Naked Choke (A Stepbrother MMA Romance) Read online

  "Story is, Logan went to visit Dan Black at the AFF headquarters in Vegas and asked to fight today."

  "But he's not allowed to. He's in a different weight class."

  "Yeah, but with Black's permission you can fight in a higher weight class because Logan's the one taking on the disadvantage. Black put him in a training ring with one of his seasoned fighters and was impressed enough that he let him fight today. Plus, he loves the publicity for the league."

  "What do you mean?" I ask with a frown. "What publicity?"

  "Brother versus brother! People love that kind of story."

  "Wait, Logan and Austen are going to be fighting each other?"

  "Not right away, or maybe not at all. Black put them in different brackets, so they'll only fight each other if they beat everyone else."

  "Well, maybe Logan will be OK, right?" I ask, glancing between them. "I mean, he did knock out Austen that day."

  "Yeah, but from what I hear, Austen was recovering from a wicked hangover. Plus, Logan's never even been in a semi-professional fight. Duke kept telling him he wasn't ready." I feel a wave of nausea roll up from my stomach. "And—"

  "There's more?"

  Mike sighs. "If you thought Austen was bigger than Logan, wait'll you see these guys. Most of them cut weight for the weigh-in, so they probably weigh fifteen pounds more than Austen, which means—"

  "They've got thirty pounds on Logan." I run my hands through my hair, panicking at the thought of Logan getting pummeled in the ring. "This is crazy! Logan shouldn't be allowed to fight!"

  "Black just wants to sell tickets. He's got a business to run."

  I take a deep breath. "Have you seen Logan yet?"

  Mike shakes his head. "He's in the fighters' area. I can't go back there."

  "What about Duke?"

  Mike lets out a low whistle. "I've never seen him so pissed. He managed to get a face-to-face with Black, but Black stuck to his guns. Logan gets to fight."

  "When's his first one?"

  "Wait, you're going in?" Mike asks worriedly.

  "Well, yeah, to support him."

  "You think he wants that?" Maya nudges Mike, but he keeps going. "Sorry, it's just I saw that scene in the parking lot, and what Logan really needs today is to focus."

  "He might be right, Cat," Maya agrees quietly. My face falls, and she reaches forward and takes my hand. "So we'll stay hidden in the back. There are hundreds of people in there. No one's going to notice us.

  Mike nods. "Alright, I better go rejoin the team. Duke wants us cage-side to show support for Austen." He gives Maya a gentle kiss on the cheek and heads back inside.

  "What if he gets hurt?" I whisper.

  "He's not going to get hurt. Well, OK, he is going to get a little hurt because of how they punch and kick each other but it will only be a little. He's a fighter. This is what he's been training for, right?"

  "His coach left last week. That means he's going in there alone."

  "Come on, let's go inside. It can only be worse in your imagination."

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  My jaw drops as we stare across the vast space of the arena. At the center lies a lone cage, though right now it's empty. A couple of reporters speak to their cameras shouting over the raucous crowd in the background. Excited fans stream around us carrying packets listing each fighter's bio and attributes.

  "Look!" Maya says, pointing up to the Jumbotron. I bite my lip as a photo of Logan scrolls by. Logan Riggens, it reads. Fighting weight: 190. Team/Trainer: None. I grab a packet from an AFF staffer and flip through until I find the bracket.

  "OK, here's Logan, and here's Austen," I say pointing to opposite sides of it, then counting the blank spaces until the winning slot. "Single elimination, and there are sixty-four fighters, so if you win, you'll have fought six times."

  "That seems like a lot for just two days."

  "It is. It's meant to be brutal, to weed people out. First four rounds are today, then semifinals and finals tomorrow." Just as I finish speaking, an announcer's voice blasts over the sound system.

  "Welcome to the American Fighting Federation's Light Heavyweight Domination Tournament. Sixty-four fighters enter, but only one will earn the right to call themselves an AFF fighter. The first fight of the day begins now!," he continues, and people swarm down the aisles to get to their seats. The lights dim and then spotlights fly around before focusing on the entryway from the locker rooms. "From Team Apex, fighting at Two hundred and five pounds, Austen Riggens!"

