Her Son's Hero

Her Son's Hero
Vicki Essex

Unacceptable. Fiona MacAvery works very hard to help her son find nonviolent ways to protect himself from the bullying he can't seem to avoid. She's never believed in violence. Then along comes mixed martial arts champ Dominic Payette, and that's who her son turns to for guidance?Dom clearly has a heart under all those… gorgeous…muscles, but there are shadows, too. He's fighting his way back toward a champion belt after putting an opponent in a coma. Fiona admires his dedication. She even admits that he's shown her son how to be more confident. But act on this attraction between them? There's no way she's letting her guard down!

“I’ve got issues, Dom.”

Serious baggage, she thought. “And Sean is my number one priority, and always will be. It would never work out between us.”

He stared hard at Fiona. “Are you saying you don’t think I’d be a good role model?”

“No.” Yes…maybe. The question wasn’t whether he’d be good for Sean, but how Dom’s presence would affect her relationship with her son. Sean needed to know his mother was as strong and tough as any man, and that she’d never let their lives be dictated by another walking ego with muscles. She’d never let herself be intimidated by a man again. She amended quietly, “It’s complicated.”

“Maybe.” His blue eyes connected with hers again and she saw something new in them. His face relaxed into a smile—sure, confident. “Maybe not.”

Dear Reader,

I’m so proud to join the Harlequin Superromance family with my first book, Her Son’s Hero.

This book was born out of my great respect for mixed martial artists and the controversial sport that has exploded in popularity over the past few years. As I read about the lives, dedication, sacrifices and victories of these talented athletes, it became clear they were real romance-worthy heroes. Some of them are a little rough around the edges, but most are good men with a great passion for what they do…plus they have fantastic bodies. It’s kind of hard not to fall in love!

Fiona MacAvery would agree. When pro MMA fighter Dominic Payette comes to town, she thinks he’s just a meatheaded testosterone-fueled brawler. But as he teaches her young son karate-do and shows them both how to face their fears, he’ll prove to them exactly what kind of man he is.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this book, MMA or anything else that’s on your mind. Email me at vicki@vickiessex.com.

Happy reading,

Vicki Essex

Her Son’s Hero

Vicki Essex

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vicki Essex lives on a space colony with her husband, space cat, robot dog butler and a fleet of red spaceships…in her imagination. In reality, she lives in Toronto—New York City’s comely Canadian cousin. As much as she likes to punch things, she doesn’t like being punched back, so will likely never face an opponent in an MMA cage. She loves to hear from readers. Visit her website at www.vickiessex.com, email her at vicki@vickiessex.com and find her on Twitter @VickiEssex.

This book wouldn’t have existed without

Denise Ing, Fiona Kwong and

Georges “Rush” St-Pierre.

I would never have started writing without

the ATLA fans at fanfiction.net.

Mike and Bryan, thanks for letting me cut

my teeth in your world.

Thanks to Mom and Dad,

who let me stay up past midnight when I

was a teen so I could keep writing.

Thanks to Victoria Curran,

my editor and writing oracle.

Thank you to everyone at

the Toronto Romance Writers, the best RWA

chapter ever!

Thanks to everyone at Harlequin Enterprises,

especially the guys and gals

in proofreading and production.

And for my husband, who indulged me,

consoled me, brainstormed and problem-solved

with me, and cooked and cleaned for me—

there aren’t enough words in the universe, not

even made-up ones. Luboo!

For John, with all my heart, always.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX