Tempting Boundaries

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Well, he guessed that was better than nothing.

  Grif stood back and let Decker in. Griffin had a fantastic house that had so much potential. Too bad the other man was the least crafty of the Montgomerys and worked in a whirlwind of clutter while he was on deadline.

  “Ignore the mess,” Griffin said as he walked into the room behind him.

  “I always do,” Decker quipped then held back a wince. He was here to apologize, not antagonize the man.

  Griffin let out a chuckle. “True. Guess I really need those bookshelves you’re making me.”

  Decker lowered his head and closed his eyes. If only it were that easy, but if Griffin didn’t want to talk about the hard stuff yet, then he’d roll with it.

  “I’m almost done with them,” he said.

  Griffin turned to him, his eyes thoughtful. “Really? You kept working on them?”

  Ah, so apparently, they were going to talk about the hard stuff. Good. Get it out there. “Yeah. I wasn’t going to quit.” He met Griffin’s gaze. “I’m still not quitting.”

  Grif let out a breath. “Fuck. This isn’t easy.”

  Decker didn’t say anything. Grif had to make the next move since Decker was the one who’d come to his place.

  “I shouldn’t have hit you. For that I’m sorry.”

  Decker shook his head. “You’re wrong about that. I deserved the punch, Grif. I hid my relationship with Miranda, and you were blindsided. I took the fist to the face because it was necessary.”

  Grif sighed. “Maybe you’re right, but I shouldn’t have said anything about Miranda. God, I was just so surprised and angry, and maybe even a little hurt, that I said things that were wrong and that I didn’t mean. For that, I am truly sorry.”

  Decker nodded, a weight lifting off his chest. “I don’t want to hurt her, Grif.”

  “I know that. I should have known that before too. Apparently some of the family saw the way you two were around each other when I didn’t. Maybe if I’d seen that, I wouldn’t have been such an asshole.”

  “I’d say you’re always an asshole, like I usually do, but we’re just now getting along.”

  Grif snorted then flipped him off. “Asshole,” he said but didn’t put any feeling behind it. “I don’t know what’s coming next, or how we’re all going to handle it, but as long as Miranda is happy, I am. I shouldn’t have made it all about me, and for that, I’m truly sorry.”

  “I…I don’t know what we’re doing next or how everything is going to end up, but…”

  “But…” Grif echoed. “Yeah, it’s that, but that’s scary as hell. I don’t want to lose you if things go to shit, Deck. So don’t let things go to shit. Okay?”

  “I’ll try my best.”

  Grif let out a breath then clapped his hands once. “Okay then. You want to see where I want the shelves?”

  Decker knew since he’d already cut down the wood, but he let Grif ease back into the friendship they used to have, or rather, the kind they’d have now that things were different. The fact that Griffin forgave him even after their fight gave Decker hope. The others in the family hadn’t come out and said they were happy to his face, but nothing had been like it was with Griffin.

  Maybe, as long as his legacy from his father didn’t fuck it up, he had a shot at making things work.

  Scary thing about hope—things usually crashed down once he let himself go there.

  After he left Griffin’s, he headed to his place to meet Miranda. She had the day off since it was the weekend, but she needed to grade papers. Apparently, his presence took her focus from red pens and math assignments, so she worked at her apartment. She was supposed to meet him at his place soon so they could work out and he could see how her defense lessons were coming along. Today, they might actually do some real boxing.

  If the law wouldn’t protect her, then he’d show her how to protect herself. He got a kick out of watching her punch the bag with all her strength, each time gaining accuracy and precision. She wouldn’t be helpless again if he could help it.

  He got to his place and changed into his workout gear. He was just pulling out two bottles of water from the refrigerator when he heard the knock at the door. He’d see about getting her a key so she wouldn’t have to keep knocking. They’d been friends for long enough it shouldn’t have been a problem, and considering the fact that he’d been balls-deep in her that morning without a condom, a key to his place wasn’t out of the question.