  "Come on!" I say, grabbing Maya's arm as we rush down toward our row. The crowd goes crazy, clapping and stomping for their hometown boy. I catch a glimpse of his handsome, chiseled face as he walks in, backed by Duke and Raul.

  "Look, there's Mike!" she says as we find our seats. She waves to him even though there's no way he could see us. In a space this large and with our seats this far back, he definitely didn't need to worry about my presence distracting anyone. "He gets to sit on the floor because Duke got the team VIP tickets."

  "Fancy," I reply distractedly, squinting to see the rest of the faces on the floor as Austen's competitor is announced. No sign of Logan. The crowd settles down as the fighters take to their corners. I watch Austen jump up and down before his father reaches up to smear something on his face.

  "What's that? Vaseline?" Maya asks in confusion.

  "Makes it less likely that their skin will split when they get hit," I explain. "Mike isn't tutoring you?"

  "Ours is more of a physical relationships," she replies with a smile.

  "Whoa, what?" If there was one thing that could distract me at this moment, it was that revelation.

  "Look, I'm not going to give you all the dirty details, but let's just say that Mike might be dominant in the cage, but in the bedroom, he likes to be—"

  "No! Really?" I gasp. "I'm not going to be able to look at him without blushing, you know that right?"

  The referee beckons Austen and the other fighter forward, they touch gloves, and then bounce apart as the fight begins. My gaze works around the cage systematically, scanning each area for Logan's dark hair. He must want to size up the competition, or he could be trying to avoid his family and old team. I spot my mom in the first row, seated next to Team Apex. They all rise to their feet suddenly, cheering…

  "Holy crap!" Maya exclaims.

  "What? What happened?" I reply, looking around in confusion. When I look back to the cage, Austen is standing up from the ground and pumping the air triumphantly.

  "Austen did a thing with the other guy's arm and the other guy tapped out!"

  "An arm bar?"

  "Sure!" I glance up at the Jumbotron. Only forty-five seconds of the match have passed, and Austen already secured a victory. "Wow, Mike said he was great but that was amazing! It happened so fast I could barely tell what was happening, and all of a sudden the guy was hitting the floor. You see Logan yet?"

  "No, he must be in the lockers. Let's see, if they're doing this side of the bracket first…" I scan my fingers down the page. "Then Logan won't be up for a bit." I watch Austen being congratulated by his father, my mom, and his entire team. I wonder if Logan can see them, too. "I need to eat something. You want anything?"

  I head back out of the stands to get a soft pretzel, but it does nothing to quiet the gnawing queasiness in my stomach. I'll finally get to see Logan, but this isn't at all how I pictured it. I wipe my hands on a napkin and toss it in the trash before heading back in to sit down. Maya is leaning forward, rapt, while I sit back in my seat, barely processing the fights going on in the arena below. One thing I do know for sure is that no one got a submission as fast as Austen just did.

  I feel Maya grab my arm. "Here he comes!" she whispers, just as the announcer's voice rings out, sending Logan's name echoing throughout the space.

  "…Riggens! Brother of Austen Riggens, he's fighting due to a special dispensation from CEO Dan Black!" I see someone in a crisply tailored suit stand up by a floor seat and give a wave
. The man himself. The lights shine on him for a moment before swinging around to the path from the lockers. I grasp Maya's hand tightly as Logan makes his way toward the cage. Unlike the rest of the fighters, he's alone. No entourage of coaches follows him. I squint as hard as I can to see him. He looks different than the last time I saw him. He's got a closely cropped beard, and he looks thicker.

  "He put on more muscle," I murmur. "He must have been working on that ever since he left." But it's really his effect on me that's remarkable. I feel safe and worried, relieved and constricted all at once. I want so much to be able to talk to him, and it's completely impossible.

  "Whoa," Maya breathes as his opponent steps into the cage. "I mean, Logan's huge, but that guy's huge huge."

  "Shit," I mutter as I stare at him. I've watched Logan fight before, and that final match with Austen was no regular sparring match, but this is different. This other fighter must have cut a ton of weight to qualify, and he's out for Logan's blood. The referee calls them together and they touch gloves.

