by Shara Azod
Oh silly male.
“For charity?” For her pleasure, but he didn’t need to know that. “Sure. I don’t see why not. It’s not like I can’t take you.” Julia threw in a wink with the challenge for good measure. That ought to get him all riled up. “I am undefeated, you know. I aim to stay that way.”
Chapter Three—The Rematch
“Are you ready this time, rock head?” Funny. The first time Cody saw who Chauncey was wrestling, he’d been all concerned for the woman. Now Chauncey’s so-called best friend had jokes aplenty—the ass.
“Oh, so you’re no longer concerned about me hurting her?” Chauncey wasn’t exactly pissed, per se. Yeah, his pride had taken a serious hit, but his best freaking friend losing faith was just wrong.
Casting a quick look across the inflatable pool, this time filled with tapioca, he had to seriously question his own judgment. And he had to question whether the woman deliberately chose colors of gooey dessert she knew would look delicious on her skin. Dressed as she was in another gold lamé bikini, staring at her pre-match was a serious mistake. That bikini was scandalous, it was way too revealing, it was…so fucking sexy it hurt to look. The inflatable pool wasn’t deep enough to hide the huge erection he was battling. Thankfully he was wearing a cup. The damn thing pinched something terrible but it kept things all tucked away, for the most part. Now all he needed to do was stop thinking about how badly he wanted her. How much he ached to kiss her, hold her, wrap himself around her.
Shit, this was going to be bad.
“Hey!” Cody snapped his fingers in front of his face. “Focus, man, focus! The woman has your ass beat before you climb into that ridiculous ass kiddie pool.”
Cody scoffing at him like he’d already been beaten should have pissed him off, but it didn’t. As sad as it was, Chauncey was afraid it might be very, very true. He couldn’t concentrate worth a shit. As much as he tried—okay not really tried so much as made a half-hearted attempt—to stop looking in Julia’s direction, he couldn’t seem to help himself. So much power in such a small, dynamic package. Being pinned by The Jewels Vernon wasn’t so bad at all, he found himself thinking. Actually, her body spread across his back was the closest to heaven he’d ever been.
“You are truly pathetic.” Cody shook his head, but Chauncey felt no shame. He had it bad, he knew it.
No, no, seriously he had to get it together. He had to win this bout. Not that he couldn’t take her; he could. Softly, gently, gradually increasing in intensity until she was screaming and clawing his back—
Aw, hell.
“Get your sorry ass in the pool,” Cody hissed, pushing him into the cream colored goo.
It was mushy and cold, causing Chauncey to stumble a little because he was too busy looking at Julia. The woman flashed him a deep, dimpled smile, freezing him where he stood. She didn’t slide through his legs this time, even though, like an idiot, he had left them wide open again. Guess that would’ve been too easy. Instead, egged on by the roar of the crowd, Julia stepped up to him and placed her arms around his shoulders. Chauncey was so dumbfounded he didn’t move. He could hear Cody shouting something about taking her down, but she had moved in real close-like. Their bodies were touching. It felt so damn good.
“Are you ready, big boy?” Julia purred, making his cock jerk and slip from the confining cup.
Chauncey prided himself on being more than just a dumb jock. Not many people knew it, but he was actually a Rhodes scholar with a PhD in Philosophy, of all things. Not the most macho of degrees, but it was his secret passion and he really didn’t care what anyone else thought. Despite having a solid head on his shoulders, he didn’t move a muscle as Julia wrapped him in her spell. Like the mythical Siren, her soft purring voice stole away any lick of sense he ever claimed to have. So when her face rose, those juicy lips parting ever so slightly, he took the kiss.
Not the wisest move he’d ever made, but it made the sheer stupidity of what he did next seem like the move of nuclear physicist. Being all caught up in the decadent luxury of her lips, the wicked temptation of their dancing tongues, Chauncey completely forgot to protect his flank. Her leg coming up and around him was welcome, wanted—hell he even assisted by cupping her hip and lifting her closer.
“You dumb bastard, look out!”
