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  Alyson’s closed eyes squeezed tighter, and a tremor racked her at his naughty words. She grunted a response.

  Shifting away from her, Alyson moaned at the loss of Jami’s body against hers, but her protest was cut short as her panties were forcefully removed. “What are you doing?” she asked, though she knew the answer well.

  Pushing her legs apart, Jami knelt between them and began slowly kissing his way up her spine. “Mm,” he hummed into the space between her shoulder blades, then licked her fevered flesh long and slow, tracing a path up the back of her neck. “I woke up this morning with this sexy woman, all warm and soft, sleeping in my bed.” She felt the evidence of his arousal hard against her thigh. Alyson’s hips lifted, and a low moan escaped her.

  Lowering his mouth to her ear, Jami traced the shell with the tip of his tongue. “It’s impossible to resist you. Don’t ask me to, babe. I’m so hard for you right now. I need inside.” His words were a tease in her ear, causing her clit to throb painfully.

  “Jami—” Her words broke off as he scooped his arm under her, lifting her onto her knees.

  Behind her, Jami fisted his cock and rubbed the head through her plumped lips, teasing her entrance. A peek over her shoulder revealed his intense concentration as he watched himself slowly enter her. He was wide, thick. Alyson’s head drooped on her shoulders. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to the sight or feel of him. Everything about Jami was massive, from his body to the way he approached life. The only thing a person like her could ever hope to do was fill the spaces left over, and hope for the best.

  Pushing deep, they both released a pained groan of satisfaction. With his hands on her hips, Jami stilled. His breathing was deep and heavy, his eyes shut, and face tilted toward the ceiling. Alyson wriggled her hips impatiently. “Stop, babe,” Jami rasped. “I can’t… shit, I’m won’t last long. You feel too damn good.”

  That was okay. It was fine with her. Time didn’t matter. She just needed this—the closeness, the knowledge that Jami wanted her so badly that he couldn’t wait, couldn’t hold down his excitement. Making a pleasure sound in the back of her throat, Alyson rocked back, pressing back against him. “I need you, Jami. Now. I don’t care if it takes a minute or an hour.” His fingers curled into her hips, and he pressed deeper. Alyson threw her head back. “Oh, God, just move.”

  So he did. Pulling back, Jami crashed back into her, his hips thrusting him hard and deep. They moaned in unison. He didn’t hold back. Arms wobbling, Alyson struggled to hold herself up under the assault. Seeing her struggle, Jami urged her top half down with the press of his hand between her shoulder blades. Collapsing, Alyson’s ears plugged with a rush of blood pounding in her head. The headboard knocked against the wall. Tingling started at the base of her spine building pressure as Jami stroked her from the inside, hitting just the right spot over and over. She didn’t know how he did it. It was as if he knew her body better than she did. Her toes curled as her body plunged headlong into the abyss.

  Groaning, Jami turned her name into a mantra, as his thrusts grew choppy. He shuddered, and then all of his energy left him. Folding over her, Jami’s chest, damp with perspiration, pressed against her back. The warmth of his breath fluffed strands of her matted hair over Alyson’s face. They lay in the bed for an untold amount of time, their breath huffing out of them.

  As sleep threatened to take them over once again, the alarm clock erupted, its shrill beeping shattering the calm afterglow. Rolling off her, Jami cut the noise then banded his arms around her waist and drew her into his chest.

  “Don’t go into work today,” he pleaded quietly.

  “Okay.” The decision wasn’t difficult to make, not since she no longer had a job.

  “I’m taking Spencer tonight.” His voice was whisper quiet, the mood in the room suddenly solemn.

  “I know.”

  “Spend the day with me.”

  It wasn’t a question. It was a plea, and one that wrenched at Alyson’s heart and tugged at her emotions. Jami didn’t have to say the words for her to understand them. He was nervous about tonight, and that was understandable. So was she.

  Winding her fingers through his, she held his arms tighter around her, forming a vice. “Okay.”

  “You’re so agreeable,” Jami observed, his lips teasing her hairline. “Maybe I should ask you more questions after giving you orgasms.”

  “Orgasm,” Alyson chuckled. “Singular.”