  "I don't think I can watch this," I suddenly blurt out, and jump out into the aisle before sprinting out toward the concessions.

  "Cat!" I hear Maya call just as a wild cheer rises up from the crowd. Was that Logan getting hit? I can't stay to find out. I crouch against the cement walls outside the gate with my hands over my ears, trying to drown out the announcers' commentary. The sounds die out for a couple minutes but then start again. Round 2. Then another break, then Round 3. Finally I hear someone poke me in the shoulder and look up to Maya's smiling face.

  "Logan won by unanimous decision! Everyone's going crazy for him!"

  "Really?" I gasp. We run back into the arena and I see the referee still holding Logan's hand in the air. I wince as I see the swelling on his face. He didn't escape scot-free like Austen, which is only going to make his next fight tougher. I glance toward the seats where Team Apex was before, but they're empty.

  Maya shakes her head. "How come Logan doesn't look happy? He's not even smiling."

  "He doesn't want to win one fight," I answer, recognizing the cold look of concentration on his face. "He wants to win the whole thing."

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  I manage to stay in my seat for the rest of the day's fights, though I have to cover my eyes for much of Logan's action in the cage. Miraculously, he wins every one. And so does Austen.

  I watch Logan ignore the press as he stalks toward the locker rooms after his last fight. Minutes later, Austen walks over, giving the cameras his winning smile and charming the hell out of everyone. I make my way to my car as Maya goes to meet up with Mike. Even if I could find Logan now, I don't want to do anything to break his focus.

  Everyone in the arena is buzzing about his performance today, and about the possibility of the Riggens brothers facing each other in the finals. Not every discussion I overhear is about their fighting prowess, though. I walk by more than one debate over which one is hotter, the blonde one or the darker one

  "He looks like he knows how to treat a woman, like George Clooney."

  "Yeah, but I like brown haired guys better. Plus, you know that one would just throw you down on a bed and—"

  This is getting too weird. I quicken my step and sink with relief into my car. I beat most of the traffic leaving the parking lot and step on the gas on the way home. I actually wish I were working this weekend. I got the time off so I could go pursue Logan, but I didn't realize I'd just end up watching him helplessly from the stands.

  I walk tiredly up to my bedroom. I can't even imagine how Logan must be feeling right now. Four fights in one day, and one, or maybe two, tomorrow. I take my phone out of my purse and stare at it. I want to text him so much. I want to tell him I was there today, and that he was amazing, and that I'm proud to even know him. That he's brave and he inspires me.

  Tears begin to fall down my cheeks as I put my phone away. I don't want to disturb him. I've done enough harm to him without distracting him the night before what could be the biggest fight of his life.

  I thought seeing him today would make me feel better, but it's only made the ache in my chest more acute. Being by myself for the last month, finding a new job, and working on my college application has felt freeing. But as I continue to find myself, and figure out what I really want, it only becomes clearer how strong my feelings are for him.

  I sit down on my bed and look at the tournament bracket. I wrote down the winner of each fight on it so I could keep track of whom Logan would be fighting. Let's see…Andrei Krusov. I flip to his bio. Russian, but trained in Japan by the foremost Tae Kwon Do expert in the country. Six foot six inches, two hundred and five pounds. Now I remember him. The tall one, striking from so far away that the other fighters couldn't penetrate his guard.

  I get up and walk quickly down the hall to take a shower. Anything to get my mind off Logan getting hit by this Russian giant. I stop as I see the closed door of Logan's bedroom. It's been like that for the whole month since he left, and I haven't gone in. I don't know why I walk toward it now, but I just want to feel close to him somehow.

  His smell hits me as I walk in. Oaky, with a hint of sweat. I look at the mussed sheets on the bed and shiver as I remember the way he touched me, how he felt inside me. I walk over and reposition the pillows, then pull the sheets up and fold them over just so before pulling the comforter over them.

  I start as I hear the sound of voices downstairs, and quietly leave Logan's room, closing the door behind me. My stomach rumbles, and I realize I haven’t had anything else to eat today besides that one pretzel and copious amounts of soda, so I head downstairs without my shower.

