Page 33 of Pumped

We’re inches apart. Close enough for me to see the ring of gold around his amber-colored irises. Close enough for Owen’s exhales to blow across my chin.

This guy. This fucking guy.

I hate him so much. But I hate that my body reacts to him even more. Even now, when I’m seething in fury, my groin tightens and desire pools low in my stomach. I want to kiss that arrogant, dismissive expression off his face. I want to take him apart piece by piece and destroy him. I want him reduced to a trembling mess and I want him to know that I did it to him.

Owen’s jaw works and he lets out a short, derisive huff. Then his gaze slides away from me and he moves to the side like he’s trying to slip around me.

I don’t fucking think so.

I grab him by the arms and slam him back against the wall.

CHAPTER

TWELVE

OWEN

I hit the wall with anoomphthat expels all the air from my lungs. What the— Did he just?—

My lips curl into a snarl as I glare up at Everest. No, not glare. What’s stronger than glare? Stronger than glower. Stronger than looking daggers. How fucking dare he put his hands on me?

And why is heat racing through me, pooling in my groin?

Everest seems to realize what he’s done a second later. His eyes go wide in shock and his jaw goes slack. His hands loosen from my arms and he lifts them away. His weight shifts like he’s about to step back.

“I’m—”

I don’t let him finish. I grab the front of his hoodie with both fists and spin us around. With my forearm across his upper chest, I pin him against the wall where I was a second ago.

He thinks he can talk to me like that and just walk away? He thinks he can manhandle me, then toss up an apology like it’s nothing? I’ve had to put up with his bullshit for weeks and I’ve had enough of it. I’ve had enough of his laissez-faire attitude, his juvenile eye rolls, his non-existent approach to parenting. I’mtrying to do things right and he’s undermining me left, right, and center.

Everest gasps quietly, then lets out a shaky breath. His Adam’s apple bobs and a shudder runs through him. His eyes go a little dazed.

I sense more than see or feel his hands move. They float through the air slowly, inching closer and closer until they land feather-light on my hips. A shiver runs up my spine at the touch, hot even through layers of clothing.

They just rest there for a moment that seems to stretch into eternity. Then his fingers flex, tightening his grip.

Heat floods my veins as blood rushes to my dick. Memories of that night in Vegas flash across my mind. The hardness of his body against mine. Our bruising kisses. The thickness of his cock as he stretched me open. How full I felt when he bottomed out. The way his hands branded my skin.

Like they’re doing now.

I don’t think. I react. My lips slam against Everest’s so hard my teeth hurt. But the whimpering sound Everest makes and the way he softens under my assault obliterates any note of pain.

He opens for me like he’s hungry for my tongue and slides down the wall an inch to give me better access. When I lick into his mouth he jerks my hips flush against his. He’s as hard as I am and I can’t help but grind our erections together.

Goddamn, this feels good. So much better than my memories from that night. So much better than it has any right to.

I bite his bottom lip, then make him suck my tongue. He’s so eager for it, chasing me back into my mouth when I withdraw. My head spins. My balls draw up tight.

Everest’s hands moved from my hips to my ass, palming my ass cheeks and kneading them with his strong fingers. My hole twitches, keen on joining in on the action, aching to be filled.

Everest’s fingers press the seam of my pants into my crease. He doesn’t get nearly deep enough to touch my hole, but the effect is the same. I shudder and my cock pulses. My fingers tingle and my toes curl.

I could come like this. From nothing more than kissing Everest, from humping him. Like some teenager who has no control over his body.

What am I doing? This is Everest. I don’t like Everest. He’s annoying. He’s childish. But more than that, we have to live together and work together for the foreseeable future. We can’t get involved like this. I need to stop.

Grasping at any remaining threads of rational thought in my mind, I find the strength to fling myself away from him, stumbling over my feet and almost landing on the floor. My head is swimming and I can’t seem to suck in oxygen fast enough. My dick is so hard, it feels like it’s going to burst through the zipper. I wipe the back of my hand across my lips. They’re bruised and swollen and sore.

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