  See? He was growing.

  Learning to trust.

  He could do this.

  He opened the door and couldn’t hold back the grin at her workout gear. It was still relatively warm outside, so she’d worn tight, short-shorts and a tank over a sports bra. If he wasn’t careful, he’d strip her down for a hard fuck on the floor before they even made it to his basement.

  He swallowed hard and let her in, trying to hide the rod in his pants. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his lips in for a kiss.

  “Mmm, tasty,” she murmured. She pressed her body against his, so there would be no hiding his hard-on.

  “You’re in a mood,” he teased as he took her hand. He led her to the basement since if he didn’t do that he’d fuck her up against the wall. Her safety was more important than his dick.

  “So?” She pinched his ass, and he jumped.

  “Jesus, woman. Let me show you how to box and see your moves, then I’ll see all your moves.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  He pinched her ass back then nudged her toward the punching bag. “You all stretched out like I asked?” He’d asked her to stretch at home since the last time she’d done that in front of him, he’d ended up taking her from behind, and they’d forgotten the rest of the lesson.

  She lifted a brow, her cheeks blushing. Yep, she remembered the last time as well. “Yep, all stretched out.”

  “Good,” he grunted and got out the tape. “I’m going to tape your hands to protect them, but we aren’t doing much today. Got it? I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

  She nodded and held her hands out. He carefully taped them then kissed each palm before letting her go. She let out a sigh that went straight to his balls, but he stood up and went behind the bag anyway.

  “Now, get in the proper stance. No, your arms need to be lower, remember?”

  “Got it.” Her eyes were on the target and not on him. Good.

  “I want you to do a soft jab. Nothing too hard. Remember where your thumb is. I don’t want you to break it.”

  She nodded then did as he asked. He grinned in approval then went about the rest of the lesson, doing his best to show her how to protect herself while secretly hoping she’d never have to use her new techniques.

  “You have good form,” he said after she did another punch.

  She smiled up at him, and he was lost.

  Damn it, he loved her.

  Loved the way she put all of herself into everything she did. Loved the way she looked without makeup, with makeup, and just in general. Right now, she had that glow that came with working out but not getting too sweaty. She also had a high ponytail that bounced whenever she moved.

  He wanted to wrap it around his fist when he fucked her. Wanted to feel her clench around him when he came hard.

  But what he wanted most was for her to stay…to stay with him, in his house, in his bed, in his life.

  That scared him more than anything.

  “I try,” she replied, and he blinked to get out of his head.

  Dreams like those were dangerous, and it would be best to remember that.

  “Want to do a few more rounds?”

  She wiped her forehead with her arm and nodded. “I do, but do you want to spar? That’s the right word, right?”

  He snorted. “Yeah, that’s the right word, but you’re not ready to spar with me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I don’t mean a full-on battle or match, Deck. I know I’m a beginner, but I figured it would be fun to
hit your hands or something. See what happens when you block me.”

  He nodded. “That’s a better idea.”

  She grinned, and he had a feeling he might like the next words out of her mouth. “And when you pin me to the ground, I’ll let you cop a feel.”

  Yep. He liked it. A lot.

  He reached out and cupped her breast, running his thumb over her nipple. She sucked in a breath, and he grinned when her nipple hardened against his hand.

  “I can cop a feel without having you punch me, Mir.”

  She gripped his hand and pressed him closer. He groaned then gripped her hip with his other hand. When he brought her to his chest, he pressed his mouth to hers, craving her taste. She rocked against him, straddling his thigh so he could feel her heat.

  When he pulled back, he had to swallow hard so he didn’t throw her down to the mat and fill her right there. He tugged on her ponytail, and she gasped.

  “I thought you wanted to spar.” He bit down on her bottom lip. He reached around to pat her ass in those short shorts then gripped one butt cheek. She rose up on her tiptoes, aiding him. Since he could, he traced a finger along the crack of her ass then down to her heat. She spread her legs more, and he grinned. He tugged her shorts to the side slightly and skimmed her labia. She shuddered, and he grinned before biting down on her earlobe.