  “Well,” Jami said, rolling her onto her back and shifting his weight until he rested on top of her. His dark eyes shined. “If one orgasm makes you so pliable, I wonder what two can do?” He dipped his head, burying his face in her neck, suckling the tender skin.

  Alyson fought a giggle. Her legs inched up over his hips, locking at the ankles. Between her legs, she felt the hardness of his cock pressing insistently against her opening. Yes, what would two do to her, she wondered. Or… “How about three?”

  Jami’s chest shook with laughter. Lifting his head, he looked into her eyes as he filled her inch by agonizing inch. “I say we go for four, and see if we can’t make these sexy legs shake all day long.”

  “Mmm… that could be dangerous. What if I fall?” Alyson asked, her eyes drifting closed. He felt amazing, and she knew that whatever he wanted to do to her, she was game.

  Jami’s mouth closed over her breast, eliciting another soft moan. Looking up at her from beneath the dark fringe of lashes, he smirked. “I’ll hold you up, babe.” He became distracted again, tweaking her hard nipple and then sucking it between his lips. His words were muffled as he continued to kiss and lick her everywhere, but the words she caught made her stomach tighten. “Ain’t never going to let anything happen to you. You’re so fucking perfect. I could lose myself inside of you.”

  By the time they crawled out of bed, showered and dressed for the day, Jami had kept his promise and then some. He was certainly a man of his word.

  Rubbing her hair with a damp towel, Alyson smiled at Jami’s reflection in the mirror. She set the towel aside. Standing behind her, he curled his arms around her middle and rested his chin on her shoulder. They stared at each other, at the picture they made. Alyson felt almost giddy, reflecting on their morning and all the mornings to come. Her life was far from perfect, but this moment…? This was what she lived for—feeling and seeing the depth of Jami’s love for her threatened to shake her world to its foundation.

  But the look on Jami’s face wasn’t reflective of what she had going on inside. It was pensive, full of doubt. She gave him a questioning look, afraid to speak and shatter the perfect quiet.

  Jami sighed and released her. Stepping back, he leaned against the wall. Turning to face him, Alyson pressed her butt against the counter and waited.

  “I’m going to the gym today. I want you to come.”

  “The gym?” Alyson’s brow pinched. He’d said he wanted them to spend time together. She thought he meant at home… or something. Certainly not working out. “Why the gym?”

  Jami’s eyes held hers. “I need to blow off some steam.” He looked away, his thoughts turning inward. “Don doesn’t like me to break routine, and… I don’t like breaking my promises. Come with me? I know it’s not what you had in mind, but I’ll make it up to you. Take you dancing or some shit. Whatever you want.”

  Alyson stepped into him, her hands resting on his chest. Tension radiated off him, making his eyes darker than normal. Reaching up, she kissed his hard jaw. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Shock flared in his eyes.

  “Yeah, okay. But I expect you to show me some moves.” Turning away, Alyson grabbed a brush and started working the tangles from her hair.

  Grinning, Jami kissed her neck. “Oh, I’ll show you some moves. I have all kinds of moves you haven’t even seen yet.” Whipping the door open, Jami stopped dead. Don stood on the other side of the doorway, looking stern but awkward. Jami cleared his throat. “Morning.”

  “Morning,” came Don’s gruff reply
. “Heading out?”

  “Yeah, taking Ally to the gym.”

  Alyson felt Don’s eyes boring into the side of her head through the crack in the door. She refused to look. Hate her all he wanted, but she didn’t have to see it. “You need me along?”

  “No,” Jami said flatly. “I don’t plan on getting into the ring today.”

  “Right. Well, when you get back, we need to talk about last night.” Alyson stiffened. Listening to their conversation wasn’t something she could help, and her nerves were a jangled mess because of it.

  “I wasn’t aware there was anything left to talk about.”

  “If she’s going to be staying here, there is. Starting with the fact that these walls aren’t as solid as you two may think.”

  Total embarrassment flushed her cheeks pink, and Alyson covered her face with her hands. How on God’s green earth could she stay there now?