  As I walk in the kitchen, I see Austen and Duke hunched over the breakfast table in deep discussion over a pile of papers. My mom's throwing Tupperware into the freezer and glances over to me with a smile.

  "Big day," she remarks.

  "Did you know Logan would be there today?" I hear from behind me, and turn around to see Duke frowning at me.

  "Dad," Austen sighs.

  "Excuse me?" I ask, taken aback.

  "Did you know he'd be there? You should have told us."

  "I haven't talked to him," I reply through clenched teeth as I feel a surge of anger rise through me. "But even if I had, I don't see how I would owe you that information."

  "How long was he training in Muay Thai for?"

  "Are you seriously trying to grill me for information? I'm not a spy or something."

  "You live under my roof, and Team Apex pays for this roof. You owe it to me to tell me what you know."

  "Duke…" my mom murmurs. I glance back at her and see that's the extent of her argument.

  "I would have thought you'd be proud of him. Austen's not your only son, you know. Logan won today, too, without a trainer, without a team, and without you even acknowledging him. You ignored him, when all he wanted was your support. He's not your ex-wife, no matter how much he looks like her."

  I step back, alarmed, as I see all the muscles in Duke's neck clench in anger. I recognize that look. My father used to get it.

  But Duke takes a deep breath and turns back toward the papers, drawing one toward him. I catch Austen's eye and he give me a little nod. Of approval? I'm not sure. I turn around and see my mom frozen by the sink.

  "I'm gonna go out for dinner," I murmur to her. I quickly run upstairs and grab my purse, then leave through the front door so I don't have to reenter the kitchen. I'm just pressing the code into the garage when I see Austen come out of the front door and head towards me.

  He chuckles and shakes his head as he nears me. "I've never heard anyone talk to Big Rig like that."

  "Yeah, well…" I trail off grumpily. "Look, can I ask you something? This guy Krusov that Logan's fighting tomorrow…I was there today, and I saw him fight. He's taller, heavier…" I chew the inside of my lip and sigh. "You think Logan has a shot?"

  "Krusov's a force," Austen replies seriously. "He was the one we were prepping for as my main competi
tion."

  "Well, if Logan loses, you'll be up against him," I point out.

  "Bottom line: he's got massive leg kicks, his reach is several inches longer even than mine, and his ground game is just as strong as his striking."

  "That doesn't sound good."

  "No, it doesn't," he says regretfully, turning around to head back into the house.

  "Austen," I call, stopping him. "What if Logan wins, though?"

  He grins, the competitive gleam creeping back into his eyes. "Then I'll fight Logan in the finals. And I'll kick his ass, brother or not."

  Chapter Thirty

  The press outside the Pepsi Center the next morning has tripled. I shuffle by quietly, marveling at how strange it is to hear the reporters talking about Austen and Logan as though they're celebrities. I grab a bottle of water from concessions and head back toward the same seating tier where Maya and I watched from yesterday. She's already in her seat, having arrived earlier with Mike.

  "You think you'll be able to watch more or less today?" she asks as I sit down.

  "Don't know…This guy Krusov that Logan's fighting sounds scary."

  "Mike told me he once sent a guy to the hospital with a heel kick to the head," she comments, her face still in the program. I gape at her for a moment. "Oh! Sorry, that's not helpful," she realizes. "The guy was fine eventually," she offers.

  "Who's Austen fighting?"

  "Sam Nordahl. National champion wrestler in college." The lights dim and the music crescendos before fading out to the announcer's voice.

  "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the first semifinal match of the American Fighting Federation's Light Heavyweight Domination Tournament. Put your hands together for our first fighter of the day, Austen 'Golden' Riggens!"

  The crowd around us leaps to its feet as I turn to Maya, "Golden? Where'd they come up with that?"

  "Well, he does sort of have that Greek god thing going on," she reasons. I watch as Austen is surrounded by Team Apex. They reach their arms around each other's shoulders as Duke and Austen bow their heads together in the middle. As Nordahl is introduced, I can hear that the applause isn't quite as warm. All of Austen's new fans could be due to his first lightning fast takedown yesterday, but I'm sure his good looks and charm have something to do with it, too.