, and Hammer realized he had squeezed her hand as his tried to fist.

Rage washed through him at the thought of her doing something like that because her asshole of an ex
belittled her like that.

“That motherfucker said that to you, and your mother agreed?” The words came out before he

could stop them. Kali turned to him, looking at him with wide eyes, but he didn’t care if he’d shocked
her.

“Jared…”
He loved how she called him by his real name. She was the only one who did. Christ, she

could call him anything she wanted, but he’d really love to hear her scream out his name as he took

her. Hearing that her boyfriend was now ghosted, Hammer wasn’t going to waste this opportunity. So
what if she was too good for him, she was single now, but not for long.

His little fairy was going to belong to him.
Hammer forced himself to take a deep, cleansing breath, then let it out slowly, once again

finding his calm center. Tonight he would make sure she knew that she didn’t have to worry about her
ex and anything he’d said to her in the past. He would show her just how perfect she was…perfect for
him.

“Come on, Kali. I think this conversation needs to happen over a drink. Let’s go over to The

Fox Hole and sit down. That is, if you don’t mind going out with me after I’ve just gotten done with a
workout?”

“No.”
A brow lifted as he paused. “You don’t want to be seen with me?”
“No! I meant, I don’t mind. I mean, of course I do. It’s just…Jared, I don’t understand,” she

said on a rush, the confusion clear on her pretty face.

Hammer tilted his head to the side. “What don’t you understand?”
“Why you want to go talk about this. With me.”
He laughed. “Honey, you’ve got some explaining to do. We’ll go have a drink, and you can

tell me why you think you need to listen to a bunch of stupid advice, then I can tell you why you’re
perfect just the way you are.”

He hid his smile as she let out a startled sputter. Not giving her a choice, he pulled her over to

where he left his shirt. He wished he had time for a shower, but he didn’t want to leave her alone too
long so she would have time to reconsider. Releasing her momentarily, he pulled a black t-shirt over
his head, then turned with a questioning look when he heard her sigh. He noticed she was blushing
again and turned his back to her to grin as he pulled on a pair of dark-gray sweatpants over his shorts,
then picked up his black hoodie. He’d seen that look on women’s faces before and knew exactly what
it meant.

So, his little fairy liked his body.
He could definitely work with that.

Chapter Two

Kalista was totally confused as they walked the four blocks over to The Fox Hole.
It was a nice night out, a little on the cool side, but she didn’t mind the walk and had told him

so when he’d asked. She knew he had a mean looking motorcycle sitting out in back of his gym, but
she had never ridden on one before, and didn’t want her first time on one to be when she was so
nervous.

It always gave her a sense of belonging to walk around the place she’d claimed as her home.

Breakers was a small coastal town in Texas on the Gulf of Mexico that sometimes felt secluded from
the rest of the world. During the summer months it became a haven for tourists, with its boardwalk
and access to the water and numerous festivities for people to enjoy. There was a large square in the
center of town that was perfect for meeting with friends and family, or simply just enjoying the variety
of shops. In the winter months, like now, it was quieter, and the town belonged to the locals.

The streets were almost empty now with only a few other couples enjoying the cool January

air, but she could see a crowd outside of the bar they were walking toward. When she had gone over
to Fight Hard to speak to Jared, she never imagined ending up on a date with him. If it was a date. She
glanced down at her hand that was still held in his firm grasp and determined it was. She liked the
way her hand was engulfed in his larger one, but it baffled her why he was holding it at all.

Since he had first taken her hand in his gym, Jared had only let it go when he had dressed. It

had amazed her when he had taken her coat from her and helped her into it, even taking the time to zip
it up himself. She’d felt strange allowing him to do such a simple task for her, almost as if she were a
child, but what she felt around him was definitely not juvenile.

This night was turning out completely surreal.
When she had opened her Sinfully Sweet bakery two years ago, she never thought a man like

Jared would open a MMA gym right across the street. It had been a difficult decision to buy her
building, wondering if she would lose out in street traffic not being closer to center of town, but since
she had opened her doors, the town had seemed to expand around her location.

She had always figured the empty warehouse across the street would have been converted into

an apartment building or something, but the former owner was a stubborn old man who had refused to
sell to anyone…until Jared “The Hammer” Caufield had come home and announced that he was
opening his gym and rehabilitation facility.

At first, Kalista had been worried about all of the hard-bodied members of the gym as she

watched them park their motorcycles and muscle cars on the street in front of her shop. She should
have been used to it, since there was tattoo parlor a few doors down, but it didn’t take long to
discover that all of the men were very respectful to her, no matter how scary they looked.

She had a feeling Jared was the reason for that.
From the moment he had come into her bakery and introduced himself after he bought the

property, Kalista had developed an unhealthy crush on the big man. During the day, she looked
forward to when he would visit, and her heart skipped a beat every time she saw him. She had even
been guilty of covertly looking out the window of her shop just to catch a glimpse of him during the
day.

Kalista knew he had been in the Army before he had started a career as a MMA fighter. When

she had found out what he’d done for a living she had looked him up on YouTube and could see how
he had won so many of his fights. He was so strong and powerful as he used his skill to take down his

opponents. She couldn’t help but admit that she felt a primal sort of lust whenever she watched him
fight someone and win.

But a video couldn’t even compare to the real thing…
It never failed to leave her tongue-tied just being in his presence, and seeing him tonight with

his shirt off had almost brought her to her knees. His body was like living art. With thick, corded
muscles covered with tattoos, he was the epitome of a bad boy. Instead of scaring her, seeing all of
that ink made her want to run her hands over each and every line. She was fascinated with his body,
and tried to look at him as little as possible so he wouldn’t guess what she was thinking. She’d heard
about his injury, but it was easy to see from his workout that he didn’t let it stop him from staying in
shape. She’d been mesmerized as she had watched those strong muscles ripple when he stretched out
after kicking those heavy bags he had hung up at his gym.

God, she really hoped she hadn’t been drooling before he had put his shirt on tonight.
And boy, was that a shame. Covering up his body was like hiding a piece of fine art in a dark

closet where no one could see it. He had a raw masculine beauty that made her heart stop just by
looking at him. One glance from his penetrating dark eyes was enough to make any woman drop to her
knees, and that cloak of confidence he wore told her he knew it.

Yeah, Jared Caufield had become her ultimate fantasy.
Lately she had spent several restless nights thinking about him and his god-like body. Deep

down she knew that it was part of the reason David had broken up with her. He didn’t like that her
bakery was right across the street from Fight Hard, and he never failed to bitch about all the rough
looking men that hung around outside. He had tried telling her it would hurt her business, but she had
just laughed because it had done the exact opposite.

Every day women came into her bakery and stayed to sit at one of the small tables, sometimes

fighting to see who could claim a seat near the windows so they could ogle the men coming and going
from the gym. In addition, all the men who worked out at Fight Hard came to her shop for coffee and
food.

About a week after the gym opened, Kalista had started making a variety of high protein

sandwiches using the freshly baked bread they made every morning. Once the men found out, she had
a hard time keeping up with the orders and had to have her two full-time assistants, Becca Nuria and
Anna Cortez, make the sandwiches throughout the day so they could wrap and stock them in a separate
open cooler. Since then, she had also started making a few selections of salads and soups to offer as
lunch specials that she switched out depending on her mood.

David hadn’t believed her when she told him how successful this new stream of business was.

Toward the end of their relationship, he had noticed her looking at Jared and had taken pleasure in
telling her that a man like that would never be interested in a fat little nobody like her. She had grown
up hearing those types of remarks from her mother, so it wasn’t anything new, but David’s comments
had begun to wear on her. She knew she couldn’t pick her family, but she could choose boyfriends.

Obviously, she had chosen poorly.
She had started seeing David less and less, until she had been at dinner with Becca three

weeks ago and saw him sitting across the room with a beautiful brunette with breasts the size of her
head. Shocked, Kalista couldn’t believe her eyes when David had kissed the other woman with a
passion they no longer had. Adding insult to injury, when he had turned his head and saw Kalista
watching, he’d smirked. She hadn’t known what to say when they had come over to her and Becca’s
table. He had introduced Kalista as his ex to his new girlfriend, and the other woman had laughed.

“You were dating this frumpy little thing?”

“Not so little. I mean, look at her,” David had whispered in his date’s ear, making her laugh.

He had said it softly, but Kalista had still heard him. David had turned back to her and told her he
expected his things he’d left at her place to be returned to him by the end of the week.

Unable to think of what to say, Kalista had simply sat there, gripping Becca’s hand in hers as

David and his new girlfriend left the restaurant. Becca had called in her sister, Nikita, and their other
friend, Zoe, who was a bartender at The Fox Hole and a frequent customer at the bakery. Nikita and
Zoe had wanted to go kick his ass, but Kalista begged them not to. They helped her gather the few
items that David had left at her place, but instead of boxing it up so she could return it, the three other
women had thrown his stuff into a metal garbage can and lit it on fire in the alley behind her bakery.
At first she had been shocked, but after a few minutes she couldn’t help but join in her friends’
laughter.

Since David had never really invited her to stay over at his apartment, she didn’t have to

worry about him retaliating. Kalista hadn’t grown up in Breakers like David had, but she knew
whatever he said about her around town, people liked her more than they did him so her reputation
was safe.

It didn’t take her long to realize that she was better off without David. He had always

complained about the smell of fresh bread and baked goods that floated up from the main floor when
he stayed the night at the apartment she had over her shop, but it had always made more sense for
them to stay at her place because she had to wake so early. It was when he started making snide
remarks about how she must be sampling too much of what she made that allowed her to see the real,
horrible man beneath the sophisticated veneer he presented to the public.

When her grandmother had died, she had left Kalista a sizeable trust. Kalista’s mother and

father had tried to tell her she was too foolish to be in charge of the money herself and demanded she
sign it over to them, but she had refused. She knew if she had done that she would never have seen
another cent of it. That money had given her freedom to follow her dream, and it allowed her to
purchase the building and start her business, which was something she would always be grateful for.

It was a new year, and Kalista was glad to be starting it off fresh without David in her life.

Now, if she could just get a man like Jared interested in her that would really start her year off right.
No, not a man like Jared. She wanted the real thing. An hour ago she would have thought there wasn’t
a chance in hell of that happening, but now she wasn’t so sure.

As she and Jared walked up to the bar, the other big man stationed at the door waved them to

the front of the line. She caught the glares of the people standing in the line waiting to gain entrance,
and felt a little thrill when she saw the envious glances of several women.

“Hey, Hammer. How’s it going?”
“I can’t complain.”
The Fox Hole was a biker bar, with all the attitude that accompanied the name. Because her

friend worked there, Kalista usually came in during lunch hours when anyone was welcome and it
sort of resembled a local restaurant and bar. It was safer that way, because when the sun set the
atmosphere of the place changed drastically.

Kalista had only been to The Fox Hole a few times at night, and she had been amazed at the

difference. The bar was usually filled with hard-eyed men and scantily-clad women, drinking and
having fun. She was extremely nervous going into the place when the daylight hours were over, but
she wasn’t now that Jared was holding her hand.

When Malcolm Fox had opened the bar, he’d had a long standing reputation for employing

men after they got out of the military, so the place was always well staffed with lots of muscle. Years

ago, due to the influx of former military men the townspeople had started calling the men who hung
out at the bar the Breakers’ Bad Boys, and the name had stuck. Most of them had tattoos, rode
motorcycles, and had an aura of danger about them, but those closest to them knew that they were
damn good men. They were fiercely loyal and had a strong moral code that they followed. She knew
that Jared was considered one of the Breakers’ Bad Boys, and she could see why he had earned the
title.

“Jimbo, this is—”
“I know Kalista. Good to see you, sweets.”
She smiled at the bouncer, recognizing him as one of the men who came in to the bakery often.

She made a half-hearted attempt to pull her hand away from Jared’s, but he squeezed it more firmly,
retaining possession of it. Giving in to the strangeness of his actions, she used her other hand to wave
at the bouncer.

“Jimbo’s wife, Lisa, is pregnant and he is always coming in to buy treats for her,” Kalista

explained when she saw Jared frowning at the other man. His big body seemed to relax, and it made
her wonder what was wrong.

Jimbo laughed, but she could see the worry in the big man’s eyes. “She loves those marbled

cupcakes with the chocolate butter-cream frosting and your fruit tarts. It’s almost time now.”

Kalista reached out and placed her hand on Jimbo’s arm, giving it a pat. “I’m sure everything

will be fine. Why don’t you stop by tomorrow and I’ll have a few special items made up that you can
take her?”

“Really?” Jimbo’s expression brightened. “Thanks! I will.”
He held the door opened for them and Hammer ushered her inside the dark bar. “You’re a

good fairy,” Jared leaned down and whispered in her ear.

Startled, she turned her head to look at him and jerked a little as their lips almost touched.

“Wh-what did you call me?”

He didn’t answer her, but squeezed her hand in reply. Loud music mixed with the sound of

voices and the tantalizing smell of food and alcohol hit her as soon as they walked inside. He pulled
her along with him through the crowd of people over to the bar. Kalista was impressed by the way
people automatically moved out of his path.

She leaned on the bar as a place opened up for them. It was much warmer inside and he took

off his sweatshirt, then surprised her by unzipping her coat. She allowed him to pull it off of her, then
watched as he easily fisted both items in one of his large hands. Facing forward, her breath caught as
Jared positioned himself right behind her and she felt his steel-hard erection poking into her back.

Holy crap! If what she was feeling was an accurate indication of his size, he really was big

all over. Erotic images danced inside her head as she imagined how he would feel pressed against
her, naked and sweating.

Heart racing, she tilted her face up to glance up at him only to find he was looking down at her

with a soft smile on his face. In an instant, that look had liquid heat spilling from between her thighs,
and she fought the urge to rub back against him. She blinked as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to
her forehead, then turned to smile as the bartender came over to them.

Kalista looked over at her friend Zoe to see the other woman was beaming a grin at them. Zoe

Lang was a beautiful woman, with long black hair and dark, mysterious eyes that were glittering with
amusement. “Hey guys, what can I get you two? Kali, you want one of my specials?”

“Ah, sure. That would be great.”
“And you, Hammer?”

“Light beer on tap.”
“Got it,” Zoe said, then left to fill their order.
“What did you order?” he asked as he placed both of his hands down on the bar on either side

of her, effectively closing her in. If anyone else had done that she would have felt panicked, but with
Jared it made her feel protected.

“I don’t drink much, so when I come here Zoe usually makes me some kind of fruity frozen

drink. I know they don’t really suit the bar and all, but—”

“Honey, you can order whatever you want,” he said reassuringly.
“Dude, ease off. Are you trying to squish her or what?”
Kalista turned her head to see Dante Fox walking toward them, carrying a basket of food in

his hand. Dante was a handsome man in a rough and ready sort of way, with short black hair and pale
blue eyes. He was the owner of the bar, having taken it over when his father decided to retire.
Malcolm Fox could still be found hanging out at The Fox Hole, but it was more likely around one of
the pool tables or sitting with his friends than actually working.

“Hey, Dante.” Hammer eased back a little, but moved one of his hands to her waist in a

clearly possessive gesture that had Dante’s eyebrows lifting.

Dante surveyed the couple in front of him and let out a sigh. “Ah, it’s like that, huh? Never

thought I’d see the Hammer fall.”

“Yep, it’s like that,” Jared replied in a firm voice.
Dante nodded, then turned those eerie ice-blue eyes on her. “Welcome to the family, sweets.”
Kalista jaw dropped open. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard and was saved from

saying anything when Zoe came back over with their drinks.

“Here, eat this,” Dante said, shoving the basket of hamburger and fries over to her.
Zoe looked down at the food, then frowned at Dante. “What is this?”
“It’s food. Take your break and eat it.”
“I’m not hungry right now, and we have a crowd of people who—”
“The other bartenders can handle it. I won’t have you withering away behind the bar. You

know you want it, so just eat the damn thing.”

Kalista knew her friend had a weakness for fries that were almost burnt to a crisp, and by the

contents in the basket, so did Dante. Still, it was fascinating to watch the two strong-willed
individuals glare at each other.

“You know, calling a girl too skinny is just as bad as calling her fat.”
“Then eat a damn burger every once in a while and I won’t have to call you either.”
“Do you know how annoying you are?”
“You tell me every damn day. Now, eat.”
Zoe rolled her eyes at him, then picked up a fry and ate it. Satisfied, Dante turned back to

Jared. “See you tomorrow at the gym?”

“You know it.”
They bumped fists, and then Dante left. Zoe huffed out a breath as she watched him walk

away. “That man is so irritating.”

“Yeah, how terrible,” Kalista couldn’t help but tease. “He brought you food and told you to

take a break. What a horrible boss.”

Zoe shot a glare at her, then broke into a laugh. “I guess you’re right. He just always gets

under my skin. I’m gonna go enjoy this in the back. There is a table in the far corner that is getting
ready to leave if you guys want some privacy.”

“Thanks, Zoe. Put these on my tab for me, will you?”
“You got it.”
He picked up both of their drinks and led the way to the table that was just leaving. A group of

men were just about to sit down, but they quickly departed after one hard stare from Hammer. Once
she sat, Kalista blinked in surprise when he pulled his chair closer to her so that their legs were
touching. He placed their drinks down, then leaned in, effectively closing her off from the rest of the
room.

“So, honey. Tell me a story.”
“I…” At a loss for words, Kalista gaped at him.
Hammer sighed. He could see the confusion in her green eyes and knew he was suddenly

acting  very  strange  when  he  had  previously  tried  to  keep  his  distance  from  her.  Used  to  women
throwing themselves at him, he had never been good at this kind of thing.  But  Kalista mattered.  She
was different and he had to figure out a way to ease her into being with him without fucking up. “I
want  to  know  why  you  believe  that  bullshit  your  ex  said  and  why  you  think  you  need  self-defense
training.”

Fuck!
Talk about subtlety like a damn hammer to the head. Jesus, he had just barked out that

command like he did when he was training someone, and by the startled glance on her face it was not
going over well.

She fidgeted in her seat and reached down to swirl her drink with the straw. “It’s not a bad

thing to want to learn a little self-defense, is it?”

He used a finger under her chin to gently lift her head so their eyes met. He could stare into

those green depths forever. “It’s not. I’d be happy to teach you anything you want to know. I just hope
that you want to do this for yourself and not because some fuc—umm…I mean some idiot told you
to.”

Kalista nibbled on her lower lip, making him want to groan as blood surged to his groin again.

He was glad the table hid his erection from view or else he had a feeling she would think twice about
asking him to teach her anything.

God, the things he wanted to teach her…
He cleared his throat, then leaned back to take a drink of his beer to ease his dry throat.

Imagining all the things he wanted to do to her was not helping him gain control of his stubborn cock.

“I just…” She sat up straight and a look of determination settled across her face. “I’ll admit

that I want to look good when I go to my cousin’s wedding, but I really do want to do this for myself.”

“Good,” Hammer said as he set his glass of beer back on the table. “So, you going solo to this

thing, or are you gonna let me be your date?”

Kalista choked on her drink and he gently rubbed her back as she gasped for air. “You…

what?”

Shit, that had just slipped out. He was going to have to be careful. Everything in him wanted to

push, to stake his claim on Kali now that she was available, but he didn’t want to scare her off.

Patience, asshole. Get some…
“I was just thinking since you said you and Donald were done now, I could be your date for

the wedding. That is, if you don’t already have one.”

“Ah…no, I don’t have a date yet, but I don’t think you really want to do that.” Kalista frowned

at him. “And his name is David, not Donald.”

Hammer shrugged that off. “Whatever. Why wouldn’t I want to go with you? I would get to

see you in a pretty dress, eat some good food, and have a few drinks. Maybe dance a little, although I
don’t really do that sort of thing. You aren’t embarrassed to go with me, are you?”

Pure shock had her mouth falling open. “What? No! It’s just…my family isn’t very nice.”
He’d gotten that from what she had said about her mother earlier, but he wanted to know

more. Hell, he wanted to know everything about his little fairy. “You can’t pick the family you are
born with,” he said softly.

She looked startled for a second, then smiled at him. “That is something I tell myself all the

time. My parents don’t like me very much. I’m sort of a disappointment to them.”

There wasn’t a nicer way to say it, Kalista realized. Her parents never hid the fact they

resented putting their lives on hold to raise her. Her mother didn’t hesitate to tell her that she wasn’t
as pretty or as smart as her cousin Bethany, who was tall and slim as a reed, and her father was pretty
much disinterested in having anything to do with her. She flushed at how that had sounded. This really
wasn’t first date conversation material.

“How the hell can they be disappointed with you? You own a successful business and you are

one of the nicest people I have ever met!”

Kalista held back the urge to wince when he called her nice. Yeah, nice wasn’t exactly how

she wanted this attractive man to see her.  She knew she wasn’t anything special, but nice was so…
boring.  “I  was  a  surprise  baby,”  she  explained.  “My  parents  enjoyed  their  lifestyle,  but  my
grandmother  made  it  clear  that  she  wanted  a  grandchild  so  they  were  kind  of  stuck  having  me.  My
father’s mother was very wealthy, and so they had me to please her.”

“Man, that sucks. It’s a wonder how you turned out so normal coming from that.”
Kalista laughed. “I spent a lot of time with my grandmother while I grew up. My parents

traveled a great deal, and I loved staying with my nana whenever they left. In fact, I preferred it.”

“I don’t blame you. I can deal with your family if you don’t mind me tagging along.” Hammer

knew he was pushing, but he wanted to show her family that Kali now had someone that would
protect her…even from them.

“I would like that,” she said, smiling shyly at him.
He couldn’t help it. He reached out and took her small hand in his, linking their fingers

together. “How about you come over to the gym tomorrow after you get off work and we can see what
kind of training you are interested in?”

“That sounds great. I’m opening tomorrow, so I can take off in the afternoon anytime after

three.”

“Let’s shoot for four. I have a meeting before that, but should be done by then. You work

pretty long hours, huh?”

She nodded. “Yes, but it has been so much better since I hired on both Becca and Anna full-

time. We now take turns opening the shop. I can’t tell you just how much I enjoy being able to sleep
in.”

“I bet,” he said with a chuckle. “How come you were working so late tonight?”
“I wasn’t. I just got back from the hospital where I was visiting a friend.” She paused for a

moment, debating whether or not to tell him what had happened, then decided to share. “There was
an…incident a couple of weeks ago over the holidays. You’ve met Anna, right?”

“Sure, she seems like a sweet woman. I hope she’s okay.”
“She’s fine. Anna was a godsend when I opened up my shop. Her husband is the lawyer that

helped me set up my business, and she was tired of staying home all day now that her daughter is
away at college. She had a brother who died a few years ago.” She paused for a moment before

speaking again. “We found out that Anna’s two nephews who live in Dallas were being abused by
their mother and her new boyfriend. The oldest boy, Nate, came home from a New Year’s Eve party
to find that the boyfriend had beaten, then kicked his younger brother down the stairs. The boyfriend
was high on something and went after Nate with a kitchen knife. Luckily the police showed up and
stopped him.”

“Jesus…” he breathed out.
“Yeah, I know. So, I just got back from visiting Shane in the hospital.”
Rage burned in Hammer’s gut at what she told him, and he slowly pulled his hand free from

hers, not wanting to crush it in his anger. Flashbacks of his own childhood had his hands fisting under
the table as he fought to control his reaction. He couldn’t understand how anyone could do something
like that, especially to a child. The need to find the motherfucker who had hurt those kids and exact
retribution with his own fists was like a compulsion. “Is he going to make it?”

“Yes. Shane had some internal bleeding that they want to keep an eye on. He’s only twelve

and suffered so much.  Thankfully,  Nate only has a few cuts and bruises.”  Her eyes took on a fierce
gleam.  “The  asshole  boyfriend  was  also  in  the  hospital  under  police  guard  before  he  went  to  jail.
While  they  were  fighting  Nate  managed  to  hurt  him,  and  he’s  pretty  strong  for  being  sixteen.  Their
mother just took off before the police arrived. I think I blame her just as much as her boyfriend…if not
more. She should have protected her children.”

“I was lucky,” Hammer said, trying to keep his voice light. “My ma protected me as much as

she could.”

Sympathy swam in Kalista’s eyes as she reached out the stroke his arm. “I’m so sorry. I

shouldn’t have—”

“No, don’t.” He reached up to grip her hand again. “I’m glad you told me. I survived, and they

will, too. And my ma has moved on and is very happy now. Let me know if I can do anything for those
boys, will you?” Seeing her smile eased some of the tension that had built inside his chest.

“I will. Thank you, Jared.”
Hammer made a mental note to check in on the kid himself. He knew about the fury that could

fester into blind hatred over something like this, and wanted to make sure that Nate didn’t lash out at
anyone if he didn’t deal with his anger properly. He’d make damn sure that wouldn’t happen since the
kid was going to be around his little fairy.

“I guess I should get going since I have an early start tomorrow,” Kalista said, sorry to have

brought up such horrible memories for him.

“I’ll walk you back.”
They stood and she zipped up her coat as he put his sweatshirt on, then she let him take her

hand again as he led her out of the bar. The gesture seemed so casual that Kalista thought maybe he
held hands with whatever woman he was with and it wasn’t because he was interested in her.

Her heart clenched at the thought.
They walked in silence, both of them deep in thought. Stupid, she scolded herself. How stupid

to talk about a tragedy when he had finally noticed her. It was certainly a way to kill any romantic
notions that may have sparked from this encounter.

Still, it was good that she had told him.
Jared had never hidden his past. He had spoken of what had happened with his father when he

had been in the spotlight fighting for the CFL, and she had read articles about how many young kids
had been motivated by the story. It would be good for Nate to see firsthand what a successful man
Jared had made himself after coming from a similar background.

Holding back a sigh, she figured she would have to get used to friend status. Jared was being

nice enough to meet with her tomorrow to help her set up some sort of training. She was surprised that
he was even willing to suffer being around her family, offering himself up like some sort of sacrificial
date for the wedding. Despite how pathetic it would make her look, she was anxious enough about the
whole event that she was ready to take him up on his offer, even if it was made out of pity.

When they arrived back in front of her shop she started to thank him for the drink, but was

caught off guard when he spoke first. “Do you still miss dickhead or are you over him yet?”

She choked on a laugh. “If you mean David, I don’t miss him. It’s over and I’m glad it is.”
“Good.”
Kalista barely had time to gasp as he hauled her into his arms and claimed her lips in a

searing kiss. He took advantage of her shock, pushing past her parted lips so his tongue could stroke
deep, taking possession of her mouth.

Her back hit rough brick as he suddenly shoved her against the building, his large body

pressing against her so she felt the steel-hard length of his cock against her stomach. She felt branded
by the heat of his touch and a soft moan of pleasure tore from her throat. His answering growl had lust
coiling in her belly, and it had her body softening against him, wanting, needing to be closer.

Time seemed to stop, the world simply dissolving around them as he took the kiss deeper.

Jared kissed her like a man starved, stroking, tasting as if he wanted to own her. The thought of this
powerful man taking her had her knees going weak. She would have fallen, but strong arms wrapped
around her before she could falter, securing her against his hard body.

Kalista’s hands came up to grip at his biceps, but his bulging muscles were too big for her to

hold onto. Feeling his strength under her hands made her feel safe, and she gave herself over to the
storm of passion. He let out another growl as his hands cupped her ass, lifting her so his rigid cock
rubbed against her pussy. With every thrust, the hard seam of her jeans pushed against her swollen
clit, making her jerk as electricity shot through her body.

He tore his lips away from hers, his massive chest billowing for air so it brushed against the

hard peaks of her nipples. “Damn it…”

He pulled back, but kept his hands on her hips as he lowered her until her feet once again

touched the ground. Blinking up at him, his penetrating gaze burned into her. Heat swept through her
body, leaving her weak in the aftermath of his kiss as she remembered that they were standing in front
of her building on the street where anyone could have seen them.

Unable to speak, she watched his nostrils flare and his jaw clench as his hands on her hips

tightened before releasing her completely.

“Tomorrow, my little fairy. Go inside and lock the door.”
When she just stood there he growled low in his throat and gave her a gentle push toward her

door. She fumbled into her pocket for her key, following his instructions without thinking as she
opened her door. Kalista looked back to find him watching her with an intensity that had her body
humming. She wanted to invite him in, but something had her holding back.

“Tomorrow,” he said again.
She couldn’t decide if the one word sounded like a promise or a warning.
Kalista nodded and walked inside, shutting the door behind her. Leaning back on the closed

door, she looked at the stairs in front of her and let out a shaky breath. Her lips felt bruised by his
possessive kiss, and she raised her fingers to touch them as if she could savor the feeling. She was
going to have to wait a minute for her legs to stop shaking to climb up to her apartment.

Dear God, the man could kiss.

Chapter Three

“Try it.”
“I don’t wanna.”
Kalista laughed as she watched her friend Zoe frowned down at the steaming cup of liquid in

front of her. “Try it, you’ll like it.”

Back in the kitchen of Sinfully Sweet, Zoe sat on a stool next to Kalista as she skillfully

transferred a batch of cookies from the cookie sheet fresh out of the oven to the cooling racks set out
on the marble counter in the center of the room. The lunch rush had just ended, and Kalista was using
the time to try out a few new recipes she wanted to start selling.

“Lavender white hot chocolate? It doesn’t sound remotely appealing.” Zoe heaved out a sigh,

then picked up the cup and took a tentative sip. She paused and took another taste, then narrowed her
eyes on Kalista. “How in the world did you make this taste so good? Your talents are just not
natural.”

Kalista chuckled. “I told you that you would like it.”
“I know, but I thought it was going to taste like soap or something.”
“Would I ever give you something revolting like that?”
“I don’t know…maybe if you were mad at me,” Zoe muttered before taking another sip.
Kalista let out a delicate snort as she set the empty pan down in the large sink to be washed

later. She wiped her hands on her apron, then smiled at her friend. “Okay, now do you want to try the
lavender cookies or the white chocolate cupcake with lavender buttercream frosting?”

“Duh, both. What a stupid question. And you are so not changing the subject. I want details

about you and Hammer.”

Kalista turned to the refrigerator to give herself a moment to think. Details? It would be easier

to explain things if she knew what was going on herself. She pulled out a cupcake, setting it on a
plate, then took two cookies from the cooling rack and set it down in front of Zoe. “I just don’t
understand him.”

“What’s there to understand? You’re a beautiful woman, he’s a hot guy. You practically melt

into a puddle whenever he’s around, and he looks at you like he wants to tie you to his bed and fuck
you for a week. So, did you let him?”

That had Kalista shaking her head. “You have such a potty mouth, Zoe. Maybe I should rethink

feeding you that soap.”

Zoe shrugged her delicate shoulders as she ate her cupcake. She had a slim figure for her five

foot  seven  frame,  but  regardless  how  fragile  she  looked,  she  still  packed  a  punch.  “I’ve  spent  too
much of my life being proper. Someone was always telling me what to do, what to say … even how
to feel.  I’m done with that shit.  I like being able to say whatever naughty thoughts are in my head.”
Her  expression  brightened.  “Speaking  of  naughty,  this  cupcake  is  like  sex  in  my  mouth  and  these
cookies are to die for.”

