Page 39 of Resisting Royal

“Nice place.” My heels clicked against the floor as I walked toward the desk in the windowless room.

“Now I’m feeling mocked. It’s a shithole.”

In general, it was true about this whole location, but what would one really expect from a fight club . . . if that was what this really was? “But, this is the nicest place in a shithole.”

I leaned against the desk, waiting to see what we were here for. Royal didn’t make me wait long as he pulled a thick book out of the drawer and searched around in it until he found a single, wrinkled, slip of paper. He pulled the paper out triumphantly before searching his pocket for his phone.

He dialed, then his eyes found mine as he waited for an answer. Were his eyes always so dark? His gaze stripped me bare, and without even realizing it, a shiver racked my body. His palm causally found my thigh and it wasn’t intended to be sexual, but even his most innocent of touches had my blood instantly boiling.

It’s the lust talking, I reminded myself. Always the lust when he was near. He caught my eyes wandering, and his eyes crinkled at the corners with amusement. His thumb began to draw a slow circle on my leg and I knew this time, it was completely unintentional, but I couldn’t help let a small whimper escape. His eyes turned fiery and his tongue darted out and licked his lips.

If I leaned forward and kissed him, that would be innocent enough, right? A small little peck to drive home how sorry I was for the attitude tonight. I tilted my body, leaning toward him instead of away like I had so many times before, and he froze. Not willing to move or meet me halfway, staying true to his word that if a move was made, it had to be by me.

A small peck wasn’t a move, though, right? Not really.

I tilted my head, trying to make up for the differences between heights. My hand instantly went to the stubble of hair peppering his cheek and the rough prickles against my fingers sent jolts through my body. Was this here earlier? I couldn’t remember. Had I ever touched his face before to find out? My mind wandered to all the times he had initiated kisses and made a move to touch my lips, my cheeks, my neck. But, had I ever done so first?

His cologne was scattering my brain. The intoxication that swirled around us was enough to make even the heaviest of drinkers drunk. I was a lightweight. One inhale, and my nerves were tingling, my nipples pebbling, my thoughts escaping me. I leaned in further, taking another inhale, knowing inebriation had already taken hold and that another hit of my new-found drug of choice couldn’t do me any more harm than it already had.

My lips were so close, I could feel his breath fan my skin and his hand pushing me away. His. Hand. Pushing. Me. Away. I pulled back, trying to shake some of the clouds that were fogging my brain so I could process this clearly. He held up a finger to me. Signaling one minute. Then got up and walked to the other side of the desk, putting space between us.

“Hello?” His deep voice filled the air. “Is this Ruben? This is Royal Russo. I’ had a contender drop out tonight, do you want in?”

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