The Predator [2]

by Brooke May

  His hand takes possession of one breast while his hot mouth takes the other. “You taste so good, baby,” he murmurs around me. The vibrations of his deep voice only add to my pleasure. “So fucking good.”

  “Chamberlain.” I claw my fingers into his hair and hold on as his touch and the sensations he is bringing to my body overwhelm me and send me into another euphoric scream. He releases his hold on my breasts and combs through my hair.

  “My beauty,” he whispers, kissing me.

  “My beast,” I counter. “I love you.” I rub my forehead against his. “Thank you for making me whole again.”

  I move, lining his erection up to my entrance. “Thank you for loving me, Katie.” He exhales and groans as I take him into my body, making him a part of me ever so slowly.

  He grabs my hips and tries to push me down at a quicker rate. “No.” I bat him away. “Slow. This. Time,” I say, taking a whisper of a breath once I’m fully seated on his lap. I feel him pulsating inside me, and I savor the feeling of being this close to him.

  “Baby, you’ve got to move. I’m dying here,” he croons, eyes tight like he is being tortured. “Please.” The surge of power I feel is unreal. It was always me begging him, and now, I have him doing the same for me.

  I rise above him and grind my hips on my way back down. “Fffffuuuuccckkkk.” The rocking and grinding motion I do as I come back down after I rise rubs against my oversensitive clit again and again.

  I force my eyes to stay open to watch Chamberlain’s body tense and fall apart with ecstasy. My orgasm isn’t long out, and the feel of Chamberlain growing even harder and his whole body growing still tells me he is there.

  “KATIE!” With his battle cry, my orgasm rips through me as his releases into me.

  “CHAMBERLAIN!” We pant and cling to one another in pure bliss until I realize the water has cooled around us.

  Chamberlain must have too because as I watch his skin, it begins to bubble with goose bumps. “Come on, Mrs. Lawrence.” He effortlessly lifts us out of the tub, taking his time to wipe me dry, and I reciprocate the favor by drying him. When we are all dry, he lifts me again and carries me to the soft bed. I’ve never felt more loved or cherished than I do at this moment as his wife.

  Chapter Thirty

  Katie

  I’M WOKEN BY the brush of rough stubble with a soft kiss to my bare shoulder. “Katie, it’s time to wake up.” His hot breath fans across my shoulder, causing me to shiver. I’m exhausted from last night.

  “No.” I burrow my way down under the covers. “I don’t want to leave.”

  I’ve been a married woman for a day now. Chamberlain and I spent all night savoring one another and taking our time getting to know each other on the intimate level again. We also talked and talked and talked some more about everything we missed in each other’s lives. It’s been heaven, but I miss Marissa. I’ve only been away from her for twelve hours, and I need her back in my arms.

  “It’s time to go, panda.” Chamberlain rips the covers off my naked body; the air conditioning freezing me and forcing me to fully wake up. “It’s championship night tonight!” Looking up at him, I find him with a magnificent, triumphant smile.

  “Why are you so cheerful? Shouldn’t you be getting your head in the fight?” I reach down to the floor and grab his discarded shirt.

  “Oh, I’m getting there.” He crawls onto the bed in a sexy way; domineering and predatory. I lick my lips, and my eyes light up as he gets closer to me. I’m about ready to forgo the shirt and have him again. “I woke up with my wife in my arms, naked.” He pushes me back, so I’m lying on my back. “And I know for a fact that I’m going to be the reigning champ by the end of the night.”

  “Oh, really?” I almost sigh at the feel of his heated bare chest through the fabric of his shirt I have slid on.

  “Fuck, yes.” He kisses me swiftly. “Noah’s a nice guy, but I’m going to kick his ass.” His confidence is incredibly sexy. The friction created from my rising and falling against his chest has my nipples hardening and aching for him. “But first we have to get out of here. I need to get ready.” He pats my thighs and jumps off the bed.

  What?

  He’s leaving me hanging?

  I know he sees the look in my eyes.

  I watch him walk away sporting an impressive erection through his boxers. I groan with frustration as I force myself out of bed and start to collect our things so we can head back up to our villa.

  He’s right; his championship fight is tonight, and he needs to focus. Besides, we have our whole lives to be in each other’s arms. By the time I have a pair of shorts on and my hair was thrown into a messy bun, Chamberlain is in his training gear with the bag he brought here before we got married yesterday; he’s ready and packed for us to head out.

  “I can take that; you head downstairs.” I grab the bag and kiss his cheek.

  “Are you sure?” He looks down at his phone just as it chimes.

  Scott: Downstairs waiting to whoop your ass.

  Laughing, I nod. “Go. I’m going to head up and visit for a bit and then take a nap.”

  “All right.” He kisses me and helps me into the elevator before he takes the stairs down. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “Get your head in the fight.” I wink at him as the elevator door shuts. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too.” I travel up to our villa, feeling warm and happy for the first time in years. I start humming along to The Civil Wars’ “Dance Me to the End of Love” that is playing in the elevator.

  I’m bummed I won’t get to see my aunts. We said our good-byes to them last night since they were flying out first thing this morning. Karmin has a garden that can’t be left for long periods, and Aunt Jackie is the same with her work. They told us they would be helping the movers get everything when they arrived sometime next week. Beth, Marissa, and I will be without our things for only a day or so after we get to Boston.

  I’m nervous about going back to the city I grew up in, but I know Chamberlain will do everything in his power to keep Marissa and me safe from my parents. The elevator stops on my floor, and I quickly get out.

  I’m surprised Marissa doesn’t attack me when I come through the door. But it is quiet, too quiet, as I take our bag back to the room and come back out. Marissa’s toys are put away neatly on one of the couches, yet she is nowhere to be found. “Marissa?”

  I hear noise coming from the kitchen, so I walk that way only to find Beth in there by herself.

  “Well, well, well, look who can walk today.” Beth falls back against the counter after seeing me walk in. I blush and wave her off.

  “Stop it.” I gently shove her as she starts singing “I Just Had Sex” by The Lonely Island and dancing with a huge focus on thrusting her hips. “Knock it off.” I reach over and snag her cup of tea.

  “Hey!”

  “Thank you,” I murmur around the cup as I bring it to my lips. If it wasn’t for the fight tonight, Chamberlain and I would probably still be in our honeymoon suite. But duty calls.

  “So?” Beth bounces into a chair. “How was it?”

  “Hmmm.” A wicked, delighted smile crosses my face. She’s going to hate me for this, but I’m not one to share what I do in the bedroom. Chamberlain is the only one, and that’s because he is partaking in the activities with me.

  “Well?”

  “Amazing.” I drink more of the tea and wonder where my daughter has gone off to.

  “That’s all you’re going to give me?” Beth’s voice goes a few octaves higher; a clear sign she is getting angry.

  “Yep.” Popping the ‘p’ to signify I’m not saying anything else, I change the focus. “Sooo…” I set the mug down. “What’s up with you and Scott?”

  I saw how they were getting along last night, and I want to know the truth. Once and for all, she is going to tell me.

  A mixture of expressions crosses Beth’s face; her gray eyes flash guilt, frustration, regret, and ache
. I want to focus on the regret. “What happened, Beth?” Controlling my voice, I don’t want to scare her off.

  “Isortasleptwithhim,” she muffles together in a quiet, low voice.

  “What?” Shrieking, I don’t know if I heard her correctly.

  “I. Slept. With. Him.” She grinds out each word, looking down at her hands.

  I’m shocked. Beth is usually the one who can resist temptation, the one who can go without a guy because I quote, “I have a vibrator; what else do I need?”

  “I had way too much to drink last night.” She draws invisible patterns on the table, still not looking at me. “I … and Scott … ugh!”

  “Oh, okay.” This cannot be good. “And you regret it?”

  “Hell yes, I do!” Finally, she looks at me. “He’s a man whore, K.C. I don’t need that shit in my life. Especially now that I’m starting to figure my own shit out.”