Was that Cody’s voice? Chauncey heard it, but didn’t understand what the hell his friend was talking about. Not at first anyway. That’s when Julia melted in his arms, becoming dead weight as soon as he lifted her off her feet. Chauncey tightened his grip to keep her from falling, but kept kissing her in earnest. Her heels swung, hitting him in the back of both knees. Even though he knew in an instant he’d been had, all he could think about was making sure she didn’t get hurt as he fell. So, as his knees buckled, his feet slipping in the squishy pudding, he didn’t even try to regain his balance, though regrettably the kiss had to end. Letting gravity take him backwards, he held the woman tightly to his front, hoping to cushion her from their inevitable fall.
The thing was Julia didn’t let go. As he fell, the impish grin on her face morphed into one of triumph. Yep, she got him again, yet he still didn’t let go. His back smacked in the pool of pudding—hard—with Julia on top of him. This time he was braced enough so the wind wasn’t completely knocked out of his lungs. At least not because of the fall. He could have flipped them both, reversing their positions, but Chauncey found that once sprawled on his back, he couldn’t work up the will to move because he liked her on top of him. Loved it really.
Pudding—cream-colored thick drops fell across the darkness of her skin creating a delicious contrast that made his mouth water. In the back of his mind, he knew and understood he should move, that he really needed to get up. But the sight of smooth droplets raining down on her looked so damn delicious all he could think about was licking it off.
Then she moved.
Chauncey hadn’t been aware his cup had slipped out of place entirely until Julia rocked against his crotch. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head behind closed lids, a moan slipping past his lips before he could call it back. Oh God, that felt so damn good! Without thinking, his hands settled on her hips, not sure if he wanted to lift her off or pull her closer.
“Put your hands above your head for me, Chauncey,” Julia whispered in his ear.
His reaction was automatic. When a smart, sexy, sassy, woman tells you to put your arms up, you put your arms up. As she stretched her whole body on top of his, he sighed like an idiot, in complete bliss. That delightful body of hers felt like perfection next to him, pressing against him.
“Ummm, stay just like that for me.” She had to be kidding. Like he wanted to go anywhere. She didn’t even have to purr like that, even though it sounded like the sweetest lullaby.
“One!”
Chauncey had no idea where that voice came from. Of course, he could’ve looked around but he didn’t want to tear his eyes away from vision on top of him.
“Two!”
That was something he should remember. There was a reason some anonymous guy was counting like that. What was it again?
“Three!” There was a clang of a bell, a roaring crowd, and a Cheshire cat grin from the woman on top of him.
“Thanks for the ride, big boy.”
With that parting sentence and a quick kiss to his cheek, Julia was gone. Hopping up on her feet to prance around the pool of pudding with her arms extended over her head, she left him lying there feeling oddly cold and alone. Chauncey didn’t bother to get up at first, letting his head flop down in the sugary muck, closing his eyes against the blobs of pudding that fell against his face. Damn, she was fantastic.
It occurred to him he should feel duped, had been used even. The truth was just too sad. He couldn’t be bothered to give a damn that, in the eyes of most other men, his masculinity took another hit in the gut. Lying under all those soft curves, that beguiling smile from the woman herself, he’d never felt like more of a man. Sure it stung a little that s
he beat him again using the gifts God gave her. But damn, it had never been so fun or satisfying to lose.
Chapter Four—Change of Venue
“Ya know, I have to admit, I am in awe of your feminine wiles. I don’t want any of them, but I am in awe.” Tye shook her head as she chuckled.
Julia sank into a plush armchair in the little “living room” section of their office. It had been one hell of an exhilarating night. She should go home and curl up in bed with images of Chauncey dancing in her head, but seeing Tye admit to being wrong was something she couldn’t miss, and she damn sure wasn’t about to stop in any way.
“I thought for sure he’d take your narrow butt down this time.” Tye chuckled again. “I have to admit you chose your opponent wisely.”
