Takedown (19 page)

Chapter 27

Blaze glanced at his wristwatch. It had been two hours since he called for Travis to come to the hospital, but here he was in the lobby, still waiting.

At dawn, his father’s doctor called to let him know that they had to start with the operation right away, and any more delay might endanger the patient’s life.

So with a bruised face and bandaged knuckles, he drove his way to the hospital. Walter smiled at him and asked if he was okay. When he said yes, Walter told the staffs that he was ready. Problem was, the blood donor was still not around.

Someone sat down beside him, someone heavy. When he turned his head, he found Travis.

He nodded slightly. He knew his brother would come.

“They’re waiting for you,” he whispered.

Travis stared at him. “You look awful.”

“Yeah. You too.”

“You’re uglier than I am.”

Blaze grinned, gently patting the bruises on his face. “You almost broke my nose.”

“I could have, but you got lucky. You weren’t good enough for me. You just got lucky.”

“Well, luck is a part of any game.”

Travis chuckled. “How’s the old man?”

“Waiting for you.”

“Did he watch?”

“Yes. He was concerned about your arm. He wanted to know if you can fight again.”

“Of course, I can. You just got a lucky break… literally.”

Blaze smiled. “I’m not defending my title against you.”

“Why? Scared?”

“Probably.”

“You should be, because you won’t be that lucky the second time around.”

Blaze forced out a laugh. “I didn’t want to retire then. I was at the peak of my career, and I was still enjoying it immensely, but… Dad begged me to give it to you, hoping that it could make you happy once again.”

Travis’ eyes were suddenly moist with tears. “You didn’t believe I could defeat you, did you?”

Blaze shook his head. “Not that I didn’t, but Chuck decided that I’d rather retire than compromise my career. He had a feeling I’d intentionally lose against you, so he pulled me out… to save me from doing anything stupid.”

“You never believed in me. That’s the reason why I got obsessed to get you back into the ring, so I can prove myself.”

“And what did you get?”

Travis could not speak. He knew he lost, in the most humiliating way.

“You cannot fight with your anger alone as your driving force, Travis. That’s just wrong. If you go on with that, you could kill again. The next time around, they wouldn’t take it as another accident. It would be the end of you.”

After a long silence, Travis replied in a very faint voice. “It’s all I have. Anger. Hate.”

Blaze reached out and wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulder. “You have me. You have a family waiting for you to come back. We’ve waited for so long already.”

Tears rolled down Travis’ face, but he quickly bowed down to hide it. He still tried to hold back, but a moment later, he leaned over and hugged Blaze.

Blaze wrapped his arms around his brother as tight as he could. His little brother was back. His heart overflowed with happiness. “I love you, bro,” he whispered.

Travis sobbed. “I’m sorry.”

Blaze tapped Travis’ back. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything.”

A moment later, Travis pulled away, sniffed, and forced out a smile. “Why not keep your title for a little longer. It’s your time to shine once again.”

Blaze shook his head. “Things have changed. I don’t want it anymore.”

“So what do you want to do? Go back to your boring hotel?”

“I don’t know.”

“Admit it. You’re scared that I will beat the hell out of you on our rematch.”

“You already beat the hell out of me, bro. Not just in the octagon.”

Travis was silent, and then he heaved a deep sigh. “The baby’s not mine,” he said. “Megan and I are just casual friends. And that night you saw me in her house, that was a set up. I happened to drop by to speak with Josh and he told me you were coming, so I had decided to pull that prank to make you angry.”

Blaze stared at his brother for a long moment, gauging the truth in his eyes. “Did she know?”

“No.”

“Then why did she not say anything?”

Travis shrugged. “Maybe shocked to find me there wearing her brother’s robe.”

Blaze clenched his teeth, as well as his knuckles. If they weren’t in the hospital, and if he did not just break his shoulders, he’d shove this prick’s face on the floor and hang him upside down.

“Damn you,” he gritted through his teeth and sighed. “So what else have you lied about?”

“That I was going to marry her,” Travis replied. “I wanted to, but she didn’t.”

“And what about that invitation card you sent me?”

“I didn’t send you that. I paid someone to make it and send it to you.”

“Asshole.”

Travis heaved a deep sigh. “Blaze, the baby’s yours.”