Despite the smile on Zoe’s face, Kalista knew that the memories of the past weighed heavily

on her friend and a wave of sympathy swept through her. Since Zoe had moved into town three months
ago the two of them had become good friends. Usually, Zoe was pretty tight lipped about her past, but
there had been a couple of nights they had shared a few bottles of wine and swapped stories about
what haunted them both. Kalista was glad her friend had found sanctuary in Breakers, just like she
had.

“I’ll pack a few in a box so you can take it to work with you tonight,” Kalista promised as she

got a small box from a rack off to the side and started filling it with cookies. “And no, I didn’t sleep
with him, but he did kiss me.”

“Oooh, was it good? He seems like he would be a good kisser.”
“Good is too tame a word for what that man can do. My God, Zoe…I felt like my brains

leaked out of my ears. I was so embarrassed I almost had an orgasm right there in front of my
building!”

Zoe huffed. “Now you’re just bragging. So, what are you confused about? Hammer is a nice

guy. He’s not one of those assholes who comes into the bar and flirts with anything with tits.”

Kalista’s brow rose. “You mean like Dante?”
“Dante is a man-whore,” Zoe groused as she wound her long black hair up in a bun on the top

of her head and secured it using two chopsticks.

“But you like him,” Kalista insisted. “And he likes you. I can see it in the way he looks at

you.”

Zoe’s feelings for Dante were…complicated, and not something she wanted to delve into at

the moment. If ever. “It doesn’t matter. I could never be with a man who sleeps around like that. I
don’t care how good looking he is. Plus, he’s my boss. It would totally be wrong to get involved with
him. That is to say, if he actually wanted something more than one night. You know how he is. I don’t
want to be just another in his string of random hookups.”

Kalista set the box of cookies in front of Zoe, then leaned against the counter and sighed.

“You’re probably right since he is your boss, but I don’t think Dante looks at you like those other
women he’s been with. I think he really cares about you.”

Zoe waved a hand in the air. “I don’t want to talk about him. Tell me, what are you planning to

do about Hammer.”

“I have no idea.” Kalista sighed. “I just don’t know how to handle this with Jared. I mean,

I’ve known him for months, but we’ve never really spoken until last night. Then he goes and offers to
be my date for my cousin’s wedding and—”

“Really?” Zoe laughed evilly. “David will shit his pants when you show up with Hammer.”
Kalista smiled as she thought about it. “Yesterday, I went over to his gym and asked if he

would give me self-defense lessons because I want to lose some weight before the wedding. Jared
got mad when I mentioned why I wanted the lessons.”

Zoe glared at her. “You don’t need to lose any weight. What you need to do is stop listening to

your asshole ex and your stupid mother. Tell you what, if you talk Hammer into setting up a self-
defense class for women, I’ll go with you.”

“You will? But you already know karate, don’t you?”
“I know tai chi not karate, but it’s been a long time since I’ve really practiced. I just signed up

at Fight Hard last week to work out on the machines. I wouldn’t mind taking a class to learn some
new moves. I bet Becca would go with us, too?”

“Where am I going?” Becca asked as she pushed through the swinging door to the front of the

shop. One perfectly sculpted black brow rose above her unusual violet eyes.

“A self-defense class over at Fight Hard.”
“Work out with hot guys? I am so there!” Becca looked over at her boss with a mischievous

grin. “Speaking of hot guys, Hammer is up front and he’s asking for you.”

A shiver of pleasure rippled through Kalista as she thought about seeing him again. She’d had

a hard time falling asleep the night before since he had left her aching and wanting him. If not for her

trusty vibrator, she would have never gotten to sleep. Still, it was a poor substitute for the real thing.
Pulling off her pink apron, she smoothed down her hair and glared at her two friends who were
grinning at her. “What?”

“Oh, nothing. You look perfect. Now, go get’em, tiger,” Zoe said with a wink, happy to see

her friend looking so flustered. “I’ll just finish up my cupcake and show myself out the backdoor.
Thanks for the cookies…now go get your man.”

“Stop it,” Kalista hissed good-naturedly, then pushed through the swinging door. The nervous

smile of greeting froze on Kalista’s face as she saw Jared sitting at a table with a beautiful woman
with long sunny-blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

Kalista recognized the other woman as Evelyn Beaumont, a local heiress with a large mansion

at the far edge of town right by the water. She had seen the woman often enough when she came into
the bakery, but Kalista didn’t know much about her except that she ran some sort of dog training
facility at her home and had converted the huge stables in the back to a working kennel. She had also
owned the plot of land next to hers with a large plantation-style building that she had just started
running as a sort of boarding house for the numerous former-military men that seemed to pass through
town.

Becca came through the door and bumped into her from behind, causing Jared to look over at

them when she yelped. His dark eyes heated as he saw her and a smile spread across his face, making
him even more impossibly good looking. Damn her hormones!

“There you are, Kali,” he said in his deep voice that seemed to vibrate straight to her clit. It

was practically sinful what the man could do to her with one look.

Confused as to why he was he was there with another woman, she came out from behind the

front counter and slowly walked toward his table. Self-doubt plagued her, but she tried to push it
back. Jared was nothing like her ex, and he certainly wasn’t the type of man who would bring a date
into her own shop to rub her nose in it. It was difficult though. Evelyn was so beautiful that Kalista
found herself lacking in comparison.

As if sensing what she was thinking, he frowned and stood up, holding a hand out to her. When

she was close enough, she placed her hand in his and was startled when he pulled her to him and
pressed his lips lightly on hers. He gave a hum of pleasure, then kissed her again a little harder before
he pulled back and smiled down at her.

“Hi.”
“Hi,” she answered breathlessly. Her heart was doing a happy dance in her chest at his public

display of affection, and it eased some of the worry she’d been feeling.

“Kali, this is Evelyn Beaumont. Evie, this is Kali. Do you have some time to sit with us?”
Kalista looked over at Becca who was back manning the register and saw she and one of their

part-time workers had everything in hand. “I’d love to join you. It’s nice to meet you, Evelyn.” It was
almost unfair how beautiful the other woman was, Kalista thought with an internal sigh. To take her
mind off of that she looked down at the table at their coffee and sweets and smiled. “I see you two
went for sweets today.”

“Please, call me Evie,” she said with a laugh. “And I can’t seem to help myself. Every time I

come in here I have to have one of your brownies. They’re like my crack. Me and my thighs hate
you.”

Kalista laughter was cut off as Jared leaned closer to her. “I was in the mood for something

vanilla and—” he took a little sniff of her neck and smiled. “Lavender. But I guess I’ll make do with
my cinnamon roll.”

Kalista could feel the blush heating her cheeks and ducked her head a little. “I’ve been trying

some new recipes using white chocolate and lavender.”

“You’ll have to let me try it later,” he murmured softly before he cleared his throat and raised

his voice to a normal speaking level. “We just got done with our meeting over at the gym when Evie
mentioned wanting to speak to you about something. She kept nagging, so I thought I would just bring
her over so she could meet you.”

Evie winked. “It’s true. I can be relentless when I want something, but he has to put up with

me.”

Kalista felt a funny pang in her belly hearing that. Jared and Evie were obviously close. It was

in the way they interacted with a casual affection that could only be established through a close
relationship. Had they dated? Were they still together? No, he wouldn’t have kissed her if he was
with Evie.

He cut a big piece of his cinnamon roll with his fork, glowering at the blonde across the table.

“Yeah, you’re a pain in the—”

“Jared!” Kalista chided before she could stop herself.
“Sorry,” he muttered as his massive shoulders hunched, then he stuffed the cinnamon roll bite

his mouth.

“Oh, this is too funny!” Evie burst out with laughter. “I can’t wait to tell the boys that she can

put you in your place with just a word.”

“I didn’t mean—”
“I don’t mind. I can be a total pain in the ass, but that’s because we’re related,” Evie

explained. She could see that Kali was uncomfortable, and wanted to put her at ease. “Hammer’s
mother, Madeline, is married to my uncle, Tony, so that makes us family. He has to put up with me
and my other cousins, Francesca, Beckett, and Hunter.”

“You’re a brat, but I still love you,” he said warmly.
Evie rolled her eyes. “Stop. Your flattery is going to make me blush.”
He snorted, then turned to focus his dark eyes on Kalista. “I’ve been planning with Evie to use

her boarding house as a location for any visitors we may have coming here for extended
rehabilitation. It’s close enough to town that we can transport them to Fight Hard for their
appointments, but secluded enough for the individuals that don’t want to be around a crowd.”

Kalista had a difficult time concentrating on what he was saying as he took her hand and

pulled it onto his hard thigh below the table. Feeling the large muscle flex under her palm had her
body heating between her own thighs.

“It’s a wonderful idea,” Evie said after chewing a bite of her brownie. “I didn’t open the

place to make money. I mainly wanted to give the men and women who were transitioning back to
civilian life somewhere safe to stay while they decided what they wanted to do with their lives.
Setting up rooms for your rehab patients will be no hardship at all.”

“That sounds like it will be perfect.” Kalista couldn’t help but admire that Evie had done

something so generous to help so many. Curiosity had her asking, “What did you want to speak to me
about?”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I run a canine rescue on my property. The Beaumont

Rescue Center is a non-profit organization that takes in stray dogs and cares for them until we can find
them new homes. I’m also a part of a search and rescue team that operates in the surrounding area.
We are planning an adoption event on Valentine’s Day from ten to four, and I was wondering if you
would be willing to donate some cookies or something for the visitors that come to the event. I know

it’s a lot to ask and it’s short notice, but—”

“I would love to,” Kalista said, cutting Evie off. In her element now, her nerves faded away.

“My friend Becca has a little Yorkie named Thor that we make treats for. They’re really cute. We
sometimes make them shaped like bones or little paw prints. We could make treats for both the human
and the doggie guests at your event.”

Jared gave her a look that almost bordered on horror. “Thor? Really?”
Kalista tilted her chin up. “Thor is very protective of Becca.”
“I’m sure he is,” he said, although the look on his face said otherwise.
Evie beamed at her. “That sounds wonderful! If you have a line of dog treats that you would

be willing to make regularly, I would love to place an ongoing order with you every week.”

“Why don’t I stop by your place with some samples in a few days, and we can see if your

dogs like the treats? That way we can see which flavors they like best. I can also see how many dogs
you have and we can estimate how many you would need for a weekly order. I could come by on
Sunday afternoon if it works for you since we close at noon.”

“Sounds perfect!” Evie declared, pleased that Kali had agreed to volunteer so quickly. They

talked a little more about the auction event while she finished her brownie. Jared had already
devoured his cinnamon roll and was sitting back with his arm casually draped over the back of
Kalista’s chair while they spoke.

Kalista was surprised how much she liked Evie Beaumont, then instantly felt bad for doubting

that she would. The wealthy woman was nothing like she had first imagined. Evie was smart and
funny, but she was also easy to talk to and very down to earth. She had to admit it was a relief to hear
that she was related to Jared. Kalista liked the dedication Evie had for her work and was looking
forward to participating in the adoption event. The only down side was that Kalista was pretty sure
she was going to have a hard time walking away without bringing a pet home with her.

After she finished her brownie, Evie got up and hurried off after thanking her one last time.

When she was gone, Kalista turned to Jared and found him watching her with an intensity that made
her blink in surprise.

“Thank you for bringing Evie by. I really would love to participate in the adoption event.”
“It’s for a good cause and she usually pulls in tons of people. She has a lot of dogs that

deserve good homes.”

Kalista eyed his shirt and track pants that both sported a stylized design with the words

“Rough & Tough” spelled out in white along one leg of his black pants and down one long sleeve of
his shirt. The scripted font was fancy, yet somehow masculine, as was the scrolling red dragon design
behind the words. Without thinking, she reached out to trace the letters on his arm and felt him tense.
“I see you wearing things that say this a lot.”

“It’s…” He cleared his throat. “I have an endorsement deal with Rough and Tough sports

apparel. It’s a company that specializes in making clothes for MMA fighters, snowboarders,
surfers…basically all of the extreme sports. They have been approached by some of the main-stream
sports teams, but I’m not sure if they are willing to branch out into those markets.”

“Wow, so you take pictures and stuff for them?” She tried to hide her smile as he seemed to

squirm in his chair.

“Yeah. Sure…sometimes. Basically, all I have to do is wear the stuff.”
She smiled at him. “That seems like a pretty sweet deal. If someone sent me free clothes I’d

wear it, too.”

He got a funny gleam in his eyes as he watched her. “They are always trying to send me

women’s clothes to help advertise that line. I’ll let Rever know to tell them to send me some for you.”

Her heart fluttered before settling back into a steady rhythm. “Thanks. I would definitely wear

them, especially since I’m going to be working out more from now on.” She paused before asking,
“Who is Rever?”

Hammer once again relaxed in his chair, content to spend time with his little fairy. He

normally didn’t like talking about his endorsement deal, but he’d answer any question Kali wanted.
He had been thinking about her all damn day. Hell, he had also thought about all night…particularly
when he had jerked off in the shower before going to bed.

Shit. Just thinking about his cock and Kali together had blood flowing down to his groin.
Focus, dickhead…
“I guess you could say that my friend Adam Rever is my manager. We knew each other from

when we were in the Army. He’s also my business partner with another friend of ours, Daryk Nyght.
Both of them wanted to join with me to create Fight Hard after I hurt my knee.”

Her eyes clouded with sympathy and she placed her hand on his arm as if to comfort him. “Do

you mind if I ask how you got injured?”

His body went tight like some pathetic schoolboy when she placed her hand on him. Christ,

she was stroking his arm now. He wanted to fucking whimper as he imagined her soft hand and gentle
fingers wrapped his cock and ruthlessly fought back the urge to grab her and carry her out of her
bakery like some marauding Neanderthal.

He shifted in his seat before answering. “It was a training accident. Knee injuries are pretty

common for professional MMA fighters. Because we twist a lot and do a bunch of ground work, it’s
easy to get hurt when you are grappling with someone who is trying to get you in a lock. I knew it was
always a risk since I had previously hurt my knee when I was a Ranger.” He saw her wide eyes and
hurried to assure her. “It wasn’t bad, and it held up long enough for me to have a pretty good career as
a fighter in the ring. I had reconstructive surgery on my knee, and now it’s almost good as new.”

“But you can’t fight anymore? Professionally, I mean.”
“I guess I could now, but I accomplished what I wanted to already, so it was as good a time as

any to retire.” She wrinkled her nose at him. He wanted to lean down and kiss it because she was so
damn cute when she did it, but he refrained.

“It’s funny to think of you as retired. You’re only what, thirty? I like to think thirty is young,

and not just because I will be hitting the big three-oh in six months.”

He chuckled. “I’m thirty-three. Gonna be thirty-four in April, though.”
“Thank God you’re older than me. I feel better now.”
“Glad I could help,” he said with a chuckle.
She smiled. “I’ll have to make you a cake for your birthday.”
That had him pausing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a birthday cake. Sure,

after he and his mother escaped his father’s craziness she had always made sure to celebrate his
birthday with him, but since then it hadn’t even occurred to him. While he had been in the Army his
birthday had just been another day to be grateful he was still alive. When he had come back home and
started fighting professionally, he had always been on a strict training program and would never have
thought of eating something as sinful as cake.

But now, hearing her eagerness to celebrate with him touched a part of his heart he had been

worried he didn’t have. “You’re gonna bake me a cake?”

“Of course, silly. Just let me know what kind you want, or I could just surprise you.”
“Surprise me…you know what I like.” Hammer’s voice had lowered to a seductive whisper

and he noticed how she shivered at the sound. At least she still seemed to want him after he had
practically attacked her last night. He seriously needed to learn how to control himself around her or
he was going to fuck everything up. “So, you ready to head over to the gym?”

She smiled at him. “Sure. Did you want to come up to my bed?” Her smile faded to a look of

horror. “My apartment! I meant my apartment so I could change clothes if we are going to…just kill
me now. Please.”

Hammer fought back his delighted laughter. “I’d be happy to wait for you to change. I’d also

like to see your apartment.”

“Ah, yeah…okay. Just…umm, let me tell Becca I’m leaving.”
He watched as Kali scurried over to the counter to speak to her friend and took the extra time

alone at the table to will down his raging boner. When she had invited him into her bed it had given
him an instant hard-on. He couldn’t be happier at her slip. If his little fairy was thinking about him
being in her bed, then he was all for it.

He’d be taking her up on her offer…and soon.
Becca shoved a box into Kali’s hand, and whatever her friend said to her made her blush.

Curiosity had him rising from the table. He stepping up behind Kali so he could put his hand on her
waist. “Are you ready to go?”

“She is,” Becca answered with an impish grin. “Bye now. Don’t worry about the shop, we’ve

got everything covered. See you tomorrow!”

Hammer opened the door and let Kali exit before he followed her outside to the doorway next

to her shop. “What’s in the box, Kali?”

“What? Oh, these are for you. It shouldn’t take me long to change, and I’m sorry in advance if

my apartment is a mess. At least I think it was messy when I left this morning.”

She shoved the box into his stomach and he caught it automatically as she continued to babble.

Kali used her key to let them into the entrance to her apartment building, and he gave into temptation
and opened the box. The sweet scent of lavender and vanilla floated out around him as he stared
down at the four pretty cupcakes in the box.

Damn it, just damn it.
He carefully closed the box, then set it on a small table she had placed against the wall at the

bottom of the staircase. God, he felt as if he moved any faster something inside of him would snap.
“I’m sorry.” The words were spoken harshly as if they had been torn from his throat, but he couldn’t
manage anything more.

“About wha—” Kali turned to him and there it was.

He could almost feel his control shatter as those fucking perfect green eyes looked up at him

innocently. He couldn’t take it anymore. He needed her too damn much. Moving in fast, he cut off her

words with his mouth as he caged her against the wall with his hard body.

Chapter Four

Dear God, it was like being burned alive…
One second Kalista was trying to figure out how the hell to stop rambling as she always did

when she was nervous, short of bashing her head against the wall, and the next Jared’s mouth was
claiming hers in a way that singed her straight to her core.

His large muscular body pushed her back against the wall of the hallway and her startled gasp

was captured by his mouth as he caged her in. Desire flooded her system at the feeling of his rock-
hard erection pressing against her stomach. Her body flashed with heat, instantly growing wet as he
ground against her, giving her a taste of what he wanted to do to her. She tilted her head, letting him
take the kiss deeper until she felt her toes curl in her shoes. His large hands gripping her short hair in
his hard grasp so she couldn’t escape him.

Not that she wanted to.
He pulled back, his massive chest billowing out like he had just run a mile at a full sprint. “I

need you. Christ, I need you, Kali.” His voice was a harsh growl filled with hunger. “I’m so fucking
hard it hurts. Tell me if this is too soon, baby. Tell me that, and I'll try to leave you alone. Say it and
I’ll back off.”

Confusion flickered as she tried to focus on what he was saying. She had a difficult time

thinking any time he touched her, but it was worse after his kiss made her head practically explode
with desire. Jared was lethal to her senses. He had a raw power to him that drew her in like a
proverbial flame. She’d never known anyone like him and had certainly never reacted to a man with
such abandon before. All of her other lovers had been polite and…hell, who was she kidding? Sex
with her former boyfriends had been fun, but almost boring. With just one kiss Jared had wiped away
all traces of those previous encounters, leaving only his touch in their stead.

Looking up at him, seeing the stark passion in his dark eyes, she was mesmerized by him. It

was difficult to believe that a man like him could want her so much. It was highly arousing and
slightly terrifying that she felt so much for him so fast, but she couldn’t form the words he seemed to
be bracing himself for.

Leave her alone?
Did she look stupid?
The hallway at the bottom of the stairs was dark since they hadn’t turned on the light leading

up to her apartment. Sounds of the outside world were muffled by the front door. What they were
doing was crazy, but something about the predatory way Jared was looking at her made her want to
give him anything he wanted, even if she didn’t know what that was. Rational thinking wasn’t
possible right now. Jared was like some untamed beast waiting to devour her…and she wanted him
to. Hell yes, she wanted him to.

“I…I don’t want to stop. I want you, Jared,” she whispered.
His nostrils flared and heat filled his dark eyes. He let out a sound that was almost animalistic

as his mouth crushed down on hers again, scorching her with a fiery kiss. The taste of him exploded
on her tongue in a mixture of cinnamon and spice. His tongue plunged into her mouth, taking and
tasting, and she met his passion with her own. Her body trembled with the desire coursing through her
veins as he pressed against her harder, making her pussy clench with need to have him filling her. She
arched her body, needing to be as close to him as possible and whimpered as her hands clutched at
his bulging biceps.

Holy hell, was he built.
She wanted to touch him all over, and she wanted his hands on her.
“It’s not enough…”
Hammer felt lost in a haze of need as his steel-hard erection press against Kali, but it wasn’t

enough. Without thinking, he jerked her off her feet, lifting her by her thighs so he could grind his hard
shaft into her cloth covered pussy, holding her pressed against the wall. He growled out his approval
as her legs wrapped around his waist and she ran her hands up his arms to clasp them around his neck
to pull him closer.

His mouth ate at hers, voraciously feeding off of her sweet taste. Her soft tongue dueled with

his in a sensual dance that made his knees weak and his cock hard as steel. He shoved against her,
rubbing against her heated pussy, enjoying the friction in a mimic of love-play. He rocked his hips,
then let out a growl of frustration at the unwelcome barrier of their clothes.

Damn it, he needed more.
The desire to be inside her was like a compulsion pounding in his head straight down to his

pulsing erection. Setting her back down, his hands reached up and jerked at the neckline of her button-
up shirt. The soft sound of her gasp barely registered as the plastic buttons rained down on the
wooden floor. Christ, he knew he was acting insane, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He pulled
back enough to look down at her, wanting to see her lush curves with his own eyes. His stomach did a
flip as he saw the white lace of her bra lovingly cupping her perfect breasts, and his own hands
reached up to touch them. He palmed them roughly, feeling the answering surge in his cock when she
filled his greedy hands.

“Fuck. You’re so gorgeous.”
“Thank—”
Her words were cut off on a moan as he lowered enough to take one of her hard nipples into

his mouth. Not bothering to take her bra off, he jerked the material down so he could suck hard on the
taut peak, biting gently until it puckered into a hard little berry. There was something about seeing his
woman in white lace that drove him wild with the need to have her.

Her soft hands reached up to grip his head, holding him to her as he switched to the other

breast. “Oh God, Jared. It’s so good. Your mouth is so hot.”

Unable to wait any longer, his hands moved down, working quickly to unbuckle her pants. He

pushed his hand into her panties and thrust two of his fingers into her hot, little hole, loving how wet
she was for him.

“Oh, God!”
“So wet…you’re so wet for me,” he growled out as he felt her body jerk. He pressed his palm

against her clit, scissoring his fingers to part the tight muscles of her cunt, testing her readiness. “Do
you like that, baby? Do you like my fingers fucking you, Kali?”

“Yes,” she moaned as he curled his fingers so they brushed against her G-spot and his thumb

flicked over her clit. He drank down her moan as he took her lips in another brutal kiss. He started
stroking his fingers inside of her, thrusting slowly, wanting to make her come before he totally lost it,
but she seemed to have other plans.

His breath hissed out as her small hand tentatively gripped his cock through the fabric of his

pants. She was trying to fucking kill him. Closing his eyes, he could feel sweat beading his forehead
as she stroked his cock, rubbing her palm against the thick stalk until he thought he would die if he
didn’t get inside her soon.

“You’re so big,” she whispered against his lips, inciting his lust to a firestorm he couldn’t

control.

His cock jerked and he knew he was leaking pre-cum all over the inside of his boxers. Giving

in, he let out a vicious curse as he pulled his fingers from her dripping pussy. Breathing hard, he
jerked back to his full height and tore off his shirt, throwing it to the floor.

“Shoes off. Now.”
He wanted to wince at the harsh command in his voice, but he couldn’t help it. He needed her

too damn much for finesse. His control was shot to hell, and he was no longer willing to fight it. He
pushed off his own shoes, using one foot to take care of the other. He wanted to fucking cheer when
she toed off the little slip-on shoes she was wearing. As soon as she did he placed his hands on her
hips and jerked her pants down along with her white lace panties, baring her sweet pussy to his view.

Fucking hell, she was perfect.
Acting on pure instinct now, he lifted a foot and stepped on the material that had been lowered

to her knees. With one quick stomp the clothing was jerked from her as he lifted her out of them,
leaving her lower half completely naked. He yanked her shirt from her arm, throwing it to the floor,
then pulled her bra off. Making a quick decision he turned her so she was facing away from him and
placed her on the stairs as gently as he could.

Her knees were braced on a wooden step while her hands gripped onto one of the higher

rungs. He wanted to simply stand there and admire her perfect heart-shaped ass, but he couldn’t. Not
right now. Shoving his pants and boxers down, he let his hard cock spring free. Curling over her from
behind, he wrapped his hands around her thighs from the front, pulling them further apart to spread her
wide for him. Once she was in position, he took his shaft in his hand, lodging the head of his dick to
the entrance of her hot little hole and thrust forward, burying himself deep.

“Jared!”
Kalista wanted to scream as she felt him filling her with his hard cock, but all she could

manage was a whimper. His massive erection filled her completely, the pleasure bordering on pain as
he parted her tight muscles. She spread her legs further apart, arching her back to help him slide all
the way inside her.

He gripped her hip hard, holding completely still as he gave her time to adjust to his

possession. “Fuck, your tight little cunt is gripping me so damn hard it feels like my cock is going to
snap off.”

“I sure hope not,” she said with a breathless laugh. “I still want to make use of it.”
He pressed his forehead onto her shoulder and she felt his body shake with laughter against

her back. Raising his head slightly, she felt his lips pressing light kisses along her shoulder and neck,
making her shiver. Even in the whirlwind of this passionate encounter, she had never felt closer to a
man she had been intimate with. She could feel his cock throbbing inside her, filling her with his
heartbeat so it seemed like they were one.

“I’m sorry,” he said, the strain clear in his voice. “Are you okay? I shouldn’t have just shoved

into you like that. You’re small—”

“But mighty. I can take it, Jared. You feel so good inside me.”
He sucked in a harsh breath and she thought she could feel his cock swelling even larger

inside her. “Don’t say shit like that. You’re making me crazy with the need to take you.”

“Then do it. Oh God, please, Jared,” she moaned, rocking under him a little. “Please, take me.

I want this. I want you.”

Giving into her plea, he pulled out, sliding his thick cock against her sensitive nerve endings

inside her pussy, leaving her feeling empty. Before she could protest, he surged back in to the hilt,

making her body jolt.

“Do you feel that, Kali?” he whispered in her ear. “I'm all the way inside you. Your tight little

cunt fits me so perfect…like it was made for me to fuck.”

His words sent a wave of lust careening through her system that seemed to focus straight to

her clit. Her body quivered as a small orgasm had her pussy fluttering around him, gripping him tight.

“Fuck!” he growled. “Hold on, baby.”
That was all the warning she got as he pulled back and began thrusting into her from behind.

His large body braced over her like an animal, rutting into her with a fast, punishing rhythm. Her grip
tightened on the stairs, bracing herself as he pounded into her, inciting breathless pleas to fall from
her lips. She closed her eyes and let him take her. He thrilled her with his desperate lunges, igniting a
pleasure so acute she could barely breathe.

“Yes,” she cried out as he continued to thrust inside her. “More, Jared. It’s so good!”
She had never been so full, never felt so utterly taken, and she loved every second of it. He

pressed his chest against her back, wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her still while he used
the other hand to brace himself against the stairs so he wouldn’t crush her underneath him. She turned
her head, and as if he knew what she wanted, his mouth claimed hers again. His tongue stroked into
her in the same rhythm of his cock, and she shivered at his growl when she sucked on his tongue.

The sounds of their flesh slapping echoed in the small enclosure of the stairwell as her ass hit

his pelvis. There was something so erotic to be doing this in a place where only a doorway separated
them from the outside world. Sounds of traffic and people filtered in from the small barrier, but she
didn’t care.

All she could focus on was the pleasure he was giving her.
Feeling the tightness building in her center again, she pushed back against him, driving him

further inside her so his balls slapped against her clit with every hard thrust.

“Fuck, baby. That’s so good. Fuck back on my cock just like that.”
His naughty words did something to her, making her pussy flutter with her impending release.

“Jared…”

“That’s right. Come for me, baby. Do it, Kali. Come on my dick. Let me feel you, little fairy.

Come on my fucking cock.”

He hammered into her faster, driving her closer to the edge of ecstasy. She barely held back a

scream as he moved his hand lower to slap her clit with the pads of his fingers. On the fourth strike,
she turned her head and let out a wild scream against his bicep, trying to muffle the sound as she
came. Her pussy clamped down on his cock tight, drenching him with her release as the waves of
rapture washed over her.

“Son of a bitch, your hot little cunt is so tight I can barely move inside you. I’m coming. God,

you’re taking me with you,” he groaned as he jerked his hips in sharp, quick jabs.

He thrust once, twice, then she felt his big body shudder as he spilled himself inside her. He

buried his face into the crook of her neck, arms wrapping around her as he whispered her name so
reverently it brought tears to her eyes.

Aftershocks of her climax rippled through her, making her pussy pulse around his shaft that

was still buried deep inside her as if her body wanted to mold itself around him. He had been right.
Her body felt like it had been made for him, and she didn’t know how she would ever recover from
being with him. He had claimed her, body and soul, and in that moment she knew she had lost her
heart to him.

“I’m an asshole.”

The unexpected statement had a laugh wheezing out of her crumpled form. That last orgasm

had all her strength leaving her body so she slumped onto the stair, content to lie there in that
awkward position for the rest of her life with him covering her.

“I came in you, Kali.”
She tensed when she realized what he just said. God, she had never been so reckless before.

Even after months of dating David, she had always made sure they used condoms when they’d had
sex. Not that things had ever been this urgent between her and any other man. No, Jared was special.
Her emotions were always so out of control when she was around him. It made her feel vulnerable in
a way that left her scared to open herself completely to him.

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her shoulder gently. “I’m sorry, baby.

I should have protected you. I swear to God I have never been with anyone without using a rubber
since I was fifteen and too stupid to know better.”

“Fifteen? My, you were an early starter.”
His rumble of laughter vibrated through his chest into her body. In reaction, her pussy

tightened on him, flexing around the semi-hard shaft that was still buried deep inside her. His laughter
abruptly cut off, and she felt his cock swelling inside her again.

“Fuck,” he muttered.
“I thought we just did,” Kali said with a giggle, then yelped as he bit her shoulder lightly.
“You, my little fairy, are a tease.”
“How can I be a tease when you’re still inside me?”
“Good point.” He sighed. “I just want you to know that I had a full check-up when I had my

knee surgery and I’m completely clean. Since then I haven’t been with anyone else.”

Hammer didn’t want to scare her and say that since the first time he saw Kali his dick hadn’t

seemed to react to anyone but her. Just thinking about her could make him hard as hell, but other
women just didn’t seem to appeal to him anymore. He only wanted his little fairy, and here she was,
splayed out in front of him on the stairs with her pussy hugging his cock like it didn’t want to let him
go.

Hell, if he could stay inside her forever he’d be a happy man.
“I’m clean, too. I just got myself checked out after I found out David cheated on me and I’m on

the pill,” Kali said. Her eyes widened in surprise as his cock twitched inside her.

Yeah, both he and his damn dick liked the thought of being able to come inside her again with

nothing between them. It was a primitive response he hadn’t been ready for. He’d never thought of
having sex with any woman without the added layer of protection, but after feeling her slick heat bare,
it would be impossible not to want it again.

