Ice Cold (An MMA Stepbrother Romance) (9 page)

“I haven’t done a thing but look at you. Ask Maury.” She arched her back against me as I let my teeth nip at her collarbone. “I kept thinking that you are wearing entirely too many clothes. I’d make you come to work naked, but then all the other guys would be looking at you too.”

Her eyes fluttered open then, and I saw a look of panic on her face. “We can’t. Not here.”

I slid my fingers further up her thigh and found that warm, wet center between her thighs that I hadn’t been able to get out of my head for weeks, and she hissed. “The door locks after six. You know that. Plus, I own the place. If I want to fuck in the center ring, that’s what I’m going to do,” I said as I started to stroke her clit. She was so goddamn wet; it was insane.

“Someone could still come in,” she whispered, even as I felt her muscles squeeze against my fingertips as I dipped ever so slightly inside of her. She was so ready. I loved seeing the expression on her face. I let her leg slip back down the floor, and she looked at me in surprise.

I wasn’t going to let her slip out of my fingers this time. I grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked it open. She gasped as several buttons went flying. “I’ll buy you a new shirt,” I growled, but then I saw the saucy minx wasn’t wearing a bra. I reclaimed her mouth even as my hands reached up to feel the weight of her bare breasts in the palms. They fit perfectly inside my hands, and as I kneaded them and tweaked the nipples, Alexa moaned deep in her throat.

“I don’t know why you keep fighting me. Nobody’s come in. It’s just us,” I said against her lips. Then before she could protest further, I spun her around so that she faced the ropes. I fell to my knees and began a slow exploration of the backs of her legs. “God, I fucking love these legs,” I murmured as I nudged her thighs to widen her stance. When she didn’t protest, I knew I had her.

“Do you have anything with you?” she asked.

“One sec,” I said. “Stay just like that. Don’t move.” I sprinted across the mat and slid under the ropes to the floor. My wallet sat on the bench next to my cellphone, and I quickly grabbed both. Then I shot back under the bottom rope and back onto my feet. I saw Alexa was looking over her shoulder at me with wide eyes when she saw the cellphone on my hand.

“What’s that for?”

“That ass. Those legs. One picture to keep a guy warm on a cold night,” I said.

I thought for a second she was going to move, but then she ducked her chin so that her face was out of sight. It was as if I was looking at the best goddamn piece of art I had ever seen. Alexa’s back was long against the ropes, and with her widened stance and bare upper torso, she looked like a woman ready to be fucked. I was more than happy to be the one to oblige.

I snapped a quick picture before dropping my cell to the floor along with my athletic shorts. My cock stood at attention, and I knew that despite my best of intentions, I wasn’t going to be able to hold on much longer. By the way that Alexa was pushing her ass toward me, I didn’t think that she would either. I rolled the condom on even as I crossed the ring.

“You look like a fucking goddess,” I said as I shoved her skirt up around her waist. I yanked aside the thin strip of her bikini thong and then I was inside of her. We both moaned in unison. God, it was better than I remembered. She was tight and so wet. I pulled her hips backward so that she was bent down in front of me even as I grabbed a fistful of her hair. “Tell me how you want it, sweetheart.”

“Harder,” she whispered.

“Is that how you ask for what you want?” I slapped her ass cheek, and as she jerked, her muscles clenched around me pulling me in deeper, and I groaned.

“Please,” she said. “Please, Shayne. Harder.”

I wanted to make it last longer, but I was so strung out and horny that I could barely think straight. Having my balls slapping against Alexa’s pussy was the best thing to happen to me in weeks, and I had been dreaming about it practically every night since the last time. I needed to get her out of my system. I felt her tighten around me, and I reached around her waist and found her clit again. She let out a loud moan that built to a crescendo even as I felt my own climax overtaking me.

My hips bucked wildly against hers, but she met each thrust with one of her own. I hissed as I felt my load release inside of her, and I flicked her clit once more to be rewarded with her cry of pleasure that would haunt my dreams. I was sure of it.