He chuckled disdainfully. “Did she tell you that? What about that lawyer claiming it was his?”

“Do you actually believe that?”

Blaze was dumbfounded.
Does he?

In truth, he never believed it. But with all those lies that had plagued his difficult relationship with Megan, he was not sure who or what to trust anymore.

“I’ve decided to go for rehab, voluntarily,” Travis said after a long silence. “I need help.”

“For what?”

“You know what it’s for. I need to control my emotions. I don’t want to kill another man again.”

Blaze nodded. Finally, his brother had opened up his mind. In just one day, he had matured. “You’re doing pretty well as early as now.”

Travis cleared his throat. “When I’m cured and all, you think Dad would want me back as his son.”

“He had always treated you as his son. He’s been waiting for you to come back to him.”

Travis nodded. “I’ll make him proud.”

“Excuse me,” a nurse, who approached them, said. “The patient is ready.”

Blaze heaved a deep sigh. His anxiety surged. He looked at Travis. “Ready?”

Travis slowly rose to his feet. “Of course, I am,” he said and turned around, but before he could take a step away, he looked back at Blaze. “You’ll wait here, will you?”

“I’ll be here.”

Travis smiled and followed the nurse.

Blaze watched his brother limp away. This was a miracle. He thought fighting his brother in the ring would cement the rift between them permanently, but instead, it brought them together again.

He had a feeling his family would be whole again. Just a while ago, he had called his mother in Brazil and told her about Walter. He had not expected his mother’s response. She had immediately cancelled her scheduled wedding and decided to come home. He knew she still loved his father, and Walter felt the same. They were just too proud to admit it.

Everything would soon be perfect, except for the big empty spot in his heart. The pain still lurked deep within him. Although he was inclined to believe the baby was his, he still was not ready to see her again.

*****

“Blaze told me he is the father of your child,” Vivian said, which caught Meg by surprise. “Is it true?”

Megan could not speak. So Blaze had known all along, yet he decided to keep it all to himself and have her marry Travis?

“Is it true, Megan?” Vivian asked again.

Megan nodded. It surprised her when this woman, who never wanted to meet her in person before, suddenly called her this morning and invited her over to her house. She had wondered why, and it turned out, Vivian had already heard about her complicated relationship with the Rockwood brothers. “Yes.”

“Then why are you marrying his brother? And who’s that lawyer claiming to be the real father?”

She closed her eyes for a brief moment and sighed. How could she explain all these bullshit to Vivian in a way that she would understand and would not think of her as a slut.

“I didn’t plan to marry Travis. That was Blaze idea.”

“He asked you to marry Travis?”

“He asked Travis to marry me.”

Vivian moaned and sneered, apparently disgusted by what she heard. “I’ve known Blaze. He’s a good kid. I know he plays a lot with women, but I can’t believe he’d ask his brother to marry you to escape his liability.”

“No, it isn’t like that at all.” Megan shook her head. “He wanted to marry me, and I couldn’t.”

Vivian narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“Because of Bryan.” Her voice cracked at the end. She cleared her throat before she continued. “I feel like I’m betraying him.”

Vivian just stared at her. The hard look on her face had instantly softened. “Did you love Bryan?”

“I did,” she replied promptly. “His death devastated me. I didn’t know how to cope up, and Blaze was the only one who was there for me. I tried to stay away, but then I fell in love with him, and I felt so ashamed of myself. I was afraid of what you’d think of me, so I kicked him out of my life.”

“Oh, darling,” Vivian uttered in disbelief. “You hurt him just because you were afraid of what other people will think of you?”

Megan nodded.

Vivian sighed and allowed a few seconds of silence to prevail. “When I saw you at the burial, I’ve been thinking that… if I tried to get to know you when I had the chance, maybe the loss of my son would not have been so difficult.”

Megan slowly lifted her face to look into Vivian’s eyes. She never noticed that. She thought they only tolerated her presence there because of Blaze.

“There must be a reason why Bryan fell in love with you. I should have thought about that when he was still alive.”

Tears welled in Megan’s eyes. She’d never expected to hear those words from this woman. “I don’t know why he loved me. I felt I didn’t deserve him.”

“Something that I’ve forgotten about Bryan is that… he would not have loved you unless he saw something beautiful in you. And Blaze must have seen the same thing from you. Believe me, Megan, Blaze had never fallen in love with a woman before.”

