Free Fight: A Stepbrother Romance Novella by Stephanie Brother Page A

the cash to flash could buy my services."
    She let out a harsh gasp, and I expected her to pull away from me. Instead, she confounded me by leaning closer, putting her arms around me, and hugging me tightly. I didn't even realize I was responding to the embrace until my hands fisted into her hair, as they pressed against her back.
    She rained kisses on my face before she spoke. "Oh, my poor darling, I'm sorry you had to go through that."
    What the actual fuck? She should have been running for the door by now, not offering me comfort or empathy. How could she even begin to understand what life had been like for those three years? We might have come from similar backgrounds, at least for the four years I had been in this house, but we had nothing in common. I wanted to shove her away and ram a dose of reality down her throat, so why the fuck was I holding her closer?
    "You said you had to do that for three years? What happened then?"
    Without meaning to, my voice softened slightly, and I went from trying to shock her to simply explaining what had happened. I told her about meeting Lila, who owned a nightclub and caught me servicing a client in the bathroom. Instead of calling the cops, she had eyed me with cold interest as I tried to fight her bouncer. I had resisted the entire way as she’d had the man drag me into her office and shove me into a chair.
    Solemnly, I had stared across her desk at the beautiful older woman, struggling to hide how her sophisticated poise intimidated me. I'd banged rich broads in the past, usually for hundred-dollar bills tucked neatly into my G-string or the waistband of my jeans, but none of them had achieved the same level of grace and class as Lila Barrett. I didn't know her name then, of course, and I had no idea that the classy lady in front of me was actually a big-time coordinator in the underground fighting scene.
    She’d offered me a drink, and I had accepted it brashly, though I certainly didn't feel comfortable. Pretending like I was, I had stretched out my legs and taken the glass from her, wrinkling my nose when I took a long gulp to discover it was simply sparkling water. "What the fuck is this?" I had asked her.
    The stunning brunette had burst out laughing, her bright red lips bowed to show her amusement "That's water, which you should stick to. With your new diet and training regimen, alcohol is a big no-no."
    I had stared at her impassively, confused but not willing to show it. "What do you want from me, lady?"
    Lila had smiled softly, and I had sworn she was coming on to me. She wouldn't be the first woman a good twenty years my senior who I had fucked, and I prepared myself for her proposition. I was already mentally spending the money on rent and crazy luxuries like food as I smirked and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting to hear her offer.
    It had blown me away.
    She hadn't wanted to fuck me. Instead, Lila had taken me under her wing, set me up with a trainer in a gym, and it even got me a better apartment so I was closer to the gymnasium and farther away from the temptation of selling my body for easy money. The first few months had sucked, as I'd had a lot of work ahead of me. Not only had I had to bulk up my frame, but I'd had to learn how to fight. She hadn't even let me anywhere near a match for the first four months, and I’d lost the first three she’d sponsored me in. I was ashamed and humiliated, ready to chuck it all away, but Lila had refused to let me.
    Instead, she’d pushed me into a fourth match, along with intensifying my training. To my surprise, I had won that match. The thrill of victory had been a high, and training had helped me deal with my anger issues. Re-committed to the idea, I had thrown myself into training and competing, and eventually, I'd had the chance to cross into the legitimate circles. Now, I was on the edge of real success, and I had worked damned hard to get there.
    I made no apologies for what I'd had to do to survive in the