  “Calm down.” I raise my hands, palms facing her to show her that I’m not defending him or anything. “I’ve just noticed how you two are around one another, and I …” Well, I don’t actually have a clue.

  “Nothing will come of it.” She is resolute about the topic. “Nothing.”

  “All right then.” I know she is finished with this, but I have one thing I do need to say in Scott’s defense. “He has changed—”

  “I’m done talking about this, K.C.” I still her with my icy glare.

  “All right.” I pick up my mug and finish my tea. “Where are Marissa and Fiona?”

  “They went to the Shark Reef.” She still has a bite to her tone.

  I laugh at this; who would have thought a three-year-old girl would love sharks? “That sounds like fun.” I wish they’d told me because I would have gone with them. I’m sure there are different types she hasn’t seen before.

  “Fiona said she would take lots of pictures.” Beth steals the mug back and starts making herself a cup.

  “Good. I’m going to go lie down for a while.” Stretching, I yawn as I get up and go to my room. “Wake me in a couple of hours, please?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Katie

  I’M RESENTFUL WHEN I pull away from Chamberlain’s scorching kiss. We are currently in the locker room at the hotel where the championships are being held. I can hear the crowd cheering outside as another match ends. There is still one more before Chamberlain’s fight, but I’m leaving now to take my seat and allow him to make his last-minute preparations for his fight.

  Noah is across the locker room doing the same to Helena that Chamberlain is doing to me. Normally, they don’t allow opponents in the same locker rooms, but since Noah and Chamberlain get along so well, they have allowed it. They will move one of the fighter’s things after the fight starts. That way they have their privacy afterward.

  “Go get in your seats.” Chamberlain’s eyes heat against my skin. He’s in his mindset now that his fight is so close, and as much as I want to stay with him, I know he doesn’t need me pulling his mind out of the fight. In his mind, he has gone over his strategy on how he will fight Noah. And now, he is making sure his mind stays on that and his body ready for whatever Noah delivers on the canvas.

  “Okay, I’ll be cheering for you.” I kiss one of his bulging biceps before grabbing Beth and walking to the door where Helena is waiting for us. We decided to sit together until the guys’ match, and then we would go to the proper corners to be by our man’s side. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Helena and Noah in the limited time I have known them. They are great people.

  “You’d better,” he growls. I blow him one last kiss and head out the door into the main arena, listening at the crowd’s uproar with the current fight’s winner. We take our seats in the middle of the erected stadium to watch the rest of the cruiserweight championship fight.

  “I’m kind of missing the rush of a fight this year,” Helena shouts to Beth and me and then rubs her protruding belly. “But this little fighter is more important.” She smiles down just as her belly jerks.

  “How did you get into women’s boxing?” Beth leans forward to look around me.

  Helena’s attention turns to Beth, but her hand stays on her belly. “I was a teenager; my dad owned a gym in St. Louis. I’m the oldest of four daughters.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” I ask.

  “My dad always wanted a boy to fight, but he got us girls. My mom passed away when I was seven, so we didn’t have much female influence growing up. My youngest sister, Honey, is in the Navy, Penny owns the gym now that our dad is retired, and Nanna is a police officer back home. I’m the one who decided to fight; I was always in one at school, so I thought focusing on it as a career was better for me and my reputation.”

  “Was it easy to get sponsors?” Beth is almost on my lap as she sucks up everything Helena is telling her.

  Good thing we are friends.

  “Kind of. It wasn’t until I met Noah that I was able to go pro. His sponsors picked me up, and then we got more together after we got married.”

  “Take my seat,” I tell Beth, moving out of her way so they can talk. I see the fire in her eyes, and I want to encourage that. This could be something in this line of questioning for her. There is something forming in her mind, and I think she should see it through.

  The fight ends, and a short break starts as cleanup comes up to the ring to get everything set for the biggest fight of the night. Well, it is to me. We say our temporary good-byes to Helena and make our way to Chamberlain’s corner. On our way there, cameras flash in my face, and my name is called all over the place and even after we take our seats. I do my best to ignore them.

