Page 35

I didn’t want to say why. Because the arena was big and cold and echoey. Less intimate. A professional setting, not the place we all, except him, relaxed and hung out.

The arena wasn’t somewhere that held memories of Crossbody sucking my dick so good my knees almost buckled. This room did. Just a handful of steps away, in fact.

I didn’t bother to answer him, and surprisingly, he didn’t push. Maybe he was remembering the same thing. Neither of us spoke as we walked down the stairs to the arena’s side entrance. I flicked on the switch for the spotlights above the ring, but when we walked into the vast room, it was cold and mostly dark. And completely empty.

Not that that made a difference. We’d both proven by this point that we could remain professional during rehearsals, so it wasn’t like there was any risk of… anything. It didn’t matter whether there were people around. I was just saying, there weren’t. There was no one around. We were still alone.

We still hadn’t said a word by the time I lifted the top rope to duck underneath and climb into the ring, while Crossbody flew up into the air and landed gracefully in the centre.

I hadn’t realised just how much of a buffer Corey’s presence was until now, because this was awkward as fuck. But I’d committed. I’d suggested it, and I’d look like a tool—and a coward—if I suddenly changed my mind.

Straightening my shoulders in determination, I turned to face him. He had his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face, but I could see how tense he was.

“Alright,” I said, making sure my tone was hard and forthright. “So when I say the thing about taking you down this time, you throw your mic to the left and come at me with a scoop slam.”

He dipped his chin in a stiff nod.

“Then we move into a cloverleaf.” I shook out my hands and widened my stance, wanting to get this over with. “Let’s go.”

I saw Crossbody’s throat bob with a swallow. Slowly, he unfolded his arms and walked closer until he was right in front of me, because this would be our starting position after getting in each other’s faces during the smack-talk.

I looked up at him, making sure my face was devoid of any emotion. He didn’t move at first, staring down at me. My gut twisted when his gaze flittered down to my mouth, before he tightened his jaw and abruptly ducked, shoving his head under my armpit and wrapping an arm around my back, while the other reached between my legs to grip the back of my shorts. In a split second, he’d lifted me upside down into the air and slammed me onto the mat.

My heart started racing, beating faster than it ever did during a rehearsal. Maybe even a live match. Crossbody moved to my feet and grabbed my legs for a cloverleaf, hoisting them into the air before twisting me around so my chest was pressed into the mat and he was above me, squatting over my back.

On the night, I’d pretend he was flexing my spine to the point of agony, but for now, I nodded and said, “Okay, good.”

He released me immediately, stepping over me as I got to my knees. “Of course it’s good. I know what I’m doing.”

I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes.

After we’d run through each of the moves we’d be performing, we started putting them together, making sure we flowed seamlessly from one to the next. When we got to the Rim Jab as the big finisher—what should have happened last week—we both tensed up.

“Look, I know this is…” I stopped with a huff and scrubbed my face roughly, then dropped my hands to look at him. “I’m not going to do it now, but I’ll show you the cue again just to remind you.”

His face tightened. At length, he gave me a stiff nod and reluctantly turned his back on me, getting into position facing the corner post. His shoulders were tense, fingers flexing by his sides.

I stepped as close as necessary and cleared my throat.

“Obviously I don’t actually…” I cleared my throat again and hesitated before reaching down to tap his right ass cheek. I heard Crossbody’s breath catch as his shoulders hunched. “You’ll feel my tongue touch you here. Just the tip. For a split second. Just so you know when to react.”

“Fine.”

“And you stumble forward into the post, smack your head on it and lurch back.” I wet my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. “I get you into an inverted facelock and drop us both, then pin you.”

“I know,” he snapped, whirling around to glare at me.

I glared right back, my frustration rising. “Yeah? And are you actually going to let it happen this time?”

“Yes,” he snarled. “Of course I am.”

I laughed brashly. “Excuse me for not trusting you a fucking inch, Crossbody. You haven’t even said sorry for that bullshit last week.”

An angry flush bloomed in his cheeks. “Yes, I did.”

“You also haven’t fucking thanked me for saving your stupid ass,” I snarled, getting in his face, my temper exploding when I remembered just how shittily he’d dealt with this whole situation.

“I didn’t ask you to help me. I was prepared to deal with the consequences.”