Page 98 of Carnal Wagers

“Don’t you recognize him?”

She gazed down at the body, her head tilted and brows knitted so low, an adorable deep crease furrowed above the bridge of her nose.

“The club.” She growled and shoved me back. “You took a random guy from New York? Are you serious? What is wrong with you? How many of them are here?”

Steam surged through my veins. I clenched my hands around her arms to keep her in place.

“Exactly how many should I have taken care of?”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t go pretending I matter to you now.”

“You’re damn right you do.”

“I don’t believe you.”

She never did have good senses. From our very first meeting weeks ago, she’d challenged me and never stopped. Even now, at my worst, she kept at it. I grasped her chin and pulled her face up to meet my gaze.

“You’re under my skin, buried so deep I can’t seem to get you out. You’re glued behind my eyelids, and I can’t forget your face no matter how much I should.” I tapped my head. “Your laughs play on repeat in here.” I placed her hand against my chest. “The feel of you is imprinted right fucking here.”

“What?” Her voice cracked.

Her face scrunched up, and she shook her head. Her eyes tracked around the room and the audience I’d forgotten about. She trembled against me, and in that moment, I was ready to end them all just to take away the skittish look in her eyes.

“This isn’t funny,” she whispered. “Why are you always messing with my head?”

She wrenched herself free of my grip and ran. Through the room and out the door.

It awoke a beast I never knew I had. The need to hunt surged and blazed through me with single-minded focus to catch and claim. Everything else dimmed. My vision narrowed and shadowed. All sounds dulled but the clap of her shoes.

I sprang after her and up the stairs. I stalked my prey through the hallways, left then right, and sniffed out her sweet floral perfume among the sweat and testosterone like a bloodhound. A door snicked shut straight ahead. My lips curved up. Got her.

The locker room she’d escaped into was reserved for management and overflow on fight nights. There wasn’t a soul in here now except for her and me. I snicked the lock shut behind me and scanned the place. All quiet. Excitement simmered beneath my skin, begging to break free, and I licked my lips. My body hummed with desire, awake and alert in a way it hadn’t been in far too long. All because of her.

“Alice,” I taunted. “I know you’re here. Stop running from me.”

“Leave me alone.” Her anger lashed out in an echo.

The first row was empty. A soft metallic tap chinked up ahead. I lunged around the next bank of lockers, and there she was. She tried to bolt, but not quickly enough.

My arm wrapped around her waist, and I shoved her against the closest set of lockers. Those stormy gray-blue eyes locked onto me. A broken look still lurked there, where it never should have existed in the first place.

“Cillian,” she drew out with a growl.

She fought and surprisingly broke my hold without much effort, but I grappled her back to me. Her breasts heaved against my chest, and my cock throbbed heavy and angry between us.

“Let go of me.”

She writhed, and I groaned as the movement rubbed her further against my shaft.

“You’re never getting away from me,” I vowed. “You wanted into my battered heart. You got there. Now you deal with the consequences.”

I seared my lips to hers. There wasn’t an ounce of finesse in me, lost as I was to the throes of primal desire to own her. I didn’t coax. I took. When she didn’t open for me, I tweaked her nipples. When she gasped, I took advantage. The first flick of her tongue against mine was like coming home after a long drive to nowhere. All the poisoning tension released. The ache burrowed beneath my rib cage dissipated until only the need remained. The scent of her arousal galvanized me to press for more. I nibbled down her jaw to her neck, and when her top got in my way, I ripped it straight down the middle.

Those delicious tits bounced out, round and firm. All mine. I lapped at them over the lacy bra and lightly bit her nipples.

“Cillian.” She moaned and tossed her head back.

I groped the round, pillowy globes of her ass. She climbed me and wrapped her legs around my hips. The warmth of her soaked panties rocked over my groin. Over and over. Every touch burned red hot with electric connection.