Against the Ropes
Page 61

Max grabs a towel and wipes himself down. His hair is damp and curls just above his neck. As he moves, his tattoos undulate over his skin. Broad back, tight ass. All man. All hot. My mouth waters.
As if sensing the stirring of my desire, Max spins around, dark eyes hooded. “What are you thinking, baby?”
I put a hand on my hip. “I’m thinking it’s time to go home.”
His wicked grin shoots straight to my core. “I’m thinking it’s time you came into the ring. If you aren’t here in five seconds, I’m coming to get you.”
I kick off my shoes and climb through the ropes. As soon as my feet touch the mat, he backs me into the corner and licks his lips.
“You look like you’re about to devour me.”
“I am.” His mouth slants over mine and he kisses me. Hot. Wet. Hungry. I don’t even try to resist. I curl my hands around his neck and pull him down for more.
“You know the rules of the ring,” he murmurs. His tongue flicks against the seam of my lips, forcing them apart.
“No eye gouging. No biting. Nothing below the belt. No fish hooking,” I say with pride.
Max chuckles. “Not the rules I was thinking about. Especially since there may be some biting and there will definitely be attention focused below the belt.”
A soft “oh” escapes my lips. “I didn’t know there were other rules.”
“Our main rule is that no one leaves the ring unless someone goes limp or gives up. Which will it be, baby? I think we should go for limp—the replete with sexual satisfaction kind.”
My lips part with a moan, and he dips inside, coaxing me open with his talented tongue. He tastes of whiskey and coffee. He tastes of me.
I slide my hands around his powerful torso and explore the hard ripple of muscle down his back. “You must have me confused with someone else,” I tease. “I’m not that kind of girl.”
“What kind of girl are you?” He sifts his hand through my hair and cups my head, holding me tight as he deepens his kiss.
“Hot kind,” I whisper against his lips.
“What else?”
“Wet kind.”
He slides his hand down my bare back, then lower until he kneads my bottom, sending a shock wave of pleasure over my skin.
“What else?” he demands.
I pull out of his grasp and step away. Before he can protest, I put my hands behind my neck and undo the clasp of my dress. The front falls to my waist, revealing its secret built-in bra cups and baring my br**sts. Max’s hungry gaze rakes over me, but before he can touch, I undo the clasp on my lower back and let the dress sweep down my body into a pool of silver sparkles. “Naked kind.”
Max stares at me, his gaze traveling the length of my body and back again, so intense I feel the heat in my toes.
Boldly, I step forward. My br**sts brush against his hot, hard chest, and my ni**les tighten in response.
“I like naked kind. But you aren’t entirely naked.” His hands glide down my sides to my hips. His thumbs hook into the band of my lacy thong and he tugs. The thin fabric parts with a graceless ripping sound and then flutters to my feet.
Raw lust streaks straight to my core. “Animal! You tore off my panties.”
Max cups my ass in his palms and squeezes lightly, rolling my cheeks. “I told you it would come off tonight.”
“Is that how you seduce a woman? You rip off her clothes?”
“I thought you were seducing me,” Max murmurs. He presses tiny kisses along my jaw and down my neck. “Best seduction technique is to get naked.”
I rub my hip against the hard line of his erection. “Is it working?” I ask with feigned innocence. “I’ve never seduced a man before.”
“And you won’t again.” His voice is deep and sexy, and I can’t help but smile.
“That sounds serious.”
“It is.”
Max lowers his head and captures my lips in a hard, demanding kiss. Deep in my belly, need unfurls and licks softly through my body. I glide my hands over his chest, but when they move lower to trace the ridges of his six-pack, he stops me.
“No, baby. My turn.” He pulls my arms behind my back, bracketing my wrists with one hand.
My body arches into him, my br**sts brush against his chest. His free hand glides up my curves, and he cups my breast in his palm and squeezes gently. I moan and wriggle in his grasp. How can hands that are capable of such violence be so gentle and sensual on my skin?
“I’m not sure who is seducing who anymore,” I pant.
“Maybe we’re seducing each other.” He turns his attention to my other breast, rolling my nipple between his thumb and forefinger until it peaks. A groan rips out of my throat.
“Then one of us isn’t doing a good job, since he still has his clothes on.” I trail a finger along the elastic of Max’s boxer shorts and then freeze. Suddenly shy, I give him a questioning look from beneath my lashes.
His brown eyes smolder beneath heavy lids. “Tell me what you want, baby.”
“I want to touch you,” I whisper, dropping my gaze downward. I want to feel his desire in my hand, taste it in my mouth, and feel it inside me. Only then will I know it is real.
“Where?”
Heat sizzles through me. I bite my lip and press my hand over the erection straining beneath his shorts. “Here.”
Max hisses in a breath and eases his shorts over his tight hips, sighing audibly as his erection springs free. He kicks them aside and I take a step back and stare at his incredible body—the lean contours of his muscles, the deep cuts of his narrow hips, the ripples across his abdomen, the tight, hard planes of his chest, and the trail of soft, dark hair leading down to his thick, heavy shaft.