Tap Out
Authors: Michele Mannon
Tap Out
By Michele Mannon
Book two of Worth the Fight
Late-night shock jock Sophie Morelle has been fired, dumped by her network after an embarrassing incident cost them big bucks. But she knows just how to get back on her feet—by filming a raw, gritty documentary about MMA fighters, starring the hottest welterweight around. The only problem? He’s the one responsible for ruining her life.
MMA-champion-turned-model Caden Kelly is hell-bent on reestablishing himself as the best fighter in the country. He’d been on a roll, too, until that loudmouth reporter hit him in the head with a camera on national TV. The headaches he’s suffered since are nothing compared to the one he gets when she shows up, seeking an exclusive. That Sophie’s gorgeous is undeniable...but she’s also the most infuriating woman he’s ever met.
Stepping into the ring with Caden Kelly is not for the faint of heart, but Sophie’s never been the delicate type. This champion may have finally met his match—both in and out of the bedroom.
Don’t miss
Knock Out,
available now!
92,000 words
Dear Reader,
I’m jumping right into it this month because
New York Times
bestselling author Shannon Stacey’s next book in the Kowalski series is out in both digital and print at the end of April.
Taken with You
is the story of girlie-girl librarian, Hailey. She’s easy to get along with, is a small-town girl who loves where she lives, but she also loves nice clothes and fine dining and is looking for a guy who will be there when she comes home at night, and who will dress up and take her out to something a little more upscale than the local diner. It’s also the story of Matt, a hunky forest ranger who loves the outdoors, loves his dog, and is looking for a woman who doesn’t mind his erratic hours, will take a muddy ride on an ATV and won’t kick him out of the house when he walks in covered in dirt. Needless to say, these two opposites attract when Matt moves in next door to Hailey, and their story will take you on a wonderful romantic rollercoaster that will leave you with that happy-book sigh at the end.
If you love the TV show
Scandal
, have I got a new series for you. In Emma Barry’s Washington, D.C.-set, politically charged
Special Interests
, a shy labor organizer and an arrogant congressional aide clash over the federal budget but find love the more difficult negotiation.
April also brings a week of sports-related romance releases at Carina Press and we have six fantastic, very different contemporary sports romances being added to our already fantastic sports romance lineup. Allison Parr’s
Imaginary Lines
continues her new adult series. Tamar fell hopelessly in love with Abraham Krasner at age twelve, but knew he’d never see her as more than the girl next door—until years later, she gets a sports journalist position covering the NFL team Abe plays for...
Author Michele Mannon follows up
Knock Out
with
Tap Out
. Underwear model and playboy extraordinaire Caden Kelly will let nothing stop his come-back as an MMA fighter, especially a red-headed busy-bodied reporter hell bent on ruining his shot at a title. Meanwhile, Kat Latham writes the London Legends series about the world’s hottest rugby team. Book two,
Playing It Close
, features the team captain and a scandalous woman with whom he spent one passionate night and never thought he’d see again—until she turns out to be his team’s newest sponsor.
Kate Willoughby brings the on-the-ice action when a hunky hockey player falls helmet over skates for a nurse, but has to convince her he’s not the typical different-puck-bunny-every-day athlete in
On the Surface
. In a much more warmer-weather sport, professional tennis player Regan Hunter’s temper is as notorious as her unstoppable serve, but love and ambition will go head-to-head when she meets former player-turned-coach Ben Percy. Check out
Love in Straight Sets
by Rebecca Crowley.
And because we can’t leave out America’s favorite sport, Rhonda Shaw’s
The Ace
brings us a sexy baseball romance in a follow-up to her debut,
The Changeup
. “Love ’em and leave ‘em” is real estate agent Karen Bently’s motto—that is until her longtime crush, ace pitcher Jerry Smutton, sets her in his sights and offers her a proposal she can’t resist.
