Fighting Love: The Complete Series Read online

  Fighting Love

  The Complete Series

  Nikki Ash

  Contents

  Free Book

  Tapping Out

  Tapping Out

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Epilogue

  Marco’s Letters to Bella

  October 18th

  October 19th

  October 20th

  October 21st

  October 22nd

  October 23rd

  October 24th

  October 25th

  October 26th

  October 27th

  October 28th

  October 29th

  October 30th

  October 31st

  November 1st

  November 2nd

  November 3rd

  November 4th

  November 5th

  November 6th

  November 7th

  November 8th

  November 9th

  November 10th

  November 11th

  November 12th

  November 13th

  November 14th

  November 15th

  November 16th

  November 17th

  November 18th

  November 19th

  November 20th

  November 21st

  November 22nd

  November 23rd

  November 24th

  November 25th

  November 26th

  November 27th

  November 28th

  November 29th

  November 30th

  December 1st

  December 2nd

  December 3rd

  December 4th

  December 5th

  December 6th

  December 7th

  December 8th

  December 9th

  December 10th

  December 11th

  December 12th

  December 13th

  December 14th

  December 15th

  December 16th

  December 17th

  December 18th

  December 19th

  December 20th

  December 21st

  December 22nd

  December 23rd

  December 24th

  December 25th

  December 26th

  December 27th

  December 28th

  December 29th

  December 30th

  December 31st

  January 1st

  January 2nd

  January 3rd

  January 4th

  January 5th

  Clinched

  Clinched

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Epilogue

  Takedown

  Takedown

  Prologue

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Epilogue

  Untitled

  My Kind of Love Preview

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Other Books by Nikki Ash

  About the Author

  Would you like a free book?

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  Tapping Out

  A Fighting Love novel, Book 1

  Tapping Out

  Copyright © 2018 Nikki Ash

  All rights reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Cover design: Jersey Girl Design

  Cover photograph: Depositphotos

  To my readers who have watched Bella grow up into the young woman she is today—this book is for you! Thank you for taking a chance on me! <3

  Tapping Out

  The act of a struggling fighter signaling to the referee, usually by quickly tapping three times on the mat or opponent, that they give up and concede def
eat.

  Chapter One

  Bella

  Present Day

  Two lines mean pregnant. One line means not.

  Two lines. Pregnant.

  One line. Not.

  I sit on the edge of the tub in the bathroom with the door locked. My head is down as I stare at the tiled floor. There are thirty-four tiles. One is cracked. The grout is dirty. I should buy better cleaning supplies. The test said three minutes. It’s probably been closer to ten, but I can’t look. Will the test still be accurate if I don’t look right away? Maybe I should take another one just in case.

  Two lines and my life changes.

  One line and nothing changes.

  “Bella, you’ve been in there forever. Are we still going to dinner? The shower isn’t even running. Gina is going to be here any minute.” When I don’t respond, Tristan knocks on the door again. “Bella!”

  “I’ll be out in a minute,” I yell through the door, praying he can’t hear the tremble in my voice. If he knows I’m freaking out, he will without a doubt force his way in here to find out what’s going on, and right now, Tristan is probably the last person I want knowing what’s going on.

  Taking a deep breath, I stand and walk slowly toward the counter silently praying for one line—as if praying now is going to make a difference—if I pray right this second, the results will miraculously change in my favor. The second line will just disappear and all will be right with the world. Maybe I don’t need a miracle. Maybe there’s only one line. Maybe I’m freaking out over nothing. I swear to God if there’s only one line, I’m getting on birth control today. Not that I’ll need it, because if I’m not pregnant, I’m never having sex again. Okay, maybe not never again, but not anytime in the near future.

  Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. After holding it in for a few seconds, I let out a slow exhale. Nope, doesn’t work, I’m still freaking out. I open my eyes and stare at the test.

  Chapter Two

  Bella

  Five Years Ago

  I’m sitting in my bedroom staring outside at the beautiful weather. After five days straight of rain, I am sick of being indoors. The sun is shining and there isn’t a cloud in sight. I’m dying to go for a run, but I’m not in the mood for another run on the treadmill indoors, so I text my two best friends: Marco and Tristan. Surely, one of them will want to join me for a run.

  Group text: (Marco, Tristan, Bella)

  Me: What are you guys doing? I’m bored.

