Sweet Victory: BTU Alumni Series Book #3 Read online

  Alley Ciz

  Sweet Victory

  BTU Alumni Series Book #3

  Alley Ciz

  Also by Alley Ciz

  BTU Alumni Series

  Power Play

  Tap Out

  Sweet Victory

  BTU4- Coming February 2020

  BTU5- Coming June 2020

  U of J Series

  U of J 1- Coming September 2020

  U of J 2- Coming October 2020

  U of J 3- Coming November 2020

  Holly Vanderbilt is running.

  From her past, her present, her future—everything.

  Baking is her only solace. Cookies, cakes, ingredients coming together, they make sense.

  A professional fighter walking into her kitchen? Not so much.

  Vince Steele is focused on his future.

  The next fight.

  The next win.

  Nothing else matters except feeling the weight of the Light Heavyweight belt around his waist.

  Until Holly.

  He has what it takes to win the belt. But will Holly’s past prove to be an opponent he can’t beat?

  He’s never backed down from a fight.

  He wasn’t going to start now, not when winning Holly’s heart could be the sweetest victory of all.

  The Coven is back and about to recruit a new member. SWEET VICTORY is the third book in the BTU Alumni Series and can be read as a stand-alone. The book features a Christmas-loving hot mess of a baker, an alpha-dirty-talking MMA fighter, and the best group of friends ever (even if they don’t know how to mind their own business). HEA guaranteed—being on Santa’s Nice List…not so much.

  Advanced Reader Copy

  Sweet Victory (BTU Alumni, Book 3)

  Alley Ciz

  Copyright © 2019 by House of Crazy Publishing, LLC

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, medium and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Copyright © 2019 by House of Crazy Publishing, LLC

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-950884-04-9

  Print ISBN: 978-1-950884-05-6

  Cover Designer: Julia Cabrera at Jersey Girl Designs

  Editing: Jessica Snyder Edits

  Proofreading: Gem’s Precise Proofreads; Dawn Black

  Created with Vellum

  For Caitie.

  Vince Steele is yours, because we know you would cut a bitch if they tried to take him from you.

  Dear Reader,

  Sweet Victory can be read as a stand-alone but it is interconnected in the BTU Alumni world. You do not need to read Power Play or Tap Out first but they might help you keep track of the crazy cast of characters as large as The Coven and their guys. Either way I hope you enjoy Vince and Holly’s story.

  Crank up the Christmas carols and jump on in.

  XOXO

  Alley

  Contents

  Text Handles

  Playlist

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  4. Coven Conversations

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  9. Coven Conversations

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  14. Coven Conversations

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  25. Coven Conversations

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  33. Counterfeit Coven Conversations

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  43. Coven Conversations

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Epilogue

  Thank you!

  Randomness For My Readers

  For A Good Time Call

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Alley Ciz

  About the Author

  Text Handles

  The Coven

  Rocky: ALPHABET SOUP

  Jordan: MOTHER OF DRAGONS

  Skye: MAKES BOYS CRY

  Maddey: QUEEN OF SMUT

  Becky: YOU KNOW YOU WANNA

  Gemma: PROTEIN PRINCESS

  Beth: THE OG PITA

  Holly: SANTA’S COOKIE SUPPLIER

  The Boys

  Vince: DAUNTLESS SUPERMAN

  Lyle: MR. FABULOUS

  Jase: THE BIG HAMMER

  Jake: THE BRICK WALL

  Deck: BIG DECK

  Ryan: CAPTAIN AMERICA

  Nick: THE BOONDOCK SAINT

  Damon: THE GREEN MONSTER

  Justin: THE SEAL DEAL

  Gage: THE KRAKEN

  Wyatt: HUGE HOSE

  Griff: THE FEROCIOUS TEDDY BEAR

  Ray: JUST RAY

  Tuck: WANNA TUCK

  Jamie: ROCKSTAR MAN

  Sammy: THE SPIN DOCTOR

  IG Handles

  Ryan: CaptainRyanDonnelly9

  Jase: EnforcedByJaseDonnelly13

  Jake: BrickWallDonovan30

  Gemma: GemCooksForYou

  Playlist

  *

  One Direction: “I Want”

  Jon Bon Jovi: “Please Come Home For Christmas”

  Bruce Springsteen: “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

  *NSYNC: “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays”

  Pentatonix: “Hallelujah”

  Kelly Clarkson: “Wrapped in Red”

  Muse: “Uprising”

  Brandy: “I Wanna Be Down”

  Ariana Grande: “Santa Tell Me”

  Queen: “Don’t Stop Me Now”

  AC/DC: “T.N.T.”