“So…are you saying you’re okay with me coming inside you when we fuck?”
Shit! Why the hell did he say it like that? Was he brain dead? Kali wasn’t just some woman he

wanted to jerk off inside…she was the woman he wanted to make his. Now that he’d had her he was
damned if he was going to let some other asshole steal her away from him.

“Umm…I guess so. If we are going to be dating exclusively, I mean.”
Jesus, did she think that he wanted to go stick his dick in some other woman after he had his

sweet, little fairy?

Not. Going. To. Happen.
Before he could do something stupid like take her again on the hard, wooden staircase, he

slowly pulled out of her, missing the feel of her tight pussy hugging him so much he almost shoved it
right back inside her. Instead, he hitched up his boxers and pants, then scooped her up in his arms. He

loved the little squeal she let out as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt so slight in his
arms and he lowered his head, unable to resist kissing her again.

Damn, he had just taken her like some crazed animal, but he couldn’t seem to control himself

around her. She was the kind of woman that deserved soft kisses and candlelight, not some quickie
against the wall or on the stairs. He’d make it up to her and show her that she wasn’t just some easy
lay to him.

“We are exclusive, all right. You’re mine now, little fairy.”
The bemused look on her face just made her even more desirable. Hammer couldn’t wait until

he got her upstairs where he could fuck her on her bed…or the couch. Yeah, he might not be able to
make it into the bedroom before he had her again. He started up the stairs, but she shook her head.

“We need my keys. And we can’t just leave our clothes like that,” she said as she waved her

hand in the air and curled into him in a half-hearted attempt to shield her naked body.

He looked down and saw the carnage that lay on the floor at the bottom of the stairwell. He

cringed inwardly as he noticed he had basically lost control and ripped off her clothes before fucking
her. On the stairs, for fuck’s sake!

Yep, he really was like a goddamn animal.
He walked down the two steps, bending down until he was squatting down next to where she

had dropped the keys when he had first kissed her.

“Jared, put me down. I’m too heavy for you to do this while carrying me! Let me put my

clothes back on.”

“Not going to happen, sweetheart,” he told her cheerfully. “Now, can you pick up the keys?

Good girl. Why don’t you grab the box of cupcakes, too? I’ll come get our clothes later.”

Once she held the box of cupcakes and the keys in her hands, he started up the steps again. He

bent his knees enough so she could use the key to open her front door to her apartment at the top of the
stairwell. “So, as your new boyfriend and since you just insulted me, I think we should order in some
dinner, then you should let me spend the night.”

“My new…how did I insult you?”
Damn, she was cute when she was flustered. Hammer looked around her apartment with

curiosity.  Taking everything in at a glance, he thought her apartment suited her perfectly.  The living
room  was  a  wide,  airy  space  that  connected  to  a  large  open  kitchen  separated  by  a  marble  topped
breakfast  bar.  She  had  chosen  a  pale  golden  color  for  the  walls  of  the  kitchen  to  match  the  deep-
brown marble shot through with veins of gold and silver. The cabinets had frosted glass fronts with a
silver handles, and he could instantly tell she had spent a lot of money on top-of-the-line appliances.

In the living room, the walls were a deep crimson color and copies of famous paintings hung

in black rimmed frames. The room was filled with comfortable furniture arranged around a gas
fireplace, and he started over to her couch as he frowned down at her. “By suggesting I couldn’t carry
a little thing like you,” he said, answering her question.

She rolled her eyes at him as he walked over to her couch. “I’m not little.”
He sat down, then tilted her so he could slap her ass with his hand. She jerked on his lap and

he felt his cock harden to full mast as her mouth fell open in shock.

Eyes wide, she gaped at him. “What was that for?”
“Every time you insult yourself you are gonna get spanked, baby. No one insults you…even

you. Got it?” He reached up to caress her cheek and pressed his lips lightly to hers. “You’re mine
now, and I take care of what belongs to me. I won’t ever hurt you, so I don’t want you thinking that,
but I don’t like it when you put yourself down. You’re so fucking perfect, Kali.”

She reached up and wrapped her small hand around his thick wrist. “I’m not perfect, Jared.

Although flattering, that is also a pretty high standard for you to set for me. I can’t help but worry how
you’ll feel when you really get to know me better.”

“Kali, I know you. Hell, I’ve been watching you since I bought the building across the street.”
“You have?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. At first it was just because I thought you were hot, but the more I got to

know you, the more I wanted you.”

“I had no idea. I’ve watched you, too,” she admitted shyly.
“Have you now?”
Hammer lowered his hand, brushing the back of his fingers against her tight nipple and

watched her shiver. His cock throbbed in response and he shifted her on his lap so she was straddling
him. He wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her close so he could capture her lips with his.
Surprise filled him as she took control of the kiss this time, and he let her push her tongue in his mouth
where it stroked against his. She leaned forward, rubbing her breasts against his bare chest until he
groaned with need.

“Jared…”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I love kissing you.”
“Thank fucking God for that.”
She chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again. He wanted to take

her. To shove his pants off and slam her body down onto his cock, but he forced himself to hold back.
He would take this time slow if it killed him, and the way she was rocking her body against him made
him think it just might.

The phone rang in the background, but they both ignored it. Needing to be inside her again, he

was about to carrying her into her bedroom, but froze in place as the answering machine clicked on
and the voice of an irritated woman filled the room.

“Kalista Rose? It’s your mother. I just got off the phone with your cousin Bethany, and she is

very upset. I think it is very inconsiderate for you to insist on bringing someone with you to the
wedding, considering we both know how unlikely it is for you to be able to find another date in time.”

Hammer felt Kali stiffen in embarrassment and he felt his own anger spring to life. How dare

her mother speak to her that way!

Kalista’s mother’s sigh could be heard over the line. “Really, darling. You could never hold

onto a man like David if you don’t take care of yourself. I tried to warn you that eating all those
sweets was just going to make you fatter. It’s such a shame that silly little shop of yours has damaged
the only real chance you had at finding someone. Anyway, I told Bethany that I would make sure this
date of yours isn’t just one of you girlfriends you decided to bring along. Really, it’s very selfish of
you not to think of my sister and your poor cousin on her big day. They have to worry about paying for
all the dinners and it’s not like they have a trust like you do. Speaking of, your father and I think it’s
time for you to reconsider signing over the trust to us. It’s obvious you haven’t been making very good
decisions on your own, and we worry what you are doing with all that money. Call me back.”

The message ended and Hammer was surprised he wasn’t shaking with the rage coursing

through him at the sight of the tears in Kali’s eyes. Going with instinct, he said the first thing that came
to mind. “How the hell did you turn out so sweet with that crazy bitch as your mother?”

Kalista let out a laughing sob as she threw her arms around his neck and burrowed closer to

him. His arms immediately wrapped around her, hugging her close, and he took the throw from where

it was draped over the back of the couch and pulled it around her trembling form. She felt him press
his lips to the top of her head as he stroked her back in a soothing motion.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” she whispered against his neck.
“I’m not.” Shock had her pulling back to look at him. He lifted his hands to gently wipe away

the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks. “You warned me that your family wasn’t nice, but honey, that
woman sounded pure evil to me. Like wicked witch material if I ever heard it.”

She gave him a shaky smile that tore at his heart. “I try to avoid them as much as I can.”
“I don’t blame you. Sometimes…” Hammer paused as he tried to choose his words carefully.

“Sometimes words can hurt more than a fist.”

Kalista nodded, desperately relieved that he understood. Her lips trembled, and she took a

shaky breath. “Still want to go to the wedding with me?”

He drew her back into his arm and held her tight. “Baby, you aren’t going without me.”
She let out a little sigh and stroked a hand over his chest. “Thank you.”
“See if you still want to thank me after I punch your ex in his stupid fucking face.”
She had to laugh at that. “You swear a lot.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I don’t really mind. Especially when we’re…”
He tilted his head down so he could look at her. “When we’re, what?”
She could feel herself blush. “You know.”
He pressed his hand over hers to hold it still on his chest. “Ah, so my little fairy likes when I

talk dirty to her? What I know is if you keep petting me like that I am going to take you on this couch.”

A mischievous glimmer entered her eyes. “Is this your idea of a workout regimen for me? You

know, Becca and Zoe said they wanted to take the self-defense class with me. I hope you aren’t
planning on giving this type of one-on-one instruction to everyone.”

He slowly smiled. “Nope. I have a special plan just for you. Tell you what, I’ll put together

some sort of self-defense class for you and your girlfriends in a few days. For now, you and I have
some of our own cardio to do.”

“Oh, really? What do you have in mind?”
“Why don’t I just show you?”
Kali smiled at him and he stood up, carrying her in his arms. He followed her directions into

her bedroom, kissing her softly as he walked.

“Why do you call me a fairy?”
“Because you are. You’re my pretty little fairy.”
She let out a wistful sigh that had him taking her lips again. He would make love to his little

fairy on her bed. Take his time like she deserved, and show her how truly special she was. That
telephone message from her mother had infuriated him, but it also helped him understand how much
damage her parents had done to her self-confidence over the years. He was in her life now, and there
was no fucking way he was going to let her be around her family without him there to protect her.
Sure, she was a strong, capable woman, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to be there for her.

She would learn over time, she wasn’t alone anymore.
He’d make damn sure of it.

Chapter Five

Kalista drove down the long driveway leading toward Beaumont Manor and gawked at the

picturesque view. The sun was bright and shining over the paved driveway that was lined with tall
trees, and the lawn was well tended, even for January in Texas. Evelyn Beaumont’s property looked
like one of those estates people only saw in magazines or old movies that highlighted the glory days
of the south.

The first building she saw was a large plantation house with columns lining the front porch of

both of the second and main floors, making it look stately and grandiose. She wasn’t surprised to see
a number of motorcycles mixed in with a few trucks and a van in the small parking lot near the side of
the structure. She knew that the plantation house was now being used as a boarding house for former
soldiers who were transitioning back to life away from the battlefield.

Kalista continued down the road for a few more minutes, passing a large barn that was the

size of a warehouse. She knew that was the rescue center by the large sign on the building, but
noticing the parking lot next to the structure was full of cars, she wondered why there were so many
people there on a Sunday afternoon.

She continued driving around a large pond until she reached Evie’s house, then gasped at the

sight. The elaborate residence was made of stone, with large glass windows and a tiered roof that
made it seem almost Zen-like. A massive two story building sat in the center with two ranch-style
wings spanning from the main structure, making it look like it was three houses connected into a large
“U” shape. The design was far more modern than the plantation house, but both buildings seemed to
suit the property.

Evie walked out of the front glass doors, wearing jeans and a camel-colored coat that she had

paired with a Burberry scarf. Even dressed casually, the blonde looked stunning. She came down the
steps with four beautiful, well-behaved dogs flanking her sides as Kalista parked in front of the house
on the circular drive. Two of the dogs were clearly German Shepherds while the other two were
Belgian Malinois. Kalista wouldn’t have had a clue what those noble looking dogs were, but she had
seen pictures of them with information about their breed on Evie’s website.

“Hi!” Kalista said after she had turned off her car and got out. She was instantly glad she had

worn jeans and a long sleeve shirt under her white coat. The air was chilly outside, despite the
sunshine.

“Hi, Kali. Thanks for coming today.” Evie shot Kalista a rueful smile. “I guess I should have

asked you if you are afraid of dogs before you came here.”

“I’m not,” Kalista assured her. “Oh wow, they’re so beautiful.” She knelt on the ground and

held out her hand. All four dogs seemed to quiver with glee, their tails wagging at the thought of
meeting a new friend, but they simply sat there, looking up at Evie for permission before they moved
from her side.

After receiving a release command from Evie, all four dogs surged forward, licking and

rubbing against Kalista until she was laughing at their exuberance.

“Sorry, they love people. This is Lancelot, Gawain, Percival and Galahad.”
Kalista’s eyes widened. “You named your dogs after knights of the Round Table?”
“Yep, all four of them are trained for search and rescue, so it seemed fitting. They are my best

guys.” Evie walked over to rub two of the dogs on their backs. She loved her dogs, and relaxed when
she saw how comfortable Kali was surrounded by the cheerful animals. Wanting to distract them, she

pulled out four tennis balls from a small bag hanging at her side, holding two in each hand. “Hey,
guys! Go get’em!”

She hurled the balls across the yard and Kalista watched the dogs fly after them, then turned

back to look at Evie’s home. “I have to tell you, your house is absolutely amazing.”

“Thank you. I really love it, too.” Evie waved her hand toward the building. “I live in the

main part of the house. The right wing belongs to my cousin, Francesca, and the left, my cousin
Beckett. Francesca is an author so I can go days without seeing her, and Beckett is our resident
veterinarian. He works at the clinic in town three days a week, but the rest of the time he can be found
in his office here over at the kennel.”

“I thought you have three cousins who live here,” Kalista said.
“Hunter, my oldest cousin, lives over at the boarding house. He says he wants to be available

if any of the guys over there need anything, but I think he is more comfortable over there because he’s
a former soldier, too. Truthfully, I think he does a good job connecting with the guys that stay here,
even if he doesn’t talk much. Did Hammer tell you what happened to him?”

“No, he didn’t.”
Evie shrugged. “They don’t talk about that kind of stuff much. Hunter was a Navy SEAL, and

he was in a pretty bad explosion when he was overseas. I don’t know exactly what he was doing, he
doesn’t talk about that stuff, but he was badly burned on one side of his body.”

“Oh my God. I’m so glad to hear he made it home.”
“So am I,” Evie said with feeling. “My parents died when I was still a teenager, but my aunt

and uncle didn’t hesitate to move their family here to take care of me. My cousins were great, and we
became close almost instantly. When I talked to them about starting this place, everyone supported the
idea. Now, we all get to do something we love. Even my uncle, Tony, and Madeline work at the
kennel. They live in that house over on the other side of the pond.”

Kalista looked across the pond and saw a smaller ranch house. It warmed her heart to think of

Jared’s mother in a happy relationship after what she went through with Jared’s father. Pushing those
distressing thoughts aside, she opened the trunk of her car and took out a large canvas bag that held
three gallon-sized plastic containers filled with dog treats. “I was really excited about coming to see
you about the upcoming adoption event. I made three kinds of treats to start us off.”

She had taken care to do a little research online before she tweaked the recipes until she was

happy with the results. Becca and Anna had helped her make the treats over the last few days, but
some unexpected help had come from Anna’s nephew, Nathan Diaz.

The sixteen year old had recovered from his ordeal with his mother’s abusive boyfriend, and

had started attending classes at the local high school. When the school day was over, Nate had started
coming in to help out in the bakery. With his brother Shane still in the hospital, it seemed best to keep
the teen occupied. He had offered to clean the pots and pans in the back of the shop, and had learned
to work the register in the front. He had a good work ethic, despite how screwed up his home life had
been before he’d moved in with Anna, and he had been very grateful when Kalista officially offered
him a part-time job.

Over the last week they had noticed an increase of young girls visiting the shop. Nate was a

handsome young man, with a dark, brooding attitude that automatically drew those young girls to him
like forbidden fruit. It seemed odd that the young man wanted to work in the bakery with his bad boy
demeanor, but he was a natural in the kitchen and seemed to like what he was doing.

He had taken an interest in helping to make the dog treats and had even been the one to suggest

a yogurt-based frosting to make the treats cute and appealing. He had muttered that he had looked

online at some pictures of homemade dog treats, and it had been sweet how he’d blushed at her
praise. Once they’d had a plan, Nate, Anna, Becca and Kalista had a blast baking the samples for
today’s meeting.

Evie’s eyes widened as she peeked into the bag, then she laughed. “Oh, wow. You even

decorated them?”

“Only the peanut butter ones.” Kalista took out the three containers and set them out on the

trunk of the car. They had made a chicken-flavored treat in the shape of bones, miniature bones that
were sweetened with a touch of honey for smaller dogs and the puppies, and paw shaped peanut
butter treats with little round colored frosting spots in pale pink and blue for decoration.

She handed Evie a sheet of paper. “This is a list of all the ingredients in each of the treats so

you know there is nothing harmful added. We can also tweak the recipes as needed if you think they
need something else. I noticed some people add in a vitamin supplement that we can discuss if you’d
like.”

“That would be great, but these look fantastic as is! Well, time for a taste test,” Evie said with

a smile as all four of her dogs rushed back, each of them carrying a tennis ball in their mouth. They
abandoned their toys as Evie held out the treats for them. All four of the dogs gobbled up the treats,
eagerly whining for more and nudging hands, making both women laugh. “I’d say they’re a hit. Why
don’t we take these into the kennel and hand out a few?”

“I’d love that,” Kalista agreed.
“Excellent. I’ll take you through the front and give you the grand tour.”
The women walked down a wide path that wound around the large pond toward the barn-like

building with the four dogs pacing them. Several weeping willow trees offered shade on the shoreline
and would make the perfect spot for a picnic on a hot summer day. Kalista noticed there were several
people playing with various dogs on the wide expanse of grass, while a few others walked dogs
around the pond.

When she asked about it, Evie explained, “We’re pretty busy around here on the weekends.

Lots of volunteers come by to play with the dogs and help care for them.”

“That’s great. I wish I knew about this place. I would have come by here long before now if I

had known.”

Evie frown. “I guess we haven’t really advertised outside of the animal clinic.”
“I’d be happy to put up a poster or something for you in the bakery, especially since I think we

are going to start selling the dog treats. It might help draw in a new crowd of volunteers.”

“That would be amazing, thanks. We can always use more people to help around here. During

the week we have interns coming in to work in shifts, and lots of the guys come on over from the
boarding house to help out. It’s sort of like therapy for them. Taking care of the dogs actually helps
them acclimate back into civilian life even when they can’t talk to other people.”

“I imagine it would good for both the dogs and the men,” Kalista said quietly. She couldn’t

even imagine how lost a soldier would feel coming back from a war-zone. It would take a great deal
of strength and fortitude to move on from that to try and live a normal life. She wondered if that was
the reason Jared had started his fighting career after he left the Army. Kalista didn’t know if his time
serving overseas still haunted him, but she imagined what he had seen and done wouldn’t be easy to
forget.

The huge wooden barn was painted a bright red that was both eye-catching and cheerful. On

one side of the barn was a large paw print with the words “The Beaumont Rescue Center” painted
over it. There were various cages set up in rows outside, and an interesting looking obstacle course

was set up next to a big fenced in play area. Several dogs were in the play area and she could hear
them barking in greeting as they walked toward the building.

When they entered the front door, Kalista was surprised to see a nice front office with several

chairs in a waiting room. Two young women sat at the front desk, one typing diligently on a computer
while the other spoke to a beautiful woman with long, dark, curly hair the color of mahogany and a
tall, handsome man, who leaned on the counter. The man had the same good looks as the woman, and
both had hazel eyes that sparkled with interest as they turned at the sound of the bell on the door as
Kalista and Evie entered the room.

The woman with curly hair smiled at them. “So, this is the woman we have to kill.”
Kalista blinked, unsure how to react to that statement. The woman let out what could only be

described at a husky laugh that Kalista was sure drove men to their knees when they heard it.

“Kali, these are my cousins, Francesca and Beckett Savante.”
“Hi,” Beckett said, reaching out to take Kalista’s hand. Instead of shaking it, he raised it to his

lips.

“Careful, big brother. Hammer is likely to beat the crap out of you if he hears you are putting

moves on his girl,” Francesca said.

“I can take him.”
Both women snorted in derision, and Kalista silently agreed. Beckett was a handsome man

with a lean body of what looked to be hard muscles, but he couldn’t even begin to compare to Jared’s
enormous strength. Still, it gave Kalista a little thrill hearing Jared’s cousins call her his girl.

Francesca shot Kalista a wide grin. “I blame those damn chocolate dipped shortbread cookies

of yours for the five pounds I can’t seem to get rid of. I can eat a whole box when I’m writing.”

Kalista smiled as she relaxed. Francesca was tall, beautiful and had a body that was perfectly

proportioned. “Those are a particular favorite of mine, too.”

Evie bumped her shoulder against her cousins. “I already told Kali that her bakery is

dangerous, but look what she made for our boys and girls!”

Francesca and Beckett were impressed by the treat samples, and the two women working at

the desk cooed over the frosted paws. Beckett had to excuse himself to treat a patient, and one of the
young women offered to take Evie’s dogs outside to play while Evie took Kalista on the tour of the
facility.

“I would love to join you, but I have some edits to finish up. My publisher will kill me if I

don’t get them done in time. Why don’t you bring Kali up to the house after the tour and we can have a
glass of wine.”

“I’d like that,” Kalista said.
After Francesca left, Evie led Kalista into the kennel where the dogs were kept. The setup

was impressive. Each dog was housed in a separate cage, lined up in rows in the big open space. In
each  cage  there  was  a  dog  house  and  a  few  toys,  along  with  big  metal  water  and  food  bowls.  The
areas  were  kept  clean,  and  Evie  introduced  Kalista  to  the  various  volunteers  that  were  inside  the
kennel as they made the rounds distributing the treats to the dogs.  Overall,  Kalista was pleased that
the recipes she had chosen seemed to be a big hit among the canine community.

As they visited with the dogs, Evie told her stories about how each of them were rescued, and

Kalista noticed that each cage had a detailed sheet of paper describing some of the dogs’ attributes
and  where  they  had  come  from.  There  were  some  dogs  that  had  been  dropped  off  after  being
abandoned  by  their  previous  owners,  but  most  of  them  had  been  rescued  from  horrible  situations
when  a  dog  fighting  ring  was  broken  up  or  when  an  owner  was  discovered  being  abusive  to  the

animal.

“It’s a shame,” Evie said. “You can see that all of these dogs are just looking for someone to

love them. They have good hearts and will make someone a wonderful companion someday.”

Kalista agreed. “It’s amazing work that you do here. I am so happy you asked me to be part of

your adoption event.”

“We get emails all the time about the dogs we put up on our website, but no matter how many

we find a home for, we always seem to get more dogs coming in. It’s an ongoing process that can
break your heart.”

They walked into a large room in the back of the warehouse where an older woman was

sitting in the middle of a fenced in area, playing with a dozen adorable puppies. A large man at the
back of the room turned as they entered, and Kalista held back a shiver as his penetrating gaze
focused on her. She could see by his dark hair and hazel eyes that he must be the other cousin she
hadn’t met yet, but that was where the similarities ended.

His large hands were gentle as they stroked a sleeping puppy, but Hunter had an aura of

intensity around him that instantly put her on guard. She could see the angry-looking burn scars that
covered his left hand and arm that disappeared beneath his black t-shit. Before he had shifted to his
side, she had seen the same scars on the side of his neck. From what Evie had told her about his
accident, Kalista knew the burns must have been extremely painful, and she gave another silent prayer
of thanks that the former Navy SEAL had made it home alive.

“Hunter, Maddy, this is Kali.”
Hunter merely nodded in greeting, but the older woman sitting on the floor beamed a bright

smile at her. Kalista’s stomach flipped as she realized that the woman looking at her was Jared’s
mother.

Well, hell…
“Why, hello there, Kali. Why don’t you girls come in here and join me.”
They took off their coats, hanging them up on pegs near the doorway, then Evie carefully

opened the gate on the fence and they entered the play area after making sure none of the little dogs
escaped. Kalista sat down on the padded floor and was instantly covered with puppies begging for
attention. She laughed in delight at their antics, then watched as they scurried over to where Evie was
passing out the smaller treats.

“There are two litters here, and they’re all pit bulls. We rescued the babies from an

abandoned house about two hours away from here, and the other poor little guys were dropped off at
the center by man that found them in a box on the side of the road,” Evie explained.

Kalista gasped. “That’s awful! Who would do such a thing?”
Madeline shook her head and her lips tightened in anger. “It happens more than you would

expect.”

Evie nodded. “Pit bulls are one of the most misunderstood types of breeds in the world, if not

the most. People are afraid of them, but they are really one of the most loyal and friendly breeds you
could own.”

“I don’t know much about them,” Kalista admitted. “I’ve heard about those dog fighting rings

and stuff, but even the pit bulls you have out in the main area don’t seem scary or anything like what
I’ve heard about.”

“It’s a common misconception that is perpetuated by sick individuals who raise these dogs

and abuse them to bring out aggressive behavior,” Evie said furiously. “We’ve had dozens of pit bulls
we have rescued and re-trained, and they are the sweetest dogs that have been adopted by loving

owners.”

“We’re hoping we can find these little ones good homes at the adoption event,” Madeline

added as she handed out a few more treats. “But we are more careful about who we let take one of the
pit bulls.”

“What do you mean?”
“Well, we like to do home checks whenever we can for all of our adoptions before we

release the dogs to their new owners, but we are more diligent when it comes to pit bulls because of
the stigma on them,” Evie explained. “We usually make sure there is a fenced off area in the backyard
so the dog won’t be able to get out. We also ensure that it is a safe environment for the dog, and we
make sure that any existing pet will get along with the dog so there won’t be any aggressive
situations.”

“I like to think of it like doggie dating,” Madeline said with a smile. “Just like some people

don’t mix, sometimes dogs just don’t get along. For example, two female dogs can get especially
feisty with each other.”

A little gray puppy with snowy white paws and hopeful eyes stood staring up at Kalista with

its little tail swishing tentatively. She smiled at him as she reached out to stroke his floppy ears. He
slowly crawled forward into her lap, then curled up with a sigh. Her heart melted as she stroked her
hand over his soft fur and felt herself slide into love as his tail wagged and he licked her hand when
she fed him a treat. “Oh, aren’t you a little sweetheart…”

“It figures it would be that little demon.”
Kalista looked up in confusion at Hunter when he spoke, his deep voice a low rumble of

sound. She noticed Evie and Madeline exchanging a smile before both women turned to look at her.

“We’ve seen that look before,” Madeline explained, pleased with what she saw in Kali.

She’d heard Jared mention the little bakery owner before, and knew from her own experience of
visiting the shop that Kali was a smart business owner, but there was a gentle kindness in the young
woman that she could see now. It was something her son needed in his life, and it gave her hope that
she would finally see him settled soon. “That one there is named Ranger. He is very careful about
who he trusts.”

Kalista felt the weight of the woman’s words, knowing instinctively that she was speaking

about more than just the puppy curled in her lap. She fought the urge to squirm under the older
woman’s gaze. She was Jared’s mother, of course she would want to scrutinize any woman her son
was seeing.

She just hoped she would come out of this interrogation unscathed.
Madeline smiled at her again. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Kali. I’m so happy to see my boy

finally found a nice girl. When Jared was a fighter he had all of those skanky girls hanging on him all
the time, but he never gave into them. Or at least he didn’t that often, and he definitely didn’t keep
them around for long. Still, I always taught my boy to practice safe sex, so I didn’t worry…much.”

“Jesus Christ,” Hunter muttered as he set the sleeping puppy down on a pillow.
“What?” Madeline said innocently. She batted her eyelashes at him as she struggled to hold

back a grin. Glancing back at Kali, she couldn’t help but add, “It’s about time my boy settled down. I
assume you’re being safe with my son, but if not, I’d love some grandkids around here.”

Oh my God!
Kalista felt shock set in and all she could do was blink. Did Jared’s mother really just say she

wouldn’t mind if Jared got her pregnant?

“Oh, Maddy…” Evie said with a sigh.

“Well, it’s true. It’s not like any of you are helping out. You and Francesca need to find a man

who will sweep you off your feet before you start popping out kids, and Beckett and Hunter should
—”

Like a puff of smoke, Hunter suddenly disappeared from the room. Kalista secretly wished

she could follow him out of the room, but she remained where she was seated as she watched the
door shut after him.

Goodbye escape route.
Madeline let out a gusty sigh. “That one is elusive as ever. We need to find a sweet woman

for Hunter so he can settle down and be happy.”

“Hunter would eat a sweet woman alive. He needs someone who could kick his ass and keep

him in line,” Evie countered.

Madeline laughed. “You’re probably right.” She turned those dark eyes that were so similar to

Jared’s on Kalista. “So, Kali. How serious are things between you and Jared?”

“Madeline—”
“Please, call me Maddy. I know I’m being nosy. You don’t have to say anything, I just want

my boy to be happy.”

Kalista cuddled the adorable little puppy on her lap close. “Jared makes me very happy. I

hope he feels the same.”

“I’m sure he does, dear,” Madeline said as she reached out to pat Kali’s knee. She was

inordinately pleased that Kali called her son by his given name and not the ridiculous name he used
for fighting. Who the hell wanted to be named after a tool anyways? She was proud of all he
accomplished with his career, but some things she just had to shake her head at. A vibrating noise
sounded, and Madeline reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone. She smiled as she checked
the screen. “Ah, it’s done. Tony is at The Fox Hole now.”

“How did everything go?” Evie asked.
“He says everything went perfectly,” Madeline replied as she tucked the phone back into her

pocket. “My husband Tony went out on an adoption placement today. Usually Evie likes us to go in
pairs, but we let Tony go by himself because he likes to cry a little on his way home.” She smiled.
“My man has a soft heart.”

Evie chuckled as she shook her head. “My uncle Tony is a retired Navy SEAL. Everyone is

scared of him, but despite all the tattoos and the bad-ass persona, he has a weakness for the dogs.”

“He’s a sweetheart, just like Hunter. I’m going to see if one of the boys can give me a ride

into town so I can meet my man for dinner. See you girls later. Kali, come visit again soon, or I will
come track you down at your shop.”

“I will,” Kalista promised, afraid that Maddy would do just that.
After Madeline left, Kalista felt the tension she had been feeling finally ease. “That was…”
Evie winced in sympathy. “Yeah, she is something else. Sorry about the baby thing. She seems

to be very focused on that lately. Just imagine what we go through seeing her every day. We never
hear the end of it.” She raised a brow. “Ready for that glass of wine yet?”

Babies? Kalista shivered as she thought about it. “I think I might need two.”

Chapter Six

Hammer pulled his motorcycle to a stop in front of his gym and looked across the street

toward Kali’s bakery. He knew she was out at his cousin’s place, but he couldn’t help but hope that
she had finished early so he could see her.

Since he had lost control and taken her on the stairs in her apartment building, they had been

almost inseparable when they hadn’t been working. He loved spending time with her, loved the way
she responded to him with pure abandon every time he touched her. At first he had thought his hunger
for her would fade into something more manageable, but every time they were together it only made
him want her more.

His little fairy was a delight to him. A few days ago he’d surprised her by going to the doctor

and getting a complete check-up so he could give her proof he was clean. He was a man of his word,
but he knew his reputation and didn’t want her to worry.

Hammer had tried to be careful, to make love to her showing her the sweet side of his touch,

but the strain of holding back his desperate need for her was taking its toll on his control. Where once
she had been completely shy around him, she was now opening up, letting him past her guard—and he
hoped—into her heart. She was still skittish at times, unsure of herself and his attraction to her, but
Hammer was confident that it wasn’t because she didn’t trust him.

It was because she just didn’t trust herself enough.
Not wanting to push her, he had been stealthy at his integration into her life. He knew she was

the woman he wanted, but after hearing her mother’s hurtful words on her answering machine the
other day, he knew he had to take his time and make her understand that he wanted her for more than
just sex. Over the last week he had made it clear to her that he was now her man, but he could still see
the uncertainty in her eyes at times. He struggled with his temper at her family and her ex for making
her doubt her self-worth, but he knew it would be hard for someone to overcome that kind of
emotional abuse overnight.

