Denying The Bad Boy (Tattooed and Pierced #2) (16 page)

“Darcy, I think we are totally out of our element
here.” She tilted her head back and saw that the place must be one huge room
with a few walls dividing it.

“Have you ever seen so many hot guys in one place?
And I’m not talking about the steroid injected ones that hang around at the
clubs. I’m talking about the
real
ones.” Darcy had a point. These guys didn’t have muscles that looked grossly
out of proportions. They had toned, defined bodies that you could tell they
worked their asses off, and the way they looked, as if anyone fucked with them
they’d kick some serious ass, made her feel wholly feminine.

“Come on, let’s go to the treadmills.”

They walked past the ring where two guys were
boxing. Their shirts were off, sweat coated their bodies, and their
concentration was only on each other. They moved with synchronized movements,
seeming to know the other’s position before it was even revealed. They punched,
jabbed, and blocked each other’s hits, and the testosterone and masculinity
filled the air.

“God, I just had a series of
orgasms watching them beat the crap out of each other.”
Yeah, Mary could totally relate. “Mica said he’d be here, but I don’t see him.”
They stopped in front of the treadmills, and Darcy looked around. “Maybe he’s
in one of those rooms?”

There were a few closed doors lining one of the
walls, but Mary hadn’t come here to look at the man candy, although she was
seriously reconsidering that. She needed a good work-out, one that would
exhaust her and not have her thinking about the guy that had been consuming her
thoughts for the past two weeks.

Mary picked a treadmill, not bothering to snap Darcy
out of whatever trance she was in, and started the machine. She set it for a
workout that would start off slow and increase in pace and incline. After a few
minutes Darcy climbed onto the treadmill beside her and started her own
workout. For the next five minutes they were silent, and all other sounds except
Mary’s feet hitting the machine, were blocked out.

For the last fourteen days she had tried her best to
steer clear of Alex unless it was in the form of tutoring him. For the most
part she succeeded, making herself relive that night at the club, and when she
had seen the scratch marks the next morning to make her anger fresh again. It
was childish to keep it up, but she feared that it would be too easy to fall
into the trap of forgetting everything that had happened, and giving herself to
Alex. Then there had been the times she had walked past the football field,
heard the guys practicing, and found
herself
going
over to watch him. He was a machine on the field, taking down his teammates
like they were annoying flies. Keeping her emotions in check hadn’t been as
easy as she thought, especially when she had tutored him the last three days.

 
Margo’s
wedding was next weekend, and midterms right after that. She was determined to
make sure Alex passed that class if it killed her. No way in hell would he be
able to hold it against her if he failed. He was smart, more so than he gave
himself credit for. He just didn’t try, and that was his problem. If only he
stopped staring at her, stopped letting his emotions play across his face as
strongly as if he was actually telling her he wanted her then and there.

Her routine kicked into the next gear, and she ran
faster. Sweat started to bead at her temples, and she reached for her
earbuds
and put one in each ear. Darcy was already mouthing
the words to whatever song she was listening to, so Mary focused in front of
her, which was of all the men working out. She turned up the volume on her
iPod, and like she did every other time before let the music take her away.
Closing her eyes she was washed away in the sad, heart wrenching lyrics coming
from the song “Wrecking Ball”. She hated and loved the song. She kept her eyes
closed, listening to how deeply the song was sung, and how a part of her could
relate to it. She wanted to be let in, and never wanted it to come down to
this. She had walked away, but he pushed her away.

She opened her eyes and faltered slightly in running
at the man who was in the middle of grappling with another, mere feet from her.
All she could see was his back, but she knew that back, knew those sharp, dark
lines that covered the entire muscular expanse. The song was on repeat, and she
didn’t stop running as she watched him wrestle with the other guy. His moves
were powerful, exact, and had her whole body heating. In a move that made her
knees weak he stood, grabbed the guy around the waist and around one of his
legs and lifted him above his head. She didn’t blink, didn’t even breathe as
she watched him bring the other guy down on his back, hard. It was such a
display of force, of masculine power, that she swore the ground shook beneath
her. Over and over they fought, Alex always getting the upper hand. Although the
moves looked painful and dangerous, the men knew what they were doing, and
expected each and every action and reaction.

The men broke apart when an older man, maybe in his
late thirties or early forties, stepped onto the blue mats. His blond hair was in
a faux hawk style, and there was no denying the raw power that he wielded. She
could tell he held authority, and by the way his muscles were clearly visible
through his white t-shirt and track shorts, she knew he was also deadly.

Movement to her side caught her attention, and she
forced herself to look away from Alex. Mica sauntered over to them, his body
sweaty, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, and his lip ring glinting
under the florescent lights. His lips moved, but of course she couldn’t hear
what he said with music blasting in her ears. She looked over at Darcy who wore
a wide grin. Darcy hopped off the treadmill and rushed over to him, like she
hadn’t just seen him last night, or talked to him an hour ago. Mica scooped her
up like she weighed nothing, but then again he was a big guy, not as tall or
muscular as Alex, but big nonetheless.

Alex.

She looked over at him again and held her breath
when she saw him staring right at her. Sweat dripped down his face from his
dark hair, over his wide shoulders, and down that ridiculously ripped abdomen. He
didn’t even bother wiping the wetness from his eyes, just continued to stare
right at her. He looked dirty from fighting, was breathing hard from exertion,
but the way he watched her, made him seem like he was in control of every
little thing. He let his eyes travel down her body, well, as much as he could
see, and she swore she saw his pupils dilate. The clothes she wore were for
working out, but the pants were tight, and her top just as snug as it hugged
her breasts. She should have worn something sloppy that hid her junk in the
trunk, or her rounded belly.

