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I raise my hand to touch him, then stop myself. "You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” I murmur.
"It’s the only way I know,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Maybe I can show you otherwise?"
He jerks his chin in my direction. "Is that why you came here?
"I came here because—" I bite down on my lower lip, and his gaze instantly darts to my mouth and stays there.
My body recognizes him, knows who its master is, no matter how my logical mind insists I’m crazy. How would it be to have him touch me, to place those thick fingers on the curve of my breast, to bury his face between my legs and draw his whiskered chin over my pussy lips? To have him squeeze my arse, and bite down on my nipples and suck on them? To have him cover my body with his weight and take me without showing any mercy? To?—
"Because?"
"What?" I blink.
"You were saying you came here because?—"
"I wanted to keep Zoey company.” Yes, that’s it. That makes sense. “I knew she was coming to watch the fight and uh... I decided to come take a look for myself.” I bite the inside of my cheek.
One side of his lips twists. “Lying to me, Raven?”
I flush. “Of course not. It’s the truth.”
“So, you’re here because you wanted to see me fight?”
I nod. Then shake my head. “No, no, not you... just… An underground fight. It could have been anyone fighting.”
My cheeks are hot, and my heart is jackhammering away like it’s going to cleave through my ribcage any moment.
“Only it was me,” he reminds me.
And something shifted in me when I saw you getting beaten up. Something I'm not going to think about right now, because I have no right to feel that way. I have to stop feeling so much for him. Stop missing him when I’m away from him. Have to stop myself from wanting to throw myself at him and climb him like a tree. Have to stop myself from blurting out ‘yes’ to his crazy proposal. OMG, don’t you dare!
I am so pissed off with myself; it’s the only explanation for what I say next. “And Ryot.” I jut out my chin.
His features darken. His eyes flash. He’s angry, as I hoped he would be. His response propels a thrill of anticipation down the back of my throat.
"Why are you here?" he asks in a clipped tone.
His face has gone carefully blank, while a fine tension radiates from his body.
The lack of emotion in his voice sends a warning jolt up my spine. The hair on my forearms rises. Did I push him too far? Do I dare stretch his control even more?
"I came to see if you could hold your own against someone younger than you, of course." He's denied it's an issue, but c'mon, he must be conscious of the fact that I’m much younger than him, and his son’s ex.
Or perhaps, it’s me who’s more conscious of our age gap, and that's why I drew his attention to the age difference between him and Ryot? Which is why I implied Ryot would have more stamina than him. Which would mean he could keep going longer, whether in a fight or in bed.
I wanted to make him uncomfortable. Now the words are out, and I realize, I've made myself equally uncomfortable. The space between us turns into a mass of pulsating emotions. An undercurrent of tension ripples through his demeanor. He hardens his jaw and narrows his gaze on me with such intensity, my chest seems to seize up.
"You’re here to test my masculinity?"
His tone is casual, but it feels like a whip wrapped in silken threads curling around my body and pulling tighter. My insides quiver. There’s a threat in his voice which warns me to shut up. Shut up. Zip it, you idiot.
But what if I push him all the way? A frisson of thrill pinches my nerve-endings. I want to see him unfettered. I want to goad him and watch him unravel. I want to find out what he does once he sheds that iron control he wears like chains. What will he do when he loses that iron grip on his emotions? What will he do to me? And why do I know that I'll like it?
"Not how I’d put it, but if you want to see it that way, sure.” I raise a shoulder.
For a few seconds, his features turn into a mask of stone. Those blue eyes of his glitter with an emotion I later place as resolve.