  “You’re wet for me,” he whispered.

  “I’m always wet around you. It’s beginning to become a problem.”

  He grinned then pulled back, dropping both hands to her hips. She whimpered, but he knew if he drew them both out, it would be better. Hard and fast worked, and they’d get to that eventually, but right now, a tantalizing tease was what they needed.

  “Show me your stance.”

  She blinked up at him and frowned. “What?”

  “Show me what you’ve got.” He grinned at her raised brow. “I know what’s under your clothes, Mir. I want to see how hard you hit.” And he wanted to see under her clothes, but that would come later.

  She grinned then. “You’ll be sorry you asked.”

  He chuckled and pushed at her hips until she stepped back. “I’ll enjoy every bit of it. Now get in your stance. I just want you to hit my palms. Not as hard as you’re going to hit in a normal situation. I just want to get a feel for you.” She licked her lips, and he held back a groan. “You know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, and I’m a little sad you don’t want to feel me up the other way.”

  “Later, Mir. I promise I’ll feel up every inch of you and even let you suck my dick.”

  She threw her head back and laughed, and he smiled. “You’re a dork, but sure. You show me how to hit correctly, and I’ll suck your dick. I like tasting you anyway.”

  He groaned out loud this time and adjusted himself in his shorts. “You’re bad for my concentration, but I’ll persevere. Anything to get that pretty mouth on my cock.” She licked her lips once again, but he did his best to ignore it. “Now show me how good you are.”

  She put her feet in position then raised her fists to the correct height. He nodded then held up his palms. She crossed her body and hit his left palm with her right fist, and he grinned.

  “Nice form. Again.”

  He let her get in two more crosses and then started her on jabs. She had great form, and though she wasn’t putting all her weight behind it, she wasn’t flinching when she hit skin. That was half the battle. It helped that he wasn’t attacking her back. They’d practice that later.

  When it looked like her arms were getting tired, he lifted his chin. “Okay, we can stop now. I like the way you look when you’re punching back.”

  She rolled her eyes then shook out her arms. An odd light passed over her eyes, and he cursed himself. There was a reason they were practicing like this, and the fact that she even had to fight back at all made him want to kick someone’s ass.

  He pulled her close and hugged her to his body. When he rested his cheek on the top of her head, they both let out a sigh.

  “I won’t be a victim,” she whispered.

  “You aren’t, baby. You never were. You fought back that night, too. You remember? You got yourself to safe places both times. This is all on Jack, and we’re going to pray you never have to use any of what I’m teaching you down here.”

  She moved her arms then gripped his ass. “Well, I could always use the one-on-one time. You know what I mean? What if I had bad form? What would you do to punish me?”

  He let out a little growl then backed away just enough so he could see the length of her. Apparently, they were done talking about Jack, and that was fine with him. He’d rather see how sweaty they could get when they arched against one another rather than punching a bag.

  “On your knees,” he growled.

  Her eyes widened, but she went to her knees. He had the mats down so she wasn’t kneeling on concrete, but he’d move her to the other padded area if she needed it. It didn’t matter. As long as he had her lips wrapped around him, he’d be a happy man.

  Her hands tugged at his shorts, but he pulled at her ponytail, forcing her gaze to his.

  “The piercing is still in, but I want you to deepthroat. We’ll be careful, but if you want, I can take it out. It’s up to you.”

  She licked her lips then slowly pulled his shorts down to uncover his erection. “I want all of you, and then I want you and your piercing in me. It hits my G-spot perfectly, and I’m greedy.”

  He grinned then gripped the base of his cock. “I’m in control here, Mir. I’ll let you suck me, let you cup my balls, but I direct.”

  She sucked in a breath. “Like I’d have it any other way.”

  Fucking perfect. She was fucking perfect for him.