But it’s not all contemporary romance all the time in April. We have an eclectic selection of books from a lineup of talented authors (as always, right?). R.L. Naquin is back with her popular Monster Haven series. If you haven’t checked out this fun, sometimes zany, but always adorable series, look for book one,
Monster in My Closet
, at all of our retail digital partners. This month’s installment,
Golem in My Glovebox
, finds crazy shenanigans mix with a gruesome, cross-country trail of clues, as Zoey and Riley attempt to save the rest of the country’s Aegises—and ultimately, Zoey’s lost mother.
PJ Schnyder is wrapping up her London Undead trilogy with
Survive to Dawn
, in which werewolf and pack medic, Danny, must choose between his Alpha’s orders and the human witch who might have the cure to the zombie plague. And in the second installment of the Once Upon a Red World science fiction romance saga from Jael Wye, the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk unfolds on a devastated Earth 300 years in the future in
Ladder to the Red Star
.
A.J. Larrieu debuts with her first full-length paranormal romance novel,
Twisted Miracles
. A reluctant telekinetic is drawn back to New Orleans’ supernatural underworld when her friend goes missing, but once she’s there, she finds her powers—and her attraction to the sexy ex-boyfriend who trained her—are stronger than ever. Talented fantasy author Angela Highland is back with Rebels of Adalonia book two in her epic fantasy
Vengeance of the Hunter
. As rebellion ignites across Adalonia, the healer Faanshi must save both the Hawk Kestar Vaarsen and the assassin Julian—the one from magical annihilation at the hands of his Church, and the other from a path of revenge.
For mystery fans, we welcome author Delynn Royer to Carina Press with her book,
It Had to Be You
. An ambitious tabloid reporter stumbles upon the story of her career when she joins up with a jaded homicide detective to solve the Central Park murder of a notorious bootlegger in 1920s Manhattan.
Rounding out the April lineup is a book for all Regency historical romance fans. Wendy Soliman’s Forsters series wraps up with
Romancing the Runaway
. When Miranda and Gabe discover her childhood home has been stripped of all its valuables, Gabe uncovers more to the old house than either of them had imagined. And with Gabe’s safety hanging in the balance, Miranda is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice...
I’m confident you’ll find something to love among these books and I hope we provide you with many hours of reading enjoyment and escape from the neverending dishes!
Coming next month: Fan favorite male/male author Josh Lanyon, an amazing science fiction lineup, more sexy cowboys and hot moments from Leah Braemel and so much more!
Here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.
Happy reading!
~Angela James
Editorial Director, Carina Press
Dedication
As a kid, heck, even as an adult, I’d love to listen to my father’s stories. “True stories” about him and his eight siblings, his father, his mother, my mother. About growing up poor but with a love that was greater than what money could buy. His stories were often repetitive, except that the main characters would change or there’d be a new plot twist previously unmentioned. If I could count the hours spent listening to him, I’m sure they’d add up to years. Time I deeply treasure and am so grateful to have had.
This book is dedicated to my dad, the greatest storyteller to have ever have graced this planet. Although I miss you every second of every day, your stories, your amazing sense of humor, your heart and love live on.
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my publisher, Carina Press and my amazing editor, Kerri Buckley, for all the wisdom, support and hard work. A huge thanks to The New Jersey Romance Writers, a wonderful group of women with generous spirits and a willingness to encourage all authors, no matter the stage of their writing career. Thank you to my extremely talented critique partners, Joanna Shupe and Jenna Blue, who help tame my crazy. A heartfelt thanks to my extended critique group and friends at the
Violet Femmes
. Finally, a huge thanks to you, readers! For caring about my characters and the world I’ve created, enough to discuss and share your thoughts and feelings. Thanks for being so enthusiastic about my books, and for having been so supportive of a debut author.
Contents
Chapter One
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTER: A fighter with thick boxer arms, a massive wrestler chest, formidable kickboxer legs, and an ego rivaling any professional athlete’s
—The World of Ultimate Fighting According to Sophie Morelle
On the road, St. Louis, Missouri
Interstate I-70 traffic was at a dead standstill, and so was Sophie Morelle. Her legs turning to lead smack dab in the middle of the four-lane cluster jam, two buffalo chicken hoagies clutched in her grip and the last man she’d expected to lay eyes on, the scourge of her existence—MMA fighter Caden Kelly—up ahead.