He had the pleasure of watching her pretty green eyes light up whenever she saw him, and

she’d gotten more comfortable with him hanging around the bakery when he stopped in everyday.
Pride had filled him when they’d had their first self-defense class two days ago and her happiness all
but radiated from her as she learned something new. They had decided on having the class on
Tuesday and Thursday evenings, but he had made it clear she was welcome in the gym whenever she
wanted.

At first it had made him wince when Kali and her girlfriends had started calling the self-

defense class the “girl fight” class, but he soon found the humor in it. It had only taken fifteen minutes
into the first class when his friend, Samantha Kane, had taken over teaching the women. Sam was one
of the physical therapists who helped out upstairs and she was far better suited to teach the group of
young women. Hell, who was he kidding? Sam ran the rehabilitation center like a general whom
everyone feared to disobey, but she related to Kali and her friends in a way that Hammer couldn’t
even begin to understand.

Sam was a fighter pilot in the Air Force until she was shot down on a mission. Injured and

alone, she had made it out of enemy territory by herself, but her wounds had left her unable to fly
anymore. She had been working at the rehab center Hammer had gone to after his surgery, and she had
kicked his ass back into shape sooner than anyone had expected. He figured if she could put the fear
of God into him, that he’d better hire her. She was the only member on staff that had been in the Air

Force, but they didn’t hold it against her.

Much.
A less confident man would have been concerned how well Kali had gotten along with Sam,

but Hammer was happy to see that his fairy had befriended the usually self-contained physical
therapist. While they had been working out, Hammer had found himself unable to stop watching them.
No, not them. Kali. Anytime she was in the same room he had a difficult time looking away from her.
That was why it took him a few minutes to notice that all the other men in the room had stopped what
they were doing to watch the women as well, but a few hard looks had them going back to their own
workouts.

It was his day off today, and he had been feeling restless without Kali. He had been spending

every night at her apartment with her, but today he had come up with other plans for this evening. It
was time to move things forward in their relationship. After he had finished setting things up at the
house, there had been a brief moment he’d considered heading out to the Beaumont Rescue Center to
join Kali for her meeting with his cousin. Ultimately, he’d decided against it for one very good
reason.

And that reason was his well meaning, but very nosy, mother.
Erring on the side of caution, he decided to come to the gym for a workout instead. But first,

he had something else to take care of.

Hammer frowned as got off his bike. When he’d pulled up, he had seen Nate walk out of the

shop only to be stopped by two teenage boys on the street. He could tell by Nate’s defensive posture
and clenched fists that whatever he was talking about with the other boys wasn’t good.

He had met Nate a few days ago and saw so much of himself in the younger man that it was

downright  scary.  There  was  a  well  of  emotion  hidden  inside  of  Nate  that  Hammer  worried  would
come out at the wrong time.  He had been more surprised than anyone when  Kali told him that  Nate
had  been  helping  her  make  the  dog  treats.  It  had  relaxed  him  to  see  how  well  Nate  got  along  with
Kali, Becca and Anna. He was always respectful to the women, and Hammer sort of liked knowing
that the young man watched out for the women at the shop.

Not that he would ever tell them that.
When he had first introduced himself to the teen, Nate had been cautious to the point of being

hostile. Taking his reaction in stride, Hammer had been patient, and the next few times they had
spoken, the boy seemed to relax a little. The truth was, Hammer liked the kid and wanted him to see
that he didn’t have anything to fear from older men. He knew it would take time for Nate to see that
after what he had been through with his mother’s abusive boyfriend.

Hammer knew that from his own experience.
Not liking what he was seeing, he strolled across the street and heard one of the boys snarling

at Nate. Nate was big for his age, but Hammer knew the two other boys played football at the high
school Nate was now attending, and two against one was never good until you knew what you were
doing.

“You think you’re some kind of bad ass because you’re from Dallas?” one of the boys taunted.
“I don’t even know you, so I don’t know what your fucking problem is.”
“My problem is you were flirting with my girl,” the other the teen growled at Nate. “I’m

telling you, if I hear you talked to Claire again I’m gonna beat your ass.”

“I don’t know any Claire.”
“Liar. You were here with her yesterday.”
“I work here, so if your girlfriend was here I might have talked to her, but I wasn’t with her.”

“You work at a bakery? Are you gay or something?”
Nate sighed with exasperation. “I’m supposedly hitting on your girl, now I’m gay? You guys

are fucking idiots.”

“What the hell did you call us?”
“Dude, we should trash this place. Get this asshole fired.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Hammer said casually behind the two young men. He saw

them stiffen before they turned around to look at him, and he caught the smirk Nate shot his way. The
kid didn’t back down even when confronted by two teens who were bigger than him. He had courage,
but he could learn a thing or two about how not to rev his opponents up.

The teens’ eyes widened. “Oh man, you’re the Hammer! Dude, we’ve seen all your fights.

You’re awesome!”

Hammer smiled, but it held an edge to it. “Yeah? It’s always nice to meet fans, but I don’t

really like hearing someone threatening my girlfriend’s shop. Hey, Nate.”

Hammer walked around the two young men and held up a fist. Going with Hammer’s friendly

greeting, Nate raised his fist and tapped it with his own. “What’s up, Hammer?”

“Shit, you guys like friends or something?”
“Yeah, and as I said, Nate also works for my girlfriend.”
Both young men’s jaws dropped open, and they stumbled over themselves trying to apologize.

“We didn’t mean it.”

“We were totally kidding, man.”
“That’s what I thought,” Hammer said. Acting his part, he stood with his feet spread apart and

crossed his arms over his chest, looking intimidating as he stared down the two teenage boys who
shifted nervously on their feet. “I’d hate to have something happen to the bakery so I would have to
call Sheriff Wyatt about it.”

The teens visibly winced. Sheriff Storm Wyatt was a good friend of Hammer’s. They had

grown up together and served in the same unit when they were in the Army. Hammer knew that most
people in Breakers feared to get on the Sheriff’s bad side.

“Honest, man. We weren’t serious.”
Hammer studied them for a moment before nodding. Dismissing them, he turned to Nate. “You

done for the day? Good. Why don’t we head over to the gym and start those training sessions we
talked about.”

Nate’s eyes widened slightly, but his reaction was nothing compared to the gasps the two boys

let out. “But Fight Hard doesn’t take members under eighteen! We checked,” one of the boys
complained.

“Yeah, we don’t usually, but Nate’s a friend of mine, and since I own the place…” Hammer

shrugged.

“Do you think we could—”
“Maybe some other time. Just ask Nate, and maybe we could set something up. But until we

change the policy, it’s still eighteen and older for membership,” Hammer said cutting the teen off.
“Come on, Nate. Let’s go.”

The teens watched sadly as Hammer and Nate walked away, crossing the street.
“I don’t get it,” Nate muttered. “If his girlfriend is cheating, shouldn’t he be pissed at her?”
“Kid, I have been asking myself that for years. The only answer I’ve got is nothing makes

sense when women are involved.”

That made Nate snicker. “I bet you don’t say that kind of shit in front of Kali.”

“Hell no, and if you ever told her I would deny it with my last breath.”
“I won’t tell her. She thinks you practically walk on water or something anyways.”
“She does?” Hammer asked as he stopped when they were standing outside of the gym. He

could practically feel his own chest puffing out at that statement. Christ, did he have it bad for his
little fairy.

Nate sent him a long look. “I know you’re all famous and shit, but I like Kali. She’s been

really nice to me and my brother. I hope you aren’t playing her.”

Getting called out by a freaking teenage boy…
Damn, he liked the kid a lot.
“I’m not. Not that this is any of your business, but I’m pretty serious about Kali.”
Nate’s shoulders seemed to relax. “That’s what I thought.”
“You tell me if those guys cause any trouble at the shop,” Hammer ordered.
The teen rolled his eyes. “How much you wanna bet those guys will be kissing my ass from

now on since you said you were training me?” He paused and studied Hammer. “Were you serious
about that?”

“Sure, why not?” Hammer tried to keep his answer light, but he felt his chest tighten at the

veiled look of hope in the kid’s eyes.

Nate looked away at a car driving by. “My dad and I used to do some boxing together when he

was on leave.”

Hammer forced himself not to stiffen up in surprise. From what he’d been told, Nate had

refused to talk to anyone about his father since he had moved in with Anna. “Your dad was a Marine,
right?”

“Yeah, he was killed in action.”
“I’m sorry.” Those words were too simple for what Hammer wanted to say, then again there

were no words that could possibly make the loss any better. “Come on, kid. Let’s go hit something.”

Nate smiled. “Sounds good.”

****

“You want me to what?”
Hammer smiled as he held out the leather jacket he’d ordered for Kali the other day. The

leather was soft, but thick enough that it would keep her warm on his bike. On the back of the black
leather was the black, white and red logo for Rough and Tough, but underneath it was the specialized
tag they used for the things they made specifically for Hammer. Yesterday he had gotten in a large box
of all kinds of clothes for Kali to wear. He had taken it home with him and put it away in the dressers
where he would show them to her later.

They were standing in the entrance way of her apartment as she looked at him with that cute

expression of bewilderment that always made him want to kiss her. He was holding two helmets in
his hand other hand as he waited for her to take the jacket. “It’s a nice day out. You have tomorrow
off, right? So do I. I want you to put this on and come for a ride with me.”

“But I’ve been drinking,” Kali said as she hid her hands behind her back.
Hammer laughed. “It’s a good thing I’m not letting you drive then. Honey, you said you had a

couple of glasses of wine at my cousin’s place hours ago. You’re fine. Now, put this on and come
with me. I’m going to make us dinner, then I want you to spend the night at my place.”

“Oh!” Kalista’s eyes had widened in a look of such shock he felt like an asshole for not

having her over sooner. “But, won’t I need stuff?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve got stuff for you there. Stop stalling.”

She pursed her lips and slowly reached out to take the jacket from him. She slid it on and he

felt a deep sense of pride seeing her in something that had his name on it. He helped her zip the jacket
up, then leaned down to press a kiss against her lips.

“Now you’re my sexy biker chick.”
Kalista burst out laughing, pleased with his teasing, and decided to give a little back. “I

thought I was your fairy?”

“Ok, so you are my sexy biker fairy.”
“You are so crazy,” she said with a shake of her head.
Grinning, Hammer waited as she locked up her apartment before he led her out to his bike. He

handed her one of the helmets and she frowned down at it.

“You normally don’t wear one when you ride.”
Swinging his leg over the seat of his wicked looking black and silver Harley, he turned back

to see the look of fear on her face she tried to hide from him. “I’m not taking any chances with you.
There are mics in the helmets so we can hear each other. Hey, you know I won’t let anything happen
to you, right?”

“You can’t possibly know that.”
He sighed. Maybe he wasn’t being fair pushing her to go for a ride with him if she was that

afraid. “My house is only fifteen minutes away, but if you really don’t want to go we can—”

“No, I want to go to your house with you. I’m just…a little nervous,” she admitted.
Taking a deep breath, Kali put the helmet on, then allowed him to help her onto the back of the

bike so she was sitting behind him. He had surprised her with the jacket and the offer to take her out
to his house. She knew that he had bought a house near the beach when he had moved back, but she
hadn’t seen his place since they started dating. She hadn’t realized how much it had been bothering
her that he had not invited her over to his place until that moment.

Sure, her apartment was convenient for both of them since they worked so close. Kalista had

been so happy every night he spent with his arms wrapped around her while they slept, even if it had
taken a little getting used to. For one, Jared’s body was huge and took up more than half her queen-
size bed. She also wasn’t used to sleeping naked, but she had gotten into the habit of just passing out
from sheer exhaustion after he made love to her for half the night.

She came back to the moment as he slid his own helmet in place, then fired up his motorcycle.

She was amazed by the power of the machine they sat on. Scooting toward him from behind, her bent
legs cradled his body as she set her feet on the foot pegs where he told her to place them. Not
knowing what do to with her hands, she braced them lightly on his sides, until he pulled her firmly
against him.

“Hold on tight, sweetheart. Ready? Here we go.”
Giving in, she wrapped her arms around him, loving the feeling of his hard abs against her

palms. She let out a squeal as they took off down the street, and she could hear his deep laugh over
the roar of the engine when her grip tightened on him. After the first few minutes, Kalista was
astonished to find herself relaxing and actually enjoying herself.

Being on Jared’s bike with him almost made her feel like she was flying. She let out an

exhilarated laugh filled with all the joy she was feeling, and he sped up, thrilling her. He did that for
her. Gave her new experiences and taught her how to let go. With each passing minute she felt more
of the chains that had always been holding her back fall away.

She had never been the type of woman who would ride on the back of a Harley with a bad boy

she was sleeping with…until Jared. Without him she would have never had the courage to ride on his

bike, no matter how much she had always wanted to. And she did. She’d always wanted to be the
kind of fearless woman who could do anything, but so many people in her life had told her that she
couldn’t do things that she had started to believe them.

That wasn’t the case with Jared.
She’d never met a man like him before. Jared was such a good man, caring and patient even if

he looked so tough. He made her feel cherished and protected in a way she’d never felt before. He
was so vital, so full of life, and he exuded a sexual pull so strong all he had to do was look at her and
she felt her body slickening in invitation. It amazed her that he wanted to be with her, but she was
glad that he did. Still, a little insidious voice in her head kept asking for how long?

It was difficult to admit that she had already lost her heart to him when she didn’t know what

the future held…or if they had a future at all. Sometimes it felt like she had fallen in love with him the
first time she saw him and she just fell deeper every day. Being with him allowed her to be who she
was really was, without fear of recriminations. Forcing herself to relax, she focused on just enjoying
the time she had with him without worrying about what would happen later.

Kalista felt her body heat as the throbbing of the bike seemed to shoot through her body

straight to her clit, making her squirm on the seat. Acutely aware of his big body seated between her
legs, she pressed herself fully against his back, and satisfaction filled her when she felt him tense.

Perhaps she wasn’t the only one being affected by the close contact and the thrum of the

machine.

Curiously, she stroked her hand over the taut muscles of his stomach and felt his abs flex

under her gentle touch. She loved the raw power coiled in his strong body and suddenly couldn’t wait
to feel his hands on her.

“You doing okay?” he asked as they exited town and headed out on to a quieter stretch of road

leading toward the coast.

There was something intimate about hearing his voice in her ear, surprisingly clear through the

speaker in the helmet as the motor of the bike rumbled in the background. “I’m great!” she answered.

As they drove through a forested area, a wicked idea flickered through her mind. Feeling

mischievous, she slid one of her hands lower, exploring until she found the thick column of his shaft
straining against his pants where it was trapped against his thigh. She could practically feel his hard
cock pulsing against her palm as she slowly stroked him through the material of his pants and boxers.

“You better stop that, Kali. It’s gonna get you into trouble if you keep that up,” he warned.
She didn’t want to stop. Thinking back over their time together, she realized that this was the

first time she had made the first move. He always seemed to know exactly how to arouse her to the
point she was desperate to feel him inside her, but so far she had never instigated their love play. He
always made love to her passionately, but without that primal urgency he had taken her with that first
time they were together. She wanted that with him again. Wanted him to take her as if he couldn’t
breathe with the need clawing through his system.

To be as wild and crazed for her as she was for him.
No longer willing to wait for him to take the lead, she refused to release her hold on his cock.

There was something wildly erotic about stroking him while she couldn’t see what she was doing.
Her clit pulsed in time to the blood flowing into his cock, making him thicker and harder in her hand.

“Do you really want me to stop?”
“Fuck no.”
Casting a quick glance around their surroundings, she was emboldened by the isolated area

they were driving through. Using some of her newfound courage, she reached up and loosened the ties

of his drawstring pants. Slipping her hand beneath the fabric of his boxers, she took his shaft into her
hand. Feeling the bare length of him throbbing against her palm sent a shiver of need surging through
her body so strong it left her breathless.

Revving the engine, he made a quick turn onto a small road that led into a secluded picnic

area in the woods, never once losing control as he did. He drove the bike up onto a grassy area, away
from the road, then turned it off and shoved down the kickstand with his foot. The silence was
deafening after the throaty rumble of the machine cut off, and a wave of nervousness filled her when
he didn’t move or speak. He just sat there with his large hands gripping the handlebars as she stroked
his erection.

She slowly moved her hand up his shaft, loving that he was too big for her fingers to meet. She

rubbed her thumb over the head of his cock, spreading the pre-cum leaking from the tip, and she felt
his big body shudder.

“Kali,” he growled out her name, his chest billowing as he breathed out in hard pants.
“Jared?”
“You’re fucking torturing me.”
That had her hand pausing. “Do you want me to stop?”
“Hell no, but this is your one warning. If you don’t take your hand off my dick right now

you’re gonna get fucked. Right here. Right now. I won’t be able to wait to get you to my house.”

The harsh tone of his voice had wisps of excitement whipping through her, and she bit her lip

to hold back a moan. Instead of removing her hand, she squeezed him harder, drawing out a ragged
groan from him. In a flash, he ripped off his helmet, throwing it on the ground. He turned in his seat,
grabbing her around the waist so he could drag her off of the bike with him.

He pulled the helmet off of her head, tossing it next to his own, then his mouth slammed down

on hers, claiming her with a brutal kiss that made her knees go weak. Her hands flew up, holding onto
his arms to brace herself as he picked her up and sat her down sideways on the seat.

He shoved her legs apart, pressing between her thighs as he ravaged her mouth, tongue

stroking deep. She could feel the liquid heat coating her tight channel, her body preparing for his
possession. Whenever he touched her or even smiled at her, she instantly became wet, but the
vibration of the bike had her riding the edge already.

She wanted him now, so deep that he became a part of her.
He pulled back, his dark eyes filled with heat as he let out a primitive growl. “Damn it,

woman. You’re driving me out of my fucking mind.”

She loved seeing that raw hunger on his face and embraced the moment by flicking her tongue

out to trace his lower lip. “Good,” she whispered.

Before she knew it, he unfastened her jeans and was pushing his hand beneath her panties, two

thick fingers stroking over her saturated folds. She cried out as he shoved his fingers into her hot hole,
parting her tight muscles. The feeling was so exquisite she found herself pushing against him, wanting
more. Her grip on him tightened, afraid as he leaned over her pressing her back into air.

“I won’t let you fall. Just hold on to me. Such a tight little pussy. So hot and wet, and all

mine.”

“Oh God, Jared. Please, please…” She had learned that he loved when she vocalized what

she wanted from him, but couldn’t even manage to form the words.

“What do you want, Kali? Do you want me to finger fuck until you come?”
“Yes! Jared, please. It’s so good.”
“Yeah, baby. I’ll make you come all over my hand, then I’m going to shove my cock inside

you and make you come again.”

She arched her hips, silently asking for more as he curled his fingers in her, stroking her sweet

spot from the inside her pussy. The pressure began to build in her core as he worked her closer to
orgasm. She closed her eyes, reaching out blindly to take his thick cock in her hand, pumping her fist
over him in time to the fingers thrusting inside her clenching heat.

Jared leaned down, pressing his lips close to her ear as his thumb began massaging her

distended clit. “Come for me, little fairy. Get that hot, little cunt ready for me because I’m gonna ride
you hard and fast once I get my dick inside you.”

She let out a loud cry as she came, her pussy clenching around his thick digits. Her hips

bucked against him as she rode out the sensations bombarding her body. Pulling his head down, she
kissed him, sharing all the love she felt for him as their tongues danced together.

Before she had recovered from her shattering climax, he pulled his fingers out of her and

lifted her off of the seat. “Turn around.”

Hammer sucked his fingers clean, growling at the sweet taste of her. He jerked the heavy

material of her jeans down her hip, letting them fall to her knees along with her panties.  He shoved
her forward, bending her over the seat of the bike so her ass was raised into the air. Fuck, the sight of
her  pretty,  pink  pussy  made  his  cock  throb.  He  was  so  damn  hard  he  was  hurting.  Kicking  her  feet
farther  apart  to  spread  her  wider,  he  fit  the  hard  crown  of  his  cock  against  her  entrance.  Unable  to
wait any longer, he surged into her, burying himself to the hilt.

The sound of her scream rang out into the stillness. Every time he took her felt like the first.

He knew he was big and usually struggled to hold still to let her body get used him, but right now he
couldn’t hold back. He let out a vicious curse as he began pounding into her, jerking his hips in
uncontrolled thrusts. “Shit, your tight pussy fights me every time.”

“I’m fine. Don’t hold back. I need you, Jared.”
His hand curled around her shoulder while the other wrapped around her waist, securing her

in place as he began surging inside of her with more force. He felt like a fucking animal leaning over
her so he covered her back and hated himself for loving the way he could control her smaller body
beneath him in this position. Blood roared in his ears as he pistoned his hips harder. He knew he was
close, but he wanted something more. He had gotten addicted to watching Kali’s eyes glaze as he
spilled himself inside her and he needed that now.

Pulling out of her, he jerked her to her feet, then sat her back down on the seat. He tore off one

of her shoes, freeing one of her legs from her jeans so he could spread her legs wide, jerking them
around his hips as he pushed back inside her. Gripping the back of her neck to help hold her in
position, he fucked his cock back into her pussy as her hands gripped at his sweatshirt. She cried out
his name over and over again, saying it like a mantra as he pounded himself inside her, harder and
faster.

“Naughty fairies get fucked hard for teasing me,” he growled.
“Just one fairy,” she panted, her brilliant green eyes burning with passion. “Only me.”
“Only you.”
He lowered his hand between their joined bodies and began rubbing her clit as his hips

pumped furiously. “Ah, God, Kali. I’m coming. I can’t hold on. Come with me. Come with me now.”

He pinched her clit and made her scream his name as she came again, her body clenching so

tight  around  his  thick  cock  that  he  couldn’t  move.  He  groaned  as  he  watched  her  eyes  go  opaque,
loving the way she lost herself in the passion he gave her.  He’d never seen anything as beautiful as
Kali  in  the  throes  of  climax,  and  just  the  sight  of  it  pushed  him  over  the  edge  so  his  cock  erupted,

Chapter Seven

Kalista looked up at the night sky, admiring the glittering starlight as she sat on Jared’s back

patio. The land dropped down beyond the massive stone patio, making it seem like the sea was right
outside the back door, almost like his house was in a world all its own. She loved how the gentle
sound of the waves mixed with the blues music Jared had playing on the outdoor speakers from the
sound system he had installed in every room of the house.

Boys and their toys.
Contentment filled her as she snuggled back into the comfortable pillows on the wicker chair

that was in front of a large fire pit that helped chase away the chill in the air. She smiled to herself as
she thought back over the last few hours, and knew she was blushing at her own daring. The evening
had turned out to be more than she had hoped for. Jared had welcomed her into his home, not that she
had gotten a chance to see much of it until he’d made love to her again.

After they had both come down from the intensity of their release in the picnic area, they had

gotten redressed without saying a word. The silence had unnerved her, making her feel self-conscious
about seducing him in such a public place, but then he had kissed her hard and told her once wasn’t
enough.

“Get your sweet ass back on this bike. The next time I fuck you it’s gonna be in my bed.”
She’d been smiling as they got back on the road, eager to get to his house. He had driven them

toward the coast, and the first sight of Jared’s house on the beach had taken her breath away. It was a
masterpiece of stone and glass, with two tiers of balconies and glass windows that looked out over
the water.

She wasn’t given much time to admire the view, though. Once he pulled the motorcycle into

his driveway and turned it off, he had grabbed her hand, pulling her with him to the front door. He’d
shoved the key into the door then dragged her inside.

They hadn’t made it to the bed.
Jared had taken her on the couch, making love to her with a desperate passion that both

thrilled and soothed a part of her soul that had been worried he had been getting bored with her. He
was a famous fighter, used to scores of beautiful women throwing themselves at him all the time.
How could a little baker keep his interest? She had struggled to push her self-doubt aside, reveling in
the freedom of touching his body as thoroughly as he touched her.

When they were done, he had amazed her by taking her up to his bedroom to show her the

clothes  he  had  ordered  for  her.  The  master  suite  was  huge,  with  sage  colored  walls  and  dark
mahogany furniture and an enormous bed that took up the majority of the room.  He had opened two
drawers of his dresser, showing her the various clothing he had gotten from his sponsor, which was a
good  thing  since  he  had  torn  the  shirt  she  had  been  wearing. At  the  rate  they  were  going,  she  was
going to have to go shopping for a whole new wardrobe, not that she minded.

She felt her heart skip a beat at seeing how he had made room for her in his bedroom. It was a

little thing, but after going through a battle to even leave a toothbrush at her ex’s place, it meant so
much to her that Jared made her feel welcomed into his home and his life.

He chuckled when her stomach growled, and they had gotten dressed when he promised to

feed her. She’d chosen to wear a pair of black sweatpants, a tank top, and a zip-up hoodie all with the
Rough and Tough logo displayed in hot-pink. He had dressed in his own sweatpants and t-shirt, then
they made their way down to the kitchen to make dinner.

He had opened a bottle of red wine, pouring each of them a glass, then he handed her one of

the glasses of dark ruby liquid. “Why don’t you just relax while I get everything ready?”

“I can help.”
“You always cook for me. Let me just get these potatoes ready, then I’ll have the steaks going

in a few minutes,” he’d said.

She’d taken a sip of her wine and hummed in pleasure as the rich flavor hit her tongue. “Steak

and baked potatoes. My favorite.”

He smiled. “We have a salad, too.”
Her brow had lifted at that. “From a bag?”
He’d sent her an injured look that had made her laugh. “Just because I’m a guy that doesn’t

mean I can’t put a salad together.”

It shouldn’t have surprised her that he was so adept in the kitchen. He’d obviously had his

share of salads while he had been training. Thinking about that time of his life made her curious, but
she hadn’t wanted to push for information that still might be painful after he had been forced to retire.

He had poked holes in some potatoes before placing them in the microwave while she began

cutting veggies for their salad when she insisted on helping. They worked together with ease,
comfortable in each other’s presence. As soon as the salad was finished, he’d ushered her out on the
patio, settling her in the comfortable chair then he draped a soft throw blanket on her lap before going
in to grab the steaks.

Hammer fired up the grill that he had cleaned and filled with new coals earlier. He felt a deep

sense of satisfaction having Kali at his house. He wanted her to feel at home, since he wanted her to
eventually get used to the idea of living there with him. When the coals were lit and a nice fire
started, he left them to get nice and hot.

Sitting down on the chair next to Kali, he leaned back and picked up his own glass of wine.

“Okay, I have to ask. How much do I have to apologize for? You met my mother today, right?”

Her laughter rang out like audible starlight, warming his heart. “You don’t have to apologize.

She loves you. It was nice to hear just how much she cares as she talked about you. It would have
been nice to get a heads up, though.”

He fidgeted on his chair. “So, how did everything go?”
“It was great. I love the rescue center and the work they’re doing there.” She paused, nibbling

on her lower lip until he reached out to soothe the place where she had bitten it.

“What is it?”
“There was this puppy…”
He chuckled as he set his glass down and stood up, walking over to the grill to throw their

steaks on. “One of the pit bulls they just rescued? I heard about that. Some sick fucker… sorry, I
meant—”

“No, I think that is an accurate description of the person who could treat those puppies like

that.” She turned in her chair so she could look at him and couldn’t help the tears that burned in the
back of her eyes. “They tossed them away like garbage, Jared. They didn’t deserve that.”

He walked back over to her and stroked a hand over her short hair. “No, baby. They didn’t.

Evie and the others will find them good homes.”

“Well, about that. I was thinking…maybe I could adopt one. There was this little gray puppy

that seemed to like me and I hated leaving him there. It’s silly, right? Evie told me there were all
kinds of rules to having pit bull, which seems so unfair because they seem so friendly.”

“They are, but it’s the sick bastards that have abused them in the past and made them

aggressive that has caused people to fear that breed,” he said as he walked back over to the grill to
turn the steaks. “How do you like your steak?”

“Still mooing.”
He laughed. “That’s my girl. These are almost ready.”
He went back inside to grab the potatoes from the microwave and put them on plates with

some salad they had tossed with Italian dressing. He cut both of the potatoes open and sprinkled them
with salt, then added a pat of butter and a heaping spoonful of sour cream.  He walked back outside
carrying  both  plates,  and  put  one  cooked  steak  on  each  plate.  Kali  had  gotten  up  from  the  chair,
moving over to the patio table where she filled both of their glasses.  He set the plates down on the
placemats he had set out earlier then pulled out a chair for her to sit.

“Wow, this looks amazing. Thank you for all of this. But, Jared, this steak is as big as my

head.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll eat whatever you don’t finish,” he said with a wink before they began to

eat. “I love steak. I was on a pretty strict diet when I was in training, but now that I’m retired it’s a
pleasure to eat what I like.”

She had noticed during their time together that he ate a massive amount, but he had to with all

the workouts he did. “You still stay in very good shape.”

“Part of that is habit I guess, but I own a gym, so what else am I going to do? I do love

working out, but I like doing it at my own pace and not having to worry about what condition I’m in or
if I’m at peak fighting form.”

“Do you miss it?” she asked before she could stop herself.
He took a sip of his wine as he thought about it. “Maybe at first right after I had the surgery,

but after a while I realized that fighting was just a part of my life, and now that it’s over I can focus on
other things.”

“I like that you’re helping other people with your rehabilitation center.”
“I do, too. We are still setting up some programs, but we should be getting more people in

soon. Evie has been great setting up places for the guys to stay when they come in town, and I reached
out to some of my contacts in the Army to tell them what I’m doing here. I wouldn’t be surprised if
they don’t start sending people my way after they are finished at the military rehab centers. After you
recover from an injury sometimes it’s easier to take those final steps back to normal life somewhere
else.”

“There are enough former military men and women in Breakers that they can still feel

comfortable, I guess,” she added.

He grinned. “Yeah, we’re all over the place here. Hey, you can’t be finished already.”
“Jared, you fed me half a cow. I can’t eat anymore!” With a laugh, she pushed her plate

toward him, and he took the half of her steak she had left since he had already finished his own. She
watched in awe as he began wolfing down the remaining food with ease.

“Tell me, what kind of rules are there to owning a pit bull?”
She leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “They aren’t rules exactly, but Evie said that they

make sure to check if the dog gets along with any other pets in the house, and they also like to make
sure there is a fenced in backyard where the dog can run and play and can’t escape from.”

“That doesn’t seem like a problem. You don’t have any other pets.”
“No, I don’t, but there isn’t exactly a lot of space for me to build a fenced in yard behind the

bakery. I have the patio area…but I use that for customers when the weather is nice. Keeping him in
the apartment would be okay when he’s a puppy, but when he gets bigger he’ll need someplace where

he can run and play. It wouldn’t be fair to keep him locked up all the time.”

Hammer took his time thinking as he chewed his last bite. His house was large, and even

though the back yard opened to the bluff, he could easily install a fenced in yard on the right side near
the garage. They could make it large enough to have a little wading pool and maybe some equipment
similar to what he had seen at the rescue center. It would be perfect for a dog. There was a side door
through the mud room he never used that lead outside that they could even put a doggie door in for
easy access. Considering it, he didn’t want to say anything…yet. He didn’t want to scare her. There
would be time to convince her to move in with him later.

Instead, he focused on what he could do for her right now.
“I have that huge field we replanted when we tore up the old parking lot next to the gym. We

could enclose part of it and use it for the dog while we’re at work.”