  “Open your mouth.”

  She did so immediately, her tongue flat and ready for him.

  He tapped her lower lip with his cock, careful not to hit her teeth with the piercing. If he took it out, he could be rougher when he was at the front of her mouth, but it was okay; he just liked the feel of her on him.

  His hand cupped her jaw and opened her mouth wider. With care, he slid the tip of his dick in and out of her mouth, loving the way her pupils dilated on each stroke. With each pass, he went a little deeper, stayed a little longer. When he reached the back of her throat, she sucked in a breath, and he pulled out, not wanting her to gag. She hadn’t yet when they’d been practicing her going deep, but he didn’t want to hurt her.

  “Cup my balls. Play with them.”

  He continued to slide in and out of her mouth, loving the way her tongue tapped his length on the way out. Her hands went to his balls, rolling them in her palms. When her fingernails scraped them, he pulled on her ponytail, fighting for control.

  “Fuck, that feels good, baby.”

  She gasped when he pulled out, his dick wet from her mouth. “Let me finish.”

  “You want me to come down your throat? You sure you want me to do that rather than in your pussy?”

  She grinned then squeezed his balls. His eyes crossed, and he gritted his teeth. “You have great recovery time, Decker. By the time you finish licking my pussy, you’ll be ready to fuck me.”

  He cupped her face and tapped her cheek with his dick. “You’re a dirty girl, Miranda Montgomery.”

  “Only for you.”

  Hell yeah, only for him.

  “Get ready.” He slid down her throat then fucked her mouth, careful not to pull back too hard and hit her teeth with his piercing.

  When she squeezed his balls again, he shouted her name. He held her head still by keeping his hand in her hair then came down her throat. When he pulled back, she licked up and down his length, getting every last drip.

  “Fuck, I love it when you clean my cock.”

  She grinned. “You better clean my pussy then.”

  “Shit, you and that mouth are going to get you in trouble.”

  “I like being in trouble if you’re the one handing out punishments.”

  He chuckle
d then pulled her up so she was standing and crushed his mouth to hers.

  The salty taste on her tongue only turned him on more. He gripped her ass and rocked her body against his.

  “Take off that sports bra and show me those pretty pink nipples.”

  She took it off quickly—much faster than he thought possible, considering how tight it was, but, hey, they were ready. Instead of waiting for him to play with her breasts, she cupped herself and moaned.

  “Holy fuck, you’re so fucking hot, Mir. Tug at your nipples. Yeah, just like that. Roll them between your fingers.”

  He quickly divested himself of his clothes and toed off his shoes and socks. He licked his lips then pulled on her shorts, stripping them off her legs. She still wore her shoes, but it would take too long for him to deal with them. Instead, he knelt between her thighs and latched onto her clit.

  “Decker!”

  She put one leg on his shoulder, his tongue laving at her clit and her opening. He pulled back when she tilted. He looked up her body and into her eyes, loving the ecstasy on her face.

  “Hold my other shoulder with one hand. Then I want you to keep playing with your nipples while I make you come on my face.”

  She nodded then went back to pinching and pulling. Oh yeah, she knew what she liked.

  His hands were on her ass, spreading her so he could get at that little rosette. With his eyes on hers, he took some of her juices and slid them back. Her eyes widened, and he grinned.

  “Just a little right now, Mir.”

  “Is that the same as saying just the tip?”

  He gave a rough chuckle then rubbed his beard on the inner silk of her thighs. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. We’ll try just the tip another night. Right now, I’m going to play with this little virgin hole of yours while I lick you up.”

  She nodded, and he knew he was lost.

  He gently rubbed her before breaching her entrance with his index finger. She sucked in a breath, but he wasn’t planning on going any farther. He just wanted her to know what it felt like. Patience would reap rewards for both of them.

  He went back to her pussy, licking and sucking on her clit. When he hummed against her, her body tensed then shook. He kept lapping during her orgasm, loving the blush on her skin.