At that, Julia had to scoff. Of course she’d chosen her opponent wisely! There was no way in hell she would get into a pool of freaking pudding with just any man. Being a huge secret fan of Chauncey for years, not only did she know everything there was to know about his wrestling persona, but she’d devoured any and all information she could find about the man himself. Detailed research had gone into choosing him as the perfect wrestler for this charity event. First and foremost, he gave not only his money, but his time and resources, to women’s shelters all over the United States. Chauncey was an outspoken champion for the abused and/or neglected. The cherry on top came with the private investigators she’d hired (a woman can never be too careful). Not only had he never, ever raised his hand to a woman—big, small or otherwise—but he was known to distribute indiscriminate beat-downs to any man that did. Furthermore, all his former relationships ended mutually, without animosity. According to the women the investigator had interviewed, Chauncey was that rare type of guy who wanted real commitment, the kind who didn’t mess with women looking for fame and money. To put it simply, he was perfect for her. The coincidence about their preferred charity was a plus, and his drop-dead gorgeous face and body sure weren’t strikes against him, but the fact that he was intelligent and he had a whole female protective thing going on, made him eligible with a capital E. Julia wasn’t ashamed to admit she wanted him, for keeps.
“Did you get what you wanted, Jewels?” Tye asked, looking in her direction.
Not even close. And double damn Tye for reading her innermost thoughts in her expression. Honestly, she had to watch her expressions around Tye.
“Not really,” Julia admitted, twirling a still-wet braid around her finger. Her body was still humming from the match that had taken place a couple of hours ago.
Being in the ring with Chauncey had been a twice in a lifetime treat, especially having all those delicious muscles under her; she hadn’t been able to resist teasing a bit. Rubbing against him had been a must—what red-blooded woman wouldn’t? Dude was all kinds of scrumptious. She was still damp and achy from close contact with temptation fruit that had her mouth watering despite having taken a cold shower and a thorough scrubbing to get rid of pudding in unmentionable places.
“Oh Jewels.” Tye sighed in sympathy. “I’m sure he—”
Whatever Tye was about to say died in her throat as she stared, mouth agape, at the open office door.
Julia froze too. She wanted to turn to see what could’ve caused Tye—who was never at a loss for words—to go speechless. The thing was, she already knew. Knew it, and was afraid to see for herself. What could she say to him? “Sorry for dick teasing you in the ring. It was more to get your attention than to win by trickery. I swear,” didn’t sound altogether convincing, as much as it sounded bat-shit crazy. While it was absolutely true, she doubted it would go over well. What was worse, she was horribly embarrassed. Wasn’t like he hadn’t seen the way her nipples went rock hard and her breathing hitched when she was on top of him. There’d been acknowledgement in his eyes, the kind a man got when he knew a woman wanted him.
“Excuse me. Am I interrupting?” The deep, delicious, sexy drawl made Julia’s toes tingle. Who gave a shit if he was interrupting? He could’ve interrupted in the middle of her shower, which would be far more—
Shit, being all kinds of naked around Chauncey Cullen was so not a wise thing to think about. Her clit started to throb, her breasts tightened, growing heavy. And she hadn’t even looked at him yet.
“Why, no Mr. Cullen.” Tye oozed old-fashioned Southern feminine sweetness, which any born and bred Southern man recognized as either imminent death, or one hell of a trap for which there was no escape. Julia knew what was coming and loved her best friend for it. “Have yourself a seat on the chaise.” Tye didn’t give him a chance to sit—she more or less shoved the man down.
Uh-oh, this one wouldn’t be easy. Many times Tye started by going light on a guy, allowing him to slip into a false sense of security before she stuck the knife—that was no more than honeyed words—deep in his gut. The hair on Julia’s neck stood up straight. There’d be no beating around the bush tonight. Julia considered praying Tye’s little “test” wouldn’t be that bad, but it would be futile. God was busy all the time. Therefore He made Southern women take care of little things, like men who needed to be taken down a peg or two. Unfortunately, He also tended to overlook their little quirks, which did not bode well for Chauncey.
“Just sit back all nice and cozy. You must be a little sore after that tumble you took in all that pudding tonight. Tell me, does your head hurt at all?”
