He claps me on the shoulder. “Good for you, bro. Just be careful.”
“And don’t screw over Seth,” Gabe adds.
“I won’t.” I’m not the kind of guy to betray his friends for a girl… am I?
ChapterFive
Harley
When Seth and several of the guys leave the gym to head to fights on Saturday, the only person I know who’s left after they’re gone is Devon. There are a couple of other men sparring and lifting weights, but I haven’t said more than “hi” to them since I moved here.
“Harley, want to spar?”
I spin to face Devon, who’s voiced the question. He’s wearing gloves and has a towel slung around his neck. He’s also not wearing a shirt, so his sexy chest is on display. My mouth waters, and I’m struck by the insane urge to lick the groove down the center of his six-pack.
Hello, crazy town. Paging Harley. Come back to earth.
“Uh, yeah, sounds good. But actually, I need to work on grappling rather than striking, so how about we roll?”
He flashes his signature mischievous grin, and heat pools low in my stomach. Why did I suggest that? What was I thinking? I shouldn’t be inviting him to rub that bare, muscled body all over me. But then, grapplingismy weak spot and Idoneed to work on it. I wait for him to drop to the ground first, because I’m certainly not going to be the one to do it. He lowers himself to his knees and I rush to follow suit because otherwise I’ll start having fantasies about him leaning in and burying his face in my pussy, and that shit can’t happen.
“Eager to get on top of me, huh?” he quips, and a flush heats my cheeks because he’s hit closer to the truth than he probably realizes. “All right, show me what you’ve got.”
I go for the attack, hoping that the sooner my body falls into the familiar pattern of sparring, the faster all of my crazy hormones will calm down. I pin him, and throw some gentle punches at his face to pressure him to make a move.
“So, why are you here and not at the fight?” I ask.
“Seth didn’t want me psyching out the new kid, so I’ll be heading over to help out once they’ve got him in a good headspace.” He speaks from behind arms that are forming a shield.
“Do you do like psyching people out?”
“Maybe a little,” he admits. “It’s fun.”
Fast as a flash, he bucks his hips and rolls into action, dislodging me. Out of habit, I get to my feet, but he wraps his arms around me and brings me back to the floor. I test some of the maneuvers Jase taught me, but in the end, Devon gets me on my back, open and vulnerable. His lower body presses into mine, and a wave of heat crashes through me. Suddenly, I want nothing more than for him to close the distance between our mouths.
His nostrils flare, and his eyes darken impossibly, as though he can read my thoughts. He leans forward, resting his weight on his forearms, my head caged between them. Slowly, his lips descend toward me. Every part of me craves the kiss, from the tips of my curled toes, to my peaked nipples, to my tingling lips. His breath tickles my skin like a caress, and something inside me freaks the fuck out.
I can’t kiss Devon Green on the floor of my brother’s gym.
I can’t kiss him, full stop.
He’s the kind of guy who’ll break my heart, and I’ve been hurt enough for one year. With moves I never even knew I possessed, I flip us, smacking him into the ground. His eyes widen in shock, and he gasps as the sudden impact winds him.
Leaping to my feet, I back away, hand to my mouth. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
To my complete and utter astonishment, he bursts out laughing, and stares up at me, shaking his head in amusement. “That was hot as hell.” He raises a gloved hand, and I grab it and yank him to his feet. “You got me.” He bumps my fist with his. “Nice one, Isles.”
“It wasn’t intentional,” I mutter.
“Even better.” He winks. “If that’s what you can do by mistake, just imagine what you’ll do to those girls when you’re trying.”
The thought brightens my mood. I hope he’s right. I’m glad he’s being nice about this. A lot of men would feel emasculated or led on.
“So,” he continues, rubbing circles on his chest. “This is the part where I ask you out again, yeah?”
I sigh. “If it was, I’d have to turn you down.” Strangely, I find myself regretting that fact, and not just because my body is still wired with attraction to him. He actually seems like a nice guy, but officially off-limits, and not the right match for me anyway.
“Damn.” His lips quirk, but he doesn’t seem upset at all. “Have you decided whether you want me to back off and stop flirting with you?”