She froze with her wine glass halfway to her lips, then set it down as she stared at him in

disbelief. “You…we…what?”

He shrugged, going for nonchalance. “Some of the guys have dogs. Actually, it would be nice

if we could have the dogs play together while the owners are working out inside. Besides, it’s close
enough that you could check on him whenever you want and I could help watch him during the day.”

“You’d really do that?”
“Sure, why not?”
Kalista blinked rapidly to keep her tears at bay. Why was he always surprising her with his

kindness?  She  bit  her  lip  with  an  effort  not  to  blurt  out  how  much  she  loved  him  in  that  moment.  It
never occurred to her that he would want to help her or would do something as extreme as building
her a fenced in area for her to be able to adopt a puppy.  Letting her emotions guide her, she got up
from  her  seat  and  walked  around  the  table.  He  pushed  back  his  chair,  turning  towards  her  with  a
questioning glance that changed to surprise when she sat down and curled herself on his lap, putting
her arms around his neck.

She pressed her lips to his, rubbing them back and forth lightly. “You are the most amazing

man.”

“I’m glad you think so.”
“I do,” she whispered, pressing her lips to his again. “I really do.”
Holding on to her, he stood and strode quickly toward the house. “We need to go to bed.

Now.”

“What about the dishes?” she asked with a breathless laugh.
“Later. They can wait, I can’t. Christ, Kali. What you do to me. I just had you a few hours ago.

I shouldn’t need you like this.”

“I’m glad you do.” She rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her up the stairs toward

his bedroom.

Hammer took her mouth in a soft kiss, taking and giving pleasure in equal measure. Moonlight

filtered into the room from the wall of windows, highlighting her almost ethereal beauty as he laid her
onto the bed. He stood there for a moment, simply drinking in the sight of her, and could hardly
believe that she was really his.

His to take…to pleasure.
Those beautiful green eyes watched him with a mixture of desire and something deeper that

almost looked like love. Could it be? Was Kali ready for all that he wanted from her?

Hammer’s hands reached up to gently cup her face as he lowered his large body over her. Her

full lips parted slightly, making him groan as he took her lips in another kiss. They opened for him,

inviting him to plunge his tongue deep. Blood roared in his ears, making it almost impossible to think
as his cock hardened to the point of pain.

He needed her…desperately.
Endlessly.
Unable to stand any barriers between them, he levered up, pulling her with him so he could

unzip her hoodie and remove her shirt, leaving her bare to his gaze. He looked down at the perfection
of her soft skin splayed out before him, and his hands moved up her body to cup her breasts.

“Fuck, you are so beautiful.” His voice was a low rumble of sound in his chest. “Just look at

these pretty little nipples.” He leaned down to drink in her moan as he pinched the taut peaks, rolling
the tight buds between his fingers.

“You…I want you naked, too,” she demanded as she tugged at his sweatshirt. He didn’t

hesitate as he sat back up and yanked his sweatshirt off for her, pulling his shirt off with it in the
process.

Kalista hummed in pleasure as she ran her hands up his naked torso. She loved his body.

Loved running her hands over the strong contours of his muscles, feeling them straining beneath her
hands. He started to kiss her again, pushing her back down on the bed, and she felt the steel-hard
spike of his desire pressing against her thigh. He was so thick and hot against her that her core
clenched as she remembered how he felt inside her.

But right now she wanted to see him…all of him.
“Pants, too,” she said breathlessly, making him grin.
“You first.” He got off the bed slowly, pulling her sweatpants down her legs as he did. His

dark eyes sparkled as he stood at the foot of the bed. He held up her pants, swinging them from his
finger before letting them drop on the floor.

Excited by his playful mood, she stared back into his eyes as she parted her legs, baring

herself to his gaze. She watched the smile disappear from his face and felt the heat of his gaze on her,
so filled with dark hunger it made her clit throb with need. She could feel the proof of her desire for
him spilling from her pussy and knew he could see it by the way his jaw clenched.

Hammer shoved his pants down his legs, stripping quickly so his hard cock sprang free. He

reached down to grip his erection in his hand, standing still so she could drink in her fill. He knew
that he was in good shape even though he was nothing compared to when he had been at top fighting
form. Still, he took pride in his body and knew his cock was bigger than average, but the stark
appreciation in her eyes as she looked at him made him feel like a god.

He stroking himself, spreading the drops of pre-cum over his length. “You want this? You

want my cock, Kali?”

“Yes,” she whispered.
“Show me then. Show me how much you want me.”
Kalista hesitated a moment, unsure what he meant. It was difficult to think when the sight of

him naked was like something out of her wildest fantasy. Courage, she told herself. Keeping her gaze
on  him  she  moved  one  of  her  hands  to  her  stomach,  tracing  a  finger  around  her  belly  button  before
moving  it  lower.  Watching  the  hunger  flare  in  his  dark  eyes  made  it  clear  he  liked  what  she  was
doing, and it encouraged her to go further.  She sucked in a harsh breath as her fingers made contact
with her clit, and she watched his muscles ripple as his body tensed.

“Wider. Spread your legs wider for me, Kali. Yeah, just like that.”
Her breathing sped up until she was panting as her fingers slid into the slick proof of her

desire for him. Her body clenched around her finger as she pushed it inside herself, and she moaned

at the feeling. She could feel the pleasure building inside her, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more
… she needed him. She pulled her finger out of herself, wanting the ecstasy only he could give her.

She beckoned him forward. “Come here, Jared. I need you.”
Hammer went to her without hesitation, both of them pushed past their limits. His mouth

slammed down on hers again as he covered her small body with his own again. He was careful not to
press his full weight on her, not wanting to crush her as he worshiped her mouth with his tongue and
lips. He ravaged her, unable to get enough of her sweet taste.

His hand moved between them, trailing over her bare mound that was slick with her juices.

Pushing inside her, he scissored two of his fingers in her tight channel, leaning up a little so he could
look down at her. “I love your bare pussy, baby. It makes me so hot I just want to lick it.”

He saw her cheeks flush with heat at his words, and it just made him want her more. He

moved down her body, drawing both of her nipples into his mouth in turn before shifting lower.
Pressing her knees further apart, he buried his head into her pussy like a man starved, lapping and
sucking at the juices spilling from her pussy. He listened to the sound of her strangled cries of passion
and felt his cock throb in response.

“Jared! Oh God, Jared!”
Hearing her cry out his name made Hammer want to drink down her juices until she begged

him to stop, and even then he wanted to keep going. He wanted to claim her, put his brand on her so
she belonged to him, completely. Latching onto her clit, he sucked lightly, using his tongue to flick
over the tight little nub as he reached up to shove two fingers inside her tight pussy. He felt her
release tear through her and had to press a large hand down onto her stomach to keep her in place as
her entire body shook.

“Oh God, oh God!”
“That’s it, Kali. Come apart for me.”
Before she had come down from her orgasm, he moved over her and thrust his hips hard,

driving his cock deep within her. Kalista cried out as his huge cock invaded her, her body desperately
trying to adjust to the thick length of his shaft like it always did on his initial penetration. She had
come to love that little bite of pain that mixed with the pleasure he gave her each time his first pushed
inside of her, and she wrapped her legs around him, hooking her ankles around the back of his knees.

She willed her body to relax so she could take him and the sting quickly faded, replaced by

pleasure as she felt his cock slide deeper. He moved back, only to repeat the process, thrusting further
inside her each time until his cock hit the entrance to her womb. He flexed his hips, pulling back, then
thrust forward. He repeated the motion over and over again, wringing moan after moan from her.

“So good…you feel so damn perfect around me, Kali.”
“More. Give me more.” She pulled his back down to her, biting his lower lip before sucking

it into her mouth. With a groan, he took control of the kiss, plunged his tongue back into her mouth,
stroking against hers.

“My sweet fairy…”
Hammer cradled her face between his hands as he looked down at her. God, how he loved to

watch her expressive face as he thrust inside her. Looking into her passion-glazed eyes, he could see
himself reflected clearly in them and he felt his heart stutter. He loved her. He knew it without a doubt
now. With Kali, he knew he had found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and he
never wanted to lose her.

Just the thought of it had him fucking her harder, pushing through her clenching muscles to

bring them both closer to release. He filled her completely as he stroked furiously into her tight pussy

with rhythmic thrusts.

“You’re mine, Kali. Say it, tell me you’re mine.”
“Yes! Yes, Jared!” she cried out as her body clamped down around his thrusting shaft.

Kalista’s orgasm tore through her, stealing her breath. Lost in the acute pleasure flooding her body,
she barely heard him curse as he sped up the pace, pounding himself into her so the bed shook with
the force of each thrust.

Hammer groaned as he thrust once, twice, then cried out her name as he exploded inside her,

filling her with pulse after pulse of his hot, thick cream. Shudders wracked his body as he buried his
face in her neck.

Panting for breath, he turned over on his back and took her with them so she was lying over

him. His hands stroked the soft, smooth skin of her back, unable to stop touching her. For a moment he
felt lost as his emotions spun out of control. He knew he’d wanted Kali since the moment he met her,
but the depth of his feelings for her was something that shook him to his very soul.

Maybe he had closed off his heart to keep himself from being hurt after what had happened to

him when he was young. In the past he had told a few girlfriends that he had loved them after they had
said it to him, and at the time he had thought he had. But now he knew what he’d felt for them was
simply a shadow of what real love was. He felt panicked and a little light-headed as he struggled to
come to terms with what it meant to really love for the first time.

Hell, the truth was he felt like he’d been kicked in the nuts.
Kali was the only person in the world that could really hurt him now, and knowing that left

him unbalanced and unsure of his next move. Did he tell her now, or would it be too cliché to say
right after they just finished having sex? And why the hell was he even worried about shit like that?

What the fuck is wrong with me? Man up, Caufield.
“Kali…”
He leaned down, ready to tell her he loved her but paused when he noticed her eyes were

closed and a small contented smile graced her lips. Her breathing was deep and even, telling him that
she had fallen asleep as he had been busy trying to get his shit together. He couldn’t help but smile as
he watched her sleep. Unable to help himself, he leaned his head down to softly stroke his lips against
her forehead.

He loved how she always curled up against his chest and snuggled in when they lay like this,

with their legs tangled together. It somehow made him proud that she didn’t automatically jump out of
bed to clean their combined releases from her body right after they finished making love. Maybe it
made him a throwback to the cavemen, but he liked knowing she was filled with his cum.

Relaxed, he was content just to hold her for a while and wrapped his arms around her tighter.

He turned his head to look out the window at the stars. In a few minutes he would get up and clean her
so she wasn’t uncomfortable while she slept, but for now he would try to figure out how the hell a
man decided what to say to the woman who had captured his heart without sounding like a rambling,
lovesick idiot.

Chapter Eight

“Your wood just arrived.”
Hammer glanced over at Dante Fox as his friend walked into his office at Fight Hard just as

he ended a call on his cell phone. Dante threw himself in the chair in front of the desk, propping his
feet up on the corner of the desk.

“And let me tell you, that isn’t a statement I ever thought I’d be saying to another dude after I

entered a room. What the hell are you gonna do with all those boards?”

Scoffing, Hammer leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head to ease the

tension that had settled in his shoulders from the phone conversation he just finished. “We are going
to build a fence in the yard.”

“What the hell for?”
“Kali wants to adopt one of the puppies from the rescue shelter. It’s a pit bull, so Evie said

having a safe environment for him to run and play is essential for the dog as well as the people around
here. Kali doesn’t have a backyard to build one over by her place, so I said we could build one
here.”

Dante shook his head. “Man, are you pussy whipped or what? First, it was that girl fight class,

and now you’re adopting a dog with her? That little girl has you running in circles.”

“Kali isn’t like that,” Hammer growled. “And quit being such an asshole.”
“I’m just saying,” Dante said with a chuckle, loving that he could rile his friend up so easily.

“If you start doing yoga and shit here I may have to take you out back and beat some fucking sense
back into you.”

“Like that would ever happen. You know I can take you down. Besides, I like the pup she

picked out. We went to see him a couple of days ago, and he’s a good dog. They named the little guy
Ranger.”

Dante laughed. “No shit? Well, that seems fitting then. I’m still worried about you, man. You

seem to have fallen hard for her. Don’t you think it’s a little soon to be playing house with her? The
last couple of weeks you’ve been attached at the hip. Hasn’t she been staying at your house all
week?”

“She has. If I have my way, she’ll be moving in with me permanently.”
That had Dante sitting up in his chair. “Seriously? Shit, you aren’t going to do something

stupid like ask her to marry you, are you?”

Hammer glared at him. “I plan to and will when the time is right. I love her, Dante. Just

because you don’t want to settle down doesn’t mean I don’t, you cynical bastard.”

Dante let out a pained groan. “Jesus, you, too? I already have Jimbo running around the damn

bar like some sort of maniac because Lisa is due any day. I don’t need you losing your mind, too.”

Hammer chose to ignore that insult. “I thought he was taking some time off to get ready for the

baby?”

“I wish. Lisa sent his ass back to work. Said he was driving her crazy hovering over her so

she’s making us deal with him. Kali’s not pregnant, is she?”

“Fuck you, Dante. No, she’s not. I don’t have to marry her, I want to.” Hammer let himself

imagine what he would feel like if he did get Kali pregnant. A flicker of panic filled him, but there
was also a deep sense of longing at the thought that surprised him. Hammer knew without a doubt he
would be nothing like his own crazy father. He would do it right and be a good father when the time

came.

Having a family of his own had always been a dream of his, but first he had to lock down

things with that woman of his. It had been a few days since he had realized just how much he loved
Kali, but he still hadn’t said anything. There just never seemed to be the right time to tell her. Or he’d
simply been stalling.

He knew that Kali cared for him, but he didn’t know if she was ready to give him everything

that he wanted. He’d be patient though, even if it killed him. They were perfect for each other. Now,
he just had to convince her that they belonged together long term.

“I just hope this love shit isn’t contagious,” Dante said with a sigh.
A slow grin spread over Hammer’s face. “You say that, but I’ve seen the way you act around

Zoe.”

Dante scowled. “That girl drives me bat-shit. She’s a total pain in my ass, and she works for

me. Hell, you’d think she owns the bar the way she’s taken over everything.”

“But you let her,” Hammer said with a laugh. “That woman is smart, and you’re just pissed

because she has too much sense to sleep with you. I’ve noticed you stopped banging random chicks in
your office now that she’s around. Admit it. You haven’t been fucking around as much since Zoe’s
been working for you. And I see the way you are with her. You two fight like an old married couple
already.”

Dante narrowed icy blue eyes at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hammer watched as his friend ran a hand though his black hair in agitation and couldn’t help

but poke at him a little more. “Well, if you aren’t interested in her there are plenty of guys that are. A
couple of the members were asking about her after their class yesterday.”

“For fuck’s sake, I told her she was gonna get herself in trouble prancing around the gym in

nothing more than a fucking bra and those shorts that have her ass all but hanging out,” Dante
exploded. Just thinking about the assholes who had watched Zoe at the gym made his blood boil. He
was her boss, goddamn it. It was his job to look out for her, and she made it practically impossible to
do so, the fucking stubborn woman.

Hammer bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. He knew his friend had a

serious thing for his pretty little bartender, but Dante stubbornly refused to admit it. The women came
in for their self-defense class on Tuesday and Thursday nights, but they had also started coming into
the gym to work out on the machines or to hit the bags on the days they didn’t have class. Hammer had
noticed that whenever Zoe was at the gym Dante was usually there, too, glowering at any man who
even looked at her.

Sobering, Hammer thought back to the men that he had caught looking at his Kali. Last night

after their class he had grabbed her in front of everyone and kissed her, showing everyone just who
she belonged to like some fucking caveman. Damn, he really did have it bad, but it was better than
beating the hell out of them for looking at his sweet fairy.

“I just got off the phone with Rhino,” he announced, changing the subject to something safer.

Gene “Rhino” Durbin was a heavyweight boxing champion that had started the Cage Fighting League
years ago when he retired, long before MMA was considered a mainstream sport.

“Is the old man still trying to convince you to come back and fight for him?”
Hammer smiled. “He might have mentioned that, but I told him I was done. He said he

expected me to say no, so he had another offer for me. He said he’d be willing to funnel some of the
circuit fighters here at Fight Hard…if I were to take an announcer job with the League.”

Dante’s eyes widened when Hammer told him the salary he had been offered. “So, are you

gonna take it?”

“It’s a good opportunity, but I would have to travel all the time. I don’t want to do that. I have

a good thing going here.”

“You mean with Kali.” Dante said it as a statement, not as a question.
“Yeah, with Kali and here with Fight Hard. It’s important to me to build up the reputation of

the rehab center. I turned it down, but Rhino said he would call me in a few days to see if I’d gotten
my head out of my ass.”

Dante snorted at that. “Well, it is a lot of money, but if you don’t want to do it, then don’t. You

gonna tell Kali about the offer?”

“I will, but not now. She is so worried about her cousin’s wedding tomorrow that I don’t think

this is the right time to bring it up.” Hammer stood. “What time do you have to be back at the bar?”

“See, that’s the good thing about being the boss. I can come and go as I please.”
Hammer sent him a knowing glance. “Because Zoe is running shit for you right now.”
Dante glared at him again. “Shut it. Why do you ask?”
“Come on, let’s go grab some of the guys. You’re going to help me stack the wood in the back

room.”

“Why the hell would I want to do that?”
Hammer slapped him on the back as Dante stood. “Because you are such a good friend…and

I’ll make sure Zoe knows when you also help me build the fence in a few days.”

“I fucking hate you sometimes.”
Hammer laughed all the way out the door.

****

“Are you sure I look okay?”
Hammer looked into Kali’s worried green eyes and fought down the surge of anger that swept

through him at her family for making her so damn nervous to see them again.

They had driven the hour and change into Houston a little early so they could check into their

room at the hotel where her cousin’s wedding reception would be held. They had both dressed
comfortably for the drive, stowing their dress clothes away for later. At first the drive had been fun.
Hammer found himself enjoying talking to Kali about anything and everything, but there was also a
comfortable feeling to the silence that settled between them from time to time.

As they had drawn closer to Houston, he had sensed the stress building in her as she had sat in

the passenger seat of his metallic gray F-TYPE S Jaguar Coupe. The car had been a bonus from his
last big win as a professional fighter. He loved the sleek ride, but preferred to drive his truck in town
when he wasn’t on his Harley. Still, having an idea how difficult this day was going to be for Kali, he
wanted to show her family that she was being well taken care of.

It might have been small and petty of him, but fuck it. Even if he knew she did well for herself,

her family seemed like a bunch of assholes, and he wanted, even needed, to show off a little on her
behalf.

When they had arrived at the hotel where she had booked a room, they had just enough time to

get ready before they had to go to the church. Putting on his tailored black suit he’d turned, and his
entire body tensed when she had stepped out of the bathroom wearing a long, emerald green strapless
dress that matched her eyes.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” he had whispered, drawn to her like a siren’s song. She had

done something with her makeup that gave her eyes a smoky, seductive look, and her lush lips had
been painted a liquid red that made him ache to see them wrapped around his cock.

The brilliance of her smile had made his chest ache as she had rubbed a hand down the stark

white of his shirt right over his heart as if she knew it beat for her and her alone. “How about we skip
the ceremony and stay here,” he suggested as he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her to him.

She laughed a little. “We can’t do that.”
“I know,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “I have to warn you, I don’t know how I’m going

to be able to control myself if I catch some jack-ass staring at you.”

Her eyes glittered with humor. “You look so handsome, Jared. I have a feeling I’m going to be

the one fighting women off of you,” she said softly as she’d straightened his silver tie. “Now, let’s go
before you convince me to stay.”

The church was less than fifteen minutes away from the hotel, and it drove him crazy to see the

nerves eating at his little fairy as they got closer to their destination. He pulled into the parking lot and
followed the directions of a man pointing them to a parking space while the man gawked at his car.
When Hammer turned off the car, he turned to her. “Kali, look at me.”

She turned to him, and he wanted to hit something at the bleak look in her eyes. “Thank you for

coming with me,” she whispered as she reached out a hand to grip one of his.

He held it tight, determined to help her through today any way he could. He had a feeling that

today was going to be a test of his control, and he’d have trouble holding onto his temper if anyone
hurt her. He blew out a breath and went for honesty. “Let’s see if you say that when this is all over.”

“I’m still going to thank you.” She gifted him with a small smile as she reached up and stroked

his neck where his tattoos peeked out from over his collar. He grabbed her hand, holding it over his
heart.

“Are my tattoos going to embarrass you?” His tension eased at the confusion shining in her

beautiful eyes.

“No, why would you ask that?”
He shrugged, then leaned in to brush his lips over hers. He gave her a quizzical frown when

he saw that her lipstick hadn’t faded at all.

When he asked her about it, she smiled. “Ah, the secret of smudge-proof lipstick.”
“Make sure you wear some of that when we’re back in our room tonight. I’d love to see your

red lips wrapped around my dick later.”

He chuckled as her cheeks flushed with heat, and he stole another quick kiss before opening

his door. When she reached for the door handle he simply glared at her until she folded her hands in
her lap and patiently waited for him to come around to her side to open the door for her.

Kalista held tight to his hand as they entered the church. She was immensely glad when they

were seated in row toward the back of the church since they were one of the last to arrive. She kept
her cape-style wrap on over her dress against the chill in the air. Looking up at the front of the church,
she saw her ex, David, standing next to his brother. Relief swept through her when she felt no pain at
seeing him again. Only mild distaste filled her now at the sight of him, and she turned to smile at
Jared, who held a knowing look in his dark eyes.

“What’s that smile for, honey?”
“I was just thinking how much my taste in men has improved.”
He chuckled as he squeezed her hand, then they both turned to look toward the aisle as music

began to play. Despite the fact Kalista disliked her cousin immensely, the wedding was beautiful. Her
cousin was a beautiful bride, and Kalista couldn’t help but sniffle as the ceremony came to a close.

Hammer put his arm around her, drawing her close to him as he leaned down to whisper in

her ear. “Who knew my little fairy was so sentimental,” he murmured as the bride and groom turned

to beam at the crowd.

They joined into the flood of people leaving the church, and Kalista was grateful that she

avoided seeing most of her family before they were back in the car, heading back to the hotel where
the reception was being held.

Her good luck ended as they pulled up in front of the hotel, and Kalista saw her mother and

father standing outside talking to a few of the other guests. The valet ran over to open her door, and
she slid out of the car, waiting for Jared to come around to join her before walking over to greet her
parents. She saw the way her father’s eyes widened as he stared at Jared’s car and held back a wince
as her mother’s gaze seemed to focus on Jared’s tattoos.

“Hello, Mother. Father.”
“Well, we were wondering if you were going to come,” her mother said with a haughty look.

“You certainly haven’t been very communicative lately, Kalista Rose. Shame on you for not calling
your own mother back.”

Kalista wanted to roll her eyes and barely held back the urge. “This is my boyfriend, Jared

Caufield. Jared, these are my parents, Don and Gina Redford.”

Don and Gina Redford looked every bit the wealthy couple that enjoyed their lives in the

center of Houston society. Gina was dressed in a bright blue dress, with her long red hair pulled back
in a sophisticated chignon, while Don was dressed in a dark blue pin-stripe suit with a gold Cartier
watch glittering on his wrist.

“Good to meet you,” Don said as he held out his hand to shake Jared’s. “And what do you do,

Mr. Caufield?”

“I own the gym and rehab center across the street from Kali’s bakery.”
Kalista noticed the way her mother’s face scrunched in distaste at hearing that. Well, it

scrunched up as much as it could despite the Botox injections she knew her mother got religiously.

Don pulled his hand back and raised a brow. “The gym business must be treating you well to

afford a car like that.”

“Dad!” Kalista felt embarrassment wash over her at the insulting comment her father had just

made. Jared’s hand wrapped around her waist, comforting her, and he softly stroked her hip as if to
convey he could handle whatever her parents threw at him.

“The car was given to me as a bonus when I won my last fight. I was a professional MMA

fighter for the CFL for several years after I left the Army.”

“A military man, then. Thank you for your service,” Don said with a smile. “Why don’t we

head inside out of the cold and get a drink?” He held out his arm for his wife and led the way inside
of the hotel, following the crowd to an area that had been set up for the cocktail hour before the
reception.

Kalista was acutely aware that her father hadn’t even acknowledged her presence, while her

mother looked at her as if she were disappointed at seeing her. She smiled up at Jared as he helped
her remove her wrap once they were inside, and she waited for the inevitable slam that was sure to
come from her mother.

Jared grabbed two champagne flutes from a passing waiter and handed one to her just as her

mother looked over at her. As her father began asking Jared questions about his fighting career her
mother moved closer to her.

“Really, Kalista Rose,” her mother said with a sigh. “A woman with your figure should never

wear a strapless dress. Your arms are way too big for you to be flaunting them like that.”

Kalista had braced herself for whatever insult her mother threw her way, but that didn’t stop it

from hurting. She sensed more than felt Jared’s large body stiffen next to her, then felt the sting of her
mother’s words fade away as he took her hand and linked their fingers together.

Feeling bold, Kalista smiled at her mother. “Mother, you look beautiful as always. You’re so

courageous wearing such a bold blue color. I hope I’m that daring when I’m your age.” She felt Jared
squeeze her hand, and her gaze flickered to him to see him smiling as he took a sip from his glass of
champagne.

“That was completely uncalled for, Kalista Rose. You never could take any criticism. You

just  don’t  understand  that  I  am  trying  to  help  you,”  Gina  hissed  in  a  low  voice  as  she  tugged  on
Kalista’s arm. Jared refused to release her hand until she looked up at him with a weak smile. He let
her  go,  but  frowned  at  both  women  as  Gina  pulled  Kalista  a  few  feet  away  from  the  men.  “Your
cousin  would  have  had  you  in  her  wedding  party,  but  they  didn’t  make  the  bridesmaids  dresses  in
your size.”

“I didn’t want to be part of her wedding party, Mother.”
“Still. If you couldn’t hold onto a nice man like David, how do you think you are going to hold

a man like Jared? It’s obvious he is just using you, darling. You should end things before you end up
getting hurt. How can you even be dating him so soon after David left you?”

Oh, for the love of…
“Mother, you don’t know what you’re talking about. First of all, if you think David is a nice

man than he has you totally fooled, and Jared isn’t using me.”

“Of course he is. Why else would he be with someone like you?”
That was a direct hit. Kalista felt the tears burning in the back of her eyes, but she willed them

away by sheer determination. “By someone like me, you mean someone short and slightly overweight,
because I don’t look like a model, is that what you’re saying?”

Gina looked at her with such sympathy that it told Kalista that was exactly what she meant.

“You’re really a very pretty girl, but you just don’t have what it takes to hold a man like Jared. Not
unless he is with you for your money. You should turn over the rest of your trust to your father and me
in case—” Gina was cut off by Jared, whose voice held a hard edge of anger to it.

“I have my own money, Mrs. Redford, and I certainly don’t need Kali’s. Obviously from the

sapphires you’re wearing, you don’t seem to need her money either.”

Gina’s cheeks darkened with embarrassment at having been overheard, and she nervously

stared back at him with wide eyes. Kalista looked up at Jared and barely held back a wince as she
saw the fury burning in his dark eyes.

“You don’t understand. I’m just looking out for my daughter.”
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’ll be looking out for Kali from now on. I

won’t let anyone hurt her,” he said, his deep voice holding a dark warning. His menacing smile
showed his white teeth as he wrapped his arm around Kalista’s waist, drawing her close to his body.
“Excuse us,” he said before whisking Kalista away.

Hammer pulled her down a long hallway and stopped in front of a door to an empty

conference room. He tried the door and was glad when it opened. Tugging her into the dark room he
slammed the door shut and clicked the lock in place before pulling her into his arms.

“Goddammit, just damn it,” he snarled out as he held onto her. He felt her relax, leaning into

him as if seeking comfort or giving it. He couldn’t tell which one.

“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” he snapped, then blew out a breath, trying to regain control of his anger.

Hearing what her mother had said to her, how she’d so casually insulted both him and Kali had set his

teeth on edge. It had been bad enough when her father had all but asked him how much money he had.
Don Redford was a man that was driven by greed, and Hammer had no problem intimidating the
smaller man, easily putting him in his place with a few direct insults. He’d thought he was holding it
together, but when he’d heard what Gina had said to Kali, he felt his temper snap.

Jesus, what the hell was wrong with that bitch?
His muscles ached with the need to defend his woman, but how the hell could he when the

worst perpetrator was her own mother? Light filtered into the room from the hallway through the
frosted glass on the side of the doorway, allowing him to see her as he pulled back. The wounded
look in her eyes made him want to howl in fury. He wanted to put his fist through the wall, or better
yet, he wanted to tell her parents to go to hell and to leave them alone.

Kalista looked up to see the fury evident on his handsome face. It warmed her heart because

she knew he was angry on her behalf, and that meant more to her than she could put into words. She
had never felt like she had someone on her side. Sure, she had friends that were there for her, but that
was different than having a partner. To know that someone cared for her and would always put her
first before anyone else.

Until now.
“Your parents are totally fucked up.”
That surprised a laugh out of her. “I tried to warn you. Unfortunately, that wasn’t anything

unusual.”

He swore viciously, and somehow that made her feel even better.
“Christ, Kali. I can’t stand it.” He leaned down pressing his forehead to hers as he wrapped

both arms around her waist so they were like steel-hard bands holding her to him. “I don’t…I don’t
know what I’m allowed to say or do for you. I don’t want to piss you off or say something you won’t
forgive me for, but damn it, I love you too much to just stand there and let your bitch of a mother cut
you down like that.”

Kalista froze, unable to believe what she just heard. “Y-you love me?”
“God yes, baby. I didn’t mean to tell you like this, but I do. I fucking love you, Kali.”
The tears that she had held back now spilled over, falling to her cheeks. “I love you, too,

Jared. So much. I feel like I was born loving you.”

His dark gaze flared with heat. “You’re mine now, and no one will come between us,” he

snarled before his lips crushed down on hers.

He took her mouth in a brutal kiss as he pressed her back against the closed door. He groaned

in pleasure and his grip changed, one of his large hands moving up to cup her chin so he could force
her mouth open for his tongue to delve deep. She moaned as the taste of him exploded on her tongue,
and she instantly wanted more. She could feel the steel-hard spike of his erection against her stomach,
and lust curled in her belly as she felt a flood of liquid heat spill from between her thighs.

She couldn’t hear anything over the sound of her own blood roaring in her ears as she arched

into him, pressing closer, needing to feel him against her. Lips crushed together, tongues stroking,
tasting as they all but devoured one another.

Hearing Jared loved her opened something inside her, making her feel like she could fly. She

heard the sound of the zipper on her dress in the stillness and pulled back to gasp. “What are you
doing?”

“I need you now, Kali. Right now. Let me have you.”
Seeing the need burning in his dark gaze had her nodding, and she pushed him back slightly,

letting her dress fall to the floor.

“Sweet Jesus…”
She smiled at his whispered words when he saw the black strapless bra and thong she wore,

along with the matching garter belt and stockings she had bought. She had hoped to surprise him later,
but right now worked for her. Lifting her he carried her over to the conference table and set her down
on it. He pulled off his suit jacket, flinging it onto a chair and pressed his arousal against the junction
of her parted thighs. The pressure of his cock against the wet material of her thong had her aching to
feel him inside her.

