I watched them dance with wide eyes. Their movements pulled me. Nothing like when my brothers would wrestle and spar. It was a dance, and it was sensual as all hell until Ellion got in a hard punch to Chandler’sribs.
Chandler grunted and stepped back, giving Ellion another opening. Ellion swept Chandler’s feet out from under him again and stood poised to punch. If they’d actually been fighting, it would’ve been the knockout. I jumped up and down, clapping at the clear win by Ellion. Once he helped Chandler to his feet, I ran onto the mat with the intention of giving Ellion a congratulatory hug. Ellion’s testosterone must have been soaring, though, because when I reached him, he grabbed me and swung me up into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and looked into his blueeyes.
He might not have been the biggest of his friends, but he was damn strong. He slid me down his body enough so our lips met. A strike of lightning shot from my lips straight to my groin. I groaned, frustrated that our kiss could go no further in the room with both of hisfriends.
Or could it? They knew my background. I turned my head, resting my cheek on Ellion’s nose as his hot breath hit myneck.
I looked at Chandler with big eyes. “Come here,” Isaid.
His gaze shifted from me and Ellion to Griffin. Griffin shrugged, bemused, and Chandler stepped close to me. I tightened my grip on Ellion and leaned over to plant a soft kiss on Chandler’s lips. Ellion’s hands tightened on my waist, and instinctively I pushed my butt forward, pressing my overheated core against his lower stomach. Fire spread across myabdomen.
Chandler put his hand on the back of my neck and wrapped my pony tail through his fingers. He growled low in his throat as he tugged my hair. “What’re you trying to do tous?”
I panted for a moment before controlling my breathing. “Nothing, I… that was hot. I couldn’t helpmyself.”
“Put her down,” Griffin said in his super-serious voice from right behindme.
If I took one step back I’d be pressed up against hisbody.
Ellion lowered me to the floor slow enough that I felt how turned on he’d become by our playing. Once I was steady on my feet, Chandler let go of my hair, and Ellion let go of myarms.
I turned to face Griffin. “You disapprove of what just happened?” I asked, meeting his gaze. Unashamed of how aroused I’d been by their fight, I raised my chin in defiance and attempted to ignore how much hotter his dominance made me. Damn, I loved a dominant man, and it appeared even Ellion became controlling in a sexualsituation.
So hot. My nipples were rock hard under my T-shirt.
Griffin met my stare. I held his gaze until my neck began tocramp.
“Okay,” I said. “I give.” The moment I turned away, Griffin put his hand on the small of my back and yanked me into hisbody.
He bent over—nearly in half—bending me backward with him, until his mouth hovered over mine. “I don’t disapprove,” he said before slamming his mouth ontomine.
My lip caught between his front teeth and mine, and I tasted metallic blood before losing myself in the severity of hiskiss.
His fingers gripped the back of my neckalmostpainfully. His other hand was on the back of my thigh, because he was holding me up by it. My toes were a good eight inches off the floor. He pressed his groin against mine and growled—actually growled at me. My panties were so wet I was pretty sure I’d have to changethem.
When he’d had enough of the kiss, he plunked me down. Chest heaving, he glared at me before turning and walking out of the gym. Walking—hah. There wasn’t a word for how hard his boots hit the floor as he made his grandexit.
Luckily, Ellion was still behind me, because Griffin released me, but my body was like butter that had been sitting on the counter, waiting on a good cornbread. In other words, I was soft, pliable, and warm. Ellion put steadying hands on my elbows, and I leaned back into the strength I hadn’t known hehad.
“Damn,” Isaid.
“Damn is right,” Chandler said from behind me. “I haven’t seen him like that in a longtime.”
“What do I do now?” Iwhispered.
“Go after him,” saidChandler.
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I shot across the gym and out the door. Hearing me come out of the gym, Griffinstopped.
“It’s okay to be attracted to me,” I called. “I certainly don’t mind, and any woman worth her salt would want you to move on.” I walked slowly to him, neck arching, holding his gaze. Damn, he was so tall. I wanted to climb him like a sexytree.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Why are you coming on to me? To us?” heasked.
That stopped me short. Why was I? Boredom? No. I wasn’t that bored. I had an entire library. Plus they had movies; I could busy myself around the house. Boredom wasn’t theproblem.
Griffin stared a hole through me as I contemplated my motivations. “Did someone send you here?” heasked.
“No!” Good lord, he thought I was a Grenèvian spy. “I really wrecked. I’m actually that hopeless in a snowstorm. I tried to escape and ended up in your barn.” I threw my hands in the air. “I’m a klutz. But I can hold my own in a fight. Nothing like them, of course.” I nodded toward the gym. “I can shoot a gun. I’m good in a crisis situation, and I’m one hell of a nurse. I promise I’m not a total screw-up. I just can’t handle yourwinters.”