In his underwear.
Like a moth to a brazen flame, her gaze was drawn to him, standing warrior-like, biceps flexed, arms folded across his chest, and legs spread wide. Naked, except for his virginal white, one-size-too-small briefs. The narrow elastic waistband rode tantalizingly low on the finely chiseled furrows beneath his hip bones.
A larger-than-life portrait of the welterweight, shamelessly displayed just a few yards away. Smirking down at her from the billboard hugging the far right lane, as if to say, “
Take a gander at this
,
sweetheart.
”
No mistaking him, with that impressive bulge so blatantly outlined in his designer tighty-whities. Matter of fact, everything about Caden was massive. Thighs, chest, biceps. Ego. Playboy lifestyle.
Rubberneckers who normally ogled fender-benders stopped for a long look at Ultimate American Man’s infamous underwear model looming indecently overhead.
Forget road rage, this was interstate insanity.
The sandwich wrappers crackled beneath her fingers, and she pulled her eyes away. She couldn’t get back into the sweet comforts of her new BMW fast enough.
“Hey, Sophie! Remember, sexy is as sexy does!” a guy sitting in a late model Volvo wagon hollered, his friend beside him waving wildly.
Sophie flashed her signature grin as she dashed by, yet her stomach turned. Hearing her tag line so ardently parroted by fans always did that. Couldn’t the network executives have kept it simple, like Idol’s Ryan Seacrest, with his classic “over and out” sign-off? Branding—that’s what they’d told her when they came up with the silly phrase. As if viewers would somehow otherwise miss the blatant sexual overtones of her show. Unlikely. That’s what was expected of Sophie Morelle, the sharp-witted, smooth-talking queen of late-night smack. Ex-queen, anyway.
Both men stared back at her. As if they’d never expected a celebrity to acknowledge them.
A horn sounded, kicking off a cacophony of angry beeping as the drivers in the center lanes realized they were the only ones not rolling forward.
July tended to be hot in St. Louis, but today was a scorcher, the heat sizzling off the asphalt like a Sunday griddle. All the more reason to hurry back inside her lovely Beamer, even if it was held at the mercy of the unexpected midafternoon traffic.
Her car had progressed mere inches in the five minutes she’d been gone. Sophie sprinted for the passenger door her best friend and semi-reluctant travel partner, Lauren, had pushed open for her.
“Hang onto your hats, folks. What’s a few more minutes in traffic going to cost you, eh?” she shouted over the blaring horns before slamming the door shut. “Jeez, you’re never going to believe what’s causing this mess.” She passed her friend a freshly made sandwich, courtesy of the Boar’s Head men in the truck behind them. “Your favorite. Buffalo chicken.”
“You’re crazy.”
Sophie nodded in agreement, and for the first time in a long while, found herself genuinely grinning.
“It’s a delivery truck, not some full-service corner deli. I was
joking
,” Lauren gasped, then paused to consider her. “But I suppose if anyone could finagle two hoagies out of some random truck stuck in traffic, it would be you.”
“You said that once you were fed, you’d take the wheel. Well?”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “Uh...still starving, and I’m
currently
driving.”
“Finally driving, you mean?” Sophie added smoothly, straightening out her soft, silk blouse as she made herself more comfortable in the passenger seat. She should be treating her friend to lobster salad at the Ritz, not a hastily made sandwich. Her support and encouragement—as illustrated by her agreeing to this mad road trip—was rock solid.
Lauren chuckled. “You
always
win. Smart-ass.” She shot Sophie a pointed look. “But man, you’re so good at making men do what you want.”
Sophie winked at her, and moved the hoagie to a more comfortable position on her lap. Boy, how she loved matching wits with Lauren. It helped keep the mood positive and light, in spite of the desperation tightly held at bay within the pit of her stomach. An amusing way to pass the time while logging 602 miles, which is exactly how far they’d traveled since leaving Pittsburgh two days ago.
“I almost feel sorry for those fighters,” Lauren added, shaking her head. “They have no idea who they’ll be dealing with.”
Sophie bit her lip, very aware of who
she’d
soon be dealing with.
You need to ignore your dislike of the arrogant playboy.
Remember
,
he’s your golden ticket to success.
The Chevy ahead accelerated. Lauren placed her hand on the stick shift and hit the gas. The Beamer’s engine purred back to life.
“If you wait a few seconds, you can pull over so we don’t have to eat in the car.”
Her friend shot her an evil eye but didn’t protest, knowing how Sophie liked things neat and clean. Eating sloppy sandwiches in a moving Beamer was a recipe for disaster.
“After all these years, you still pull stuff that surprises me,” Lauren further commented, adding emphatically, “totally bonkers.”
Bonkers
was right. Deciding to film a documentary on the day in the life of a mixed martial arts fighter was necessary, but weird, even considering Sophie’s nearly manic research of a sport more foreign to her than a used tire sale. Chasing a tour bus full of Mixed Martial Arts fighters cross-country was downright crazy. But the nuttiest of it all was she’d have to interview Caden Kelly, the one welterweight she’d never hoped to see again. By comparison, sequestering two Boar’s Head guys in their truck for food was mildly insane on the crazy scale.
She turned her attention toward one of the men in the Volvo, who was still signaling for her to lower her window further, as if she hadn’t heard him shouting.
They wanted a slice of her time, for sure. They all did.
Once more, her lips formed the smile she’d perfected over the years, and she pressed the power button on the door handle. The window smoothly lowered. “Sorry, did one of you say something?”
Lauren’s giggle echoed around the interior.
“Hey, Sophie. So, what’s your gripe with Caden Kelly? That was some bash—”
With a quick jab, Sophie’s finger hit the button and the window switched direction, blocking out the nonsense spewing out of the man’s mouth. Given present circumstances, what had she expected, really? A request for her autograph? A photograph?
Darn
. She felt Lauren’s eyes on her, but didn’t need to see her expression to know what she was thinking. Instead, she ran a hand across her silk blouse and smoothed out any wrinkles that might have cropped up in the few minutes since she’d previously straightened things.
Lord knew, she liked order in her life. One overzealous fan wasn’t going to upset her tidy apple cart. No siree. Still, her heart thumped erratically in her chest.
“You cut him off midsentence,” Lauren commented, unaware of the sudden change of temperature within Sophie’s soul. Cold. So darn cold an Alaskan blizzard seemed like a summer day at the beach. “Never knew windows reversed direction so smoothly—must be a new Beamer thing.”
Sophie struggled to keep her demons at bay and ignored the two guys gesturing in the next car over.
Sorry
,
interview’s over.
Instead, she murmured, “We’ll stop and eat first, then check out tonight’s venue—if we ever break free of this cluster jam.”
Thankfully, Lauren let it go, teasing instead, “Don’t you mean cluster fuck?”
Sophie flinched, and then grimaced at her silly reaction. On her show, she’d quipped numerous times how “shit regularly hit the f-bomb fan.” She offered Lauren a half-hearted “yep,” then fell silent.
As a successful late-night TV host, she’d played the quest-for-ratings game better than any of her all-male competition. That didn’t mean she agreed with half the raunchy things that came out of her mouth. Conversations about ginormous tatas and teensy wee-wees, lewd exchanges with porn stars, naughty questions with alcoholic celebrities, and, most recently, showcasing a bitter ballerina and his smear campaign against his former partner—who just so happened to have turned herself into the most popular Octagon Girl ever...well, the ratings had been through the roof. Sophie’s career had seemed indestructible.
She’d done it all—whatever whet the public’s appetite.
At times, she wasn’t proud of herself. But being able to afford luxuries like the gorgeous Beamer reminded her just how far she’d come from her childhood home in Hawley, an old run-down coal town that was one step up from trailer park. No one made it out of Hawley without developing a thick skin, and without being a bit ruthless. Or least, appearing to be so—no matter how much it hurt on the inside. She shook her head, refusing to go there.
Lauren interrupted her thoughts. “You have this weird expression on your face. You okay?”
