FIGHT FOR HER
by Kelly Favor
Other books by Kelly Favor include the New York Times bestselling series, For His
Pleasure and the hot New Adult series, Naked.
Fight For Her. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.
Gunner King was the hottest guy in the free world, and Krista Everett was looking right at him.
At least, she was looking at a picture of him in Modern Warrior, the magazine that she’d purchased after arriving at Logan Airport, in Boston. Gunner’s brown eyes glowered at her from an olive complexioned face. His brown hair was short but naturally styled, sweeping across his forehead. He seemed to be smirking at her a little bit.
How he managed to glower and smirk at the same time, she wasn’t sure.
Beneath the eye-catching photo was the headline:
The UFF’s Biggest Star Self-Destructs: Will He Bring the Biggest FightOrganization Down with Him?
Even reading it gave her the chills.
This, after all, was the story in sports right now. Less than a month ago, the reigning heavyweight champion of the United Fighting Federation had simply walked away from the sport. And he’d done it in advance of the biggest pay-per-view event in the history of mixed martial arts. He’d walked away from millions upon millions of dollars with no explanation, and apparently, no regrets.
Of course, Krista knew very little about the man, only what she’d read and researched since finding out that she was going on this trip.
And after doing the best she could to read up on him, all Krista really knew was that Gunner was enigmatic, reclusive, and dangerous. Apparently he was also in hiding and not wishing to be found.
Which was why Krista was currently on her way to find him.
As stupid as it sounded, Krista’s livelihood depended on seeking out the most dangerous man on the planet, and somehow getting him to admit that he’d been wrong about his recent life choices.
“Excuse me, ma’am, we brought your car around front,” the rental agent said, breaking into her reverie as he handed her the keys. “Would you like any help with your bags?”
“No thanks, I’ve got them,” she replied, quickly folding her magazine and tucking it under her arm as she stood up with her small suitcase, purse and laptop computer.
The agent smiled, but his eyes were busy roving over her body, flicking from her legs to her ass and then seeming to gaze longingly at her breasts.
Krista didn’t even bother being annoyed with the man’s obvious stare.
She’d tried to dress down, putting on a simple pair of jeans and a comfortable sweater that seemed to hide her curves well—at least, so she’d thought. Apparently, the rental agent either was seeing things she hadn’t thought seeable or he had quite the imagination.
A short walk out to the lot and she’d thrown her bags into the rental car, a black GMC Yukon. It was big and sturdy, and perfect for the drive into the Berkshires, she decided.
She got in the front seat and started the car, placing the magazine on the passenger seat next to her. As the engine rumbled to life, she glanced down at Gunner’s picture again.
He seemed to be taunting her now, ready to laugh.
You’ve got to be kidding me, his eyes said. You don’t stand a chance.
But Krista wasn’t about to be discouraged, and certainly not by a mere picture of the heavyweight champion fighter.
She set the GPS for the small town of Middle River, and started on her way.
It was a long drive, almost two hours, and there wasn’t a lot to see. But when she finally saw the signs for Middle River, her nerves started jumping and dancing again.
I’m one of the only people on the planet who knows where Gunner is, she thought.
And I’m the only person who’s actually going to get the opportunity to speak to him,convince him that what he’s doing is wrong, and bring him back to Las Vegas, where hebelongs.
It sounded nuts, even to her. But she believed she could do it.
This was the chance of a lifetime, and she was ready to make the most of it. The entire flight from Vegas, and the drive through Massachusetts, she’d been practicing her speech. Sometimes she’d even said the words out loud, but mostly she’d just rehearsed it in her head.
Hi, I’m Krista Everett and I work in Fighter Relations for the UFF. I know youprobably don’t want to talk right now, but I hope you’ll just take a few minutes of yourtime to speak with me. After all, it’s my job to help you, Gunner. I really think that if wechat for a little while, we might be able to find some common ground and begin to workthrough the issues you’re currently having with the UFF. I’m on your side. Just try andtrust me.
It sounded good to her. And she meant it. She really did think that Gunner was making a huge mistake, foolishly throwing away everything he’d worked for, and destroying his career and reputation in the process.
Hell, in all likelihood, he would also be sued for breach of contract and end up owing millions of dollars because of the way he’d backed out of the pay-per-view fight on such short notice.
If he listens to me, she thought, then it will change both of our lives for the better.
***
She knew that Middle River was a small town, but she wasn’t prepared for just how small. It was basically one small road in the middle of the woods, and on that same road she saw the tiny little post office, one gas station, a little motel attached to a restaurant (The Middle River Inn, where she had booked a room for one night), and a police station so quaint that it seemed like it could be easily overtaken by a couple of determined old ladies with canes.
But if all went well, Krista thought, she wouldn’t be here very long. A couple of hours and then she’d head right back to the airport, hopefully with Gunner next to
