Page 18 of Crave Me

“Don’t let Sawyer hear you say that, Drogo. He’ll drag your ass in there instead of Dallas.”

I laugh. I can’t imagine anyone standing a chance fighting Reid. All of the men are larger than average, but Reid is on adifferent level. You’d be nuts or have a death wish to fight that man, gloves or no gloves.

“You don’t fight with them?” I ask.

“Nah. I stick to the heavy bag, weights, and running. They’re too smart to fight me, even if they’re trained, they know I’m stronger. Wouldn’t want to break their pretty faces,” he says with a wink.

A laugh escapes me again and I settle in a comfortable place. I adore both of these humans, and I’m happy to be here with them. Even if I am about to watch my extremely sexy bosses pummel each other in a boxing ring.

Dallas walks past us and climbs into the ring to join his brother while Liam and Carter hang back below it. It’s hard to focus on anything but Dallas. He’s wearing a pair of athletic shorts that hang low on his hips and a thin gold chain around his neck, nothing else. It’s clear he works out hard. His body is defined, his muscles rippling over his abs. He has a light dusting of hair over his chest that he keeps trimmed short, but it’s his half-sleeve of tattoos my eyes shoot to next. They define his thick, corded forearms and I want a closer look at them. I can’t help the carnal reaction watching him brings out in me.

Sawyer bounces on his feet, stretching his arms across his body while talking. “You ready, dickhead?”

Dallas cracks his neck and focuses on his brother.

“You’re gonna pay for the shit you pulled.”

“Yeah? Bring it. You learn anything from the day you had today?”

My heart tumbles in my chest. I turn to face Ivy and she cringes, her face transforming to sympathy.

“Wait, this is aboutme?”

“Kinda?” She winces. “Their back and forth has been going on long before you. But Sawyer forcing Dallas to work next to you all day set Dallas off.”

God, he is so infuriating. So hot and cold. I can’t stand it. Why does he hate me so much? Then in the next breath, he’s acting like he wants to rip my clothes off.

“Am I that bad?”

“No. God, no! It’s not you. It’s more like, Sawyer flexes his weight and Dallas hates it.”

I suppose that makes sense. Still, I know Dallas despises my position at the distillery and all the changes that come with me being there. It’s hard not to take it personally.

As I watch him in the dimly lit gym, my heart races with a mix of emotions. He frustrates me to a level only he can take it to, but my body responds to him in a primal way. There’s something about him that makes me feel at ease, almostsafe. I’m drawn to him even though he drives me insane.

The sight of him sparring with his brother ignites a blazing fire within me, one that I can’t seem to shake. My breathing increases as my heart rate accelerates. The raw aggression and strength from each of his movements draws me in, and I don’t notice that my feet have propelled me forward toward the ring.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Dallas throws a hard punch into Sawyer’s ribs, and I vaguely hear Ivy’s wince behind me. My heart thunders in my chest. Dallas’ body glistens with sweat. His arm pulls back, muscles tightening and flexing, his entire body hyper-focused on his opponent. I never imagined any type of violence could awaken a deep, dark, arousal within me. My core clenches, desperate to be filled, and my panties dampen. The world disappears around me as I take every movement in. Dallas pulls Sawyer in close with his arm hooked around his neck, holding him tight against the ropes. Sawyer swings wildly but the punches are futile against Dallas’ hold.

“Pull them apart. Now, Liam!” Ivy pleads.

Sawyer spins out of Dallas’ hold, twisting quickly. He lands two rapid punches to Dallas’ face that push him back against the ropes, blood leaking from his eyebrow. Reid and Liam climb into the ring and separate them, both men panting. They take a minute to calm down, Liam holding a towel against Dallas’ eye.

Sawyer steps into his twin’s space. “We good?” he asks.

Dallas nods his head in agreement. They hug each other before Sawyer climbs out and picks up Ivy, her legs wrapping around his waist, and his sweaty face buried in her neck. My heart yearns for that. I look back at Dallas, who is still standing in the ring, bouncing on the soles of his feet, shaking his gloved hands at his sides, eyes glued on me. I involuntarily lick my lips, pulling my bottom one into my mouth.

He gives me a knowing smirk before turning to Liam. They do the same thing, gloves touching in the middle before taking a few steps apart and circling each other. Liam is gorgeous. Bigger than all of his brothers, with longer, lighter hair than the rest of them. He could pass for Charlie Hunnam’s look-alike honestly. While I can appreciate his good looks, my body doesn’t seem to have the same reaction to him that it does to Dallas.

“What do you think, B?” Reid comes up next to me, bumping me with his shoulder. I lean my head against his bicep for a moment in a friendly nudge just as Dallas is glancing at me. His momentary lapse in focus gives the perfect opening for Liam. Dallas staggers back from the force of the blows to the side of his face and his ribs. I gasp and cover my mouth.

“He’s fine. Trust me. These boys have been doing this most of their lives. Although it seems Liam is fighting for something today, he’s usually a bit more reserved than this,” Reid reassures me.

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