by C. C. Snow
My fingers trace the muscles along the outer edges of his ribs. “You have such beautiful serratus anterior muscles,” I say dreamily.
His chuckle originates from deep within his chest and I feel it before I hear it. “I can honestly say I have never been admired for that part of my anatomy,” he says in an amused tone.
“Well, there are a few other parts that are quite fantastic.” I say, embracing the lighter mood with relief. Pursing my lips to hide my grin, I sit up and run my gaze over his body, grateful he sleeps in the buff. My pulse flutters when I see he’s already hard. “I do need to study for my finals soon. Maybe you can help me with my anatomy exam. Having a life model is vastly superior to looking at charts in my textbook.”
The slow, sexy smile on his face makes me instantly wet. “I’m more than happy to help. Now tell me about these other fantastic parts you admire so much.”
“Well, you do have a very nice…” I deliberately drop my eyes to his groin and bring my hand within inches of his cock. Before my eyes, it engorges further and suddenly I want nothing more than to feel its heat. At the last moment, I move my hand to the left, tracing a line down his hard thigh. “Sartorius.”
“What else?” he demands, his body tense.
I glide my fingertips even further away and his eyes narrow. “Your tensor fasciae latae is certainly noteworthy.”
“And?”
Loving this game, I stroke a few inches to the right. He shifts his hips, letting me know where he wants my touch, but I move to the inside of his thigh. “And your adductor longus is quite impressive.”
He groans and wraps his fingers around my wrist. “You little tease. I’ll show you impressive. Touch me.”
“Bossy much?” I ask, fighting to not giggle.
He playfully growls, “Hah! It’s wasted on you.”
Tugging my hand away, I start to explore his thigh muscles again. “That’s not true.” I flutter my lashes. “I like your bossiness sometimes.”
He trails a finger over my nose, down my lips and chin until he reaches the top of my camisole. “Really? Let’s do a quick review so I know what you like.” Eyes sparkling with desire, he leans forward to take my earlobe in his mouth.
Bringing both of my hands up to his broad shoulders, I clutch onto him as he sucks on my sensitive flesh. I moan as he lets his teeth sink in slightly.
“Was it when I did the body search?”
“Maybe.” I try to sound nonchalant, but I can’t hide the neediness in my voice. I never knew sex could be both hot and fun until Sean. Recalling the spontaneous role-play when he searched for “hidden” contraband on my person, I feel a spurt of warmth in my belly. Being told to bend over the sofa and to spread my legs was freaking mind-blowing. Who knew I had a kinky side?
“Hmm…” He kisses along my jaw and down my neck, lingering on the freckles on my chest. He seems to be fascinated by them. His breath comes in hot puffs against my skin and my nipples bead into tight buds. “Or maybe it was when I told you to get on your knees?”
My breath stutters in my throat and a little whimper emerges. I always get weak in my bones when he lets out his dominant streak in bed. Taking him in my mouth was…I swallow convulsively. “Maybe.” My voice is an octave higher and I have to clear my throat.
Moving in a blur, he has me on my back and my panties stripped off before I can even draw in enough air to scream.
“Or maybe it’s when I tell you to come for me.”
“Oh shit!” I shout when he presses his face between my thighs and licks my slick folds. The flat of his tongue rubs against my clit and all I feel is pure, unadulterated pleasure. When he pushes his tongue into my channel, I bow my back with a sharp, needy cry. A few thrusts and my core clenches. A muttered “come, angel,” and I implode, fireworks going off in my lower belly. Sean’s agile tongue does something to my inner walls that prolongs my climax until I’m so spent, I can’t move my limbs.
Turning me onto my side, he fits the front of his body to my back. When he lifts my right thigh and lodges his cock at my opening, the only sound I can manage is a low murmur.
“I love how responsive you are,” he whispers into my ear as he rocks his cock slowly into me, gliding into my depths. I moan at the stretching sensation. One hand clasps my lower waist while the other roams under my camisole, caressing every inch of me.