  Bruno Mars: “That’s What I Like”

  Christina Aguilera: “Merry Christmas, Baby”

  Rascall Flatts: “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”

  Glee Cast: “Jingle Bells”

  Ed Sheeran: “Make It Rain”

  5 Seconds of Summer: “Youngblood”

  Christina Aguilera: “This Christmas”

  Mariah Carey: “All I Want For Christmas Is You”

  Ozzy Osbourne: “I Don’t Wanna Stop”

  Calum Scott: “You Are The Reason”

  Dropkick Murphys: “I’m Shipping Up To Boston”

  Prologue

  Shit!

  Shit!

  Shit!

&n
bsp; Holly Vanderbuilt cursed herself as she scrambled to toss yet another drawer full of clothes into the suitcase open on the four-poster bed.

  A plan. She really needed to have a plan.

  Bras.

  Why didn’t I make a plan?

  Underwear followed by socks went next.

  How the hell did I let this go so far?

  She stepped inside the walk-in closet, ignoring the fancy gowns and proper clothes hanging on the racks, instead grabbing the comfortable tunics and other “common” pieces from where they had been relegated to the back.

  Seriously, Hol, you’re too smart for this.

  She never should have let things get this bad, she thought as she sat on top of her Tumi luggage to get the zipper to close.

  A quick glance at her rose-gold Rolex made her curse. She needed to be out of there in less than ten minutes if she was going to manage to do so without being caught.

  One more cursory look around the room, double-checking she had everything of importance, and she was wheeling her two large suitcases from the room.

  By the time she had her Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63 loaded she peeled out of the driveway and through the wrought-iron gates of the estate with only a minute to spare.

  She prayed her call wouldn’t go unanswered.

  Chapter One

  Vince Steele pulled open the door to Espresso Patronum, the coffee shop across the street from The Steele Maker gym, for the first time in weeks. His strict diet program prohibited everything delicious the café offered, so it was easier to not visit at all anytime he was training. But his sister's hormones needed calming, and he was willing to brave the temptation for her.

  The scent of coffee and baked goodness filled his lungs and his mouth watered. God, it had been a long five weeks so far.

  “Oh, be still my heart. The Man of Steel has finally deemed my humble establishment worthy of his presence again.” Lyle Samson pretended to faint as Vince approached the counter.

  He couldn’t stop the automatic grin at his friend’s dramatic greeting. The proprietor of the coffee house was a consummate flirt and had a personality as colorful as his sleeve tattoos and the hot pink and neon green highlights in his spiked hair. He also loved using Vince's fighting nickname.

  “Lyle, my man, nice to see you.” He reached across the counter to share the complicated handshake they had developed through the years.

  “Where have you been hiding, handsome? Do you not love me anymore?”

  “Come on, Ly, you know you’ll always have a special place in my heart.” He placed a hand over it. “But Gem would own my balls if I dared take one bite of food not from her carefully crafted meal plan. And your goodies always have me tapping out they’re so good.”

  Unfortunately, those things proved to be too much to resist. In the midst of the most intense training camp of his career, it was best to avoid temptation altogether. It was that or face the wrath of his cousin, the gym’s nutritionist.

  And nope, that wasn’t going to happen. The very last thing he wanted to do was piss off a member of The Coven, the group of girls who ruled the world—well, their small corner of the world of professional fighters and hockey players, but seriously, a person wouldn’t want to get on their bad side. And since Gemma was currently in charge of every single calorie that went into his body to ensure he made weight in two months, anything from Espresso Patronum was a surefire way to having her rain hellfire down all over him.

  God, I’m dramatic when I can’t have my sugar.

  “Well, if you want, I can keep your balls safe for you. I’m really good at handling balls,” Lyle offered.

  He sputtered out a laugh. “I’m sure you are. But I’m pretty sure Kyle wouldn’t approve.”

  “What'd he do now?” Kyle asked, coming from the back of the shop and putting an arm around his flirtatious husband. “You causing trouble out here again?”

  “Always, babe.” Lyle placed a kiss on his cheek.

  For as much as Lyle flirted for fun, everyone knew he was stupidly in love with his clean-cut husband.

  Kyle’s gaze bounced between them. “Let me guess, he made a reference about how he’s an expert ball boy?”

  This time Vince shook his head as he laughed, not at all surprised by how well Kyle knew his husband.