“Tell me again,” he commanded.
“I love you,” she whispered, pulling his lips back down to hers. She heard his belt buckle

release and the sound of his zipper as he pulled it down, but she could barely focus beyond the way
his mouth worshiped hers. She cried out as he pushed the material of her thong aside and thrust one
large finger into her dripping pussy. He pulled it out, then thrust two back inside her, parting her tight
muscles.

“God, baby. You’re soaking wet for me. This is going to be hard and fast. I can’t wait.”
“Then don’t. Don’t wait, Jared.”
She gasped as she felt him take her thong in a firm grip and yank them off of her with one hard

tug. Pulling back, she slapped at his chest lightly. “You’re always destroying my underwear.”

“I’ll buy you new ones. Tons of them. Better yet, stop wearing them so you are always ready

for me,” he demanded. “Now wrap your legs around me, Kali.”

She did as he asked and felt the large head of his cock nudging at the entrance of her pussy. He

pulled back enough so that their eyes locked just as he shoved inside her, filling her pussy with his
hard cock. She gasped, that small sting just making her pleasure that much more intense. One of his
hands gripped her neck, helping to hold her up as he began tunneling into her with fast, hard strokes.

“So tight! Your hot little cunt is so damn tight I can’t hold back. You squeeze my cock so good

baby,” he growled out.

Unable to take it, she let herself fall back on the table so she was splayed before him. She

reached up to cup her breasts over her strapless bra, holding them in place as he pounded into her. He
pulled her thighs wide, holding her completely open to him as he stroked his cock into her over and
over again, thrilling her with the brutal passion they shared.

“I’m close, baby,” he said with a grunt.
“Jared, I need…”
“I’ve got you,” he assured her even as he moved one of his hands to her clit, rubbing furiously

until she felt her body tighten with impending release.

“That’s it. Come for me, Kali. Come and take me with you.”
She couldn’t help but obey as her back arched off the table, and she came, sobbing out his

name. His large body came down over her, sheltering her as waves of pleasure tore her apart from the
inside out. He muffled her cries with his mouth as his large frame shuddered against her and he
poured his seed into her body.

“Love you, Kali,” he whispered against her lips, making her heart soar.
She was loved just as she loved him, and that was all that mattered.

Chapter Nine

Kalista headed into the bathroom after she and Jared left the conference room. He had tried to

clean her using his handkerchief, but he had filled her with so much of his cum she had to take care of
it if she didn’t want a big wet spot on the back of her dress when she sat down at dinner.

After seeing that the room was empty, she was surprised by her appearance as she stared into

the mirror. Her handy no-smudge lipstick was long gone since it didn’t stand a chance against Jared’s
passionate kisses. Her eyes had taken on a sensual look that she thought would tell anyone who
looked at her that she’d just had sex with her big, strong man.

Thinking about that put a smile on her lips.
She did a quick repair to her makeup, grateful that she had remembered to throw a compact of

press-powder into her clutch purse, then headed into one of the private stalls to clean herself up.
When she was done, she took a moment just lean back against the wall and think about how her life
had just changed.

A secret smile spread across her lips, and she closed her eyes, basking in the glow of Jared’s

love for her. She never thought she could be this happy. She’d been worried that she had fallen so
completely for him so fast, but knowing he was right there with her filled her with a joy that she could
barely contain.

The door to the bathroom opened, and her body tensed as she heard the voices of two of her

cousin Bethany’s bridesmaids, Suzie and Chantal. Most of Bethany’s friends had always treated
Kalista as if she was beneath their notice, but Chantal had always been particularly nasty to her.
Chantal was a tall, beautiful blonde who always used her looks to get whatever she wanted.

“Did you see him? Hammer is so hot,” Chantal said with a little laugh.
“He is. I think I’ve seen one of his fights on pay-per-view or something, but he came here with

Bethany’s cousin, what’s her name.”

Chantal let out a little snort. “That fat cow? Please, he must have lost a bet or something. Or

maybe she bribed him in baked goods.”

Kalista body stiffened at hearing that. Usually, her reaction to this kind of thing would have

left her in tears, but she refused to worry about stupid woman like Chantal or her mother anymore.
Jared had said he loved her, and he didn’t lie.

“You can be such a bitch sometimes,” Suzie said.
“And I’m so damn good at it,” Chantal said with a laugh. “I’m totally going to sleep with him

tonight. Did you see that body? I bet he’s an animal in bed.”

Fed up, Kalista opened the stall door and stepped out into the bathroom and watched the two

women in dark purple dresses standing in front of the mirror freeze as they saw her. Suzie had the
good sense to at least look a little ashamed by being caught, but Chantal just lifted a sculpted brow as
she met Kalista’s gaze.

Casually walking back to the sink, Kalista washed her hands and patted them dry on one of the

towels set out for guests. She opened her purse and put another layer of red lipstick on her lips.
“Actually, he is an animal in bed. I wouldn’t hold your breath about tonight, though, seeing as he
sleeps next to me every night. I’m sure you can find some other poor man who doesn’t know who you
really are to take you home. Enjoy your evening.”

With that, Kalista opened the bathroom door and walked out, satisfied that she had left the

bitchy woman sputtering. She smiled as she saw Jared waiting for her. Several other women were

looking at him, but he only had eyes for her. Her big, bad boy looked so handsome standing there
bathed in the golden light of the chandeliers, but even the dress clothes couldn’t camouflage the
savage beauty of his lethal body. Those intriguing hints of his tattoos showing just made it even more
obvious that he was like a wild animal in disguise.

She loved the way his dark eyes lit up when he saw her and he smiled that arrogant smirk of

his that heated her blood. He always gave her that little smile after they made love, and it reminded
her of how it felt to have him inside her. That smile faded as he took a good look at her.

“What’s wrong?”
Damn, he read her so well it was scary.
“Oh, just ran into two women in the bathroom that were talking about you.” Out of the corner

of her eye she saw Chantal and Suzie leaving the bathroom. “The blonde thinks she can get you in bed
tonight. I had to dissuade her of that erroneous notion.”

“Damn straight,” he said pulling her against him. “Why the hell would I want her when I have

you?”

“Damn straight,” she said, mimicking him.
He chuckled as he leaned down to brush his lips against hers. “I love that my naughty little

fairy defended my honor, though. Come on, let’s get this dinner over with so I can dance with my
girl.”

Taking her hand, he led her into the reception hall where the dinner would be served. Kalista

looked around the room and barely held back a wince. The room had been decorated with an
abundance of white, purple, and light green, making it look like Paris had exploded all over the place.
She knew that Bethany would go overboard, but this was ridiculous. Large vases of flowers sat in the
middle of every table, and the walls of the room had been draped with fabric in Bethany’s chosen
colors. Over on a side table was a wedding cake made up of several towers that was too ostentatious
to be called elegant.

He looked around the room at a loss for what to say. “This is…”
“Revolting?” She offered the word with a smile.
“I was going to say scary, but revolting works, too.”
They walked over to the table that held all of the place cards, and Kalista frowned when she

saw they were seated at the same table as her parents.

“Fuck that. We aren’t sitting with them.”
Because she agreed with him, she let him lead her over to the bar where they could grab

drinks and wait for people to take their seats. When the majority of people were seated she and Jared
walked over to a table of people around their age with a few empty chairs.

“Are these seats taken?”
“No, please join us,” one of the women said with a flirtatious smile.
Hammer politely smiled at the woman, then held out the seat beside the woman for Kali to sit

down. Kali shot him a smirk and he pressed a kiss to her forehead before his sat down next to her,
safely out of range from the woman who had tried to flirt with him.

When they introduced themselves to the group, the men openly gaped at Hammer. “Man, I saw

you fight in Vegas two years ago. You were awesome!” one of the men said.

“Thanks. I’m retired now. I opened a gym in Breakers, and now I spend my time running

things there and keeping my girlfriend here out of trouble.” He laughed when Kali’s elbow made
contact with his side.

“So, how do you know the wedding party?” another woman asked.

“Bethany is my cousin,” Kalista said, “But we’re sitting over here because we are avoiding

my parents.”

“They don’t like me,” Hammer added cheerfully. “Don’t think I’m good enough for her or

something.” He winked at Kali, loving how the pretty blush spread over her cheeks.

The woman who had tried to flirt with him now cast a sympathetic glance at Kali. “Bethany

is…an interesting woman.”

“She’s a raging bitch, if you ask me,” one of the men said with a laugh. “We all work with

Aeron, which is why we are stuck over here in the corner. I don’t mind, though. I can’t stand your
cousin, sorry.”

Kali just smiled before taking a sip of her glass of wine. Hammer leaned back as he took a

pull from the bottle of beer he had ordered from the bar. He was glad that Kali seemed to relax as she
spoke to the friendly people at the table. The meal was more enjoyable than he had thought it was
going to be. Three of the men asked him questions about his time fighting, while Kali spoke to the two
women at the table. He was pleased when Kali had simply laughed when the woman sitting next to his
woman apologized for admiring him.

“Trust me, I know every woman looks at him like that,” Kalista had whispered back.
Hammer took that as a sign that she was more confident in their relationship now that he had

told her he loved her. Hell, he felt the same way now that he knew she loved him and that she was
truly his. Knowing that she loved him as much as he loved her set them on equal footing, and there
was no way he was going to fuck this up. Still, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t punch out one of the guys
at their table if the prick didn’t stop peeking at Kali’s cleavage every time she fucking moved.

“Kalista, how nice to see you,” David said as he walked up to their table with his date. The

woman on his arm was a tall brunette who eyed Hammer like he was her favorite treat. He was used
to women eye-fucking him. He usually ignored it, but in this case it was pretty damn funny that
David’s new girlfriend seemed to prefer him just like Kali did.

“Hi, I’m Melissa,” David’s new girlfriend purred.
Hammer felt Kali tense as the beautiful brunette held out her hand to him, waiting for him to

kiss it or something. Fuck that, she could keep waiting. Ignoring her outstretched hand, he put his arm
around Kali’s shoulders, pulling her into him. Melissa looked stunned for a second, then glared at
Kali as she put her arm back down. He noticed the way David’s eyes seemed to roam over Kali, and
Hammer realized that even if he was confident that she loved him, he really didn’t like other men
looking at his woman. Especially this man.

“David,” Kali said in a flat tone.
Hammer watched with satisfaction as David seemed to focus on his hand gently trailing up

and down her arm. Wes, one of the men at the table, seemed to enjoy the byplay. “Hammer was just
telling us about his gym in your hometown. Do you work out there?”

“No, I work out at a real gym.”
Hammer’s smile turned fierce. “Just as well. I have a policy against letting assholes become

members of my gym.” He heard the muffled laughter coming from their dinner companions as David’s
spine seemed to stiffen.

Seeing that he was getting nowhere with Hammer, David turned his ire towards Kali. “It’s

nice to see that your neighbor was kind enough to be your date after I dumped you,” David said with a
smile as fake as his date’s breasts.

Hammer laughed, then placed another kiss on the top of Kali’s head, never taking his eyes off

her ex. “It was easy enough since she’s practically living with me now.”

David lost his smile. “I knew you were whoring around on me.”
“How dare you—”
Hammer cut off whatever Kali was going to say by squeezing her shoulder. “You’re going to

want to be very careful how you speak to my woman.”

“Your woman,” David spat. “She was mine first.”
“David, come on. Let’s go,” Melissa said pulling at David’s arm. David shook her off, his

anger making him too stupid to understand the danger he was in.

David glared down at Kali. “You were always panting after him like a bitch in heat. Just wait

until he gets bored with you. That will serve you right.”

Hammer slowly stood up so he was towering over the other man. He could see the fear

suddenly gleaming in David’s eyes, and he was glad when the smaller man took a step back. Hammer
wanted to strike out at him, but the feeling of Kali’s gentle hand on his arm had him looking down into
her worried eyes. “Don’t worry, baby. I won’t hurt the bastard.”

He felt his tension ease a little as her beautiful lips curved into a smile. “One hit and he’d be

done anyway. There’s no fun in that.”

Hammer found himself laughing, and he looked back to see David’s face was red with anger

now. Taking a step forward, he was pleased when David scuttled back from him. “Let me make this
clear,”  Hammer  said  in  voice  that  was  dangerously  soft.  “I  know  where  you  work  and  where  you
live.  If  I  even  catch  you  looking  at  Kali  with  anything  less  than  respect  I  will  tear  you  apart  into
bloody pieces, then boot your head so far up your stupid ass you’ll pray to  God, wishing  I had just
killed you. In fact, don’t even look at her. If you see her in the same room as you, you’ll fucking leave,
because I won’t tolerate you or anyone else upsetting her. Now get the fuck out of here before I have
to disappoint her and beat the shit out of you right now.”

David turned and ran, leaving his girlfriend to follow him teetering on her high heels as

Hammer sat back down at the table. Their dinner companions all stared at him, their expressions a
mixture of shock and awe. He glanced at Kali, bracing himself to face her anger but found her smiling
that special smile that she reserved just for him. Unable to help himself he kissed her hard before
smiling at the rest of the table as if he hadn’t just made such an ominous threat against a man.

“So, do you think they’ll be cutting the cake soon?”

****

Two days later, Hammer stood in the completed fenced in area outside the gym and wiped the

sweat from his brow. It felt damn good building something with his own hands, but he hadn’t had to
build it alone. He’d been surprised by the number of his friends that had come to help, along with
several of the members that workout out in the gym. Because of the extra hands, what would have
taken him a couple days to do had been finished in the matter of a few hours.

“Looks good,” Sheriff Storm Wyatt said as he handed a bottle of water over to Hammer.
“It does. Thanks for coming by to help.”
Storm shrugged. “I had the day off. I was coming in for a workout anyway.”
Hammer eyed his friend. Storm had the dark coloring that spoke to his half Native American

heritage, but his usually tanned skin seemed pale and his obsidian eyes were heavy with buried anger
and fatigue. He’d seen that look before. Hammer and Storm had served in the same unit while they
had been in the Rangers, and they had been like brothers ever since. “Long weekend?”

“Longer than you’d believe. Late Saturday night I got a call out to the county border. Turns out

those fucking Moxie boys took some girls drinking with them at that shit-hole honky tonk, the Dunk
Tank, and then crashed into a tree on their way home.”

“Shit,” Hammer said. “Was everyone okay?”
“Nope. One of the girls ended up in the hospital, and one of the boys had to have surgery. The

other girl died on impact. We spent hours trying to pry those kids out of that damn car. It was crushed
like a fucking can. The driver was the only one who wasn’t really hurt. He was so drunk he couldn’t
even see straight, but somehow he got thrown clear.”

“You telling Hammer about what happened Saturday?” Hammer’s step-brother Hunter asked

as he joined them. “I’m glad those little Moxie shits are sitting in jail. Why does it always seem the
drunk driver always walks away from an accident despite all the lives he ruins?”

“Yeah,” Storm said, shaking his head in disgust. “Those girls were underage, too. To top it,

one of their daddies showed up on scene while we were working to get the kids out. He had been out
looking for his girl when we made the calls. The idiot pulled out a shotgun and started shooting at the
driver.”

“Well, hell…” Hammer winced, but he couldn’t really blame the father. He would have killed

those boys if it was his daughter, too.

“What Storm didn’t tell you was that he was in the process of cuffing Ralph Moxie when the

father started shooting,” Dante added as he joined them.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Hammer looked at Storm, then grinned, trying to ease

the memory of dealing with such a horrible situation. “You don’t seem to have any new holes in you.”

“He missed me, asshole,” Storm growled in response, irritation bubbling to the surface again

at the reminder. “It was just one big clusterfuck of a night. That’s why I took today off. I needed to
relax, or I knew I’d hurt someone today with the way I’m feeling.”

“I bet. You should go hit the bags now that we’re done here.”
“I just might,” Storm said. “Maybe I’ll drag Dante into the ring with me.”
“We can do that. I’m thought I’d stick around and work with the kid when he gets off of

school. Nate’s got some moves. He’s young yet, but I think he might have a future if he wants it.”

“I agree,” Hammer said. He’d been training Nate a few times a week, and the kid had natural

talent for picking up martial arts. With dedication and persistence, the kid could make a career at
fighting.

Hunter looked around the fenced in yard with his hands on his hips, admiring what they had

built together. “This is a good area. Ranger is going to be very happy here.” At Storm’s questioning
look, Hunter grinned. “The pit bull puppy Kali picked out is named Ranger. The little guy lights up
when she’s around.”

Storm laughed, the fatigue fading as mirth took its place. “Well, I’ll be damned. So now Kali

has two Rangers on her hands.”

“Damn straight,” Hammer said with a grunt.
“You gonna marry that girl?” Storm asked.
“As soon as possible.” Hammer told his friends the short version of what happened at the

wedding over the weekend, and was pleased to see the righteous fury burning in their eyes on his
woman’s behalf.

“The ex is still breathing?” Dante asked incredulously. “Man, Hammer. You’re losing your

edge. I would have taken that asshole apart.”

“Trust me, I wanted to, but I wasn’t about to kill a guy at her cousin’s wedding. Besides, I

made him fear me enough that he won’t cross me.”

“David’s always been a little prick, even when we were young. Let me know if he bothers her

again,” Storm said. “I won’t tolerate that shit here in my town.”

“Got it, Sheriff.” Hammer sighed. “I wonder if I could convince Kali to have a wedding

without her parents.”

Hunter laughed, knowing there was no chance in hell of that happening. “Good luck with that

shit. Could you imagine what your mom or my dad would do to you if you got married and didn’t
invite them? Hell, they’d probably kill me, too, for not talking you out of it.”

Hammer winced at that. “Okay, first we’ll adopt the dog and I’ll ask her to officially move in

with me. Then I’ll convince her to marry me.”

“Why wait?” Storm asked. “If you’re already all in why don’t you just ask her right now?”
Dante nodded. “He’s right. Kali is a sweet little thing. I don’t think she’ll want to move in

with you without a ring on her finger. She seems the traditional type.”

They were right. Hammer knew he should just ask her and get it over with, but the truth was

there was a little part of him that was afraid she would say no. She loved him, but what if she said it
was too soon? They hadn’t been dating for very long, and he didn’t know what he would do if he
asked and she refused him or asked him to wait.

Oblivious to the turmoil going on in Hammer’s head, Dante looked around the yard just as

Hunter had. “This is a good idea for you and Kali. I think it’s pretty damn sweet that you are giving
one of those puppies a good home. Seems to me you will already be building a family together, why
not make it official?”

Before he could respond Storm nodded toward the side door of the gym that lead out into the

yard. “Heads up, Hammer. Looks like your lady has come to see what you built for her.”

The men quickly left, gathering up the rest of the crew that had helped with the construction.

They murmured a greeting to Kali as they passed her and went inside. Hammer had left Kali at his
house, still snuggled in bed when he’d headed out that morning. She’d left her car at his place before
they’d gone to the wedding, and he had wanted to get a good start on the fence before she came into
work. Now that the fence was done, he didn’t know what to say.

Hell, a man like him shouldn’t be embarrassed by anything, but the surprise and love shining

from his lover’s eyes had him wanting to fucking blush, if such a thing were even possible after all
he’d done in his life. The way Kali looked at him made him feel ten feet tall, like he could do
anything, and he wanted to…for her. When he realized he loved her, he knew without a doubt he
would kill to keep her safe.

Building a fence wasn’t even a drop on the scale of things he would do for her.
Kalista looked around the large fenced in area with wide eyes, hardly believing what she was

seeing. Jared had gone with her to play with Ranger over at the rescue center last week, but a part of
her had never really believed he would actually build her a play area for the puppy if she adopted the
pup. She should have known better. Jared always did what he said, and he never lied to her. Tears
welled in her eyes as she looked over at him. She wanted to laugh at how uncomfortable he looked
standing there, but she couldn’t. Not when he had done this for her.

“Jared?”
“Hi, baby.” He hooked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans. “You’re here early.”
“I came in early to meet the girls for lunch. How…you did this for me?”
“Well, other people can bring their dogs out here the play, but yes, I told you I would build

this for Ranger. I thought we could make a play area for him over here. We could add some
equipment and—”

He was cut off as she flung herself into him arms. He picked her up, holding her to him as she

peppered his face with kisses. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“If this is what I get for building you a fenced in area, just wait ‘til you see the one I’m

planning at home.”

She froze, her jaw falling open as she watched his own muscles working in his jaw as he

clenched his teeth. Uncaring that her feet were dangling off the ground she reached up to stroke his
face with her hands, soothing his muscles.

“You’re building me a fence at your house?”
Hammer set her down slowly, then rubbed a hand over his shorn hair. Fuck, this wasn’t going

as he had planned. He couldn’t seem to get the words out that he wanted to say. “I thought it would be
good if we had one at the house. I thought we could, you know, both adopt Ranger.”

“You mean like share him? Like joint custody?”
“Sort of,” Hammer said as he hooked his thumbs back into his front pockets. “It wouldn’t

really be like that if you just moved in with me.”

Kalista’s breath caught as she stared at him. He was asking her to move in with him? Joy

filled her, but a part of her heart ached at his offer. Jared had said he loved her, but what happened if
that changed?

“Kali, I—”
“There you are!”
Both she and Jared turned as the deep booming voice sounded from the doorway leading into

the gym. A large barrel-chested man walked out, lumbering forward with a wide grin on his face. The
man looked to be in his late fifties, but despite his age he was in good shape and carried himself like
a prize-fighter. His nose had obviously been broken several times, giving him a rough look, which
didn’t seem to fit with the bright orange polo shirt he was wearing with khaki pants.

Hammer wanted to curse as Gene “Rhino” Durbin walked toward them. The owner of the

CFL was a big man, and he would usually be happy to see him, but not right now. Not when he hadn’t
told Kali about the offer, and certainly not when he had been about to fucking propose to the woman
he loved.

“Rhino. What the hell are you doing here? And Jesus, could that shirt get any brighter?”
“Don’t you sass me, boy,” Rhino growled. “I’m here because we’ve got business to discuss. I

need you in Las Vegas with me tomorrow, and I came to personally collect you.”

“Damn it,” Hammer muttered under his breath.
“Manners, Hammer. Hello, sweetheart. I’m Big Gene, and who might you be?”
“Kalista Redford.” Kalista took the offered hand and shook it. She noticed that the big man

took her hand gently, just as Jared and most of his friends did. It seemed automatic for strong men
with good hearts to temper their strength so they didn’t hurt anyone weaker than them. Kalista smiled
at the older man even though her emotions were swirling inside her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“So you say, although I interrupted you.”
“That’s okay, I have to get back to work anyway. I’ll leave you two to your discussion. Jared,

I’ll see to later.”

“Kali…”
Hammer felt helpless as she rose to her toes to kiss him on his cheek, then she left, leaving

him feeling a surge of anger at the older man. He rounded on Gene when she disappeared through the
doorway. “Damn it, Rhino.”

“That your new girl? She’s a pretty little thing.”
“She is. I could fucking strangle you.”
“Well, do it inside once we’re out of the cold. Leanne is waiting.”

Chapter Ten

Even though he was pissed, Hammer had to smile as he saw Leanne Durbin standing in the

main gym. The tall blonde could have been an Amazon warrior in another life, but she was no less
lethal in a smart looking outfit of black pants and a cream colored sweater. A former model, Leanne
looked like a socialite, hiding the fact that she was one of the driving forces that made the CFL such a
success.

Leanne turned as Hammer and Gene walked over to her and she smiled, her midnight blue

eyes warming with affection when she saw him. “Hammer, it’s so good to see you.”

He kissed her cheek in greeting, then stood, looking at the pair of them for a moment. They

always struck him as an odd looking couple, the tall, slim blonde completely opposite her big, burly
husband, but he knew they were madly in love with each other. Leanne was a good four inches taller
than Gene, and she looked elegant compared to her husband’s rough appearance.

“I guess we should take this into my office,” Hammer said with a sigh. He led the couple into

his office in the back and sat down on one of the chairs in the sitting area after Leanne took a seat on
the couch. Gene sat down next to her and started to speak, but Hammer held up his hand. “You’re
gonna want to give me another minute and wait for the urge to punch you to pass.”

Leanne let out a sigh as she patted her husband’s knee affectionately. “What have you done

now?”

“Me? Why the hell do you think I did anything? All I did was go outside and say hello to him

and his woman,” Gene sputtered, looking extremely offended.

“I was about to fucking propose, but you had to show up and ruin it,” Hammer growled out.
“Well, shit…” Gene said, finally looking contrite.
“Oh, Hammer! I’m so happy for you!” Leanne beamed at him.
“I told you I didn’t want the job,” Hammer said, ignoring Leanne as he continued to glare at

Gene.

“Damn it, boy. You know you’re perfect for it and—”
“Of course you don’t want the job,” Leanne said, cutting off her husband. “Your place is here

now. And I must say, you have a very impressive facility. I would love to see the rehab center
upstairs before we leave.”

“Sure,” Hammer said automatically.
“Now, wait a minute,” Gene began. “There is no reason you can’t be an announcer if—”
“Gene, let it go,” Leanne warned. She smiled at Hammer. “Since you didn’t do it yet, can I see

the ring?”

“I don’t have one yet.” Hammer shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and he wanted to wince at

the look of censure that crossed over her face.

Leanne sighed. “Why oh why are you men such idiots? Please tell me you weren’t just going

to blurt it out without some kind of plan?” Pity and a healthy amount of amusement surged through her
at his pained expression. “Why do I have to have a plan?” Hammer leaned forward and hung his head
in his hands with a groan. “Why the hell does this have to be so complicated?”

“Here is what we’re going to do,” Leanne said as she scooted forward. “First, I want a tour of

the gym and rehab center. I’ve loved everything I’ve seen so far, and I think this will be a perfect
training facility for us to send some of our fighters to.”

Hammer sat up and glowered at her. “Rhino said you would only send fighters here if I took

the job.”

“Did he, now?” The large man’s shoulders hunched as his wife sent him a frigid stare. “That

won’t  be  a  problem,  Hammer.  Since  you  were  one  of  our  most  popular  fighters,  and  still  are  even
though you’re retired, we would like for you to sign on to announce at some of our bigger events like
the  championship  matches.  This  way  you  won’t  have  to  travel  much,  and  can  still  keep  your
connection to the CFL. We’ll be happy to direct fighters here to train so they can get a broader range
of  skills. You  know  how  important  it  is  to  switch  up  skills  and  to  have  a  variety  of  disciplines  for
them to learn. I know there are very few fighters that would pass up a chance to work with you.”

Hammer cursed silently. “I could do the championship matches, but I reserve the right to

refuse other fights depending on my schedule. As for training, when the weather is better we plan to
do a lot of workouts outside. We’ve got an obstacle course planned for the backyard, and I’ve got
some guys working on the big tires or doing sprints pulling weights up that hill out back. I have a lot
of good guys that train and work out here, but you can’t send me any of the punks because my friends
would tear them apart. Most of these guys are former soldiers who don’t fight by CFL rules. They
won’t hesitate to put a smartass down.”

“Understood,” Gene said. “We’ll need you to come with us to Vegas tonight. We have a big

press conference Wednesday afternoon that we could use you at.”

“Shit. Talk about last minute.”
“If you answered your damn phone we wouldn’t have had to show up here to drag you with

us,” Gene snapped. “We have our plane here, so it should be an easy flight.”

“And while we’re in Vegas, I can arrange for you to meet with a good friend of mine who

owns one of the best custom jewelry stores in the city. Wouldn’t you like to get your fiancée a nice
ring? After the press conference is over we’ll make sure we bring you straight back here and you
could have it for her in time for Valentine’s Day.”

Hammer could tell by the smile on Leanne’s face that she knew she had him, damn her. “Fine,

tell me what I have to do.”

****

Kalista couldn’t help but glance out the window, trying to catch a glimpse of Jared with his

visitor as she sat at a table in the bakery with Becca, Nikita and Zoe. She had made plans to have a
late lunch with her friends while Anna and a few of her other part-time employees manned the
counters. They had invited Anna to join them, but she had shooed them away, saying that she would be
working on a new batch of dog treats in the back since the treats seemed to be flying off the shelves as
soon as they stocked them.

After she had left Fight Hard, Kalista had gone back to Sinfully Sweet to prepare a meal of

Caesar salad topped with butter-poached salmon and homemade croutons, knowing that it was one of
her friends’ favorite dishes whenever she chose to make it as one of the lunch specials offered at the
bakery. Now, her friends were all enjoying their lunches, but nerves left Kalista’s stomach in knots
and had completely destroyed her appetite.

“I think Jared is going out of town for a few days.”
“Is everything okay?” Becca asked, concern shining in her eyes.
Kalista didn’t know how to answer her friend. She filled them in about her day, from waking

up alone at his house, finding him standing in the fenced in enclosure that he had made for her, to him
asking her to move in with him only to be interrupted by his friend before she could answer. She also
told them about what had happened at the wedding over the weekend and how they had both finally
admitted they had fallen in love.

“See, I knew he loved you!” Becca declared with a grin.
“If he was willing to take on your family, I’d have to say he is crazy about you. That’s great

that he asked you to move in with him!” Zoe exclaimed, then sobered as she saw Kalista’s face. “Isn’t
it?”

“Yes…and no,” Kalista replied after she thought about it.
“I understand,” Nikita said. “If a guy loves you and bothers asking you to move in with him,

why not just go the distance and ask you to marry him?”

Kalista looked at the other woman, unsurprised that she had so accurately vocalized what had

been bothering her. It was always unnerving how well Nikita seemed to be able to read all of them,
but  with  her  training,  whatever  that  was,  it  almost  seemed  normal.  Becca  and  Nikita  Nuria  were
twins,  with  midnight  black  hair  and  unusual  violet  eyes,  but  that  was  where  the  similarities  ended.
Although their faces were identical,  Becca had a sweetness to her that shone out of her eyes, while
Nikita had a hard edge to her that made most people wary. After they graduated high school,  Becca
had gone off to culinary school, while Nikita had joined the Army, becoming an interpreter since she
was fluent in Arabic, Farsi, and Russian.

Nikita had fallen off of everyone’s radar until about five years ago when she had moved back

to  Breakers  and  opened  her  tattoo  shop,  Ink  This.  The  tattoo  parlor  was  a  few  doors  down  from
where Kalista’s bakery was located and was very popular among both the locals and tourists. Nikita
was  a  quiet  woman  who  kept  to  herself.  There  was  something  extremely  dangerous  about  her,  and
Kalista  knew  that  the  heavily  tattooed  woman  would  have  never  even  looked  at  her  twice  if  she
hadn’t become close with her twin. Luckily enough, since she and Becca were so close, Nikita also
counted her as a friend.

“Okay, I get what you’re saying. You love him, he loves you…so, why the middle step?” Zoe

asked.

Kalista sighed. “Maybe it’s selfish of me, but I want it all with him.”
“I don’t think it’s selfish. It’s not wrong to want the man you love to make that final

commitment to you,” Becca said as she rubbed Kalista’s arm to give comfort.

Nikita gestured in the air with her fork. “I don’t know why you’d want to get married anyway.

You have the best set-up right now…regular sex whenever you want it and your own apartment to
retreat to when you’re done with him.”

“My sister, the romantic,” Becca said dryly.
Nikita raised a brow. “I don’t need romance. All I need is a guy with a big cock who doesn’t

annoy me.”

