Page 38 of Bitter Queen (Advantage Play 4)

When I finish with the other side, I steel my courage.

“Hey, D?” I practically purr.

“Yeah?”

“Will you come help me with something?”

His footsteps echo across the mats before he stands over me. All ripped muscles, sweaty olive skin, and swagger that threatens to leave me a squirming mess on the floor. Wiping his mouth, he tries to hide his amusement behind his hand, but I can still see the mirth in his eyes as he catches me checking him out.

“And how can I be of service?” he offers.

“Will you…”—I can’t believe I’m actually doing this—“help me stretch my hamstring? I think I might’ve pulled it.”

With a wide grin, he studies me for a few more seconds. “Hamstring, huh?”

“Yup. Wanna help me out?”

I don’t know who the hell has possessed my body in the last two minutes, but I’m not about to question it. Not when he’s still looking at me like that.

My cheeks flush as he kneels beside me. “How can I help?”

I raise my left leg into the air while my back and right leg stay firmly pressed to the mat. “Can you push my leg toward the ground by my head? It’ll help me get that deep stretch that I’m looking for.”

“Deep stretch, huh?” he repeats with a crooked smirk. “Is that all you’re looking for?”

The challenge laced with innuendo makes me squirm before I tear my gaze away from his and stare up at the ceiling.

“Yup,” I squeak.

“If you insist.”

With his knees planted on the ground near my butt, his warm hands engulf my left calf that’s raised in the air. Then he leans closer and puts his weight into the stretch until his chest brushes against the backside of my leg. As my foot inches closer to my head, Diece’s crotch inches closer to my center. I can feel his heat. His lust. His restraint. All of it. As he opens me wide and pushes me into the ground.

“Shit, Blue. How far can you go?” D growls, practically lying on top of me. The deep grit from his voice acts like a beacon, keeping me in the present before I have a chance to get lost in my past.

With a tight smile, I answer, “Yoga and running. My two drugs of choice.”

When the toe of my shoe finally hits the ground, we’re lined up perfectly. His mouth hovers an inch from mine before his gaze drops down to my mouth. But he doesn’t close the distance.

“Hey, D?” I whisper.

“Yeah?”

“I liked that kiss last night.”

“I was wondering if we were gonna discuss the elephant in the room, or if you were just gonna keep eye-fucking me all afternoon,” he quips. “Was this your subtle way of bringing it up?”

“Mmmhmm,” I hum. The sound goes straight to his groin. Hips flexing into me, he groans then pulls away as if to rein in his own instincts that are begging to be let loose. The past threatens to close in from the friction, but I push it away and focus on the present. The caramel swirls in his eyes. The dark lashes that frame them. The laugh lines that crinkle in the corners. It’s Diece.

“And what are your thoughts on doing it again sometime?” he prods.

I grin up at him. “I, uh, I think that’s a great idea.”

“Like…right now? Or…?”

“Will you shut up and kiss me?” I demand.

He leans closer then stops before ripping his gaze away from my lips to pin me with his stare. “What’s your safe word?”

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