“Sean, you feel so good.” I twist around to kiss him. He tastes of me and I lick his lips greedily.
“You feel fucking amazing and I can’t get enough,” he mutters and my heart soars. He may not say the words I crave, but being with him like this is more than I could have dreamed of.
His strokes are slow and steady. He maintains a languorous rhythm for a long time, keeping the heat low. After my lightning-fast orgasm, it feels decadently wonderful not to be hurtling toward the finish. He devotes his full attention to drawing out every sensation, caressing my breasts until they are tight and achy, thrusting in and out of my pussy until I don’t know what it’s like not to have him joined to me. It feels like we could have maintained the luxurious pace forever, but imperceptibly the flames start to burn brighter and hotter.
It feels like he’s making love to me. At the tantalizing thought, I feel that familiar tension in my lower belly. “I’m close.”
“Come for me, angel,” he rumbles. He slides his hand between my thighs. His fingers touch my engorged bud and I come undone with a high-pitched cry. I moan softly as my orgasm stretches on and on. I hear a loud groan and then feel his silken release deep inside. I close my eyes to savor the sweet intimacy.
***
Saturday morning, Sean drags me out of bed early and we make breakfast. When I first moved in, I was appalled by the lack of food in his house. He must have seen my dismay because we went on a massive grocery shopping trip and stocked up on everything. Since then we’ve been cooking most of our meals instead of ordering take-out.
We rarely go out to dinner. The paparazzi are everywhere and we’d rather not raise any questions neither of us is ready to answer. I try not to let it bother me, but the secrecy is starting to chafe.
“Okay. Time to get going.” He closes the dishwasher and eyes me up and down. “You need to be in tight, but comfortable clothes for our outing.”
I notice that he’s already dressed in a moisture wicking shirt and sweats. “Where are we going?” I hop a little on the balls of my feet, excitement strumming through me at going out together.
He flicks my nose playfully and says, “You’ll see.” Spinning me around to face the stairs, he pats my ass. “Go!”
“Bossy!” I call out over my shoulder.
“If we didn’t have to get going, I’d give you another taste of my bossiness.”
My steps falter at the promise in his voice and a little moan escapes my lips.
Smack!
“Ow!” I rub my backside, even though his little tap hardly stung. When I look behind me, his blue eyes are blazing with heat.
“Stop distracting me, woman. We have an appointment.”
The lure of the mysterious outing gets my feet moving and I make a mental note to distract him after we come back. With Sean’s instructions in mind, I pull on a pair of yoga pants and a body-hugging long sleeve tee. My running shoes complete the comfortable outfit. In deference to the early winter weather, I don my thick down jacket.
“I’m ready,” I announce as I reach the bottom of the stairs.
Sean already has his car keys in hand and after a quick kiss, we exit the apartment.
As we drive through the city, I pepper him with questions about our destination, but Sean only responds with a chuckle and admonishes, “Have some patience, missy.”
“We’re going to Brooklyn?” I ask excitedly when we get on the Manhattan Bridge.
Groaning theatrically, he says, “Now I remember what Christmas was like at your house.”
I giggle at the memory of me hounding him for hints about my presents. “It served you right for
always wrapping things in decoy boxes.” The more I pleaded, the cagier he got until it became a game between us. “Remember when you gave me earrings, but you put it inside a fake football. You made it impossible to guess.”
“I wasn’t going to be a wuss like Cael and give it all away at the first sad puppy look,” he scoffs.
“It wasn’t my face. It was the relentless questions he couldn’t take.” I smirk at how easily I could push my brother’s buttons. It’s a talent little sisters inherently possess. “I think the longest he lasted was two days.”
“Wuss,” he proclaims with a grin on his face. Sean reaches over and clasps my hand. “Is there anything you want in particular this year?”
Your heart.
I cut away my gaze to look out the window, not wanting him to see the pathetic neediness in my eyes. Patience indeed, missy. It’s only been two weeks.