Becca rolled her eyes. “Well, with that kind of list how could you go wrong?”
“I’m with Niki,” Zoe said as she held up her fist. Nikita reached out and tapped it with her

own.

Some of the weight lifted off of Kalista’s chest as she laughed. “You guys say that, but I’m

going to enjoy watching you two fall in love.”

Nikita and Zoe looked at each other before they glared at Kalista and Becca, making both

women laugh harder. “Laugh it up, bitches,” Zoe all but growled at them.

“I don’t plan on falling in love. I don’t think there is a man out there that I wouldn’t end up

wanting to kill,” Nikita said.

Kalista silently agreed, the woman did have quite a temper. She took another peek out the

window, and her heart fluttered as she saw Jared coming out of the front door with a tall, beautiful
older woman and the man she had met in the yard. She set her napkin down on the table and stood up

as Jared started across the street with his normal ground-eating strides.

She excused herself, then hurried outside to meet him, somehow knowing that he was coming

over to see her. When she walked out of the door, she saw a frown settle over his face.

“What are you doing out here? It’s too cold for you to be outside without a jacket.”
Before she could tell him she was fine, he unzipped his hoodie and put it around her

shoulders, surrounding her with his warmth. She liked the way he used the material to pull her close
to him, but her stomach knotted as he spoke.

“So, I have to go out of town for a few days. Rhino and his wife need me to do something for

them on Wednesday afternoon in Vegas. It’s for the CFL and the company has been very good to me
throughout my career, so I couldn’t say no.”

“Oh, of course,” Kalista said, not knowing what else to say.
“I’ll be back late Wednesday night. Don’t worry, I told them I can’t miss the adoption event at

the rescue center on Friday.”

It was a struggle, but she managed to smile up at him. “Okay, I guess I’ll see you on

Wednesday or Thursday then. Have a safe trip.”

“I will. We have some stuff to talk about when I get back.”
“We do,” she agreed. Her heart broke a little when he kissed her lightly. “Here.” She took off

his hoodie and handed it back to him so he could put it on. She was glad that he was going to be back
in time for the event, but what did it say about their relationship that he didn’t even mention
Valentine’s Day?

“I’ll call you. I love you, Kali.”
“I love you, too.”
She hugged herself as he turned and walked away, but her spirits lifted when he turned back

and grabbed her, picking her up to kiss her hard. His tongue pushed past her lips to delve deep,
stroking against her own masterfully until her body went limp against him. He set her down slowly,
then turned without a word and headed over to the limo that waited in front of Fight Hard.

The couple he had been with had already gotten into the car, but the driver stood by the back

door waiting for Jared. When he got to the limo, he paused before getting in and looked back at her.
Kalista waved and held back a shiver at the intense look he gave her as he nodded, then he got into
the limo, disappearing from view. Turning away, she went back inside, disappointment weighing
heavily on her heart and mind, but her lips still held the tingle of his last kiss.

“Okay, so I guess he is going out of town then, but that was definitely a kiss from a man that’s

going to miss you. A lot,” Becca said when Kalista sat back down at the table. Kalista filled her
friends in about what just happened, then she sat back and waited for them to weigh in.

“Guys don’t think about Valentine’s Day like women do. Hell, I didn’t even realize that

Valentine’s Day was this week,” Nikita said.

“That’s because you aren’t a normal woman,” Zoe muttered.
Nikita wasn’t offended. In fact, she smiled as if Zoe had just complimented her.
“I know he’s going to Vegas for a few days, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking the job offer. I

mean, why ask you to move in with him if he’s going to be traveling all the time?” Zoe asked.

Kalista stared at her friend with wide eyes. “What job offer?”
Zoe groaned. “Oh shit, please tell me he talked to you about this!”
It was difficult for Kalista to swallow since her throat felt like it had just swollen shut. Pain

tore through her, stealing her breath. It couldn’t be true. Why would Jared talk about adopting a puppy
with her or ask her to move in with him if he was planning on leaving?

Zoe hesitantly filled her in about the job Jared had been offered by the CFL that she had heard

about from Dante. “I’m so sorry, Kali. I didn’t know he hadn’t said anything. Obviously, he would
have told you if he was accepting. This Vegas trip is just a onetime thing.”

“I don’t know. Why would he tell Dante about it and not me?” Kalista knew her friends could

hear the pain in her voice, but she couldn’t mask it.

“Because men are inherently stupid,” Nikita supplied casually after she finished her last bite

of food. “See what he says when he gets back, and if you don’t like his answer you can kick him in the
nuts. That would make me feel better.”

Kalista wanted to laugh, but her chest hurt too much at the thought of what this new job could

mean to their relationship. Logic said that he would have told her if he had been planning to take a job
that would have him traveling most of the time, but a little part of her feared it was true. Was that
what he meant by suggesting they adopt Ranger together? If he left he couldn’t have a dog fulltime
without having someone here in Breakers to care for it while he was gone.

Was that the real reason he asked her to move in with him?
“Stop it,” Zoe snapped, shocking Kalista out of her inner musings.
“Stop what?”
“I know you. You’re immediately thinking the worst of the situation.”
“What am I supposed to think? How can he leave if he loves me?”
“He said he was only going to be gone for two days, right?” Zoe asked. “You said he never

lies to you, Kali. Remember that.”

Kalista nodded. “I know that, but I just can’t help thinking about what will happen if he is

traveling all over the world. Even at my cousin’s wedding women were practically falling all over
him. How the hell can we have a relationship if he’s halfway around the world?”

“Hammer would never cheat on you. He’s not that guy,” Nikita insisted emphatically.
“No, he’s not like some other guys we know that will fuck anything with big breasts and a

pretty face,” Zoe muttered, her thoughts drifting to another man she couldn’t say the same about.

“Everything is going to be fine,” Becca said forcefully. “He probably didn’t tell you about the

job because he has no intention of taking it. Don’t worry about this until you talk to him.”

Kalista agreed with her friends. “Okay, we need to talk about something else now, or this is

just going to drive me crazy.”

“I have something we can talk about,” Nikita said as she sent a knowing look to her sister.

“Since you’re all about the love talk today, why don’t you tell us about your new man?”

“Me? I don’t have a new man,” Becca protested.
Kalista watched the blush stain Becca’s cheeks red and knew she was lying. Had she been so

caught up in her own drama that she missed whatever was going on with her friend? “Becca! You
didn’t tell me you were dating someone new!”

“I’m not! It’s just…hell. You know that Support a Soldier program we started sending baked

goods  through?  I’ve  been  in  contact  with  the  program  director  and  she  told  me  that  some  of  the
commanding  officers  had  submitted  names  of  soldiers  that  had  no  friends  or  family  sending  them
things.  I  offered  to  be  paired  up  with  someone,  and  I  started  sending  him  stuff.  It’s  been  about  four
months now, but I never heard anything back from him…until a few weeks ago. I got a thank you letter
from him, and we’ve been writing to each other.”

Becca stared down at the table as she thought about the man she was corresponding with. She

didn’t know who he was, not really, but there was something about his words that touched her and
made her look forward to each letter. They were worlds apart, and she would probably never meet

him. Still, she felt better knowing he was out there somewhere…alive.

“Oh, how romantic!” Kalista exclaimed.
Becca blushed again and looked away. “It’s not like that. I just want him to know that

someone cares whether he lives or not.”

“I think that’s awesome that you are doing that,” Zoe said with feeling. “Now I feel bad.

Maybe I should sign up to do something like that.”

“What’s his name?”
Becca’s head jerked toward her sister. “No. I’m not telling you. You’ll just look him up or do

a damn background check. I just got him to start talking to me, I don’t want to freak him out having my
paranoid sister checking up on him.”

Nikita crossed her arms over her chest, concern warring with curiosity. “You don’t even

know this guy.”

“That’s the point!” Becca rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’m ever going to even meet him. Just

drop it, okay?”

“Fine,” Nikita finally agreed. “Listen, I have to get back to the shop, but why don’t we go out

tonight? Grab a few drinks?”

“I’m working tonight, but you guys should come into the bar. I’ll set you up in the corner seats

at the bar so I can chat with you when I’m not busy,” Zoe said, then her lips curved into a mischievous
smile. “Maybe I can talk Dante into taking over the stick so I can join you guys before we close.”

Kalista laughed. “You know you’ll be able to talk him into it. I’ll meet you guys over there

after we close.”

After her friends left, Kalista went to work in the kitchen, mixing up a few new cupcake

recipes she wanted to try out to keep busy. Still, no matter how much she worked she couldn’t stop
thinking about Jared and what was going on.

How could she decide if she wanted to live with him unless she knew he was going to be

staying here in town? Finding out about his job offer through Zoe had made her feel like she wasn’t
important enough for him to tell her. They should be able to talk about anything together, and it
worried her that he had kept it from her.

“Hey, Kali,” Nate said as he came through the door to the back.
She turned and smiled at him. “Hi, Nate. How was school today?”
He shrugged as he threw his backpack into her office and pulled his apron from a peg on the

wall. She remembered the way he had looked at her light pink apron with disgust the first time he had
helped out at the bakery. The sigh of relief he had let out when she handed him a black apron had been
comical. Since the bakery’s colors were pink and black, the name of the bakery was still embroidered
in pink onto the black apron, but Nate didn’t seem to mind that.

He had become such a welcome addition to her staff and into their lives the last few weeks.

Nate had become like a little brother to her, and it made her happy to see him coming out of his shell
that he had around him. When he had first moved in with Anna, he had been sullen and extremely
defensive. Things had been better when he started working at the bakery, but what had really made
him change had been when he started going over to Fight Hard to work out. All of the guys at the gym
had taken Nate under their wing, and they took turns training him.

Nate still visited his brother Shane in the hospital every day on his way home from school.

Everyone was looking forward to Shane being released next week, if everything went according to
plan. There was a normalcy to Nate’s life now that he had always craved, and it showed through the
change in his attitude.

Chapter Eleven

Hammer focused on the rhythmic sound of his fists pounding on the heavy bag in the gym,

letting his mind drift as he ignored the stares of the other people working out around him. He was still
a little pissed off that he had been conned into taking this little trip to Vegas. Frustration ate at him,
making him hit the bag harder in an attempt to stave off the tension that had been building ever since
Rhino and Leanne had come to collect him.

It was fortunate that the press conference he had been talked into attending was being held at

one of the nicest hotels on the Las Vegas strip, if not the best. When Hammer had arrived last evening,
he had been pleasantly surprised to see that the Palace Hotel had temporarily refit one of their large
spaces  they  normally  reserved  for  conventions  into  an  MMA  training  facility  for  the  benefit  of  the
CFL  fighters  who  were  staying  there.  It  made  sense  since  the  hotel  would  also  be  hosting  the
championship  fights  next  month  in  the  Palace Arena  that  was  attached  to  the  hotel,  and  was  sure  to
bring in a lot of business in from people in the fighting community.

When he had entered the gym, he had spent a good half an hour talking to some of the guys,

saying hello to old friends and meeting some of the new blood to the sport. Hammer knew he was an
icon to the sport even though he was retired, and he never minded taking the time to talk to some of
the young fighters to point them in the right direction. Then again, there were always one or two little
shits who thought they knew it all. He took it all in stride, but he’d passed on getting into one of the
makeshift ring to spar with anyone, heading over to the bags instead to clear his head.

Years ago, at the start of his career as a professional CFL fighter, he used to love this type of

thing. He loved being a fighter, but most of all he loved winning. Over time the attention lost its shine,
and he began to resent the lack of privacy his lifestyle afforded him. While other champions continued
their drive for frame by making movies or other endeavors that kept them in the spotlight, Hammer
realized that all he wanted was normal. When he was injured, it had been like a sign for him to move
on with his life, and he was damn glad he did. Living in Breakers was the life his life now, and all he
wanted was to run his gym and be with Kali.

Just thinking about her made Hammer’s heart ache, and that pissed him off even more because

he was stuck in Vegas until the following night. The thick chains attaching the heavy bag to the ceiling
rattled as Hammer slammed his fists into the bag, over and over again. He felt that familiar sting in
his wrapped knuckles each time he made contact, and strangely, it soothed his temper little by little
until he was left with the joy of having a good, hard workout.

“Giving the young bloods a hint at why you were nicknamed the Hammer?”
Hammer grabbed onto the big bag, holding it as he looked over in the direction where the

voice had come from, and he shot his friend, Adam Rever, a blank stare.

“The way you’re hammering away at that bag, I don’t know whether to say hello or run like

hell,” Rever said with a sigh. Despite living in L.A. now, Rever hadn’t lost the Southie accent he’d
acquired from growing up in South Boston.

Panting for breath and dripping sweat, Hammer finally grinned. “Wanna give me a hug?”
“Fuck off.”
Hammer let out a laugh. “Good to see you, Rever.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not like you really gave me a choice in the matter. I believe you said I should

get in my car and get my ass to Vegas or else,” Rever said, irritation clear in his voice. “What the
hell? I thought you said no to Rhino! Hell, I said no to him for you, too!”

“I did,” Hammer snarled, losing his smile. “He brought Leanne to Breakers.”
“Shit. That is one scary woman, no wonder you caved.”
“Tell me about it. Listen, let me get cleaned up a bit, then I’ll meet you somewhere. They gave

us access to the gym locker rooms down here, so it shouldn’t take me long,” Hammer said as he began
to unwind the wrist wraps he had over both of his hands.

“Come find me at Oasis. I’ll be the one drinking at the bar.”
Hammer chuckled as his friend left. Gathering up his stuff, Hammer made his way through the

training area, avoiding the other fighter. He headed to the locker room where he took a quick shower.
He’d brought a bag with a change of clothes in it and carried the bag with him as he walked through
the casino area until he reached the lavish bar, Oasis. The hotel was set up like some lavish palace in
the heart of the desert, and Oasis fit the theme perfectly. He couldn’t help thinking that Kali would
love the hotel, and he made a mental note to bring her back with him soon.

He silently sighed, wishing Kali was there with him right now. Hell, he should have asked her

to come with him, but being the stupid idiot that he was, he hadn’t thought of that until he was already
seated on the Durbins’ private plane.

He’d called her last night before he went to bed only to be told she’d been having a girl’s

night out with her friends. As unreasonable as it was, he hadn’t liked knowing she was out drinking at
The Fox Hole without him. He knew that Kali would never cheat on him, but he didn’t like not being
there to protect her if some drunk asshole hit on her. He had worried a little when he could tell she
was drunk, but then her friend Nikita had taken the phone and told him she had to go and hung up on
him. It had eased his mind a little to know that Dante and some of the other guys would be there to
watch out for the women to make sure they weren’t bothered, but that was just one more reason that he
hated being dragged out to Vegas.

God, he missed his little fairy.
The pretty hostess eyed Hammer in appreciation as she greeted him when he entered the

doors, but he waved her off politely as he spotted Rever sitting at a private table in the corner of the
opulent bar. Hammer set his bag next to him as he slid into the booth, and a beautiful woman dressed
in an outfit more suited to a harem walked up to their table with a beaming smile to take his order.
After he ordered his beer and another for his friend, Hammer leaned back and watched Rever’s eyes
following the sway of the waitress’ hips as she left.

“Seriously, bro?”
“What? She’s hot.”
“Says the man currently dating a lingerie model.”
“Not anymore,” Rever said before he took a sip of his beer. “Justina started acting all weird.

I’d find her shit all over my place, then she started hinting for a ring and how we should get married.
She knew the score when we started dating, so I thought it was best just to end things. For a woman
who doesn’t weigh much, she’s stronger than she looks. She threw my toaster at my head.”

“You’re such an asshole.” Hammer chuckled. “You probably deserved it. Did you give her

the ‘you’ve enjoyed the time you’ve spent together, but that time is over now’ speech?”

“Yeah,” Rever admitted. He knew he had issues with commitment, but he refused to feel the

guilt that wanted to creep in. “Seriously, you know how I am. When women start getting all serious, I
start feeling like I can’t fucking breathe. I’m all for a good time, but when things start getting intense
it’s not fun anymore.”

“You’ll find the right woman someday.”
“Good God, why would you curse me like that?” Rever looked so horrified that Hammer had

to laugh. “Laugh it up, asshole. You know commitment and I just don’t mix. There isn’t a woman out
there that could make me want to stay with her for the rest of my life. I like variety.”

They paused their conversation when the waitress came back with their drinks. Rever flashed

her a heart-stopping grin, and it didn’t surprise Hammer when he noticed the waitress send Rever an
answering invitation in the form of a sultry smile before she walked away.

The simple fact was that Adam Rever loved the ladies, and they certainly loved him. With his

Black Irish good looks, his black hair and electric blue eyes always caught women’s eyes where ever
they went. Rever was a player through and through, but Hammer suspected that the man would
eventually find a woman that would bring him to his knees, and he couldn’t wait to see it when it
happened.

“Have you taken a look around this hotel?” Rever asked after he finished his first beer and

switched his empty glass for the full one. “I know it’s a casino and all, but this security is fucking
insane.”

“Yeah, I noticed that, too,” Hammer agreed. “Or I noticed what I couldn’t see. They must have

an amazing setup. Everything in this place is so streamlined. Last night they booted a card counter
from one of the tables before he’d even blinked. I know this is supposed to be one of the best hotels
on the strip … no wonder.”

“Okay, business first,” Rever said. “I took a look at the contract you sent me. It seems like you

and Leanne have come up with a good arrangement. They’ll send you fighters to the gym, and all you
have to do is one or two appearances a year. The money doesn’t hurt either.”

“No, it really doesn’t.”
“I got it cleared with your attorney, and you should have an email from him as well giving you

the green. I’d say you are good to go if you want to sign. Even though you got conned into doing this
gig, I think this worked out well. You get more money so you can pay me my exorbitant fee as your
manager, and you are maintaining your connection with the CFL.”

“I’m glad you are benefiting from this,” Hammer said dryly.
Rever smiled. “It’s always a factor. Even though I’m here because you threatened me, it feels

good getting out of L.A. for a few days.”

“I still don’t know how you can deal with living there.”
“Lately, I don’t know either. Everything about it seems fake to me. And don’t even get me

started on the women. It’s almost impossible to find anyone real in that town.”

Hammer scoffed. “You wouldn’t know what to do with a real woman, Rever. Most normal

women don’t want to sleep with someone who puts an end date on their relationship before it even
begins.”

“True, but I need something different than what I’ve been doing.”
“Have you considered taking a vacation? Why don’t you come on down to Breakers?”
“Funny you should mention that. About an hour ago I got a call from Nyght.”
“No shit?” Hammer grinned. Daryk Nyght was their best friend and their other business

partner and part owner of Fight Hard. Hammer had been missing the hell out of him, but hadn’t heard
from him in forever. Worry for his friend had started to eat away at him, but there wasn’t anything he
could do about it but wait until Nyght came back on the radar. “How the hell is he?”

Rever’s smile faded as the worry settled in his gut. “He doesn’t sound good. He said he tried

to call you, too, but you were probably already in the gym. He’s back from overseas.”

Hammer blinked in shock. “Seriously? He’s back? He didn’t tell us he was coming home.

Fuck, I haven’t even heard from him in months besides the random email, have you?”

“Nope, which is why I was thrown off by his call today. He said he’s in Atlanta, but he isn’t

staying there. Since most of his stuff is in storage anyways, he’s gonna ride his bike to Breakers to see
you, but he’s gonna take his time and see a few things on the way.”

“I don’t blame him for not wanting to stay in Atlanta. Not with his crazy family. Jesus, Nyght

in Breakers. That’s gonna be interesting.”

Rever laughed. “Yeah, you could say that again. Actually, talking to him got me thinking. If

he’s planning on sticking around in your town, I might consider moving there for a little while. It
would be nice to get away from all the shit in L.A. before I decide where my next move will be.”

“Can you do that? What about your hot shot management business?”
Rever snorted. “Dude, we both know I don’t need to work anymore. Even though I don’t have

as much money as you, with what I’ve made us on our investments, I’m pretty much set for life. I work
more just to have something to occupy my time. The truth is I can’t fucking stand dealing with actors
anymore. They annoy the shit out of me, and the producers I have to deal with? They seem to keep
doing the same movies over and over again. It’s all driving me bat-shit. I’ve already started
transitioning most of my needy clients elsewhere. Someone else can babysit them from now on. I can
hold most of the clients that I do financial analysis for no matter where I’m located.”

“Come to Breakers so I can put you to work at the gym. You do own part of it, you know,”

Hammer said with a laugh, then he sobered. “Nyght might be in bad shape…it might be good if both
of us are around if he needs us.”

“Yeah, that’s another reason I want to be there. Who knows what condition he’ll be in when

he shows up. Whatever he’s been doing has taken its toll on him. I can tell by his emails, and he
sounded like shit when I talked to him today.”

“I’ll let you know when he arrives and we can gauge the ground from there.”
“Sounds good,” Rever agreed. “So, are you gonna tell me why I’m really here? You didn’t

need me to come out here just to bitch at me in person for not protecting you from Rhino and Leanne.”

“Yeah, about that…” Hammer fought the urge to squirm on his seat. He blew out a breath, then

said, “I needed you here to help me pick out a ring for Kali.”

Rever blinked at him. “I’m sorry, I’ve suddenly gone deaf. What the fuck did you just say?”
“I’m gonna propose.”
“Why? And better yet, why?”
Hammer glared at him. “Damn it, will you be serious?”
“I am. I mean, I know you said you and Kali are tight now, but you wanna marry the girl?

Sweet Jesus, did you get hit in the head or something?”

“I love her,” Hammer said through clenched teeth. “Kali is the one. I swear to God, Rever, if

you ever disrespect her—”

Rever held up his hands. “You know I wouldn’t do that. Hey, if you’re sure about this, then

I’m happy for you, man. Ease off, Hammer.”

Hammer blew out a breath and willed his body to relax. “Sorry, I just get a little tense when it

comes to Kali.”

“Ya think?”
For the next few minutes, Hammer gave Rever the rundown of his relationship with Kali from

the first time he saw her to what he had been feeling when he got in the limo to leave Breakers. He
had talked to his friend a few times on the phone while he had been dating Kali, so he knew the gist of
their relationship, but he had never really vocalized his feelings about her.

“Christ, her family is as crazy as Nyght’s is.”

“I know, but you and I both know better than most that having fucked up parents doesn’t mean

you have to end up as screwed up as they are.”

Like Hammer, Rever hadn’t had much in the way of a good childhood. His mother had taken

off when he was five, and his father was a drunk who had ended up in prison when Rever was fifteen
after he was arrested for beating a man half to death.

“It’s crazy, I know, but I feel like I’ve been waiting for her my whole life. There is something

about her…no, it’s about who I am when I’m with her. Kali is special. Damn it, she’s got me tangled
up in knots, but in a good way. She’s the best person I know, and I want to be a better man around her
… for her.”

Rever studied him with serious eyes. “I can’t even imagine feeling like that about a woman,

but I have to say, I can understand why you wouldn’t want to let that go.” Smiling, he cracked his
knuckles. “Well, Hammer. Why don’t we go see about a ring.?”

Hammer finished his beer, then set the glass back down on the table. “Leanne wants to go with

us.”

“Shit.”
“Exactly. Your job is to help control her while I pick out the perfect ring.”
Rever groaned. “Now I see why you really wanted me here now, you bastard.”
Hammer just grinned.

****

Kalista was nervous as she drove up to the Beaumont Rescue Center the morning of the

adoption event. It was a beautiful day out, and she was glad that the weather had given them a
reprieve from the unusual cold they had been getting slapped with lately. The sun was shining, and
puffy, white clouds danced lazily in the sky as she pulled into the last stretch of road that would lead
her to their final destination.

She had spent the previous two nights working on the creations that the bakery would be

donating with Becca, Anna, Nate and all of her part-time staff. Last night they had even used her oven
upstairs in her apartment when they had run out of room in the bakery.

Wednesday morning she had gotten a rough start, since she and her friends had been out late

the night before drinking at The Fox Hole. They’d had a good time dancing and having a few drinks,
but then they had started taking shots and things had started to get a little hazy.

They had been well protected while they had been at the bar. Dante and all of Jared’s other

friends had seemed to show up, creating a protective circle around them as they’d had their fun. It had
been almost comical to see some of the most notorious bad boys in town acting like bodyguards for a
bunch of women. Nikita and Zoe had been irritated by it, but Kalista had just felt protected and cared
for by the gesture.

The next morning her head had been pounding, and when she had shuffled into her kitchen she

had let out a squeak as she’d found Zoe passed out on her couch. Becca had all but crawled out of the
guest bedroom at the first scent of the coffee Kalista had started to brew when there had been a knock
on the door. Bleary-eyed, Kalista had gone down the stairs and frowned at a very normal looking
Nikita, who had grinned at her when she’d opened the door.

“I thought you could use this,” Nikita had said once they were back upstairs in Kalista’s

apartment. She pulled out a large container of a dark, green sludge-like substance that had Kalista,
Zoe and Becca eying it suspiciously.

“What the hell is that, and why in the world do you look so normal?” Zoe had asked as she’d

frowned at Nikita.

“I have a cast-iron stomach,” Nikita had said cheerfully. “This is a secret remedy I learned

from an old gypsy woman when I was in Russia.”

“When in the world were you in Russia? And that isn’t fair,” Becca grumbled. “We’re twins.

How can you be okay when I have to suffer? I totally got shafted.”

“You almost did last night. Who knew my sister could dance on a bar. You have several guys

panting after you,” Nikita had asked as she’d poured the three of them a tall glass of the green sludge.
She ignored the question about her time spent in Russia, but that didn’t shock anyone. Nikita was very
closed-mouthed about where she had spent those years away from Breakers.

“Don’t remind me,” Becca had groaned. “If I don’t think about it, it didn’t happen.”
Nikita had stood there with her arms folded over her chest until they had drunk the entire glass

down. Kalista had shuddered at the foul taste of the drink, but amazingly enough she began to feel
better almost immediately.

Nikita had turned to Kalista, her violet eyes bright with humor. “And aren’t you glad I talked

you out of getting a tattoo last night?”

Kalista had blinked at her in surprise. “What?”
“You wanted to go to my shop last night and get a tattoo.”
“Oh my God…”
“Don’t worry. I’d never ink someone who was as drunk as you were. Hell, I drank too much

to pick up my needle. I liked your idea though. If you change your mind and still want to do it, just let
me know.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
“You wanted to get a little hammer tattooed on your breast,” Nikita had told her with a laugh.
Kalista shuddered as she thought about how glad she was she hadn’t woken up with a tattoo

she couldn’t remember getting. And didn’t it say something that she had wanted to get a hammer
tattooed on herself, like a stamp of ownership or something?

Trying not to dwell on it, Kalista focused on parking the van the bakery used for large

deliveries and specialty items such as wedding cakes, which was now loaded with goodies they’d
made for the event. They ended up making three types of cookies and cupcakes to go with the three
types of dog treats they had for the canine participants of today’s festivities, and they had made sure
to make extra so they wouldn’t run out.

They were an hour early for the event to give them plenty of time to set up, but Kalista could

see that Evie and her crew had almost everything done already. There were four large, red and white
striped tents arranged near the main rescue center, with dozens of cages lined up in rows under the
shaded canopies. Volunteers and staff members took the dogs out of the cages in turn to take them for
short walks, while others were let into the play area or allowed to try the obstacle course in the
fenced in area. In the tent closest to the building was a separate fenced-in area where all the pit bull
puppies were playing together.

Kalista looked over to her passenger seat where Becca was napping and nudged her none too

gently on the shoulder. “Wake up, Becca. We’re here.”

Becca’s eyes popped open and she yawned. “Ready to work, boss.”
Kalista rolled her eyes as she got out of the van and went around to open the back doors.

There were two part-time workers who pulled up in another car and hurried over to help them as they
began unloading the containers of baked goods. Anna had chosen to remain at the bakery with the rest
of their staff since Valentine’s Day was one of their busiest days. She promised to make it out to the
rescue center later when Nate got out of school so she could drive him over.

Evie and Francesca walked over just as Kalista set down a large box of cookies. Both women

were wearing sweatshirts with the Beaumont Rescue Center logo on them. Earlier that week, Evie
had dropped off similar items for Kalista and her employees to wear, and she made sure to pass them
out to each of her staff members that would be attending today. Kalista let out a laugh as Evie hugged
her.

“This is amazing! Thank you so much for doing this,” Evie exclaimed, delighted as she looked

at all the boxes of goodies.

“It’s our pleasure,” Kalista said. “Where do you want us to set up?”
Evie picked up one side of a large cooler and helped Kalista carry it over to a huge white

canopied tent. There were small tables and chairs set up for the guests and three long tables towards
the back that had been decorated with heart-covered tablecloths for the baked goods to be displayed.
On each table was a spectacular cartoon drawing, two of people playing with dogs, while the third
was just a cute picture of dogs staring hopefully at a jar filled with treats. Kalista was touched to see
that not only were the cards and pamphlets she had dropped off spread over the table, but a large pink
and black sign had been put up promoting Sinfully Sweet.

“Wow, that’s awesome. Thanks for putting up the sign for us,” Kalista said.
“It’s the least we could do after all the goodies you brought us,” Evie told her. “We’re also

promoting the pet store and the animal clinic in the dog tents. I’m hoping for a big turnout today.”

“We’ve gotten a lot of questions about the event from people who have stopped by the bakery.

If that is any indication, we should have a lot of people coming today.”

Evie braced her hands on her hips and smiled. “Looks like you might be right. People are

already starting to show up.”

Kalista looked over as several cars pulled into the parking lot. Smiling she turned back to

Evie. “Go do your thing. We’ll get everything ready here.”

After Evie left, Kalista, Becca and her two employees finished unloading all of the boxes and

coolers from the van.

“It’s not even ten yet and there are so many people here already,” Zoe said as she and Nikita

joined them.

Kalista turned to them and grinned. “Thanks for coming.”
“I thought you were working today,” Becca said.
Nikita shook her head. “I’ll open the shop late today. Most of the crazy assholes who want to

come in and get inked on Valentine’s Day end up doing it later anyways.”

That made them all laugh. “What can we do to help?” Zoe asked.
She put her friends to work helping set up tiered trays of cookies and cupcakes. They had also

filled little bags with a selection of the treats for people to be able to take with them when they
visited with the dogs. She decided to stash the rest of the items in the coolers they shoved under the
tables so they would be able to easily replace the trays throughout the day.

Kalista couldn’t help but feel annoyed that Jared hadn’t come with her to help out that

morning. He had gotten back from his trip late Wednesday night and had called her to tell her he had
gotten home safely. It had worried her that he hadn’t come over, but she had been too busy to think of
it too much. The following day she had worked at the bakery all day, and around dinner time Jared
had shown up with two huge bags full of Chinese takeout for all the people helping with the baking.

Over dinner he’d told her about the press conference he had attended, but she hadn’t been able

to ask any deep, probing questions because they weren’t alone. After they ate, he had helped out in the
kitchen, washing the trays after they had transferred the cookies and cupcakes to the cooling racks or

doing whatever else was needed. He and Nate had taken over the task of filling the bags with the
finished dog treats while the women continued making whatever they needed for the adoption event.

There was something about Jared’s behavior that had put Kalista on guard. When asked, her

friends said they didn’t think anything was different, but Kalista knew there was something off. She
had come to know him too well, and she was sure that he was hiding something from her. Not wanting
to hear that he was ending their relationship, she hadn’t asked about it. Instead, she used the time to
figure out what she wanted to say to him when they finally got a minute alone. Unfortunately, she had
been so tired by the time they had finished with their baking that all she could do was take a shower,
then crawl into bed.

