Page 104 of Lovers Like Us
“I did someresearch.”
My smile is hurting my face. “You mean you GoogledMMAmoves?”
He glares. “Are we doing this ornot?”
I suck in a breath. “Wow, you must really want me to be on top ofyou.”
He licks his lips to hide a smile. “MaybeI’llend up on top ofyou.” He gestures meforward.
Wind whistles. No paparazzi here. The only cameramen tailing us lost our tracks around Chicago. The rest stayed in Philly for money-shots of hisparents.
This informal match is just for us, but my fist isn’t hitting his face. We quickly agree to no jabs, hooks, uppercuts or kicks. Leaving mostly wrestling andgrappling.
We circle one another, and then he approaches like a bullet. He tries a clinch takedown, pushing my chest while sweeping my right foot out from under me. I maneuver out of the inside trip, and then step forward, drop to a knee. And swiftly shoot my hands behind his legs andpull.
Balance gone, his back thuds to the dirt. “Fuck.” His breathejects.
I smile. “Double-leg takedown,” I tell him the basicmove.
“Let me try again.” He picks himself up, and I stand. The second time I try to shoot for a takedown, he crouches out of range and drives his weight into my upper-body.
Damn.His muscles carve as he taps into his strength. I grit down and dig out of the hold. Slipping behind him, then we circle one anotheragain.
“I learned that from YouTube,” he tellsme.
I smile. “Okay, smartass.” I remember how his siblings said he’s better than average at everything he tries. Maximoff trying to keep up with me and actually succeeding—it’s extremely fuckingattractive.
But I’m not going easy on him. Next time, I trip him from the inside, and his body plummets. Back todirt.
We grapple on the ground. Tangled up, our legs and arms hooking. Muscles blazing, sweat building. Flipping over in mud and moss, skin and clothes dirtied. I smile each time he attempts to hit a more advanced move. He even tries a rear-naked chokehold, butfails.
He’s gassed, exerting twice the energy as me. After a guard pass from me, I gain the advantage and end up on top of him. My knees bear on either side of his waist, basically mounted on Maximoff. I rest a palm by hisface.
And the world seems tostill.
His chest collapses, breathing heavily beneath me, and I pant a little bit too. In the calm, the quiet, our eyes never detach. Dirt streaks his cheekbones and jaw, and I’m sure mine aresimilar.
I look deep into this guy and remember why I’m awake, why he’s here. I could’ve told him to go back to bed, but I didn’t. We spend an insane amount of time together, but whenever I’m around Maximoff, I only want him to draw closer, and I think,another minute, anotherhour.
And then those minutes turn to days and hours to weeks, and before I even blink, I’m consumed. Hook, line, and sinker. He hasme.
Maximoff clutches the back of my neck. If his eyes could speak, they’d be whispering,kiss me, fucking kissme.
Before he tries to bring my head down,I cup his jaw and lean forward. Our breaths are ragged, but not fromwrestling.
My mouth slowly skims his, teasingly close, and his chest expands in a wanting breath.Fuck. I hold his face with two hands, and we both close the shortdistance.
Our lips meet with hot power, and everything bursts inside of me. His skilled tongue parts my mouth, and I bear more weight on him as he drives the kiss deeper. Like he’s reaching for the center of mysoul.
And then a five-notejingle bellchime interrupts the most cinematic moment of my entirelife.
“Shit,” I curse and sit up but I’m still straddlinghim.
“What was that?” he breathes hard and props himself on hiselbows.
I take my phone out of my pocket. “I set that noise for notifications.” Specifically for the@maximoffdeadhaleaccount.
Maximoff rubs his lips like he still feels me on them, and he watches me unlock my phone and pop openInstagram.
