Page 51 of Brawler
Loving him.
The thought of being with her wasn’t about conquering, wasn’t about winning. It was about presence. About knowing himself. That man in the bar, grinding out fast, meaninglessreleases, he hadn’t been protecting Toby. He’d been protecting himself.
The pain hit, sharp and relentless, the memory of his parents’ deaths gutting him anew. Toby, shattered, fragile, and Brawler never giving himself a single breath to grieve, never sparing one second to wonder what he wanted. He’d given everything he had to everyone else. Always.
But goddammit. He wanted this.
He wantedher.
Maybe, fuck, maybe, it wasn’t selfish to claim it. Maybe with Emily, he could finally stop surviving and start living. Maybe being himself was enough. It always had been. His identity wasn’t duty, wasn’t caretaking, wasn’t sacrifice. His identity was nothing more than what he chose to be.
Tonight, he choseher.
His chest hurt, his heart contracting so hard it stole his breath, and her name hushed through the cavern as if carried on the translucent light.“Emily.”
She froze mid-spin, then turned toward him, every movement slowing as if the cave itself held its breath. Her face lit, animated, a smile curving her mouth that undid him further than any touch could. “I was hoping you’d come to me.”
Before he could draw another breath, she moved again, swift, graceful. Her bare foot swept the pool, cutting a gleaming arc of water that sliced across the surface. Droplets scattered like diamonds in the phosphorescent glow before slapping into him with a hardwhoosh.The impact drenched him, water clinging to his chest, streaming down his abs, plastering his shorts to his erection until every inch of him ached with the reminder of just how much he wanted her.
For a heartbeat he just stood there, dripping, stunned, every nerve tuned to her. Then heat rolled through him, sharp, uncontainable. She was daring him.
His laugh rumbled low, dangerous, sliding into the cavern air like gravel on steel. “You think that’s wise?”
She only grinned, tossing wet hair over her shoulder. Her breasts bounced with the motion, nipples tight from chill, from thrill…from him.Always him. She flung more water his way, but he was ready this time. He shifted with lethal grace, sidestepping, his body all aggression and intent.
“You might be playing with water, but that’s my element,” he growled, eyes locked on her. “I mastered it a long time ago.”
“Is that so?” she shot back, fire sparking in her gaze. “Fairy queens master all the elements. Why don’t you come over here and see for yourself?”
He took a step closer, slow, deliberate. “Are you trying to start something with me?”
Her grin deepened, daring him again. “Oh, yes, I am. You going to do something about it?”
“Yeah, goddammit,” he snarled, heat punching low and hard. “I fucking am.”
Emily braced herself and not because she was afraid of Christian Beckett. Oh no. Intimidating and tough he might try to be, but it was the way he looked at her that threatened to undo her. Hot. Inflamed. Past the point of no return. His gaze raked down her body, slow and deliberate, drinking her in like he had all night. When his eyes lingered on her chest, her breasts tightened, nipples drawing into hard, aching peaks that throbbed with every beat of her heart. He didn’t bother to hide his hunger, the blatant heat in his stare. Wet, taut, and aroused, and God help her, she wanted him just like that. Hard. Unapologetic. She was losing her mind waiting for him.
He reached for the hem of his T-shirt, grabbed it in his fist, peeled off the wet garment with one sweep of his arm, and tossed it aside. She had been prepared to see him like that, his definedchest and lean belly, the thick muscle of his six pack hard against the graceful flickering light of the cave glow.
He reached for the low-riding waistband of his shorts and pushed them down, stepping out of them with as much lethal grace as that warrior moved in a fight. That sight…she hadn’t been prepared for.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, the words coming out of her mouth as a direct result of seeing Brawler in all his male glory. His fingers curled into tight fists, and the muscles of his abs flexed oh-so-enticingly, revealing just how turned on he was. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, not just the expanse of bronzed skin and all that muscle—a feast for her eyes. She took all of him in from that arresting face all the way to his big, well-formed feet. Then her gaze dropped to his jutting shaft, full and thick, and in proportion to his big body. As she breathed him in, his erection flexed, curving up from his body as if begging for her touch. The head, a velvet swell, plumb-shaped and enticing, riveted her. Most of her sexual life had been…boring, so boring, and she had to admit, lacking interest. She’d never gone down on a man, but with Brawler, she craved to take all that gorgeous cock between her lips and give him unspeakable pleasure.
Her breath hitched when his eyes locked on hers, the impact as sharp as a punch. He looked staggered, almost undone, like her naked want had stolen his balance. His chest rose harder, his throat worked, his jaw tightened as if he couldn’t believe what she saw when she looked at him. In that moment she realized…it mattered. Her gaze mattered. No woman had ever stripped him bare this way, and her hunger for him shook him as much as his body shook her.
Her eyes fluttered half-shut, helpless under the weight of his stare, and something in her surrender seemed to goad him. A groan rumbled out of him, vibrating through the cavern walls,through her skin, straight into her soul like a tuning fork until she was gasping, trembling with it.
Like a man pushed to the brink, he broke. Thank God. She couldn’t wait another heartbeat. She couldn’t wait to reap the raw, powerful masculinity he wore like a second skin. With a rough growl, he started toward her, and she froze, caught between carnal anticipation and something deeper, primal, unnamed.
It wasn’t only his gorgeous body she craved. It was Brawler. Every contact, every brush of skin to skin, mouth to mouth, man to woman. She wanted to revel in him, claim every part, inside and out. Her body vibrated with need as she watched him close the distance, awe exploding in her core, rippling through her blood, sparking across her skin in an ache like no other.
When he reached her, his hands engulfed her wrists, lifting them high above her head. He hauled her against him, his heat searing through the water between them as his mouth came down on hers.
Hot.
Hard.
Deliciously demanding.