At dawn she had woken up to feel Jared’s mouth pressed against hers. She had welcomed his

heavy weight as he covered her body with his and held on to him tightly as he made love to her with a
passion that stole her breath. After they climaxed together, Kalista had closed her eyes and fallen
back to sleep with a soft smile on her face. When she woke the next time, her smile was gone, and so
was Jared.

He had left her a note saying he had some things to take care of before he met her at the rescue

center. It had left her with an aching heart since she could feel him pulling away from her, but she was
determined to get through the day before she allowed herself to fall apart.

With the extra help from Zoe and Nikita, it didn’t take them long to get everything ready. As

the women had been setting out the baked goods more people had arrived, and the area was already
packed with people.

“Here,” Francesca said as she walked up to them carrying two clear, plastic containers with a

hole cut into the top. “Can we put these donation jars on the tables somewhere?”

“Sure,” Kalista said, finding the perfect spot for each. She started to introduce Francesca to

her other friends only to find out that Hunter actually worked part-time at Ink This with Nikita when
he wasn’t at the rescue center. Zoe seemed to know everyone in town because the bar she worked at
was such a hot spot. Becca was the only one who didn’t know everyone else, so Francesca offered to
give her a tour so she could introduce her to everyone.

“It looks wonderful. Oh, Kali. You did such a wonderful job, and we are so grateful to have

you be a part in today’s festivities,” Madeline said as she and Evie joined them. She pulled Kalista
into her arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Kalista still felt awkward with the affection gestures
that seemed to come so naturally from Jared’s mother when she couldn’t even remember when the last
time her own mother had given her a hug. Kalista opened her mouth to respond when they heard a
loud rumbling sound coming from the road.

“It figures. Naturally, they get here when all the damn work is done,” Zoe muttered under her

breath. Still, she couldn’t help but eye the men with appreciation.

“They do like to make an entrance,” Evie said with a chuckle.
Kalista’s eyes widened as a dozen men rode up to the rescue center on their motorcycles, the

loud sounds temporarily drowning out the sound of the dogs barking and people talking.

Madeline laughed. “Ah, trouble just rolled in. Now the party can really begin.”

Chapter Twelve

The men turned off their bikes in unison and dismounted.
Even without their grand entrance the group would have been the center of attention. Out of the

corner of her eye Kalista could see more than a few women had stopped in their tracks to admire the
group of bikers. Among the riders she could see Jared, Dante and Sheriff Storm Wyatt, but there were
several other good looking men that were sure to set a few hearts aflutter. Individually, each man was
eye candy to look at, but together as one big group, they were absolutely devastating.

As if he could feel her looking, Jared’s head turned, and Kalista was sure his eyes locked

with hers even though she couldn’t see beneath his sunglasses.

“Well, well. My son certainly looks at you as if he wants to gobble you up,” Madeline said

cheerfully, trying to hold back the dance of glee she wanted to do.

“Hell, I’m out of here,” Nikita said before she disappeared into the crowd.
Jared, Dante and Storm walked over to join them at the edge of the food tent. Jared leaned

down to kiss his mother on the cheek before pulling Kalista into his arms. “Mmm, you smell like
sugar.”

Dante frowned at Zoe. “I told you I’d pick you up,” he snapped as soon as he got within

hearing distance.

Zoe crossed her arms over her chest, irritated by his tone. “And I told you that I’d drive

myself. Niki and I came early to help set up, unlike some people.”

“You and Nikita rode those crotch rockets over here, didn’t you?”
She rolled her eyes and looked over at Kalista, Evie and Madeline to explain. “He just says

that because I won’t let him ride my BMW bike. And if anyone touched Niki’s Ducati, she’d kill
them.”

“That woman is scary,” Storm muttered.
“Leave the girls alone,” Madeline ordered. “You’d think the lot of you were in kindergarten

the way you poke at each other.”

“Yes, ma’am. We’re reporting for duty,” Storm said, changing the subject. “I’m on call, but

I’m here to help out however I can.”

Evie smiled. “And we can certainly use you.”
“Come with me, you handsome young devil,” Maddy said linking her arm through his.
“Maddy, my love. When are you going to leave Tony and run away with me?”
“Dude, that’s my mom,” Jared grumbled, making them all laugh.
Maddy, Storm and Evie walked away with Zoe and Dante a few steps behind as they

continued to bicker. Jared wrapped his arms around Kalista, pulling her out of the way as people
started heading over to the table of sweets.

“I thought you were going to help me set up this morning,” Kalista said as she stared at his

chest. He lifted her chin using a finger so she was looking at him. Her heart wrenched when she saw
the love shining in his dark eyes, and her nerves settled a little.

“I’m sorry, baby. I had some stuff to do early this morning that took longer than I thought it

would. I hated leaving you in bed. Trust me when I say I’d rather have woken up with you and driven
you over myself. I know this wasn’t the best way to start off Valentine’s Day, but I promise that I will
make it up to you later.”

“I’ll look forward to that.” He brushed his lips against hers and she blushed as she noticed all

the people watching them. “We have an audience.”

“We do. Looks like half the town is here already,” he agreed after he looked around. He

winked at her. “They’re just trying to figure out how I got so lucky.”

“Yeah, right.”
“It’s true.” He kissed her again, hard and fast. “Now, put me to work, woman.”
She was smiling as she led him over to the tables of sweets where there was already a line of

people. Kalista laughed when Jared grinned at her as he put on one of the pink Sinfully Sweet aprons
over his clothing, completely at ease wearing the girlie color. She answered questions people had
about what they were offering, and she had to admire the easy way Jared talked with the guests. There
was a moment or two that had her stiffening up when a group of pretty young women stopped by the
table to flirt with Jared, but he easily brushed aside their efforts.

Observing him covertly gave Kalista time to reflect on what she wanted to say to him once

they were alone. He was standing at one of the other tables, and she watched as he casually stepped
away from a woman who reached out to touch his arm.

In that moment she had an epiphany.
The move had been as automatic as it was when he leaned down and kissed the top of her

head whenever he passed by her. He didn’t do it because he knew she was watching. He did it
because that was who he was. For the last few days Kalista had been worried about the possibilities
of what would happen with their relationship based on what other people had done to her in the past.

Jared was a man of his word. Smart, caring, and wickedly passionate, he was all hers. He

loved her, but instead of focusing on that she’d been worried about all the reasons that he shouldn’t.
For some reason she had never understood why he had chosen to be with her, and that had been
clouding how she viewed their relationship. He had never given her any reason to doubt him, and yet
she was treating him like he had.

Feeling a new sense of awareness, Kalista turned to face him and felt her lips curve into a

smile. She loved Jared, and she wouldn’t let her own insecurities get in the way of that any longer.
When the talked later she would tell him that she would love to move in with him, and that she didn’t
want him to go. She knew it was a great opportunity for him, and if he really wanted to do it she
would be supportive, but she would tell him how she felt before he made his decision.

Jared cast a glance her way and smiled, then looked back at the person he was talking to. He

froze in place then looked back at her, his eyes darkening with an inner fire that thrilled her because
she knew without a doubt it was all for her. When he walked away from the woman he had been
talking to without another word, she was sure he could see all the love she felt for him shining in her
eyes.

He pulled her to him and captured her mouth in a scorching kiss. Kalista’s arms wrapped

around his neck, holding on as he dipped her backwards over his arm in what felt like a brilliant
replica of the quintessential Hollywood kiss. Lost in each other, Kalista and Jared became aware of
the crowd clapping and cheering around them at the same time. She held onto his arms as he lifted her
back onto her feet, holding her steady when her knees threatened to buckle.

“You can’t look at me like that in public and not expect me to kiss you silly,” he growled

softly.

“Maybe that was my master plan,” Kalista teased, loving the smile he gifted her in return.
“Go on you two, get out of here for a bit and take a break. All your hot and sexy vibes are

melting the frosting,” Becca quipped as she shooed them from the tent.

Kalista was amazed when she got her first real look at the success of the event as she walked

hand-in-hand with Jared around the grounds. She smiled as she saw several empty cages with signs
on them stating that the former inhabitants had found a new home. There were several more dogs that
wore bright red collars with the word “adopted” printed on them.

“Those dogs have someone who wants to adopt them,” Hunter explained when Kalista asked.

He had strolled over to join her and Jared as they walked around. It made her sad when Kalista
noticed that he always kept the side with his burns facing away from her. “They’ve filled out the
paperwork and stuff, but we need to do a home visit before we hand over the dog so we schedule a
time to do that next week.”

“What about the dogs that are already gone?”
Hunter smiled. “Some of those went home with people who have adopted from us before, and

some are people that we know well. If they have another pet, we either encourage them to bring them
with so one of our staff can see how they interact or they have to wait until we can do a home visit.”

“We send a staff member out to check out the house of the local adopters if they wanted to

take the dog with them today,” Evie said as she walked up to join them. “I just got back from a run
over to the Hollister house. Everything is set, and the paperwork is in the office. Those kids loved
that puppy so much I couldn’t make them wait.”

“You’re a soft touch, cuz,” Hunter said, then he grunted as she slapped his flat stomach.
“Shut up, you hard ass.”
“My family,” Jared said as he put his arm around Kalista, pulling her close. “Aren’t we a

docile bunch?”

Hunter snorted at that. “More like dysfunctional if you ask me.” He turned as someone called

his name, then looked back at Kalista and Jared for a second.

“Good luck with everything,” he said, and then he wandered off.
“Idiot,” Evie muttered. Before she could leave, too, Jared stopped her.
“Hey, Evie. A friend of mine is coming into town soon. His name is Daryk Nyght. Can you

reserve a room for him at the boarding house?”

Evie choked on a laugh. “Daryk Nyght? Who the hell is this guy, Batman?”
Hammer grinned. “We used to call him the Dark Nyght when I was still in the service. His

family are the Nyghts from Atlanta, you know that big international law firm?”

“You mean Nyght and Bristow? Wow, and he was in the Army with you?”
He sobered. “He’s actually a trauma surgeon. The guy is crazy and used to go out with the

special teams. He’s been through some pretty rough shit lately, and he’s retiring. Needs somewhere
quiet to recover.”

Her eyes went soft with understanding. “Sure, I can set him up. Just send me the info when

he’ll be coming to town, and I’ll arrange it.”

“Thanks,” Hammer said as he playfully ruffled her hair. “You’re the best.”
“All the boys say so,” she quipped with a wink, slapping his hand away.
Hammer snorted. “Get out of here, brat.”
Evie walked away, leaving Hammer and Kalista to wander over toward where the puppies

were kept. She let out a gasp as she gripped his arm. “Oh no! Jared, Ranger isn’t here!”

“He’s not?”
Tears prickled at the back of her eyes. “No. He always comes over to greet me when I come

to visit. Look. I don’t see his little white paws.”

“Someone must have adopted him.”
Kalista noticed that Jared shifted uncomfortably, and she thought it must be because he was

worried she was going to burst into tears. Honestly, she felt like she just might. Pulling herself
together, she let out a shaky breath and said, “Well, as long as he has a good home now, that’s all that
matters.”

He hugged her. “I’m sure he has a great home.”
The rest of the day lost some of its shine as Kalista went back to work in the food tent. She

knew she should have been happy that Ranger found a good home with someone, but she had loved
the little guy. Part of her was angry that she hadn’t adopted him before today, which meant it was her
fault, but another part of her was irritated that Evie and the others hadn’t kept him for her like they
said they would.

Jared disappeared for a while with Nate when he and Anna finally showed up. Kalista was

happy to hear that the bakery had been packed all day, but the staff had everything in hand so Anna
told her not to worry. When the event drew to a close, several of Jared’s friends helped her pack the
trays and coolers back into the van. Although the men looked dark and dangerous they were very kind
to her, and she liked them a great deal.

“I’ve got this,” Becca said when Kalista told her she was going to go home with Jared. “I’ll

drive the van back and close the bakery tonight, so I don’t want to see you back there. It’s Valentine’s
Day, and I don’t have a man like you do. Go enjoy for the both of us.”

Kalista hugged her goodbye, then climbed onto Jared’s bike behind him. She put on the helmet

he gave her, then wrapped her arms around his waist as he took off down the road. On the drive to his
house she had time to think about what she wanted to say to him since she was wearing a helmet and
he wasn’t.

All those thoughts fled her head as soon as he pulled the bike into his driveway. Shock filled

her as she saw the huge wooden fence that now covered a large portion of his yard off of the garage.
She was speechless as he helped her off of the bike, unable to believe what she was seeing and
barely noticed the unfamiliar car parked in front of house.

She took off the helmet. “Jared, what—”
He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. “Just give me a minute and I’ll explain

everything.”

Hammer took her hand after she nodded, and he hoped that she couldn’t feel how clammy his

palm was as he led her toward the front door. It opened before he could use his key, and his friend
Sam stepped out.

“Everything is good to go. Hi, Kali. Later.”
Sam quickly walked to her car and got in as Hammer pulled Kali into the house with him.

Earlier at the rescue center, he’d felt like the biggest bastard alive when he saw the tears in  Kali’s
eyes  after  she  realized  that  Ranger  was  missing  from  the  puppy  pen.  He’d  wanted  to  tell  her  not  to
worry,  but  that  would  have  ruined  his  plans.  He’d  felt  the  distance  between  them  since  he’d  gotten
back from Vegas, and he knew she could feel him keeping secrets from her.

Never in his life had he imagined that it would be so difficult to keep things from another

person as it was keeping things from his little fairy. He didn’t like anything between them, even if it
was only temporary.

That made this moment even more important.
Confusion filled Kalista as he shut the front door and locked it before dragging her with him

through the kitchen, into the mudroom and out the side door. Two exuberant little pit bull puppies ran
up to greet them as soon as they stepped out in to the yard.

“Ranger!” Kali cried as she fell to her knees and hugged the little gray dog. Her laughter filled

the air as he licked her face, and she looked up to find Jared sitting next to her on the ground, holding
a pretty brindle puppy. Ranger ran over to Jared and he picked up the puppy, stroking his fur as the
little female dog came over to Kalista with her tag wagging.

Kalista picked up the puppy and looked around the yard in disbelief. Where a few days ago

there had just been open land, Jared had built a sturdy wooden fence enclosing a large area. In the far
back was a small child-sized pool and an agility course that included a teeter board, an open round
tunnel, a jump bar, an agility A-frame, and a raised dog walk for the puppies to play on.

“How…?”
“This is what I was doing yesterday, and Hunter brought the little ones over early this

morning.” He nodded his head to the puppy in her lap. “I thought Ranger needed a friend and that little
girl seemed smitten with him, so I thought we should adopt them both. That is Tinkerbell.”

She burst out laughing. “You got a fairy to keep Ranger company?”
“It seemed fitting,” he said with a grin, then a serious expression settled over his face as he

fiddled with Ranger’s collar. “Go to Mommy,” he ordered as he set the dog back onto the ground.

Dutifully, Ranger ran back over to Kali, and she smiled as she reached out to pet him. Her

hand froze mid-air and it started shaking when she saw the ribbon attached to Ranger’s collar that had
been tied into a pretty bow. The puppy sat there patiently with his tongue hanging out as if he were
waiting for her response.

“Go on,” Jared encouraged. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”
With both hands shaking, Kalista reached out and pulled the ribbon to undo it. The most

beautiful ring she had ever seen fell into her hand, and she lost her breath as she looked down at it. It
was a large princess-cut diamond with smaller stones surrounding it in an antique looking setting. The
ring  was  something  that  she  would  have  picked  out  herself,  which  made  it  even  more  special.  The
puppies  seemed  to  lose  interest  in  the  humans  because  they  ran  across  the  yard  and  started  an
impromptu game of tag, but  Kalista couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from the ring to see where
they went.

Hammer moved closer to her until he was sitting right in front of her, with their knees touching

lightly. His heart was pounding so loud it sounded like a drum beat in his ears, and he vaguely felt
like he wanted to throw up. Courage, he told himself.

Just say the words and don’t fuck this up…
“I love you, Kali. I want you with me, always. Be mine. Spend a lifetime being my Valentine.

Help me build a family with Ranger and Tink. Marry me.”

Kali looked up and his heart dropped when he saw the tears streaming from her eyes. “What

about the job offer from the CFL?”

Hammer let out a soft curse. “You heard about that? I was going to tell you about it later. I

said no, Kali. I may go out of town occasionally since I agreed to announce at the championship
fights, but my life is here, with you if you’ll have me. I want to build a life together.” He paused, then
let out a frustrated growl when she simply stared at him with wide eyes. “Say something! Damn it,
you love me, woman!”

She nodded slowly. “I really do.”
His face paled as she held out the ring to him, then he felt his heart burst with joy as she held

her left hand out for him to put the ring on. “I love you, Jared. Of course I’ll marry you,” she
whispered tearfully.

He slid the ring onto her finger and felt a wave of possessive pride sweep through him at

seeing his ring on her finger. He yanked her into his arms and held on tight, loving how well she fit

against him. Here was everything he ever wanted, and he almost couldn’t believe she said yes and
really belonged to him now. Feeling emotions well into his own eyes, he buried his face into the
crook of her neck and breathed in her sweet scent.

“God, I love you, my sweet little fairy. I’m going to make you so damn happy.”
“You already do,” she said as she pulled back to cup his face. They stared into each other’s

eyes as she laid her lips onto his and let herself sink into him. His hand gripped the back of her neck
as he took her to the ground with him so he was half on top of her. Taking the kiss deeper, his tongue
stroked against hers, showing her what she meant to him without words.

Her delighted laughter rang out as he cursed when the puppies ran back over to join in their

game and jumped on him. Kali rolled onto her side and she smiled as she watched the two puppies
climbing all over Jared, wanting to play.

Her big man was such a wonder to her. He was a fighter and a bad boy, but he could be so

sweet and gentle like he was now, playing with their new dogs. He was offering her his heart and his
home, and she knew, without a doubt, that she had found her soul mate. He was the perfect mix of
everything she had ever wanted in a man.

And he was all hers.

Epilogue

The roar of the crowd filled the Palace Arena as the winner of the CFL Heavyweight

Championship match was announced. Kali smiled to herself as she listened to the sound of her
fiancé’s voice over the loudspeakers. His deep, gravelly voice sent shivers down her spine every
time she heard it, and tonight was no different.

Murmuring her goodbyes to Leanne Durbin, who was seated next to her in the VIP section,

Kali made her way through the crowed aisle and left the arena, heading back to the bank of elevators
that would take her back up to her and Jared’s luxurious suite in the Las Vegas hotel.

In the last month she had met the Durbins twice when they had come to visit Breakers to

personally escort some of their fighters to Fight Hard. She immediately liked the couple, and she and
Leanne had become good friends since their first meeting. Kalista knew that Leanne would send Jared
up to their room to join her, and she needed time to set the stage she wanted to have ready for when he
did.

A few short days after he proposed, she found herself officially moving into his house. Once

the decision had been made she didn’t feel any need to wait to start their life together. It had worked
out perfectly since Becca’s lease was up, and she had been overjoyed to move into Kali’s apartment
over the bakery.

Ranger and Tinkerbell had become the mascots at Fight Hard, and Jared brought them to work

with him almost every day.  He and  Kali liked having both of their dogs close, and she visited them
several  times  a  day.  If  that  gave  her  another  reason  to  stop  by  the  gym  to  see  Jared,  it  was  just  a
bonus.  Fortunately, there was always someone around the gym that was willing to take the dogs out
into the yard to play with them while Jared and Kali were otherwise occupied in his office.

When Shane was released from the hospital, he became their official dog walker after school.

The poor boy had trouble adjusting to his new life, considering the severe trauma he had endured. He
had become extremely introverted, not trusting anyone at first, and it took him weeks to even speak
again despite the therapy he was offered. He was able to complete his physical therapy at Fight Hard,
and it broke their hearts because no one knew how to help the young boy.

It wasn’t until he started playing with Ranger and Tinkerbell that he became more like the boy

he had been before the attack. Taking care of the dogs after school helped him feel more secure with
his surroundings, and allowed him to open up again. Pleased with his progress, Anna and her husband
started taking him to the Beaumont Rescue Center on the weekends so he could volunteer since it
seemed like being around the dogs worked better than any other therapy.

Kali briefly considered calling Anna’s house to check on Ranger and Tinkerbell since Shane,

Nate, Anna, and her husband were dog sitting for them while they were out of town, but she fought the
urge. Calling to check on her dogs seemed a little extreme, even for her.

Once she was back in their suite, she went to work setting up the room exactly how she

wanted it. She pushed the chairs and sofa out of the way and moved the coffee table to make a large,
open space in the center of the living room.

Going into the bedroom, she pulled out the bag of candles that she’d hidden after she bought

them earlier. She set them up all over the flat surfaces in the living room and lit them so the entire
room was bathed in golden light. She pulled out her chosen outfit and changed as she considered her
plan again.

Since they had gotten engaged, Jared had become her best friend and closest confidant. They

shared everything with one another and there was nothing they couldn’t talk about. She knew that he
was anxious to get married, and if it were up to him they would have just gotten it done while they
were in Vegas. Despite her own disinterested parents, she still wanted a traditional wedding where
they could make their vows in front of all their friends and family.

After a brief negotiation, they planned to get married in three months.
Jared’s own family had pretty much adopted her, and his mother and stepfather had thrown

them a wonderful engagement party the weekend after Valentine’s Day. Evie, Hunter, Beckett, and
Francesca had become like her own siblings, and she loved spending time with all of them.

When she had told her own parents about her engagement her father had said that he hoped she

didn’t expect him to pay for the wedding, and her mother…well, her mother had been so shocked that
it had been downright insulting. They had opted not to attend the engagement party since they already
had plans. It hurt Kali that they hadn’t bothered to come, but she was used to their indifference. Of
course her parents thought it was her fault for not checking their busy schedule before planning the
party.

Everything seemed to be going well for her and Jared, but she couldn’t help but be concerned

that he missed his old life as a professional fighter. Being in Vegas for the championship fights had
made her worry even more. She had seen very little of him the last few days, but she had kept herself
busy at the spa and by the pool. It was while she had been sunbathing that she had come up with this
little surprise for him.

Checking her makeup and hair one last time, she made her way back to the living room to wait

for him. She opened the bottle of champagne that she’d ordered earlier and poured herself a glass.
She took a sip just as the sound of the front door opening reached her. Setting down her glass she
fisted her hands on her hips and posed, waiting for him to see her.

“Kali? Are you okay? Leanne said you…” Hammer’s voice trailed off as he got his first look

at her, and he felt his heart stutter in his chest.

Damn it, she was trying to fucking kill him.
After the last match had concluded, he had sought out his little fairy, wanting to finally spend

some time with her now that his obligations had been fulfilled. He was instantly worried when
Leanne told him that Kali had gone back up to their suite. Rushing upstairs to check on her he lost his
breath as he saw her standing in the middle of the living room.

Like out of some fantasy, Kali was dressed in a pair of black shorts so short that her ass

cheeks were hanging out and a tight hot pink tank top with the words “Rough & Tough” across the
front. The tank was so low it had her ample breasts practically spilling out over the top. She had
wrapped her hands and wrists with hot pink hand wraps like he had taught her when she was hitting
the bags at the gym. With legs braces apart and her hands fisted on her hips she looked sexy as hell
staring him down.

“Christ, you look like a wet dream, baby. What is all this?”
He could see the nervousness in her eyes, but had to admire her bravado as she tilted her cute

little chin up. “It occurred to me that being here tonight surrounded by all of this, you might miss being
a fighter.” When one of his brows quirked up she continued. “I thought we could have our own
match…right here, right now. A private, no rules match until we’re naked and sweaty. Winner gets to
be on top.”

He slowly smiled. “With an offer like that, it seems like we both win regardless of the

outcome.”

“Exactly,” she said with what she hoped was a seductive smile. It seemed to work, because

his eyes flared with heat as he gripped the back of his shirt with his fist and pulled it off, tossing it to
the side not caring where it landed.

Her breath quickened as she surveyed his naked torso. She loved the light dusting of hair on

his broad chest, and her knees always went a little weak watching the corded muscles of his huge
arms ripple as he flex. He toed off his shoes as he grinned, knowing exactly what the sight of his body
did to her.

Wanting to turn the tables on him, she leaned down and stretched, giving him a perfect view of

her cleavage. She looked at him through veiled lashes and felt a surge of satisfaction when he lost his
smile and he gulped. Anticipation burned in his dark gaze, and she could all but feel his excitement.
She was pleased he liked the little game she’d set up, and couldn’t wait to get started.

“You’re on dangerous ground, little fairy.”
“Just where I like to be,” she taunted back. “I’m a wild woman, didn’t you know? My fiancé

is a bad-ass, so I figured I should show him exactly how well we fit.”

“Oh, we fit,” he growled, striding toward her. “And I’ll show you exactly how well we fit

when I’m deep inside you where I belong. You want to spar with me, baby? Show me what you got.”

“Them’s fighting words,” she quipped as she got into position.
She was ready when he lunged toward her. He had been training her in ground work at the

gym and at home, showing her what to do if she were ever attacked so she’d be able to defend
herself. There was no way she could ever take him in a fight, so she used this opportunity to rub her
body against his as she squirmed out of his hold time and time again, knowing that he would never
hurt her.

A few minutes later they were both breathless with laughter as he let her pin him down to the

floor. She could feel his thick erection pressed against her heated core as she straddled his hips, and
she leaned down to brush her lips against his. “Looks like I’ve got you.”

“You do,” he agreed. “Kali, my God…I need you.”
“Should we take this into the bedroom?”
“No time. I feel like I’m going to come in my fucking pants if you keep rubbing your pussy

against me like that.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” she murmured as she sat up. Looking him in the eyes she slowly

unwound each of the wraps from her hands until they were free from the bindings. She tossed one
away, but kept the other ribbon of material in her hands as she eyes him contemplatively. “Hmm, why
don’t we make sure you stay still so I can claim my prize.”

Hammer’s dick felt like it was going to explode as she pulled his hands above his head. She

looped the hand wrap around the base of the couch, then his wrists before she tied it into a nice, pretty
bow.

“I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be caught using pink hand wraps,” he said wryly.
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “I think I can make it worth your while.”
Kali slid down his body, until she was sitting between his legs. She carefully unzipped his

jeans, allowing his hard shaft to spring free as she pulled his jeans and boxers down his legs so he
was completely naked. She looked up to see he was watching her with an intensity that made her
insanely wet.

He let out a vicious curse as she took his thick cock in her hand. “Fuck, Kali. I’m not kidding.

I’m so close, I’m not gonna last if you touch me like that.”

“Good. I want you to come in my mouth this first time,” she whispered and felt his cock jerk

in her grasp.

“God, yes. Open up your mouth, baby. Open that pretty little mouth for me and suck my cock.”
She opened her mouth, licking at the drop of pre-cum on the head of his cock, teasing him so

his entire body went rigid with pleasure. She did it again and enjoyed the way the thick shaft jerked in
her hand. She looked up at him through her lashes and saw the pleasure on his face as she began to
stroke him lovingly, wanting to push him over the edge.

“Fuck. Quit teasing me, Kali. Open up and suck my cock.”
His harsh command had her thighs clenching, and she felt the liquid heat spilling from her

pussy. Watching him, she wrapped her lips around his cock and sucked hard enough to make his body
jerk. She lashed her tongue underneath the head of his cock, and relished the groan that tore from his
throat. Drawing him deep until the head of his cock hit the back of her throat, she pulled back only to
repeat the action over and over again. She felt his hips jerk, but he didn’t force her to take more of
him than she could handle as she worked her mouth over him.

“God, that’s so fucking good, Kali. Your hot little mouth is gonna suck me dry.”
She moaned as she began moving her head over him faster, using one of her hands to stroke

the part of his shaft she couldn’t fit in her mouth.

“I’m coming. Fuck, Kali, I’m gonna fill your mouth.”
Kali felt the first heated spurt of his cum hit the back of her throat and drank it down greedily,

wanting the taste of him. She loved the harsh groans that came from him as she drank him down, and
she continued to suck on the head of his cock until she’d taken every drop of his cum.

“My turn. Get your sweet ass up here and sit on my face.”
“Jared!”
He chuckled at the outrage in her voice. “Better yet undo my hands so I can touch you now.”
She knew he could have gotten free if he wanted to, but he was still abiding by the rules of her

game. “But I want to ride you.”

“Oh, baby. You can ride me all you want. After I eat that sweet little pussy.”
Kali quickly reached up over his head and pulled the bindings free from his wrists. A second

later she was divested of her tank top and shorts, and she gasped as she found herself flat on her back.

He pushed her thighs open, and she gasped as he lowered his mouth to her. He sucked her clit

into his mouth as he shoved two fingers into her tight pussy. His lips clasped tightly around the tiny
bud, sucking gently while he flicked his tongue over it, making her body shake under his tender
assault.

“Jared, it’s so good. So fucking good.”
He growled against her, and the vibrations made her clit pulse as she drew closer to her

release. She moaned over and over again as his fingers curled inside of her. He pushed her higher and
higher until she was writhing in ecstasy so acute it bordered on pain.

“Oh God!”
Kali felt her body shatter, her body bucking beneath him as he continued his sexual onslaught

until she felt like she was pure sensation. Jared knew exactly where to touch her to drive her crazy,
and he gave her no time to recover as he drove her towards another climax, stronger than the first.
Her back arched as she came again, only this time she let out a scream of ecstasy.

Releasing her, he levered up so he covered her body with his. He kissed her deep, thrusting

his tongue into her mouth as he lodged the head of his cock at her entrance and drove himself deep. It
felt so good he thought he would go mad with the pleasure.

“Fuck, I almost forgot,” he snarled, then held her to him as he rolled onto his back, keeping his

cock deep inside her.

Bracing her hands on his chest, she started to ride him, swiveling her hips in a way that drove

him out of his mind as he fought for control. He reached up and palmed her large breasts, rolling her
hard nipples with his fingers to increase her pleasure.

She let out a loud moan as her head fell back while she rode him, filling herself full of him.

He lifted his hips up, thrusting his cock up inside her as her body slammed down on him so they were
in perfect unison.

“I love you, Jared,” she whispered.
“Love you, too, baby. Come here,” he commanded as he reached up and gripped her neck to

draw her down for his kiss.

Hammer kissed her with all the love he had for her as he braced his feet on the floor and

began to rapidly drive his cock into her clenching pussy. He felt her muscles fluttering around him,
and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Rub your clit, Kali. Rub it, and come with me,” he demanded.
She did as he asked, and she came with a raw scream, her pussy gripping him so tight he

could barely move. He continued to jerk up into her hard and fast until he felt his own release take
him, then he pressed himself as deep and groaned her name as he came, filling her full of his cum.

She collapsed, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him. He

loved the weight of her on him. Hell, he loved everything about her. Stroking his fingers over her
back and shoulder, he gently traced his fingertips over the tattoo of a hammer that she had gotten on
her right shoulder. Seeing the permanent mark she had gotten for him always made him smile, and he
couldn’t wait to show her what he planned to have tattooed on himself for her in honor of their
wedding.

He knew she had set up this little scenario because she was worried that he missed his old

life, but the truth was he had exactly what he wanted.

His little fairy belonged to him, and that was all that mattered.

The End

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