  There was another tension filled pause, and then Alyson heard the shuffle of fabric. Lifting her head, she parted her fingers warily as Jami poked his head back into the bathroom, his expression tight. “Sorry about that. I’ll pack a couple of bags, and we’ll hit the road.”

  She nodded, unable to form words.

  Jami turned to leave, and then paused. “Hey, what do you think of getting a hotel room tonight? We could stay up late. You know... watch some movies, mess around. Make a night of it.”

  “What about tonight? With Spencer… and M-Marco?” The word stuck in her throat.

  Straightening, Jami entered the bathroom again. Fisting the front of her shirt, he pulled her onto her toes and kissed her lips. “You let me worry about that. We’ll do our thing after, ‘kay?”

  “’kay.”

  Releasing her, Jami smacked her right butt cheek and stepped back, a teasing smile curling his lips. “Five minutes.”

  Alyson nodded, smiling back, but she didn’t feel all together happy. None of this was sitting right with her. Not the staying where she wasn’t wanted bit, and certainly not the meeting with Marco the possible killer bit. But she had to trust Jami. If he said he would handle it, then he would. After tonight, everything would go back to the way it was before the shit hit the fan. That’s what Alyson promised herself, anyway, as she finished putting herself together.

  So, why didn’t she believe it?

  NINETEEN

  Despite telling him he wasn’t needed, Don showed up at the gym anyway. He mostly kept to himself, holding up in the back office and occasionally making an appearance on the floor. That all changed the moment that Ally took a break from the mats where he had been actively demonstrating some of his finest moves.

  Jami wasn’t speaking to Don. He glared at him some, but mostly, they were steering clear of one another. That complicated things when not only did they live under the same roof, but they worked at the same job—a job that required them to interact on some level. When Mike, Jami’s sparring partner, approached him and asked if he wanted to do a quick match in the ring, he agreed, not thinking much of it. Then, Don pounced. Now, his coach was on the outside looking in, barking orders, and filling his role without any concern to whether or not he was welcome.

  “You can give me the silent treatment all you want,” Don shouted at him from beyond the ropes, “but you get those damn hands up!”

  Sweat dripped down Jami’s back and chest. He was hot and irritated, and the sound of Coach’s voice made him gnash his teeth together, but he brought his fists up, blocking his face. There was no sense in getting a black eye out of spite for someone who wasn’t even within swinging rang. Mike came at him hard, going for his left temple, then his right. Jami blocked it all, moving with speed and agility, just as he was trained to do.

  “Work the middle,” Don instructed, and Jami did.

  He plowed his fists into Mike’s stomach until he backed himself into a corner, and Don called time. Dropping his head back on his shoulders, Jami closed his eyes and sucked in deep, cleansing breaths. His heart just wasn’t in it today. He’d much rather be with Ally, who was maintaining a safe distance on the weight bench, working her thighs open and closed. Even with the concern etched in the fine lines around her eyes, he could see that she was baiting him, fanning the flames of his desire for her to epic heights. It was a dangerous game she was playing, enticing him while dancing just beyond his reach.

  Later, once he had her locked away with him in the hotel room he reserved for the night, he was going to show her exactly what happened to girls like her when they teased his inner man’s demons so mercilessly.

  “You need a break?” Don asked him.

  When Jami looked up, he caught Don’s watchful gaze. “I don’t need it,” he said sharply. Just then, Alyson walked up, smiling and looking sweet as sin in her skin tight short-shorts and shirt that molded to her every lush curve. Moving away, he parted the ropes and swung his leg out. “But I’m taking one,” he told Don and jumped down.

  “Hey,” Ally said softly, her eyes unsure as they switched between him and Don. “Done?”

  Curling his arm around her waist, he drew her up against him. All day, since the moment he woke up to find her sleeping in his bed, he’d been unable to shake his hunger for her. His appetite knew no bounds. The second he laid eyes on her, he needed to feel her against him. She’d never minded his sweat before, and she didn’t appear to now. “Hey,” he rasped in return.

  Her delicate hands flattened against his slick chest. Lifting onto her toes, she fit her mouth against his, kissing him long and slow, turning the fire inside of him that demanded immediate attention into an inferno. “Wanna get out of here?”

