Worth Fighting For: A Warrior Fight Club/Big Sky Novella (Kristen Proby Crossover Collection Book 4)

  Worth Fighting For

  By Laura Kaye

  A Warrior Fight Club/Big Sky Novella

  Introduction by Kristen Proby

  Worth Fighting For: A Warrior Fight Club/Big Sky Novella

  By Laura Kaye

  Copyright 2019

  ISBN: 978-1-948050-60-9

  Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  Book Description

  Worth Fighting For: A Warrior Fight Club/Big Sky Novella

  By Laura Kaye

  From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laura Kaye…

  Getting in deep has never felt this good...

  Commercial diver Tara Hunter nearly lost everything in an accident that saw her medically discharged from the navy. With the help of the Warrior Fight Club, she’s fought hard to overcome her fears and get back in the water where she’s always felt most at home. At work, she’s tough, serious, and doesn’t tolerate distractions. Which is why finding her gorgeous one-night stand on her new dive team is such a problem.

  Former navy deep-sea diver Jesse Anderson just can’t seem to stop making mistakes—the latest being the hot-as-hell night he’d spent with his new partner. This job is his second chance, and Jesse knows he shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. But spending every day with Tara’s smart mouth and sexy curves makes her so damn hard to resist.

  Joining Tara’s wounded warrior MMA training program seems like the perfect way for Jesse to blow off steam—except now they’re getting in deep and taking each other down day and night. And even though it breaks all the rules, their inescapable attraction might just be the only thing truly worth fighting for.

  About Laura Kaye

  Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly forty books in contemporary and erotic romance and romantic suspense, including the Raven Riders, Blasphemy, and Hard Ink series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. Laura also writes historical fiction as the NYT bestselling author Laura Kamoie. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

  Learn more at www.LauraKayeAuthor.com

  Join Laura’s Newsletter for Exclusives & Giveaways!

  Also from Laura Kaye

  Click to purchase

  Warrior Fight Club Series

  FIGHTING FOR EVERYTHING

  FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S HIS

  FIGHTING THE FIRE (April 2019)

  Blasphemy Series

  HARD TO SERVE

  BOUND TO SUBMIT

  MASTERING HER SENSES

  EYES ON YOU

  THEIRS TO TAKE

  ON HIS KNEES

  Raven Riders Series

  RIDE HARD

  RIDE ROUGH

  RIDE WILD

  RIDE WILD

  RIDE DIRTY

  Hard Ink Series

  HARD AS IT GETS

  HARD AS YOU CAN

  HARD TO HOLD ON TO

  HARD TO COME BY

  HARD TO BE GOOD

  HARD TO LET GO

  HARD EVER AFTER

  HARD AS STEEL

  HARD EVER AFTER

  HARD TO SERVE

  Hearts in Darkness Duet

  HEARTS IN DARKNESS

  LOVE IN THE LIGHT

  Heroes Series

  HER FORBIDDEN HERO

  ONE NIGHT WITH A HERO

  Stand Alone Titles

  DARE TO RESIST

  JUST GOTTA SAY

  An Introduction to the Kristen Proby Crossover Collection

  Everyone knows there’s nothing I love more than a happy ending. It’s what I do for a living–I’m in LOVE with love. And what’s better than love? More love, of course!

  Just imagine, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany, collaborating on the world’s most perfect handbag. Jimmy Choo and Louboutin, making shoes just for me. Not loving it enough? What if Hugh Grant in Notting Hill was the man to barge into Sandra Bullock’s office in The Proposal? I think we can all agree that Julia Roberts’ character would have had her hands full with Ryan Reynolds.

  Now imagine what would happen if one of the characters from my Big Sky Series met up with other characters from some of your favorite authors’ series. Well, wonder no more because The Kristen Proby Crossover Collection is here, and I could not be more excited!

  Rachel Van Dyken, Laura Kaye, Sawyer Bennett, Monica Murphy, Samantha Young, and K.L. Grayson are all bringing their own beloved characters to play – and find their happy endings – in my world. Can you imagine all the love, laughter and shenanigans in store?

  I hope you enjoy the journey between worlds!

  Love,

  Kristen Proby

  The Kristen Proby Crossover Collection features a new novel by Kristen Proby and six by some of her favorite writers:

  Kristen Proby – Soaring with Fallon

  Sawyer Bennett – Wicked Force

  KL Grayson – Crazy Imperfect Love

  Laura Kaye – Worth Fighting For

  Monica Murphy – Nothing Without You

  Rachel Van Dyken – All Stars Fall

  Samantha Young – Hold On

  Acknowledgments from the Author

  Writing this book has meant so much to me, not just because I so cherish writing stories about veterans and their families, which I do. But also because it was the first book I wrote after an unexpectedly serious surgery, so I often felt I was fighting for this love story right alongside my characters. Getting to the end was a triumph for all three of us!