Her body wracked with her orgasm, and then there was a silence where we both struggled to find our voices again. I pulled her upward against me but didn’t pull out of her. I cupped each of her breasts even as I nuzzled the crook of her neck. I looked over her shoulder to see our reflection in the mirror. Alexa’s eyes were closed, and her hair streamed all around my arm. I could feel that her breath was still shallow but coming more steadily now. I could also feel her rapid heartbeat.

“That’s one way to knock out your opponent.” I smirked against her hair. I loved the way it smelled. My cock softened, and I reluctantly slipped out of her.

She twisted out of my grasp. “Shit, Shayne. That shouldn’t have happened.” She looked down at my cock and groaned as she covered her face. “Crap!”

I tried to pull her back toward me, but she appeared to be on the verge of hysterics. “It’s okay, Lex. Don’t stress about it.”

“Don’t worry about it?” Her voice rose several notches as she reached down to grab her ruined shirt off the floor and stared at it. “Hi, Cal. Remember how you gave me that job and offered to hire me on full-time after four months? Is that still open now that I’ve slept with your son? Twice!?”

“As with any physical sport requiring close contact, practice makes perfect,” I said with a smug smile. I ran a hand through my hair even as I ogled her perfect tits. She tried to put her shirt on, but it wouldn’t stay closed which suited me just fine. I should have thought to take a picture of the front of her body as well. “Although, in this instance, I think it started out pretty perfect and just seems to be getting better.”

“Put your shorts on!” she chided. “Somebody could walk in here any minute.” She pushed her skirt down as she quickly made her way across the ring to pick up her jacket. She pulled it tightly around her shoulders and zipped it all the way to the top as she awkwardly slipped her shoes back on. “I can’t believe I did this again. That we did this again. This is so bad.”

I shook my head. I was enjoying her discomfort immensely, even though there was a slight nagging in the back of my mind that said she might have a point. I had no doubt that Calvin would not approve of me screwing his new wife’s daughter. But I didn’t give a shit. I licked my lips as Alexa bent over to pick up her purse.

She skirted passed me and moved between the ropes to the steps. “Where are you going, darlin’?” I asked as I lounged on the ropes. “Going to try running away and pretend what happened didn’t just happen like you did last time?”

Alexa stopped her bolt just long enough to glare at me over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in the morning. And this won’t happen again, Shayne. I mean it.” Then she was gone.

I thought about her words. They were smart. Logical. The right thing to do. Exactly what I’d expect from her. But I didn’t do what other people expected me to do. Not ever. And not now that I had gotten a taste of the drug that was Alexa Carroll.

I tried to sink as far as I could into the corner of the taxi. Even though my jacket more than covered my chest, I still felt exposed. My nipples felt bruised from Shayne’s deft lips and fingertips, but I wasn’t really complaining. In fact, just thinking about what had occurred between us in the ring had them hard again.

“Jesus, Alexa. What the fuck were you thinking?” I said to myself. I looked at my watch. I had been on my way to meet Stacey and a few others of our friends for dinner before I realized that I forgot my cellphone at the gym. There was no way I was going there now. Especially not shirtless.

I sent Stacey a text.
Feeling under the weather. I’ll call you in the morning.

She replied almost immediately.
Bitch. You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago. Tell the truth. Your new boss keeping you late?

My cheeks burned even though there wasn’t anyone there to see me. Stacey had been blatant in her questions about Shayne for the last two weeks. She made me review in agonizing detail what he wore each day and what he looked like when he trained. She said it was imagery she could use for her next session with her vibrator, but with each passing day, I felt less like telling her anything. I didn’t like the idea of any other woman getting off to images of Shayne in their head.

My phone buzzed two minutes later when I didn’t respond.

“Get your ass here now,” she ordered without even saying hello.

“I can’t. I don’t feel well,” I said.

“Bullshit. You are a horrible liar. Even over the phone, I can tell you’re lying. So why don’t you tell me the truth?”

I groaned. “I don’t have a shirt.”