  “Not in those exact words, but yeah, pretty much.”

  Kyle gave his groom an affectionate smile. “What can we get for ya, Vin?” He took a moment to look over the glass display case to the right of the counter but didn’t see the Holy Grail of baked goods anywhere.

  “Please don’t tell me you’re out of blueberry crumbles?”

  “Ran out about an hour ago,” Lyle confirmed.

  “Shit.” He ran a hand through his sweaty hair. “I’m not gonna be able to move tomorrow,” he said to himself.

  “I take it Rock’s kicking your ass today?” Kyle asked.

  “More like that sexy hunk of man meat she calls a husband,” Lyle said. Vince didn't want to think of his sparring partner and brother-in-law as sexy man meat.

  “Yup. She’s pissed at me for something, and I was hoping to win myself a few brownie points by catering to one of her bigger pregnancy cravings.”

  His pregnant, hormonal—not that he would be stupid enough to say that to her face, or even within hearing distance—sister was pissed at him for something and liked to torture him during their training sessions. He'd learned a few weeks ago that EP's new blueberry crumble soothed the beast and tried to keep her full of them.

  Her husband, Gage, the UFC’s current heavyweight champion, could also turn her from a feral tiger to a purring house cat, but there was no way he wanted to think about what they did behind closed doors. Gross. That was his sister, and the less he knew about her sex life, the better.

  “How do you know she’s pissed at you though, and not just…hormonal?” Lyle shuddered at the last word, clearly grateful he was married to a man.

  “First”—he held up a finger for emphasis—“she gave me Tweety Bird hand wraps. Do you have any idea how hard it is to look like a badass when that yellow bird’s smiling face is staring back at you? She’s ruining my street cred.” He slapped his thighs in exasperation.

  “Isn’t Tweety a boy?” Kyle didn’t even try to bite back his amusement anymore.

  “Really? That’s what you’re focusing on?” He rolled his eyes. “Then she had me spar with Griff. The guy’s a World Champion boxer—he can kick my ass without trying. And now I have to go back there and grapple with Gage. She’s out for blood, man. Blood, I tell you.” He smacked the counter, the sound reverberating through the shop over One Direction’s “I Want”.

  The Samson men did not comprehend the severity of the situation he had found himself in. If they did, they wouldn’t be bent over, leaning on each other while they guffawed at his expense.

  “You know, with friends like you two, who needs enemies?” he grumbled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his BTU hoodie.

  “Calm your tits, Steele,” Kyle admonished.

  “Tits?” He smirked. “Come on, Ky, you know I’m pure muscle.”

  “Prove it. Take your shirt off,” Lyle suggested, earning an eye roll from his husband.

  “Before my husband can sexually harass you anymore,” Kyle cut in, “why don’t you go back into the kitchen. I think a new batch went in earlier. They might be done by now.”

  Vince followed the diamond floor tiles into the stainless steel baker’s dream of a kitchen.

  At the island in the middle of the room, a woman was bent over rows of cookies, piping bag in hand, decorating as she belted out the words to “Please Come Home For Christmas” along with Bon Jovi. It was only the first week of November, but as a true Jersey native, he respected her song choice. And the girl had a legit set of pipes on her too.

  Between the volume of the music and her own voice, she hadn’t noticed him. He took a moment to study her undetected. Her face was the picture of concentration as she piped whi
te frosting onto what looked like unicorn cookies. He couldn’t see all of her features with her head lowered, but he could tell she was cute.

  A white bandana was tied like a headband around her head to keep her cognac-colored hair from her face, the bow lying lopsided on the left side. When her hand lifted to tuck an errant piece of hair behind her ear, he noticed the tips were dyed a deep purple.

  He’d been staring at her long enough to qualify him as a total creeper so he cleared his throat and announced his presence with a simple, “Hi.”

  Unfortunately, she reacted exactly like he'd hoped she wouldn’t. With a startled "Ahh!" white frosting shot out of the piping bag in an arc clear across the island. Her mouth formed a perfect O of surprise as her golden eyes shifted between him and the path the frosting took.

  Holy fuck.

  She was a vision.

  As a professional MMA fighter, he was trained to read a situation in seconds, a trick that served him well in his day-to-day life. In the time it took him to suck in a stunned breath and release it, he cataloged the perfect berry color of those pursed lips, the way her hair stopped about an inch before it hit her shoulders, and how the purple tips peeking out from the bottom brought out the warm honey tones in her whiskey eyes.