  No book is ever a solo project, so I need to thank Lea Nolan and Stephanie Dray for the writing sprints, feedback, and cheerleading that helped me finish the book. Thanks also to Christi Barth who was always there checking on me and encouraging me. Thanks also to KP Simmon for being a voice of wisdom in my head. And of course thanks to the awesome Liz Berry for giving me a chance to work in her creative orbit—she’s an amazing force of nature and I’m glad to call her friend.

  I also want to thank Kristen Proby for inviting me to be a part of this fantastic crossover project. I adored Waiting for Willa and couldn’t wait for Jesse and his family to find their way back to each other.

  Next, I want to thank all the readers—particular my Reader Girls & Guys and Heroes—for all the amazing support and encouragement, to me personally and for my books. You guys are the best evah! Finally, I thank each of you for taking my characters into your hearts so they can tell their stories again and again. ~ LK

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  Table of Contents

  Book Description

  About Laura Kaye

&nbs
p; Also from Laura Kaye

  An Introduction to the Kristen Proby Crossover Collection

  Acknowledgments from the Author

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Kristen Proby Crossover Collection

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Six

  Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights

  Discover more Laura Kaye

  An excerpt from Fighting for Everything by Laura Kaye

  Special Thanks

  Dedication

  You’re worth fighting for. Yes, you.

  Chapter 1

  Nothing chased away nightmares and anxiety like nachos. At least, that was what Tara Hunter hoped.

  “Anything else?” Matt asked from behind the bar at Murphy’s, her favorite place in the neighborhood.

  “A rum and Coke,” Tara said, taking off her coat and unwinding the scarf from her neck. She settled both on the stool next to her. It was eleven o’clock on a Sunday night, and the bar was as quiet as she’d hoped it would be.

  Having placed the order, though, she was back to having nothing to distract her from the way her heart wouldn’t settle and her breathing couldn’t quite calm. She knew exactly why her central nervous system was freaking out—because tomorrow was her first day on a new diving team, and that meant getting back in the water again. But knowing didn’t mean she could always control it. Having insight into all the ways her brain was messed up only got her so far.

  So Tara forced a deep breath and counted backward from five.

  Five things she could see. Her reflection in the mirror that was the centerpiece of the big, carved bar. Her long wavy hair pretty much looked like she’d rolled out of bed, because she had. Without any makeup, her face appeared pale in the dim light of the bar.

  What else?

  The rows of bottles glinting gold and white in the spotlights all along the bar. A couple tucked into the last booth, sitting on the same side and totally wrapped up in each other. Outside the front window, unusual late-winter flurries blew on the night wind.

  Tara took another deep breath.

  Four things she could hear. The alternative rock song playing on the juke box. Ice clinking in a glass. She peered around, her gaze following the sounds of the other diners. A man sitting in the closest booth was talking on his phone, loudly, one of those people who talked louder on cell phones as if he thought he needed to force his voice down the line. At the other end of the bar from where she sat, a customer thanked the bartender as he slid off his stool.

  That time, her breath came deeper, slower, calmer.

  Keep going.

  Three things she could feel. Her nipples against her sweater, because her anxiety attack hadn’t been able to abide taking the time to put on a bra before she’d bugged out of her place and gone for a walk in the late-February air.

  Matt delivered her drink, and Tara took a long pull from it, mentally adding the fizz of the soda as the next thing she could feel. The smooth, cool glass in her hands—that was the third.

  The muscles of her shoulders began to relax. It was working. Keep going.

  Two things she could smell. The warm spice of the rum in her drink. The almost stale, malty tang of beer which seemed to be common to every establishment that served it.

  Her heartrate was normal again.

  Finish it. She took another drink of her rum and coke.

  One thing she could taste. She’d already used the rum, so she crushed an ice cube between her teeth and concentrated on the clean, cold taste of the frozen pieces quickly melting in her mouth.

  She heaved one last deep breath, and the ease of doing so proved for the millionth time that immersing herself in her environment had the power to calm.

  The bell over the front door jingled and a gust of unusually bitter wind followed, enough to make Tara hug herself as she glanced over her shoulder to see who else was coming to Murphy’s so late.

  She almost choked on the ice cube in her mouth.

  Because the man sliding onto a stool about five down from hers was freaking gorgeous. Tall. Broad shoulders with a trim waist, the quintessential swimmer’s build she knew so well after a lifetime of being around swimmers and a career in diving. His black hair was cut short, and his face in profile was a study in hard angles—the square jaw, the high cheekbones, the furrowed brow. She hadn’t seen him in Murphy’s before. No way she would’ve forgotten—or missed—him.

  Dark eyes slashed toward her.

  When her heart kicked up in her chest this time, it had nothing to do with the nightmares she knew so well. And despite getting caught checking him out, Tara managed a smile. “Hey.”

  As he shrugged out of his coat, his gaze ran over her face, making her remember she hadn’t done a thing to herself before walking out her door, and he nodded once. “Hey.”

  The bartender greeted New Guy and slid a coaster and a menu in front of him. “What’ll you have?”

  “Whiskey, neat, for now,” the man said as he flipped open the menu.

  Matt made the drink, then disappeared through the swinging doors into the kitchen. A minute later, he returned carrying a massive oval platter piled high with tortilla chips and toppings. He settled the plate in front of her.

  “Holy shit, I forgot how big these were,” she said with an incredulous laugh.

  Matt grinned. “Maybe I’ll steal one then.”

  “Steal two, Matt, seriously,” she said, unrolling the napkin from around her silverware.

  Her apartment was just down the block, and since she’d frequented Murphy’s so much over the past year, she was on a first-name basis with most of the staff. He gave her a wink as he moved down to New Guy. “Care for anything else?”

  The guy’s gaze swung to Tara. “Are those as good as they look?” He had a slight drawl when he spoke, and Tara couldn’t quite place it. It wasn’t pronounced enough to be from someplace like Texas.

  She smiled as she pulled a chip from the pile, the melted cheese stretching before it broke. “They’re freaking awesome. There’s just a metric crap ton of them.”

  He chuffed out a laugh. “So I see.” He peered at the menu again, giving her a chance to appreciate the bulk of his biceps under a dark gray Henley. Because wow. “What else would you recommend that’s not that big?”

  Tara mmmed around the first chip. The crunch of it combined with the gooeyness of the cheese and sour cream and the tanginess of the pico and chili. Oh yeah, getting out of her apartment was exactly what she’d needed.

  Matt tapped at the plastic-covered menu in front of the guy. “Wings are good. Pretzel sticks and cheese dip are real good. The loaded potato skins and onion rings are also great, though they’re pretty big, too.”

  New Guy glanced at her nachos again.

  “You could share mine. I’ll never eat all these.” Tara wasn’t sure what possessed her to make the offer, except that there was no way she was going to finish them on her own.

  The guy’s eyebrow went up, and she couldn’t tell if he was dubious or intrigued.

  She shrugged as she ate a second chip. “Up to you, but if you don’t decide soon I’ll have eaten all the best ones.”

  Amusement played around his mouth. “There are best ones?”

  “Of course there are best ones,” she said, sucking sour cream off her finger.

  The guy looked between her and Matt as if he was waiting for the punchline, and then his gaze latched onto hers. “What other appetizers
do you like here?”

  “Onion rings or wings, hands down.”

  Matt chuckled. “She’s a regular.”

  “No kidding,” New Guy said. “Let’s go with the wings.” The words were barely out of his mouth when he picked up his things and slid down to the bar stool right beside her. “You sure about this?” His shoulders were broad enough that they nearly touched. And he was even better looking up close. Laugh lines crinkled the corners of his eyes. Two character-adding scars jagged on his forehead. A hint of black ink curled up the side of his neck.

  “I offered, didn’t I?” She smirked.

  He smirked back but held out a hand. “I’m Jesse. What’s your name?”

  The move seemed a little old-fashioned, but she found it charming nonetheless. She returned the shake, thinking that his name fit the accent. “Tara.”

  “Tara,” he repeated, as if trying out her name to see how it felt on his tongue. She liked the way it sounded in his deep voice. Jesse grabbed a laden chip. “What makes a chip better or worse, Tara?” he asked as he took a bite.

  “Well, obviously, the more toppings it has, the better it is. And the less toppings, the worse. And the crunchier chips are better than the ones that get soft under the cheese.”

  He hummed around a bite. “You have clearly put a lot of thought into this.”

  “Clearly. Or maybe I just know what I like,” she said, instantly hearing the innuendo in the words. And his double-take revealed that he heard it, too. And Holy Hot New Guy why hadn’t she brushed her hair or at least put on some tinted lip balm before coming out tonight?