Cover Copy
You can’t fight love…
There’s only one thing MMA fighter Gunnar Wells is more devoted to than his career, and that’s his mother, “Queen” Elizabeth. An elegant African American woman who adopted Gunnar and his two white brothers, Elizabeth was there when they needed her, and they’ll do anything for her. For Gunnar, that means running her hair salon when she suddenly falls ill. And if that’s not awkward enough for the champion fighter, he’ll have to work alongside Eboni Danielson, the other love of his life. The one he left behind to pursue his dream. The one he’s never forgotten…
Between the salon and her volunteer work, Eboni keeps busy to keep her mind off the man who broke her heart. So when Gunnar shows up again, she does her best to stay cool—on the outside. But the more she watches Gunnar step up and help out, the less she can deny her feelings. Soon Gunnar is doing everything he can to convince Eboni to give him a fighting chance. Can she trust him again—even when old secrets and new dangers come between them once more?
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Books by Crystal B. Bright
Mama’s Boys
The Look Of Love
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
The Look of Love
Mama’s Boys
Crystal B. Bright
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Copyright
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2015 by Crystal B. Bright
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First Electronic Edition: June 2015
eISBN-13: 978-1-61650-711-4
eISBN-10: 1-61650-711-X
First Print Edition: June 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-712-1
ISBN-10: 1-61650-712-8
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my family and friends who all encouraged me to write again. Thank you for believing in me and encouraging me. Thank you to the love of my life, Jimmy. Your love and support means everything to me. I love you.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the professors at Old Dominion University and Seton Hill University who taught me a lot about crafting a great story. Thank you to Lyrical Press for taking a chance on an unusual series. Thank you to every author I have read. I learn from each and every one of you.
Author’s Foreword
I have always had a soft spot for rough and tough men who are put into awkward situations. I think it brings out a vulnerable side to men...plus it can be a bit comical. Movies like “The Nanny”, “The Tooth Fairy”, and “The Game Plan” are examples of men put in strange situations but also make them endearing.
Because of that fish-out-of-water type of genre, I got the idea of having three brothers, all stars in their sports, put into a situation where they would have to run their mother’s very feminine businesses. I also wanted to write a series about brothers. What’s hotter than three sexy brothers?
I hope you all enjoy my story about the Wells brothers and the way they run a hair salon, a flower shop and a clothing boutique.
Enjoy!
Crystal
Chapter 1
The adrenaline coursing through Gunnar Wells’s body needed some release. The muscles in his arms and thighs tightened, ready for activity, for combat. A good workout would ease his tensions. Tonight, his mixed martial arts match would have to do.
He paced the cramped dressing room that smelled like rose petals and bleach, too dainty and too clean for what he had to do. The delicate aroma and the rough sport he would be engaging in soon reminded him of his mother, always a lady in demeanor and look, but a tough taskmaster.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before he could arrest it and pull it back down to a scowl. He needed to keep his mind on his match. Staying away from his childhood home helped keep him on track.
A mural of the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign painted on the locker-room wall snagged his attention for a brief moment. The blue, red, and white neon sign full of diverse geometric shapes attracted tourists every day. Gunnar saw the city as a place to start another part of his life. He didn’t need a reminder of the location he’d made his home for the past ten years.
The Silver Streak Hotel and Casino spared no expense in keeping both the crowds and the performers entertained. Gunnar had heard that hosting these mixed martial arts matches had afforded the hotel enough funds to add a new wing to the hotel with another two hundred hotel rooms. He guessed beating a man to a bloody pulp meant good business.
Gunnar tilted his head from one side to the other to stretch his neck and help clear his head. Even with the door closed to his dressing room, the sounds from the audience in the main arena area filtered through the walls.
With each chant of “Guns” from the crowd, Gunnar’s heart pounded harder and harder until both the chant and his heartbeat became one.
“Guns! Guns!”
Thump! Thump!
He swiped the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead. The tape on his hand scraped across his skin, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. Gunnar glanced at the tape to make sure he hadn’t ruined its integrity. After doing this sport for so many years, he found that every little thing mattered. A loose binding on his fist would distract him. Like a hunter, he needed to keep his focus.
For his match against a fairly established mixed martial artist like himself, he didn’t feel unnerved. In his ten-year professional career, he’d battled absolute monsters. Being six-foot-three and two hundred forty pounds, he fit in the behemoth category. Like his mama always taught him, it’s not the dog in the fight; it’s the fight in the dog.
Gunnar attempted to push thoughts of his mother from his mind. He couldn’t help but