Page 88 of Cheap Shot
The dried blood scratches against my skin, but I don’t care. I want to feel it. Need to. Letting him know that there isn’t a part of him I don’t accept.
“He opened his mouth. I shut it. I couldn’t just stand there and let him talk about you like that.
“Michele.” His eyes bore into mine, peering into the depth of my soul as if he were seeing me, the real me, for the first time. It is like he is trying to memorize the shape of my fear. “I would’ve done worse if they hadn’t pulled me off him.”
“You could’ve been kicked off the team.”
“You matter more,” he whispers, leaning in slowly, giving me a chance to pull away, but I don’t. I never will.
And then he reaches for me, but I’m already moving, rising onto my toes as I tug on the hem of his shirt, pulling him closer to me. This kiss isn’t soft. It’s hungry and desperate. Cole kisses me as if he is drowning and I am his lifeline, guiding him back to the surface. Our mouths slant together, tongues tangling as we each battle for control.
“You scare the hell out of me.” I moan softly against his lips, my hands sliding beneath the fabric of his shirt. The need to touch his bare, taut skin overwhelms me. He’s so warm, so solid, all carved muscle and shaky restraint.
Cole lifts me like I weigh nothing, setting me down on the padded treatment table. My legs part instinctively as his hands roam over my waist and down my thighs. Basically tracing every inch of me with his hand, committing each of my curves to memory. I gasp when his lips find my neck, hot and open-mouthed, his teeth grazing just enough to make my pulse stutter.
“Good.” His lips brush my jaw, cheek, and throat before nipping at the corner of my mouth. “Because I’m not thinking straight anymore.”
“You never were.” My body arches, pressing flush against his skin, but I need more. “I have too many clothes on.”
“I think I can help with that.” He makes a sound that melts against my skin before he pauses, his forehead pressed against mine.
“We don’t have to,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Not tonight. I just—I need to be near you.”
His eyes flutter closed as I cup his jaw, pressing a gentle kiss on his lips. “I want you. Not because you fought for me. Not because of what he said. Because I want to be with you.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, voice raw and full of desire.
“I’ve never been surer of anything.”
“Then on your knees, Trouble. It’s time for your punishment,” he whispers in my ear before leaning forward and capturing my lips.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Cole
“You need to watch your tone before I take you over my knee,” I growl without a second thought, my cock hardening further behind the zipper of my uniform pants.
I’ve tried to behave and treat Michele like the queen she is, but the minute she touched me, every nerve in my body came alive. She said she wanted this, wanted to give herself to me right here and now in the training room, and I’m powerless to resist her. She’s like a siren, calling me to my destruction, pushing me to the edge of my control. And now I have no choice but to go tumbling over the edge.
“Over your knee? Why?” Her breath hitches slightly, her pupils dilating as my fingers brush against her skin.
“Because you were a naughty girl. Someone forgot to tell me a very important piece of information.”
“I said I was sorry?—”
I press my finger against her lips to silence her. “I know, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be punished.”
Her eyes narrow slightly, trying to make sense of what’s going on. This can go a few different ways, but I want to see if she gives as good as she gets. This might push her out of her comfort zone. She’s pushed my buttons too many times over the last few weeks, and now it's time for her to learn what happens when my patience runs out.
A sign of recognition sparks in her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.” I chuckle as I take a step back. “Get down.”
She slowly slides off the table, her body pressed tightly against mine, a playful smirk on her face. “Now what?”
“Now, get on your knees.”
“What if I don’t want to?” She tilts her chin up in defiance, and her breathing increases as she backs away from me.
