Page 33 of Devious Vows

Remy moves at me first this time, much quicker than I anticipate. His forearm smacks against mine as I block the blow that would have hit my head, my knee coming up to block his attempted kick. He’s moving slightly faster this round, making my eyes narrow on him.

And here I thought he wasn’t taking it easy on me.

It pisses me off.

I throw my punches a little harder, my kicks with better aim. My knuckles twinge through the wraps with every punch I land against his lean form, and my shins burn with every kick they block. It spurs me on, encouraging me to try harder, move quicker.

We’re both out of breath by the time he calls out the end of the second round, my eyes watching the seconds tick on the clock as I try to slow the rise and fall of my chest with every ragged breath I suck into my lungs.

One more round and at this point, there’s no definite winner.

My eyes snap to the man in front of me, my already hot skin burning underneath his honey gaze.

His skin is glistening in the light, the span of his chest moving just as roughly as mine. The black of his ink swirling down his defined abs, his loose joggers hanging low on his hips. He really is beautiful. A chiseled Adonis carved from stone and painted with ink.

It’s unfair for someone to look as good as he does.

“Round three.”

His voice is low, a light gravel scraping from his throat. My eyes meet his and I realize he’s been doing his own looking, his lips slightly parted as he drops his gaze back over my body as I watch, smiling at the way my skin flushes in response to his attention.

“What if it’s a draw?” I ask, moving sideways in a circle as he steps forward, circling with me.

“No draws.”

I swallow at his response, the purr of his words heating my belly. Pushing air through my nose as I watch him, I track every single movement he makes while trying to gather my thoughts.

I can win, I just need to knock him down and make him tap out.

I dodge his first attack, grabbing his arm and pulling him closer to me. He comes easily, letting me yank him flush with my hot skin, the heat of him almost making me forget why I wanted him so close to begin with. Blinking, I quickly hook his leg with my own, pulling his legs out from under him to knock him to the mat.

Or that’s what should have happened.

Instead, I’m airborne, my back slapping against the mat almost hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs, my body pinned down by Remy’s much larger one. His legs are twined with mine, his arms pinning mine to my sides. I’m so surprised by the move I just gape up at him for a few seconds, his warm breath cool on my heated face.

“I win,cuore mio.” His chest rumbles against my own as he speaks, my nipples hardening through the thin fabric of my bra at the contact.

“Rematch.”

He smiles down at me, his beautiful mouth inches from my lips. He shakes his head no, moving his hands from my arms, shifting his forearms on either side of my head.

We’re still breathing hard and with every inch of his glistening skin flush with mine, it’s difficult to gather my thoughts.

Remy’s eyes are on my lips when he finally speaks, “No rematch.” His mouth hovers over mine as I scrunch my fingers against the mat, lips tingling with the awareness of him.

I lost.

But this… this doesn’t feel like losing.

His fingers skim my cheek, his thumb coming between our mouths to press against my bottom lip, tugging the plump flesh down under his gaze. “I’ve spent every night the last two weeks dreaming about these lips.”

His thumb pulls from my mouth, trailing to press under my chin, tilting my face back so he can run his lips with a whisper of touch along my pulse point. “Spent every night thinking about the smell of your skin.”

My pulse is pounding under the soft press of his lips, my neck arching to chase them when he lifts from my skin. “Spent every night trying tore-imaginehow you taste.”

Despite being covered in sweat, my skin is raised with gooseflesh, tingling and homed in on the man above me. One of his rough hands is sliding along my side, pressing between our bodies to run over my ribs.

“But do you know what really kept me awake?” I couldn’t respond even if I wanted to, my brain disconnected from my mouth as I let myself sink into Remy’s whispered confessions and wandering fingers. “Rememberingthisfucking sound.”

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