Free FIGHTER: An MMA Romance Novel by Sadie Black, BWWM United

head and turned to face the lockers. With any luck it wouldn't be the last time they met.
----

Chapter 10
    Jax
    " M a , can you hear me?"
    The static on Jax's phone cut out for a second, then cleared in time for him to hear the last half of his mother's reply.
    "—me again, Jax. Do you understand?"
    The stern cut to her tone had him laughing. Scolding didn't work so well when he was thousands of miles away and in a different country.
    "Ma, you cut out. I found some reception here at the airport. I'm heading home now. I'm scheduled to arrive tomorrow around two in the afternoon, so I should be home before three. As soon as I land I'll give you another call, okay?"
    "I heard about the fight. I couldn’t help it, it’s all over the internet. You knocked that guy out in ten seconds?"
    "Yeah Ma," Jax settled onto one of the seats near his gate, eyeballing the digital display with the time. The plane wasn't scheduled to board for another half hour, but that wasn't the worst of his waiting. The ten-hour layover after this flight would drive him to near insanity.
    "You did great, Jax. You did. I just keep thinking though, what if you were on the other side? The one being knocked out?"
    Always the worrier. Jax shook his head silently, glad she couldn't see the grin on his face.
    "It couldn’t happen, Ma. No one trains like me or takes it as serious as I do. If someone had tries, I’ll take ‘em down. Simple as that."
    His mother’s silence spoke volumes. He knew she would never fully support a job where he could get seriously hurt. But he also knew she was proud of him. Finally, she hummed a sigh, and Jax could picture her shaking her head in resignation. From the time he was little, Jax caused her problems. It was only natural he'd still give her grey hairs as an adult.
    "You're missing the point, baby."
    "Nah, I'm just willfully ignoring it."
    The hard shell suitcase he'd brought stood at his feet, sealed. It was small enough to stow in an overhead, and Jax was glad he hadn't wasted time checking bags. The weekend in Brazil seemed to end quicker than his fight had. It was his first time out of the country. Hell, almost his first time out of state, and he wished he could experience more of what the world had to offer.
    After he won the belt and the money that went with it, that wouldn't be a problem anymore.
    "Jax McCarthy, you're enough to drive a woman crazy. Did you know that?"
    "So you've told me, Ma."
    The static returned, distorting the call. Jax waited for it to pass, but when it didn't, he decided to wrap things up before he wracked his phone bill up too high.
    "You're breaking up and I don't wanna pay for too much roaming, Ma. Love you and I'll be home tomorrow. See you soon."
    Jax ended the call and slipped the phone back into the pocket of his loose jeans. A woman was watching him from a few benches over, and he could tell from the way she ate him up with her eyes that she was interested. What Jax had heard about Brazilian women was true — they were gorgeous. As beautiful as she was, Jax wasn’t interested. Relationships weren’t his priority, not when he already had so much on his plate to worry about. A girl to look after was just an unnecessary distraction from his training.
    And yet, no matter how much he told himself that, he couldn't shake the image of Nicole's face from his mind.
    Pretty dark eyes with long lashes. Full lips painted the perfect color of red to compliment her skin tone. A cute nose. But it wasn't how attractive she was that had hooked him, it was something more. Jax could still hear the sound of her laugh and see how she lit up when she looked at him. Their time together had been brief, but she made him feel something. It was enough that he was still thinking about her now, even a day later.
    What would life be like her? He’d never found the time or the right girl to really settle down with. Sure, he’d had plenty of sex and a couple quickie relationships, but no girl had captured his