Megan tried to hold back her tears. “It’s too late.”

“No,” Vivian quickly retorted. “From the way he sounds, he’s still hurting over you. He’s just too proud to admit it.”

Her lips parted. She couldn’t believe her ears. “Really? He doesn’t hate me?”

“Maybe he does, but he still loves you.”

Megan compressed her lips. That sounded so beautiful to her, even if she feared it may not be true.

“He is just like a son to me, Megan,” Vivian continued, “and I could not stand to see him in such a way. That’s why I wanted to talk to you, to beg you to go back to him. He needs you.”

Megan could no longer hold back her tears. This woman had known Blaze for a long time now, so she knew what she was talking about. “Do you think it’s fine with Bryan?”

“Bryan will understand.”

“And with you?”

“Of course.” Vivian smiled. “You two are very special to my son, and I’m sure that you both will cherish Bryan’s memories with you forever. If you and Blaze got married, I’m sure that he will be smiling down from heaven.”

Megan wiped her tears. “I’m not sure what to tell him.”

“Go to his party tonight. Surprise him.”

“He might shut the door in my face.”

“Then knock again. Let’s see how many times he could shut the door in your face.”

Megan smiled, and then laughed. She understood what Vivian meant. Persistence. She pushed Blaze out of her life, now she had to earn him back.

She felt so light inside. A heavy weight that had been burdening her for so long had been lifted off. Now that she had Vivian’s permission, she no longer felt guilty over falling in love with the man she thought was wrong for her.

“By the way, Blaze brought Travis here with him.”

Megan’s jaw dropped. Of all the miracles that she had witnessed, that was the most amazing of all.

“I wanted to kill the son of a bitch,” Vivian continued, “but he knelt down before me and begged me to forgive him. I cried so hard I found myself embracing him instead. I couldn’t go on hating. I had to move on. So I gave him my forgiveness so he can straighten his life.”

Megan smiled. This woman just earned her admiration. Forgiving the man who had killed her only son was the most difficult thing for a mother, but she’d done it.

Chapter 28

“Can’t I come get you there myself?” Blaze asked his brother whom he was talking with on the phone. Travis had been true to his words. Right after Walter’s operation, he had voluntarily checked himself into rehab. “I’ll drive you back before midnight.”

“I tried, bro,” Travis replied, “but they lectured me about rules, and rules, and rules instead. You have fun without me. In three months, I’ll be out of here and then we can party.”

“At your wedding?”

Travis laughed. “Sure, but you’ll have to find me another bride. The one you suggested ditched me, and it wasn’t my fault. So don’t say I breached the condition.”

Blaze smirked. “I find it insane that you were willing to go through with the wedding just for the fight?”

“You bet. Hey, my pal’s here waiting for me to teach him how to punch. I’ll make a man out of this wimp while I’m here. Talk to you later.”

“Later then. Thanks for calling.”

“Don’t mention it, lucky champ.”

Blaze grinned as he lowered the phone. Travis was finally back to the sweet boy he once was. Getting back into the octagon had paid off so far. In exchange of some bruises, emotionally and physically, he got his brother back. To him, that was worth it.

He heard a knock on the door. His Black Clan mates were partying downstairs, celebrating his win almost a week ago, when Travis called and he had to go to his room to answer his phone. He had postponed this celebration because he didn’t feel it right to celebrate while his father was recovering in the hospital. The big boys probably figured out his absence so they came to get him to rejoin them.

He opened the door. He was expecting to see a group of drunk men to hand him a glass of champagne, but instead, he found a nervous woman dressed in a skimpy, pink dress.

Stunned, he stared at her flushed face. It almost looked like she wanted to run away from him.

“Hi.” Her voice stammered. “I came with my brother,” she started, her voice stammering. “I’m not invited, but… I have to talk to you.”

He did not respond. For the last two months, he had dreamt of this moment. Now that she was actually here, he was not sure what to feel. The pain that she caused him still pricked his heart.

He shut the door closed and turned away. He found himself breathing hard. What did he do that for? He thought he was willing to make amends with her for the sake of the child.

He heard a knock again. He was determined to just ignore her, but he found himself opening the door once again. “What?”

She swallowed. “I love you.”

Again, he shut the door right in her face.

