“And now you’re not.”
“I still could.” There were moves she hadn’t taught him yet, but even as she said the words, she had doubts. Could she still take him? He was stronger and faster than before . . . and more devious. Even worse, he wanted into her head, into her thoughts, and she couldn’t allow him there. “It matters to you? Who wins in grappling?”
“No.” He frowned and ran a hand from her bicep down to her wrist. “But having you beneath me, soft and pliant, matters. I don’t know why, but I want you there again right now.”
The look in his eyes—the sheer determination coupled with a heat he’d never shown before—weakened her knees. She’d always been a rebel of sorts, and she’d always pushed boundaries. Instinct whispered not to push with him . . . not right now.
Yet sometimes, true nature couldn’t be denied. “Not a chance, Justice,” she whispered.
“Try me,” he challenged.
The air changed, became heavy with the sense of an upcoming storm. The atmosphere swelled and heated . . . all with the sense of male. With the sense of Tace Justice.
Without even consciously thinking about it, she hooked a leg around his knee and pushed him off balance. He kept hold of her arm as he fell back, landing solidly on the rug. She scrambled, but the man and gravity won, and she found herself sprawled across a body harder than stone.
“Hey.” She tried to get off him, but he smoothly rolled, putting her beneath him, body to body.
“Now, this is what I was talking about,” he murmured, his mouth right above hers.
“Oh yeah?” As always, challenge rose in her. She clapped both hands to his ears and raised her hips to buck him off.
He growled and grasped her wrists, pinning both hands above her head and pressing her lower half into the floor with his strong body. Even grappling, he protected her aching chest by keeping his torso off her.
She couldn’t get leverage from this position to shove him off, but he couldn’t exactly move, either. So they lay, both suddenly panting, groin to groin. Her nipples ached in need, and her entire body flushed. But no way in hell could she be considered pliant. She’d make sure of it, damn it. “There’s not much you can do from this position, Tex.”
“I don’t like that.” He pressed against her, his erection barely contained within his worn jeans.
Her clit throbbed. “Like what?” Her voice emerged hoarse.
“The nickname Tex or even Texas . . . from you.” His forehead dropped to hers in a moment of intimacy she couldn’t hide from. “You use it not as an endearment but as a way to distance yourself from me. I don’t like it.”
“Distance between us might be a good idea.” Even as she spoke, she arched just enough to scrape her nipples against his hard chest and provide some relief for her aching breasts, even though it made her bruised skin smart. “Don’t you think?”
“No. I want to be inside you so deeply I can never get free. Forget distance.” He leaned enough to press a kiss to her nose. Pausing for a moment, he took her measure and then moved down, brushing his lips across hers.
She sucked in air. “For now,” she breathed against his mouth.
He chuckled then, the sound regretful. “Now is all any of us has.”
It was hard to argue with his logic, especially when her body pulsed beneath his. Suddenly, she was tired of fighting, and she was beyond tired of hiding. At some point, her past was going to catch up to her, so why not enjoy the moment?
She leaned up and pressed her mouth against his, everything inside her softening when he took over the kiss, his mouth firm and masterful. He released her lips, kissing along her jaw and down her neck.
“I fuckin’ love your neck,” he said, licking down her jugular. “It’s so delicate and strong all at once.”
She arched against him, her hands struggling beneath his.
“Oh.” He let go of her hands and reached down to gently lift her shirt over her head. “Are you sure?” he rumbled, his mouth returning to her skin.
“Yes.”
“Good.” He kissed across her breasts, taking one nipple into his heated mouth.
She moaned and tunneled both hands into his hair. Had his mouth always been so hot? He rolled her nipple with his tongue and then moved on to the other one. Desire flashed through her, sharp and burning.
He chuckled and kissed down her abdomen, pausing to tear off her yoga pants and panties. “If your chest starts to hurt too much, tell me.”
She gurgled a response.
