Page 45 of Dare to Dance
Ruby was stretching in one of her ballet poses, standing on one foot with the other leg lifted toward the ceiling, holding the back of her thigh. After a long second or two, she lowered her leg then her entire body to the mat in one of those splits that gymnasts did. Another second passed. She bent over her leg, extending her arms out toward her foot. Man, those moves got the blood pumping through my veins.
Slowly pushing upright, she set her gaze on me. “What’s wrong?” Immediately, she wrapped her arms around her midsection as though I had caught her naked. “You told me to stretch.”
I shook my head. Naked. Stretches. That bare skin around her midriff only helped spur the fantasies going through my head. It was my fault she was dressed in that tight, revealing outfit. Women dressed like that all the time in a gym. But Ruby wasn’t every woman. “Nothing. I was just thinking about Penelope.”Big, fat lie.“I haven’t known her to wig out on drugs.”
She shrugged. “People do it all the time. I see a lot of homeless people who are junkies.”
Reality roared back, quick and cold. I padded across the gym floor and hopped in the ring.
“What big guy do you think she was talking about?” Ruby asked.
“She was probably remembering when you and I were arguing in the hall at Firefly. Afterward, I called it quits with her. Let’s forget about Penelope. So where were we?”
“You were about to go over ground rules,” she said, letting go of her stomach.
Fuck ground rules.Whatever happened tonight happened, and I wasn’t going to stress over anything else, including my dick, which wasn’t cooperating. “Footwork. Let’s start there. Keep moving around your opponent. The goal is to tire her out as you deliver each blow. The minute you stop is the minute she takes control and the minute you get knocked out. Like you did.”
“That was your fault,” she said in a not-so-nice tone. “You distracted me.”
“No. You let your guard down,” I said dryly.
“Because of you. You should practice what you preach. You let your guard down earlier when I was rooting for Liam.”
I couldn’t argue with her on that. “Why did you?” I was more curious than hurt.
“I don’t know. He was the underdog, and maybe part of me wanted to get back at you.”
“Fair enough. Now that we’re even, let’s talk about blocking.” Fisting my hands, I raised them in front of my face so I was looking at my forearms. “Do as I do.”
She did, and I gently grabbed her left wrist. “Hold this one in place to keep your face protected while you punch with your right. The opposite works if you punch with your left hand.” I stepped back. “Now throw a punch.” She’d been wild when she fought at Tommy’s before. I wanted her to be more controlled. “While you’re punching, you’re moving, and you’re watching your opponent. She goes right, you go left, always keeping yourself protected. If she comes at you on the left, use your forearm to block her. Try a few moves on me.”
She grinned as though she’d been waiting forever to hit me. I smirked but shouldn’t have.
She threw a right hook that hit my jaw. “Not so tough, are you?” She puffed out her chest, sucking in her lip.
She could hit. I would give her that. “Again,” I said in a serious tone before I tackled her to the mat. Her moves were turning me on. Just the way she danced on the balls of her feet was sexy.
For the next thirty minutes, Ruby used me as her punching bag. I blocked as she jabbed. I coached as she jabbed again. I couldn’t say I was excited about her fighting, but at least now she had a few moves in her boxing bag of tricks.
“Okay.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. “I think I got a couple of good moves.” She sounded excited. “Thank you.” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip.
My dick jerked. “Ruby, bite your lip again, and I will kiss you.” For the last half hour, I had done my best to be the consummate professional. But I was hanging by a thread.Fuck patience. Go on. Get what you want, and take what’s yours.That was always my motto. Certainly, acting like a gentleman was first and foremost, just as Kade and my old man had taught us boys. Hence, the warning my dad had ingrained in us:Let a lady know your intentions.
Ruby’s tongue snaked out. “You’re still impatient.”
I moved until a paper-thin space separated us. “I’m not playing, Ruby.” My voice was husky.
“Then kiss me. Unless you’re afraid.” Her shyness vanished as though she had flipped a switch to her sassy alter ego.
One side of my mouth twitched. I grasped her arms gently around her biceps then leaned in. My gaze riveted to hers. She tensed as though I was squeezing out all the feistiness in her. She was nowhere near ready for me to kiss her. Hell, she wouldn’t even look at me, and suddenly, my gut formed a big knot. I was the asshole who’d left her. She didn’t want anything to do with me.
“I don’t want you fighting on Saturday,” I exclaimed as I took in a quiet breath, trying to calm my erratic pulse.
She jerked out of my hands. “I told you not to boss me around.”
“Underground fighting can be dangerous. And what if the cops raid the joint? You could go to jail.”
She casually lifted a shoulder. “So? Not the first time.”
