For a split second they glared at each other, breathing hard. Then something inside Mano snapped. His fist came up and slammed into Ody’s face. The impact shot through his arm, and the moment it landed he knew he’d crossed a line. But it was too late.
Ody’s head snapped to the side with the blow. When he looked back at him, his eyes were blazing. He lunged forward and drove into Mano, sending them both crashing into the sand.
Mano reacted on instinct. He rolled him over easily and pulled back his fist. Ody caught his wrist before it could fall and twisted, using the momentum to flip them again.
Now Mano was on his back. Ody hovered above him, breathing hard, his fist raised. For a moment he didn’t move.
Mano stared up at him, a crooked grin forming on his lips. “Come on, mikre,” he challenged. “Hit me.”
Ody’s hand trembled.
Mano gave a short laugh. “What’s wrong? Can’t do it?”
Ody’s jaw tightened. His fist stayed suspended in the air, but the anger inside him had nowhere to go.
Mano was still looking at him with that infuriating half-smile. Sand in his hair. Breath coming fast. Eyes burning.
And somehow Ody still wanted him.
It made no sense.
“God, you drive me insane.” He grabbed the front of Mano’s shirt and crashed his mouth onto his.
Chapter 44
Mano jerked in his hold, eyes flying open. He pushed against Ody’s chest once, trying to break the kiss, but Ody caught his wrists and pinned them to the sand beside his head.
His weight settled over him, holding him down. For a second, Mano kept resisting. Then Ody’s tongue brushed his, and the fight drained out of him.
Somewhere behind the rocks, voices carried across the beach. “Where the hell did they go?” Steve said, looking around, suddenly alarmed.
“Shit, man. Don’t tell me they’re fighting!” Antony jumped to his feet and rushed toward the rocks.
The kiss turned rough, breathless. Then a voice suddenly cut through the night. “Guys!”
In an instant, Ody shoved himself up, fist already pulling back like he was about to punch him. Mano was still breathless from the kiss, staring up into his eyes as Ody straddled his hips, knees planted on either side of him.
Both of them were panting when Steve and Antony finally appeared. “Ah, hell no!” Steve rushed forward, grabbing Ody and pulling him away.
Their eyes never broke contact.
“We sent you guys to work things out and you end up fighting?” Antony said in disbelief.
“What happened this time, Ody?” Steve asked.
Ody didn’t say a word. He just stood there, looking down at Mano lying in the sand.
“Come on, Mano,” Antony said, reaching out a hand to help him up. But Mano smacked it away, jaw tight.
“Let’s go,” Steve muttered, turning to leave with Ody and Antony.
As they walked away, Ody glanced back over his shoulder, his chest tightening. His eyes found Mano, still lying in the sand, breathing heavily.
“What happened?” Anna asked, immediately rising to her feet.
“What do you think? They fought,” Steve said.
“We didn’t fight,” Ody muttered.
