Page 30 of With You

Her nose scrunched up and she crossed her legs, squeezing them together tightly. “Can we shower, though? You’re leaking out of me.” She pointed downward and I couldn’t help my laughter as I scooped her into my arms and headed for the bathroom.

14

SAM

Sweat poured down my face as I finished my third mile.

The time spent on assignment had taken me out of my routine. Sure, we’d been to Baz’s gym but I was used to running every single day. The soreness that was already setting in to my leg muscles was a reminder that I’d skipped far too many runs.

“If you overdo it, you’re going to lose your top spot today,” Kane said as he started the treadmill next to mine.

I may have been skipping runs but he didn’t spend near as much time in the Falls Security gym as he used to. Before Kane married Winnie, he’d often be the first of us in the door and the last one to leave. Now, he had a pregnant wife and it was obvious that the last place he wanted to be was away from her.

“In your dreams, Rodriguez. You think you can take me with that dad bod?” He frowned, looking down at his stomach which was as flat as ever. He may not work out like a crazy person anymore, but Kane was always the strictest of us when it came to his diet. Good nutrition was important, but nothing on this earth could make me give up pizza.

“Sam’s not going to break her winning streak by losing to you. It’s my name that’s going up there next, I can feel it!” Roe shouted at us from where he was stretching on the mats. He’d slid on a tight pair of hoochie daddy shorts this morning and it was taking all my concentration not to stare at his thick thighs.

My eyes narrowed and he blew me a kiss. I looked around the room but no one seemed to notice. When I glanced back at Roe, he had a slight frown on his face and I instantly felt guilty.

We hadn’t talked much about our relationship or whatever this was between us. There certainly hadn’t been a discussion of when or even if we were going to tell the rest of our team. To my knowledge there were no rules prohibiting interoffice romances but it still didn’t mean that our bosses were going to throw us a ‘congratulations you’re having sex with your coworker’ party.

It was obvious that of the two of us, I was the more reluctant to tell anyone. I had so much more to lose than him, simply by being the only female in the office. Roe knew some of the shit I’d had to put up with during my service and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Being a woman in a male-dominated field meant having to be faster, smarter, emotionless all to prove that I belonged there as much as any of the men.

It's not that I thought that Kane, Gage or Gray would judge me. I had too much respect for each of them to even entertain the thought but I couldn’t help but think that if they knew, I’d be seen as less than in their eyes. Which meant that I was probably going to hurt Roe…again.

“All right, let’s get started. Lily’s still asleep and I want to get back to her before she wakes up.” It was sparring day and unless we were on assignment, we were all expected to be there.

Gray normally participated but he’d walked into the gym today looking tired. Deep circles rimmed his eyes and his hair stuck up in all directions like he hadn’t even bothered to look in a mirror before he came down, which was very unlike our boss.

Since Roe had found the footage of the gas station where Lily’s stalker bought a burner phone, Gray had been on edge. He ran a tight ship on a normal day but he’d been shorter than usual with all of us.

“Gage, you and Kane first.”

I stepped to the side as the two of them started to circle each other. They were well matched in size, almost identical in height, but Gage always had that ruthlessness just under the surface that usually meant he’d win against whoever was unlucky enough to be paired with him. It was almost as if he knew whatever move you were going to make before you’d even decided to make it.

Gage wasn’t a big talker but he was always listening, always watching. It was one of the qualities that made him a damn good investigator and a force in hand-to-hand combat.

Kane lunged first, Gage blocked the attack with his knee and pushed Kane backward. He quickly moved behind him and collapsed Kane’s knee, sending him to the ground. It didn’t take long for Gage to have Kane pinned on his back.

I fist-bumped Gage as we traded places, rolling my neck on my shoulders and shaking out my arms to keep them loose. Roe stepped in front of me, his smile casual but after we’d spent so much time together, I recognized the underlying concern in his eyes.

When Gray had announced the sparring pairs, I’d kept my thoughts to myself and pretended like everything was normal. I never would have complained about being paired with Roe in the past and doing so now would only raise suspicion in a room full of trained investigators.

“It’s okay if you’re nervous, you can’t hold that top spot forever, Samantha.” Roe was baiting me. It was something he’d done a million times in the past. He was trying to help me overcome my anxiety by pissing me off.

Intense affection for this man swam through my veins even while a primal part of me wanted to take him to the ground, either to assert my dominance or to ride him until we were both exhausted, I wasn’t sure.

I was so caught up in my warring feelings that my response was delayed when he surged forward, I stepped to the side at the last minute avoiding getting caught in his hold. Adrenaline flooded my system as we circled one another. My arms and legs were loose, ready for his next attack and my mind became laser focused. I was trained for this and I wasn’t being cocky when I said I was better on the mats than any man here.

When his shoulders bunched, readying for another attack, my hand whipped out, grabbing his wrist before he could make contact and locking it behind his back firmly. “You aren’t holding back, are you, Monroe?” I whispered in his ear, enjoying every moment of this dance.

Heated blue eyes sparked with intensity as he looked at me over his shoulder. “Wouldn’t dream of it, kitten,” he whispered back.

My shock at the endearment had me loosening my hold on him and in the next moment I was pinned, strong hands holding my wrists firmly on the mat as he straddled me, thighs straining against those shorts I’d been admiring earlier. Flashbacks of the way he’d controlled me, moved my body in the ways that gave him the most pleasure zoomed through my brain and I felt my cheeks flushing from the memories.

He noticed, of course he did, I was starting to think that there wasn’t much about me that Monroe Ross didn’t see. It was a weakness and I wasn’t above exploiting it. I bucked him off with my hips. Then it was me behind him, my legs wrapped tight around his torso and legs. My forearms bracketed underneath his armpits and locked his hands firmly behind his head.

When he tensed and tried to pull against me, it only firmed my resolve and I squeezed my thighs tighter to hold him in place. These boys had big muscles but they could be a liability when someone smaller and more agile was your opponent.

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