“That’s what closets are for,” she countered.

“No, I had a shirt.” I had no idea how to even tell her what I was about to tell her. “I don’t anymore.”

“You and your shirt have a falling out?”

I closed my eyes. I felt a headache coming on. Its name was most assuredly Shayne Malone. “No. It kind of had a falling out with Shayne, though. As in, he ripped it. Off me. Right before we had sex. Again.” I just had to get the words out. I thought saying it would help me feel better. It didn’t.

“I see,” Stacey said neutrally. I could tell that she was waiting for my reaction.

“I can’t believe I had sex with him again!” I muttered. “He’s going to be my stepbrother! If my mother found out, she’d die of embarrassment, and Cal would fire me. I am such an idiot.”

“Well, at least he’s hot,” Stacey said. “There is a slight bit of forgiveness on the side of you got to screw one of top 10 hottest guys in Chicago. The article with the rankings just came out today.”

I blew out a deep puff of air. “Poor judgment. That’s the only thing I can blame it on. Maybe the universe thinks I’m overdue because I’ve never made a bad decision before?”

“Quit beating yourself up about it. You’re human, and you’re horny. There are far worse ways to scratch that itch than with a guy like Ice.”

“But he’s going to be my stepbrother,” I protested. “There’s bad judgment, and then there’s off-limits. And I’m pretty sure he qualifies under the off-limits category.”

“The situation isn’t ideal; I’ll give you that,” Stacey said. “So what? You had sex with him. Big deal. You’re consenting, non-blood related adults. Just blow it off.”

“I should. I know he probably will,” I said darkly. It wasn’t as if I really cared anyway, though, right?

“Go home, get a shirt, and come out. You’ve been working nonstop for the last two weeks, and you leave tomorrow again. I feel like I’ve barely seen you at all.”

Shaking my head, I declined. “I still have to pack. Thanks, anyway. I’ll call you when I’m back in town. It’s just a few days.”

“You better,” Stacey said, finally relenting. “You know where to find me if you want to talk.”

I wanted to go to sleep and wake up four months from now so that I didn’t have to ever look at Shayne ever again. But, for some reason, that thought didn’t make me all that happy. Not at all.

The next morning, I waited until the very last minute to get on the bus that would take us to St. Louis. The bus had been a suggestion from Cal considering the expense of flying the number of people in Shayne’s entourage cost a small fortune. The bus was a lot nicer than I expected. There was a small table with a ring of padded seats surrounding it near the front. Then a galley kitchen spanned one side about mid-way back, and there were a couple of plush sofas for lounging. I knew that through the door at the back was a small bedroom. All said and done, a very comfortable way to move from one location to another in style.

It was a four-hour drive to St. Louis, and I really didn’t want to talk to Shayne unless I didn’t have any other options. I didn’t figure he’d be all that interested in talking anyway. I’d given it up again, and now that he had that out of his system, he’d be on to his next conquest I was sure.

As I boarded the bus, I saw Shayne sitting in the back with his trainers. They stopped talking and watched me walk to my seat. I heard the catcalls as I sat down in the seat directly behind Marcus, who apparently doubled as the bus driver as well as Shayne’s personal security staff. I’ve gotten used to the guys giving me a hard time. I knew it was all in good fun, and I had formed a kind of relaxed, friendly banter with most of them.

It had been far more fascinating that I expected to learn so much about what Shayne did for a living. Being an accomplished MMA fighter was a lot more intricate than I expected.

As I settled into my seat, I booted up my computer and started to open my spreadsheets. It was coming up on month end, and I wanted to have everything ready to send to the corporate office to show that I was getting Shayne on the right path. Despite his protests, I had convinced him to start charging a small towel fee for all the fighters coming in and using his gym. It was a start. A baby step in the right direction.

I heard footsteps coming down the aisle toward me, and then someone landed in the seat next to me. I knew from the cologne that wafted to my nostrils that it was Shayne. Why did he have to smell so damn good? “Morning, Lex.” I glanced at him, and he grinned at me. The man’s shit-eating grin was a mile wide. I didn’t have to be a genius to know what he was thinking about. It was practically written on his face. I flushed as I wondered if he had told any of his crew about what happened. I hoped not. I didn’t need that getting back to his dad.