Don’t
fall for it. Remember who and what he is.
Those thoughts
faded as quickly as they had come the longer she looked at him, and dammit she
couldn’t look away. Her pulse kicked into overdrive, her palms started to sweat
like the rest of her body, and all she could do was think about how much she
wanted him. The treadmill kicked off, and she was left standing there panting,
but her increased respirations had more to do with the fact that Alex staring
at her made her feel bare. She pulled out her
earbuds
and gripped her iPod tightly in her hand.

This was ridiculous, and her reaction to seeing him,
when she had just seen him yesterday, when she was trying to practice
self-restraint in all things concerning him, was bordering on insanity. She
just needed to go, before she did something she regretted like going up to him,
taking his face in her hands, rising on her toes, and kissing the fuck out of
him. Yeah, that would be something she could never take back, and would set
into motion a lot of things that could and would backfire.

Chapter
Thirteen

“I think I’m done here, Darcy.” Mary tore her eyes
away from Alex, walked past Darcy who was still in Mica’s arms, and made her
way quickly to the locker room. She was letting him get to her, and to be
honest this was all on her. All he did was look at her and she was a wreck, and
it was like everything that had happened well … had never even occurred. She pushed
the door open and leaned against the lockers. The metal was cool against her
overheated skin, but it didn’t help in cooling her down. Perspiration moved
between her breasts and down the center of her back.

What was she doing? Playing with fire, that’s what.
Since the first time she saw him she had felt something deep, which had been
ludicrous then and still was now.

The sound of the door opening pierced her inner
musings, but she didn’t bother looking up.

“I’m sorry to bail on you, Darcy. I just need to get
away from him.” She wasn’t going to tell her roommate about what was going on
inside of her, at least not until they were in the safety of their house, and
away from the object of her frustration and arousal. When Darcy didn’t answer
she lifted her head, but it wasn’t Darcy who stood a foot away from her, but
Alex, and he looked pissed. Slowly she stood and faced him.

“What the fuck are you doing, Mary?”

Anger spiked inside of her at his cold tone.
That bastard.

“I guess it’s not obvious.” She moved her hands up
and down her body as if to show him her sweaty self. He infuriated her. First
she was hot for him, not even able to think clearly, and then he opened his
damn mouth and pissed her off. There had never been a person that could make
her feel annoyed, angered, and aroused all in the same breath, but Alex was
doing a fine ass job of it. “But I think I may be working out at a gym.” Her
sarcasm was thick. He didn’t move, didn’t blink, and damn him,
showed
no freaking emotion.

“You know what I mean.” He was still shirtless,
still sweaty, and still looking so damn delicious. He crossed his arms over his
chest and stared at her. “Why are you at this place, and why in the hell are
you pissed now?”

“Fuck you, Alex.”

He smirked, but it held no amusement.

“I can make that fucking happen, Mary, if you just
pick whether you’ll forgive me, or if you still want to stay mad at me.” They
stared at each other for a long while, and when he realized she wasn’t about to
respond to what he had to say he spoke again. “How did you find out about this
place anyway? This part of town isn’t really safe for you to be coming to,
especially alone.”

Mary felt like a scolded child. She crossed her arms
under her breasts and glared at him. “I’m not alone. I came with Darcy. Not
that what I do is any of your damn business.” She lifted her chin, pissed further
that he was now trying to act like her father, like he actually cared about her
and what happened in her life. He took a step closer, and she took one back.

“You mean that tiny thing out there all over Mica?”
He took another step forward, and she held her hand out to stop him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

He moved another step toward her until she had to
place her palms against his damp chest to stop him from coming any closer.

“What do you mean?” Was he purposefully making his
voice even deeper, and filled with heat? She swallowed and lifted her eyes from
where her hands were on his body to his face. “If I didn’t know better I’d
think you’re stalking me.” He smirked, and she glowered. Mary dropped her hands,
but he caught her wrists and put her hands back on his chest. “I’ve seen you
watching me practice.” He stayed silent for a moment, as if he wanted her to
absorb that little bit of information. “You’re at my house, and now I find you
at the place where I work out.” There was a teasing note in his voice, that
asshole.

Her cheeks heated at the fact he had known she was
watching him practice football, and that he thought she was following him.

“You are so damn arrogant.” She didn’t hide the
snarl in her voice. “And if you don’t back the fuck off I’ll slap you again.”
It was an empty threat, because she wouldn’t hit him again, not unless his
cockiness went too far. Right now she just hoped her words had him backing off,
because she couldn’t get any air into her lungs.

He leaned forward, that smirk still on his face. “I
deserve that slap, and many more, but you and I both know you don’t want me to
move away any more than I want to stop being close to you.” Mary swallowed,
trying to push the sudden lump that had formed in her throat down. “I am an
arrogant bastard. I won’t even lie about that, but you and I both know I am
also honest. I have no reason to
lie
, Mary.”

He was close to her, and the lockers were right behind
her, not allowing her to escape. He was too close for comfort. She wanted to
stay mad at him, but smelling his clean sweat and feeling his body heat
encompass her, was doing something funny to her brain. His eyes dipped down to
stare at her mouth. “You didn’t want to listen to me at the club when I told
you the kind of guy I am, and instead wanted to still push it. I don’t know
what you’re trying to prove, Mary.” His voice was low, and his gaze was still
on her mouth. “I’m not a gentleman, Mary, have never been.” He slowly looked
into her eyes. “I’ve never treated women with the respect they deserve, but
I’ve also never been with a woman that made me care what they thought, that
made me want to put all my shit aside and actually try.
Me
being an asshole at Tainted was my way of trying to open your eyes to how wrong
I am for you on every level.”