“Fuck you,” he uttered, gasping furiously.

The nerve of that woman to tell him those words, while she literally ripped his heart and pride without mercy. If she was hoping that he’d take her back, that was never going to happen. Ever.

He let a couple of minutes pass by, hoping she’d leave. But something inside him was screaming her name. He shouldn’t let her go now.

Slowly, he opened the door. He was both surprised and relieved to find her still standing there. Her eyes were filled with tears that she tried so damn hard to hold back.

“Say that to me one more time and I’ll throw you out of the window,” he warned.

She inhaled a deep breath, as if to grasp for more courage. “I love you.”

Stunned, he glared at her. This woman really meant to taunt him. If she wanted to test if he could make good of his warning, then he’d show her he was damn serious.

He pulled her inside the room and paced towards the window. He slid it open. When he looked back at her, he saw her cowering in fear, but she stood her ground.

“You have two ways out of here,” he said. “Through that door, or through this window. You choose.”

“I’m not leaving until you answer my question,” she returned.

“What question?”

“…Do you still love me?”

He was frozen. That was the most stunning question ever asked of him. How dare her. “I never said that I love you.”

“You never said it… but I know you did, and I want to know if you still do.”

For some reasons, her words infuriated him. In a few long strides, he grabbed her arm and pushed her before the open window. “What are you up to now, Megan? Didn’t you have enough?”

“I’m not up to something,” she cried. Unlike the woman he once knew who’d kick and scratch her way out to safety, she never even tried to fight back. “I just want you back.”

“You do, huh.” He swirled her around and pressed her back against the wall. “Why?”

“Because I love you,” she said aloud, so boldly she never even hesitated for a second. “How many times do I have to tell you? I love you.”

Something exploded within him. He thought it was anger, but he felt nothing of that. What he felt was a strong surge of emotion that almost burst out of his heart.

“Damn you,” he gritted and captured her mouth. He kissed her hard and deep, demanding that she gave in to him.

She did. She responded to his kisses with the same intense passion as he had. She yielded to him... completely.

He still loved her. Heaven forgive him, but he still did, and he’d be damned if he’d ever let her go again.

“Damn you, Megan, how could you do this to me?” he murmured against her mouth and slid his lips down her neck, biting… licking.

She held on to his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

That angered him more. “Fuck you,” he said as he gently caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. Something in him wanted to strangle her, but the most part of him wanted to love her… just love her. “It’s too late for that.”

She stiffened. Horror filled her face as she stared at him.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Do you still love me?”

“Why do you want to know? So you could hurt me again?”

She shook her head. “I never meant to. I allowed them to use me to deceive you because I wanted to save my brother. I had no choice. It was the only way.”

He clenched his knuckles, tempted to squeeze her neck, but when tears rolled down her face, he found his thumbs gently wiping them off instead. He had completely softened. His love for her had completely overwhelmed his anger.

“I hate you, Megan,” he whispered with emphasis. “I really do.”

She smiled, and then laughed, as if she knew he meant the opposite. She grabbed his head with two hands and kissed him.

He kissed her back with twice the intensity and ferocity she had. She moaned, yielding to his demand.

She started to unbutton his shirt, her fingers stroking every inch of skin she bared.

He clenched his knuckles. His erection was killing him, but he wanted to tell her just one final thing. “I told you before, Meg. I don’t give second chances.”

She froze. Her fingers fell from his shirt as she stared at him with those pair of horrified green eyes. It looked so amusing he almost burst into laughter.

He softened his gaze. “But with you, Megan Riley, I’ll make an exception.”

She raised both her eyebrows, and then she laughed and fisted on his chest. “Fuck you, Blaze Rockwood,” she cried.

Laughing, he caught both her wrists and nailed them with one hand above her head. He kissed her mouth and undressed her with his other hand.

“Release me,” she rasped in between gasps as she pulled her hand off his grip and continued to unbutton his shirt. “I want to touch you.”

He let her hands go so he could undress her faster. As he unfastened the front of her dress and saw her breasts spill out, he felt her hand squeezing his erection.

“Oh, fuck,” he moaned and kneaded her breasts in response.

She squeezed harder. “I’ve missed this big dick here.”

Those words and the sight of her rosy nipples had snapped the flimsy wire holding back his self-control.