“Caden’s responsible for this.” She resisted the temptation to say more, not wanting to overexaggerate that troublemaker’s hand in her recent downward spiral, and wondered when Lauren’s eyes would roam upward and spot him. “You’ll see. Mark my words.”
Her friend looked at her and laughed. “For the traffic? Or for those two guys gawking at you? A tornado could rip through here right now, and you’d think it was Caden’s divine doing.”
“Hmph. The only thing he’s divine at doing is looking good. Cornered the market in that department.” Sophie couldn’t argue that point.
The mixed martial arts fighter was the hottest ticket around. His reputation was notorious, both in and out of the Octagon ring. He’d become every girl’s oh-so-naughty fantasy date—or more. Every guy’s way to live vicariously through the life of a mixed martial arts fighter.
Rumor had it Caden out-earned both David Beckham and Tom Brady as a model for Ultimate American Male underwear. And UAM had deep pockets, paying her network a ridiculous amount of money advertising their handsome athlete. He was a sure thing, after all. Viewers never seemed to get enough of the panty pimp’s package. Which is why when UAM pulled their advertising from her network and went with their competitor, Sophie’s career had come to a screeching halt.
Sophie knew it was an excuse not to renew her three-year contract, which, after rather tense salary negotiations, was an executive signature away from being a done deal—or so she’d been led to believe. Not only did the network cancel
Late Night with Sophie Morelle
, but to add insult to injury, they came up with the brilliant idea of offering her two alternative shows, at one-fourth the pay. A reality baking show—to the woman whose box-mix muffins were a dental nightmare—and worse still, a godforsaken housekeeping tips show. Yep. One heck of a minor incident had resulted in one major excuse executives had hatched up. All to save themselves money.
“I’ve lost everything because of Caden Kelly,” she said, the thought as familiar to her as steel stacks in Pittsburgh. “They’re hoping I’ll disappear and not make a stink about how one of the good ole boys has filled my late-night spot. Guess you get what you pay for.”
Lauren snorted. “I still can’t believe they’d cancel one of the most highly watched shows. Talk about bad business.” She turned in her seat. “So, pitch another show to another network. You’re famous. People love you, and that smart-ass, ballsy mouth on you.”
“I have one month remaining on my no-compete clause. After that, I’m a free agent. And once this documentary is completed, they’re going to regret driving me off and replacing me with some lackey at half the salary. The more I think about it, the higher the price of the rights to my documentary gets.”
“Still, don’t you think it best to leave your Channel 27 days behind, and look for a network who will appreciate the talent they’ve hired?” Sophie could hear the censure in her friend’s voice, the same that had been there the last time a similar discussion had taken place. Heck, they’d been traveling for two days and this was a hot topic. “Why even dangle the option to purchase your documentary in front of those morons, given how they’ve treated you?”
“You don’t understand. I’m not going to let them drive me off, shamefaced, be “taken down a peg or two,” as one executive named Walt practically spat at me. I was in a similar situation...years ago. Where every damn person in town sold me out, and you know what for?” Sophie swallowed hard. “Money. Boy, did I learn a valuable lesson. Money talks, alright. No way. I’m not going to let them win. They can cancel my show, not re-sign my contract and hope I’ll quietly go away. But brush me off as if I didn’t matter? I don’t think so. When all is said and done, they are going to respect me.”
She felt her friend’s eyes on her. Probably surprised the heck out of her, considering how Sophie never talked about her troubled—to say the least—teenage years.
“Jesus, and I’m partially responsible for this crazy plan,” Lauren stated, wisely choosing not to continue down the dark, dismal path their discussion had taken. Keeping it light, just like they always did for each other.
“My sister in crime,” Sophie added softly.
The old Chevy ahead rolled forward and gained speed. Even 5 mph seemed fast at this point.
The guys at the network loved mixed martial arts. Had turned into fanatics, really. And they weren’t alone. MMA was hot right now, the fastest growing sport this year, with millions of viewers tuning in on pay-per-view for each bout. In a blink, the sport’s popularity had spread from man caves to kitchens around the country. The buzz was that every major station was out to land the mother of mega waves and buy the rights for broadcasting Tetnus, the largest Ultimate Fighting championship to date.