Tap Out

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.

Bannon's Gym, Book 3
As a child, Tom Delaney did the best he could to protect his mother from his abusive father, but her eventual suicide left him a guarded and wary man who's still carrying around a metric ton of baggage. At Bannon's Gym, Tom learned how to take back his power, and found love with fellow mixed martial arts fighter Travis Gallagher. Yet Tom can't bring himself to take their relationship to the next level. Not if moving in together means leaving behind Gloria, his surrogate mom, who's desperately ill. When Gloria's son, Eddie, hires an out-of-work nurse to care for Gloria, Tom is out of excuses--and afraid he's being pushed out of his family of choice. That fear explodes in a violent sparring session that leaves Travis with a broken nose and Tom on the brink of getting booted out of Bannon's Gym for good. When tragedy strikes, Tom realizes it'll take more than fists to conquer his fears, or he risks losing everything--his fighting career, his family, and the man he loves.

Warning: Sweat- and testosterone-drenched alpha males ahead! More angst than an entire season of Downton Abbey! Wear a helmet-this could get messy!