“Not really,” I say. “I’m sure I’ll like whatever you get me. Nothing expensive though.” The costlier the gift, the more aware I am of the gulf between us.
“We’ll see,” he says mysteriously and I look back at him, shooting him a severe frown.
“Let’s agree we won’t spend more than twenty bucks.”
His mouth drops open. “What the hell can you even buy for that?”
I point a finger at him and accuse, “You’re being a snob. You can get lots of great gifts on a shoestring.” My tone turns sarcastic. “Ever heard of a budget, Mr. Moneybags? Some of us live on student loans.”
He turns his head and narrows his eyes inquiringly. “I thought Cael was paying for your tuition.”
“He wanted to, but I need to do this on my own. He’s already sacrificed so much for me and I don’t want to dip into his savings.”
Sean snorts. “You know your tuition is just a drop in the bucket for him, right?”
“It’s the principle of it,” I counter. “I’m an adult and I need to pay my own way. I don’t want to rely on my brother for the rest of my life. My independence is important to me.”
He touches me gently on the cheek. “You’re something else, you know that, angel?”
I turn pink at the admiration in his voice. “So do we have a deal about the budget?”
He makes a noise in the back of his throat, but it doesn’t sound like an agreement. Just when I am about to argue, we pull into a private parking lot.
I swivel my head around, trying to spot any signage, but the grey brick building has no identifying marks. “Where are we?” I ask, puzzlement in my voice.
“You’ll see in a second. Come on.”
We get out of the car and walk to a nondescript metal door. Sean pushes it open and the sounds of male grunts and shouts reach my ears. The air smells like stale sweat and other less identifiable, funky odors.
“What is this place?” I step into the dark interior cautiously. “Is this a gym?” The place is huge. Unlike the gyms I’ve been to, there are few machines other than some treadmills. Several men are lifting weights in the corner, but almost everyone else is focused on the two sweaty men sparring in one of the rings. They dance around each other, throwing lightning-fast jabs, kicking their legs in almost balletic movements.
“This is one of the best private training facilities for MMA fighters. A buddy of mine owns it.”
“Rowan!”
At the shout, I glance over to see a man in a black tank and nylon shorts start toward us. With every step, his muscles undulate and I gape at the beauty of his body. He looks like one of those models on the cover of a fitness magazine. His arms and neck are covered with swirling tattoos. I glance at his face and note he’s not classically handsome like Sean, but he has compelling masculine features, enhanced starkly by his shaved head. His dark brown eyes are the color of dark chocolate. I imagine he must draw feminine attention wherever he goes.
“You’d better stop staring, angel, or I’m going to have to take him out.”
I jerk my gaze to Sean, shocked and thrilled by the hint of jealousy in his voice. I open my eyes wide, trying to look innocent. “What? I was admiring his haircut.”
Smirking, Sean kisses me hard, making me breathless. “You’re such a smart ass.”
“This must be your girl, Maggie.”
Turning around at the low voice filled with amusement, my heart races at being called Sean’s girl. I glance at Sean, but he’s grinning and doing some sort of complicated handshake with his friend.
“Hart. Good to see you, man. Thanks for helping me out.” He puts his hand at my lower back and nudges me forward. “This is Maggie Jackson. Maggie, this ugly troll is Tyler Hart.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Tyler.” I shake his hand, noting the numerous scars on his knuckles.
“Likewise. Please call me Ty.” He winks at me, eyes gleaming devilishly. “Rowan here has always been jealous of my awe-inspiring physique. Next to me, he looks like a twig.” Grinning, he flexes his muscles, making his pecs and biceps bulge. Up close, he is massive and the tattoos seem to come alive.
“Cocky bastard. Stop flirting with her or I’ll shove a twig—”
Smile widening, Ty lifts his hands up in a calming motion. “Whoa, whoa. There’s a lady present, Rowan. Didn’t they teach you better manners at that fancy prep school you went to?”