“Shayne,” I said in a non-committal tone that I hoped told him I had no interest in talking.

“How’d you sleep?”

“Fine,” I lied. I had finally managed to fall asleep sometime after midnight after taking a sleeping pill to calm my nerves. I couldn’t get what happened with Shayne out of my head.

“Me too. Slept like a baby,” he said as he stretched. The movement caused me to glance at his abs, which were on display as his shirt rode up his torso. I hurriedly looked away, but I knew he had caught me peeking at his six-pack. He leaned across the table and shut the top of my laptop.

I started to protest, but he held his hand down firmly on the lid so I couldn’t open it. “Want me to give you a tour of the rest of the bus? I think I have some receipts I forgot to give you in the back.” His eyes had a wicked glint in them.

“I am working, Shayne,” I said as I was finally able to wrangle my laptop out of his grasp. I lowered my voice. “I won’t be going on any tours or practicing any more full contact sports with you.”

He shook his head. “You keep thinking that, Lex.”

“Why do you insist on calling me Lex?” It was a nickname that he had started calling me about a week after I started at the gym, and I hadn’t corrected him. Mostly because I liked hearing him say any variation of my name. It sent tingles down my spine.

“It reminds me of Lex Luther.” He caught my raised eyebrows. “Superman?”

“Yeah, I understand the cultural reference,” I said. “What does that have to do with me?”

He shifted in his seat so that he was only inches away from me, and somewhere along the way I forgot to breathe. It was incredible how he filled a space and owned it.

“In the TV series, Lex Luther and Superman are friends, then they’re enemies. Their friendship runs hot and cold as they’re working out how to get along. Or not get along in the end. Does that sound at all familiar?”

“Geez, I didn’t realize you were so deep,” I said, but now that I understood it, it made perfect sense. And I kinda liked the nickname even more than I did before because it meant something.

“There are a lot of things that you don’t know about me,” he said. He leaned back in his chair and stretched again. “Thank God we’ve got four hours to get to know each other better.”

I shook my head. “I told you. I have work to do.”

“It can’t be that much work keeping track of how much money I spend,” he said with a chuckle.

“Cal assigned another smaller account to me,” I said. “He wants me to get as much exposure to the systems and processes so I’m ready to make the transition in a few months.”

“I will have to talk to Cal about that then,” he said. His hand snaked under the table and settled on my knee. “I don’t like having to compete for your attention.”

I laughed. “Oh, you aren’t the center of attention for once? Poor Ice.” I stopped laughing when his hand crept further up my thigh. I tried to push his hand away, but it was anchored around my leg. “Stop it. Not here,” I said.

His expression brightened. “Then that means it’ll be somewhere.”

“I didn’t mean that,” I sputtered. “We’re done with all of that. Things are strictly professional from this point forward.”

“Good thing I’ve got that picture to keep me company then.”

My eyes widened. I had forgotten all about the picture he’d taken of me in the ring. I watched in astonishment as he pulled out his phone and swiped to something on his screen. His face broke out in a grin as he looked from the picture to my face. “Oh, yeah.”

“Erase that. Right now,” I squeaked.

“Not a chance.” He held the phone up out of my reach as I tried to swipe it from him. I was mortified. I still didn’t know what possessed me to let him take the picture in the first place. I had to chalk it up to a moment of temporary insanity. At least I had hidden my face before he snapped it.

“Ice, you need to get back here and watch more tape,” Maury barked from one of the sofas.

Shayne sighed and slid his phone back in his pocket. “Fine. You win. Duty calls. Later, then.”

“No, there won’t be a later,” I said heatedly.

He winked at me as if my words didn’t register one bit and moved toward the back of the bus. I shifted in my seat. Just his touch on my thigh had caused me had caused a rush of heat in my core. It was going to be a long trip.