  Her gorgeous green eyes held him immobile. He knew what she was doing, her careful attention making it painfully obvious as to whom she was talking about and was trying to avoid. She was giving him an out. And he was going to take it. “Hell, yeah. Lemme get our shit together, and then we’ll take off.” She started to pull away. Jami tightened his grip, stalling her efforts. Bending his head, he pecked her on the lips and lowered his voice. “What do you say we check in early? We can order lunch, wash each other’s backs in the shower while we wait.”

  Her jade eyes burned as she looked up at him, their faces so close their noses touched. Her hands skimmed up his chest and around his neck, her fingers knotting in the soft, wet hair. “And when you leave?”

  He didn’t want to think about when he had to leave, but Jami summoned a casual, yet wolfish smile. Gathering her ever closer, he spoke with his lips grazing hers. “Then you’ll wait for me, naked, and spread out on the bed. The first sight I want to see when I walk through that door is your hot, wet pussy and those gorgeous tits.”

  He loved the way she blushed—her cheeks and the delicate column of her throat turning a lovely shade of pink. He kissed her soundly, and then released her. “I’ll get our stuff.”

  Don stood off to the side, watching them both closely. His eyes tracked Jami as he passed by. Bending to collect their bags, Jami felt Don’s approach, the tangible anger flowing off him giving him away. “Not now,” Jami warned him. Hiking one bag over his shoulder, he turned to face his Coach.

  Gray eyes pinned him. “So that’s it? You’re choosing her over all of this?” His arm swept out, encompassing the entirety of the gym.

  Jami shook his head. “Way off, man. Way off.” He moved to skirt around him, but Don’s heavy hand shot out, shoving against his shoulder and knocking him back a step. Jami’s anger mounted.

  “What am I off about? That you’ve chosen her—” he stabbed his finger in Ally’s general direction “—over your career? Because that’s the way it looks from where I’m standing.”

  The energy inside of Jami felt wild, capable of breaking free at a moment’s notice. He treaded carefully with his next words. “Is this because I’m leaving, because I do have a life, you know? I’m entitled to take a day off now and then. Lord knows I’ve earned it.” He pushed by, hating the worry he saw in Ally’s eyes. “Come on, babe, we’re outta here.”
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br />   Don’s words chased after him, but Jami refused to hear any more of his hateful remarks. He’d already heard them all. And they all centered on Ally. Jami was getting a life, something more than just the sport, and Don felt he was seeing his dreams float away all over again.

  Yes, Jami knew all about Don and how he’d pursued MMA. He reached Jami’s level and higher. He had it all. And then he got married, and Milly got sick, and everything changed. Don chose anger, blaming others for his loss while burying the hurt deep down inside. This wasn’t about MMA, and it wasn’t about Ally. It was about Don’s inability to let go of the past. For so long, Jami held onto the dream for both of them, but now his dreams were bigger. He couldn’t continue being responsible for Don’s happiness. Not if he wanted a little happiness of his own in the process.

  Shit, he’d hoped that Don would get over his petty jealousy and accept his choices, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. At least, not anytime soon.

  They were almost to the door when the dark figure entered.

  Fathomless black eyes radiating pure malice focused on them, and a cruel smile formed. “Well, if it isn’t The Judge and his little home wrecker.”

  Beside him, Ally tensed as her hand in his clamped down hard. Jami’s face hardened, and his eyes narrowed to slits. His whole body vibrated with the urge to leap, pummel. Take this fucker out at the knees and beat him until his heart stopped. “Tony Michaels,” he pushed through clenched teeth. “What the fuck are you doing in my gym?”

  Black pools scanned the room. “Oh, you know, just in the area. Thought I’d stop by, say hello, check out my competition face to face.”

  Ally gasped. His meaning was clear. Jami already knew. He and Tony were scheduled to fight one another. It was months away, but it was coming, and he couldn’t. Fucking. Wait.

  “Oh,” Tony added, snapping his fingers as his smile inched higher on his criminal face. “I almost forgot to ask.” His gaze landed on Ally, and Jami felt every muscle in her body freeze. Even her lungs appeared to have stopped functioning. “How is unemployment treating you? I hear the job market is pretty tight these days.”