  Thankfully, it all stops when the emcee jumps into the ring. “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath roars to life, drowning out Noah’s introduction. The crowd knows him well enough that they are already cheering, screaming, and ready for this fight.

  The energy is high in the room, so palpable that I can taste it in the air. Noah’s feet slam onto the canvas as he jumps over the top rope to enter. He is circling the ring, earning more screams from fans as the music turns to Maroon 5’s “Animals,” and Chamberlain’s introduction is lost the same way. These two men are the superstars of their sport. Well known and well liked.

  The cameras turn to Chamberlain as he makes his way down to the ring with Scott by his side. Before he even jumps into the ring, he stops in front of me, holding his hand out for me to take it. I do, and I rise to my feet only for him to lift me off the ground. I look down into Chamberlain’s dark eyes and cup his face before lowering my lips to meet his. It’s a chaste kiss, but I melt nonetheless. I hear women around us swoon as I’m lowered back to the floor and reclaim my seat.

  “Hot damn.” Beth whistles at my side before she cups her mouth and cheers for Chamberlain.

  The fight starts with a clash of titans; something everyone in the building can feel as their fists collide. Noah’s right fist slams into the side of Chamberlain’s face the same time Chamberlain’s connects with Noah’s face. With these two heavyweights in the ring, it is like watching the gods battle it out as they continually slam into each other.

  Chamberlain’s tactic with this fight is different from all the others. Where he normally goes in and plays around until his opponent starts to wear down in mismatched fights, he is staying on his toes right up there against Noah.

  This is the fight he has been wanting. A real challenge to test his abilities. It’s just a shame it had to wait until the championship.

  They are like two beasts going at one another, hungry for the prize. Chamberlain is defending his territory while Noah is trying to take it. I can see now why they call Noah the Iron Man. If you aren’t used to seeing fights up close and personal to be able to closely watch the movements, you would think that the hits Chamberlain lands on him would have no effect. But they do; little by little, I can see that Chamberlain is wearing away Noah’s carefully constructed armor.

  By
the end of round one, my voice is starting to crack and grow hoarse from cheering for my husband.

  Husband.

  I’m still trying to wrap my head around that word. I can’t believe I married him yesterday. Beth and Scott jump up, pulling me from my musing, and start to work on Chamberlain. I stand and look over to see Helena rubbing her throat, probably feeling the same way as I do at the moment.

  I didn’t want to get into the ring this time when Chamberlain came back to his corner, but I did anyway. I didn’t want to be in Scott or Beth’s way. Scott helps both of us into the ring; he is hesitant to help Beth like if he touches her, he will get burned. I don’t pay any mind to them right now because I need to see my husband’s face. I lift his bottle of water to him. “You’re doing great.” Grinning, I shoot some water into his mouth.

  “Hmpf.” He grunts at me. His head is too into the match to hear me.

  “She’s right, C.” Scott comes to my side and checks over part of Chamberlain’s face while Beth checks the other side. “He’s wearing down good.”

  “But so is he.” Beth points at Chamberlain’s chest and how erratic his breathing is already.

  “He’s got this,” I say with absolute certainty, and Chamberlain’s eyes meet mine to make sure I really do mean what I just said. I give him a tight nod. “You have this.” I kiss his forehead and move out of the way for the second round to begin.

  “He’s got this,” I repeat to Beth and Scott once we are back down in our seats.

  “He’s been on fire all season, but he really amped up when you came back into the picture.”

  “I can see that.” I glow with pride.

  “I’ve been reviewing his past fights,” Beth adds in. “He doesn’t seem at the top of his game.”

  “He is,” Scott growls defensively.

  “Will you two be quiet?” I hush them, never breaking my eyes from the fight. Chamberlain and Noah are guarded this time. Dancing around one another, they throw a few punches here and there, but otherwise, they’re calculating each other’s movements.