Quickly, he tugged down the straps of her gown. It got stuck on her chest, so he ripped it off her, baring her breasts in sight.

She did not complain. Instead, she reached for the opening of his shirt and pulled on it. A few buttons fell to the floor, and as soon as she had bared enough skin, she devoured it with her hands and mouth.

He buried his fingers underneath her hair. Fuck, that felt good, but he would not let her get all the privilege now. He needed some for himself.

Without warning, he grabbed her behind her knees and carried her to bed. He practically tossed her onto the mattress, and then he quickly peeled off the rest of his clothes.

With her elbows resting on the bed, she propped herself up and watched as he bared every skin of his body right before her eyes. He noticed how her pupils dilated, so he slowed down on his boxers, his eyes fixed on her face as his cock sprung out of its confinement.

She sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of his hard, thick cock, as if it was the first time she set her eyes on it.

“Oh, God,” she whispered, her legs spreading on its own accord.

He smiled. The way her eyes widened every time she saw his cock had always flattered him. “Want it?” he teased, slowly stroking his length with his hand, showing her exactly how big and thick it was.

“Dying for it,” she replied dreamily.

Groaning, he crawled over her, careful not to touch her just yet, until his mouth was right over hers. “Touch it,” he whispered.

Without a second thought, she obeyed.

The heat of his dick scorched her palm, in a wonderful way. “I’ve missed this,” she said, squeezing his dick tighter before moving her hand along its length.

He let out a long, throaty moan, his eyes shutting halfway closed. “Sorry, Meg, but I can’t hold it any longer.”

He pinned her down the bed and lowered his mouth onto her breasts. Like a famished beast, he captured her nipple, biting and sucking wetly.

She held on to his head, arching her body against his greedy mouth and hands.

As he devoured her breasts, one of his hands moved down between her legs. He cupped her mound, massaged it for a second or two before ripping her underwear off. The delicate lace easily gave way.

He did not waste time. His thumb quickly found her clit, massaged it, while his long finger slid downward, teasing her opening.

“Oh, Blaze, that feels good,” she said, spreading her legs further apart.

He lifted his head off her breasts and watched the pleasure on her face. “You’re soaking wet, darling,” he groaned. “You ready for me?”

“Dying for it,” she replied.

In response to her boldness, he pushed his finger as deep as it could go inside her shivering channel. She cried out in pleasure.

“Blaze, please.”

He groaned. He loved it everytime she begged. Slowly, he pulled his finger out of her and rubbed his cockhead against her entrance. “Do you want this?”

“Yes,” she mewed.

Wanting to tease her further, he lay to his side and turned her back to him. He lifted her leg up and positioned the tip of his cock to her entrance. He held her close, his arm across her breasts. “How about this?”

She moaned. “Fuck you, Blaze.”

Laughing, he thrust his cock inside her, going as deep as he could in a single thrust.

She cried and held on to his bicep for support as he practically drilled his way inside her.

“Tell me again, Meg,” he moaned as he began thrusting in and out of her, drilling deeper and deeper at every push. “Let me hear it.”

“What?” she drawled.

“What you always tell me every time we make love.”

“No,” she teased, moving to meet his every thrust. “Just continue doing that.”

“I need to hear it.”

“And if I don’t?”

“I’ll stop.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

He reached around to stroke her clit. “You got one word wrong.”

She moaned, holding tighter onto his arm. “F-fuck me,” she whispered.

His heart swelled. Those words sounded like a beautiful poem to him. He would never tire hearing it from her.

His arms tightened around her and he thrust harder. “From now on, say…
love me
.”

She moaned and smiled. “Then love me.”

He responded by increasing his pace. She cried in pleasure, demanding for more.

“You’re… so big,” she whimpered, yielding closer to his body.

He could feel her inner muscles contracting, and he knew what was to come… her come.

Faster, he moved into her, harder by the second. When her nails dug into his skin, he knew she was right on the edge. “Yes, Meg. Come for me.”

Her orgasm exploded at his command. Her body jerked, but he held her in place.

As the tides of pleasure poured over her, he chased his own climax. Before she could even recover, his hot seed jetted inside her.

She lay limp right where she was, gasping. Blaze still had the vigor to go on, but he’d rather relish the aftermath of this lovemaking and allow her time to rest. He glided his hand over her belly, stroking the bump.