  Tristan: Mom is making me help clean the house. You?

  Me: That sucks. Watching Something About Mary.

  Marco: Of course you are…

  Me: Oh hush! Wanna go for a run?

  Tristan: Can’t… cleaning!

  Marco: Where?

  Me: Red Rock.

  Marco: Okay. Pick you up in twenty.

  Me: Okay.

  Tristan: Have fun

  I pause my favorite movie and throw on my athletic shorts, a sports bra, and a tank top. Then I grab my favorite hoodie from over the back of my chair and throw it on over my head. Even though it’s April in Vegas, the weather is cooler along the trails. I put on my socks and running shoes then grab my water bottle from my nightstand to fill it up in the kitchen. Once I’m dressed and ready to go, I grab the hair tie from around my wrist and throw my thick mane up into a ponytail.

  As I’m leaving my room, I get a text, so I stop and check it.

  Lucas: Wanna hang out?

  Me: Can’t

  I stuff my phone into the front pocket of my hoodie then pull it back out.

  Me: Sorry. Another time?

  Ever since starting high school this year, it feels like everything is changing. For so long, I was just Bella, the MMA fighter. Guys always saw me as one of them. But this year, something shifted.

  I look at myself in the mirror to see if anything significant has changed, but I’m still just… me. I have chocolate brown hair that has a natural curl to it and matching brown eyes just like my dad. I am on the skinnier side from years of working out but was blessed with decent cleavage. I take a closer look in the mirror. My lips are naturally full like my mom’s, and my skin tone is an olive color like my dad’s. Most people say I’m the perfect mixture of both my parents.

  While I don’t think I’m ugly, I don’t think I’ve suddenly morphed into some hot chick. I don’t wear makeup, my hair is almost always up in a ponytail out of my face, and I can usually be found wearing nothing but athletic attire when I’m not in my school uniform, since I pretty much live and breathe fighting.

  My phone dings again.

  Lucas: Sure. Maybe we can go to the movies?

  Not having any idea how I want to respond to his question, I close out the text and put my phone away. I don’t think I look any different than I did last year, but for some reason the guys are acting like I’m the new girl in town. I was born in Las Vegas and have lived here my entire life, so I don’t get it. I take one last look at myself in the mirror then turn my light off and head downstairs.

  “Mom! Dad!” I yell as I walk through the living room. “I’m going running with Marco.”

  No answer.

  I get to the kitchen and see my younger siblings—Nathan and Lilly—sitting at the bar eating a bowl of cereal. Nathan is five years younger than me and Lilly is seven years younger. Long story short, my parents met when they were young, real young. My mom was eighteen and fresh out of high school and my dad was twenty-two. They fell for each other instantly but were both heading in different directions in life. My mom had no idea she was pregnant when they parted ways, and once she knew, she had no way to get ahold of my dad. Five years later, they found each other, and surprise! I was in tow. Once they fell back in love, they got married and then came my brother and sister.

  “Hey, where are Mom and Dad?” I grab an apple from the fridge, my go-to fruit in the morning, and take a bite, then fill up my bottle with cold water and ice.

  “In their room,” Nathan says through a mouthful of cereal. I look at the clock. It reads 8:00. There’s only one reason my parents would still be in their room this late and I don’t even want to think about that reason. Sure, I’m aware that’s how my siblings and I were brought into this world but still…

  “Okay, well, let them know I went running with Marco.”

  “Ugh. Running.” Lilly scrunches her little nose in disgust. She clearly takes after our mom when it comes to exercise, which means it doesn’t happen. Like at all. Give my mom a book and a comfy couch and she’s good to go. My dad, on the other hand, is a retired UFC fighter and owns a couple UFC training facilities, including one here in Las Vegas, called Cooper’s Fight Club. While I enjoy curling up with a good book on a rainy day, I’ve grown up in the gym and will choose anything athletic over lounging around like a couch potato.

  “Can I go?” Nathan asks. Like me, Nathan enjoys the more physical activities. He’s not really into fighting, but he loves to sweat. He usually spends his days at the recreational center my dad and his friends started years ago. It’s a sport’s complex for kids and teens to spend their time at as opposed to running the streets. Nathan is really into football and for only being ten years old, he’s actually really good at it.