Oh no. Julia saw clearly where Tye was going with this. It was a test they teasingly called The Masculinity Test. She never used the exact same tactics, but whenever one of them dated a new man, or had designs on one, it was up to the other woman to push the guy a little, to examine his level of masculinity. While it wasn’t guaranteed to root out wussies, with dudes on the down-low, or over the top mega-assholes, it definitely helped. If Chauncey freaked out completely, or acquiesced too quickly and Julia got with him anyway, Tye would take it as her personal duty to throw this test back in her face, repeatedly and often.
While Julia loved the system they had perfected over the years, she found herself not wanting Tye to test this particular man. Most of the time one could never tell which way any man would break, if at all. However Julia wasn’t worried about Chauncey breaking at all. Without rhyme or reason, she had complete faith in him, and frankly she didn’t want to see how he would react when Tye really got going. It was way too soon to have her idea of him marred by anything less than perfection. Crazy, but honest.
“I’m fine, I really don’t need to, er…recline.” Score one for Chauncey, who sat upright stiff as a board on the corner of the flowery chaise. He looked about ready to jump off at any second.
Good sign, although it could mean he was way too manly, which usually meant a thick-ass head or worse—Beta male. A man who tried too hard to be Alpha was almost assuredly a Beta—a low scaled one at that. Sitting back in her chair, Julia let Tye proceed a little longer. This would be interesting, if not downright entertaining.
“Ummmm, you poor thing,” Tye tsked as if he’d declared his head had been cracked wide open.
Chauncey shot a confused, pleading look her way, but she ignored it, trying to look as sorrowful as Tye. Hard to while do grinning so hard.
“I think we have a cold compress in the fridge.” Tye looked around as if for the office refrigerator.
“Do you get hurt in the ring a lot?” Chauncey demanded of Julia, jumping to his feet and nailing her with a half-ferocious, half-concerned glare.
Julia’s heart melted a little right then and there. While she couldn’t imagine what he’d do about it if she did get hurt in the pool of pudding. The protective thing was cute.
“I’m undefeated,” she replied. It was adorable to see the big, burly wrestler flush at the mention of his two defeats by her hands.
“Our Jewels is hard as stone.” Tye smiled while shoving Chauncey back down on the chaise. While Julia wasn’t too fond of her friend’s hands on her man’s chest, watching Chauncey trying to decide whether or not he would allow himself
to be pushed back down was hilarious.
Wait—
Her man? Oh, Lord she was a goner!
“Let me know if you feel faint.” Tye touched his forehead with the back of her hand while Chauncey sat, looking truly bewildered. Tye set a bottle of aspirin on the small table beside him. “I’ll get you some water for those in a second. Oh, I know I have some smelling salts around here somewhere, if you start feeling faint.” Chauncey looked downright incredulous at that.
“Okay, that’s enough.” Julia cut off her friend, noting the expression on his face.
The man looked as if he was either about to tell Tye off, or run. His eyes kept darting toward the door, strategic retreat written in the way his muscles had bunched up. No way would Julia allow him to escape. She had no idea why he was here, but she certainly didn’t want him to leave. Vaulting to her feet, she grasped Tye by the shoulders, spinning her toward the door.
“See you later, Tye.”
For once, she managed to catch her best friend by surprise enough to propel the woman out of the room, closing the door securely behind her. Unfortunately, Jewels hadn’t thought about what she would do next, what she would say. As soon as she turned back around she became very aware of two things. One, Chauncey had gotten up off the chaise and now stood a few inches away. And two, although he looked all kinds of intense, it wasn’t anger in his eyes.
The physical reaction was immediate; pure need slammed through her with the force of a Mack truck. Moisture gathered between her legs at an alarming rate. Up close and personal, Chauncey was devastating to the senses.
“Sorry about that.” Julia made an attempt to move away, she really did. However, her feet refused to move and her traitorous body actually leaned in his direction. She had to fight herself to keep from moving closer to him. “How, uh…can I help you?”
Her voice sounded breathless, so not-smooth, disinterest, or even feisty. In fact, she sort of sounded like a phone sex operator. The smile that spread across Chauncey’s face let her know he was thinking something similar. Lord, that grin should be illegal; probably was in some states.