I can’t help but laugh. Other than his interactions with my brother, I’ve never seen how Sean relates to his friends. I can tell he and Ty have an easy rapport. “How do you guys know each other?”
“Bastard arrested me.” Ty jerks his chin in Sean’s direction.
“No way! What for?”
“Drunk and disorderly conduct. He started a bar brawl,” Sean supplies.
“Totally trumped up charges,” Ty protests, a not-so-innocent grin on his face.
I make a production of perusing Ty up and down and nod solemnly. “I can see that you’re a man of peace.” I pause a beat. “I’m assuming you kicked butt?”
Tossing his head back, Ty guffaws, drawing a few surprised glances our way. It takes him a minute to regain his composure and even then, he has to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. “You’re damn right I kicked ass!” He flashes a cocky grin and cracks his knuckles. “Fuck, Rowan. She’s a smart one. You lucky bastard.”
Sean draws me close and kisses my temple. “Damn straight.”
My whole body flushes with pleasure. “So how did you guys become friends?” A smile is already tugging on my lips, anticipating the story.
Rubbing his jaw, Sean answers, “Bastard punched me in the face at the bar when I was trying to break up the fight.”
“By accident!” Ty interjects.
“After he was bailed out by his manager, he sent me two tickets to his fight as an apology.”
“Won that fight in the first round,” Ty boasts.
“He invited me to work out at his gym and now I’m stuck with him.”
Ty snorts and punches Sean in the arm. “You should have seen this bastard before I got my hands on him. Skin and bones.” He waggles his head mournfully and makes a tsking noise.
I snicker at the exaggeration. As far back as I can remember, Sean has had the body of a Greek god. He may not be as muscled as Tyler, but I prefer his leaner, more elegant form.
Before Sean can retort, a dark-haired man shouts Ty’s name.
“One minute, Bruce,” he yells back as his dark gaze sweeps the room. Looking over my shoulder, he puts two fingers in his mouth and loud piercing whistle emerges. He beckons someone with his hand.
I turn around to see a serious-looking woman approach us, her movements spare and contained. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a French braid, showing off her beautiful bone structure. I run my eyes over her body and gulp. God, everyone is ripped in this place. In a sports bra and tiny shorts, this woman is sporting muscles I’ve never seen on a woman before in my life. I stare at her hard abs in envy.
“Hi!” She sticks out her hand. “I’m Serena Cabot. You must be Maggie.” Her smile instantly transforms her face
from severe to stunning.
“Nice to meet you, Serena.” I smile, somewhat in awe of her.
“Good to see you again, Sean.” The little spark of jealousy dies a quick death when Serena only gives Sean a cursory smile.
“I’ll leave you in Serena’s hands. It was nice meeting you, Maggie.” Ty pats my shoulder before heading over to Bruce.
Serena gestures vaguely to the back of the gym. “You ready?”
Bewildered, I look from Sean to Serena and then back to Sean. “Ready for what?”
He smiles reassuringly and explains, “Serena is going to give you a quick and dirty self-defense lesson. There are a few tricks that can easily deter or disable an attacker. If you want to learn more, we can come back next week, but for today, you can pick up a few basic techniques. It’s better if you learn them from a woman who’s closer to your weight and height.”
Serena adds, “I also studied aikido which is perfect for people who don’t look like those behemoths.” She indicates the men scattered around the gym.
I smile widely. I’ve never been an athletic person, but the idea of being able to defend myself sends a thrill through me. Glancing at Sean, I feel a tide of love wash over me. This incredible man had planned this to help me overcome my fears. Forgetting our audience, I go onto my toes and give him a deep kiss, trying to show him how I feel.
Hoots and whistles fill the air and I break away with hot cheeks. Holding his gaze, I whisper, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he replies lowly, his eyes darkened with what I now recognize as desire. Warmth blooms in my core in response.
Fighting not to get sidetracked, I turn to Serena, who has turned her face discreetly away from us, and ask, “Do you really think I can do it?”
