Passing His Guard (Against the Cage #2) (30 page)

He beat feet to his bedroom and hastily deposited her on the mattress. Hooking his hands into the waistband of her yoga pants, he stripped her with the finesse of an overeager adolescent about to experience his first lay. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt this frenzied, this anxious, to get between a woman’s thighs. Dropping his sweats, Ryann’s gaze swept over him as he crawled onto the bed. Everywhere her appreciative eyes touched, his skin felt hot and tight.

Aiden grabbed her ankles and pulled her closer. The movement splayed her hair across his pillow like a fiery halo.
Fucking beautiful . . .
He lowered himself over her and took her mouth in a branding kiss that spoke the words failing him. His muscles shook with the force of his restraint. Fear of hurting her was the only thing holding him back from plunging deep inside her and chasing his release. It wouldn’t be much of a race. Already the tightening low in his groin, the tingling at the base of his spine, warned him he was close. The moisture beading at the head of his cock wept for mercy.

Ryann impatiently lifted her hips, inching her wet sex closer, and it beckoned to him like a siren’s call he was helpless to resist. Her last little nudge seated him against her opening, and Aiden hesitated one more flagging second before burying himself deep inside her. Her broken cry of pleasure shattered him, his resolve dissolving into nothingness. Her tight glove squeezed him perfectly, her appetite as ravenous as his. She gripped his ass, her nails scoring into his flesh as she arched into his thrusts, meeting his demands with an urgency of her own.

Nothing in his life felt as right as this moment. His world might be crumbling down around him, but as long as he had Ryann, she would be his anchor through this storm. It was as if she were made especially and perfectly for him. The shattering clarity of how much he loved this woman rocked him to his core.

His name was a broken plea on her lips as her release gripped him tight, sending them both over the edge. He came hard, the harsh bark of rapture ripping from his throat as a violent torrent of pleasure shuddered through him, each wracking spasm of her body milking his release until he collapsed over her, utterly spent and deliciously sated in a way he’d never felt before.

Not yet ready to leave her, he rolled onto his back, bringing Ryann with him. Her hair cascaded around her, spilling onto his chest. She lifted her head to look down at him and those luminous green eyes stopped his heart. The wondrous look of a woman well and thoroughly pleasured shone on her beautiful face, stroking his male pride, making him feel ten feet tall—invincible—and yet at the same time he’d never felt more powerless.

He’d faced countless opponents in the cage. He was about to take on one of the most dangerous men in New York, and yet no one could make him feel as weak and vulnerable as this midge of a woman grinning at him right now.

CHAPTER

 31 

T
he muffled sound of voices coming from the other room woke Ryann from her languid sleep. She yawned, breathing Aiden’s masculine scent deep into her lungs. The glide of satin sheets kissing her bare skin as she stretched made her wish it was Aiden’s lips on her instead. The harsh bark of laughter in the other room, more sarcastic than humorous, piqued her curiosity. Who was Aiden talking to? She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand beside the bed. It wasn’t even seven a.m. yet.

She climbed out of bed and found her yoga pants and panties in a pile on the floor. After pulling them on, she stood there a moment looking for her shirt and bra until she remembered where they were.
Shit . . .
Lord, she hoped Aiden had picked up their clothes before letting in whoever was out there. Having little choice, she crossed the room to his dresser and pulled open the top drawer.
Socks and boxers—not gonna help.
Closing it, she moved down to the second and found what she was looking for—T-shirts. She grabbed the top one and pulled it on. The thing hung on her like a gunnysack. Glancing up at her reflection in the mirror, she stifled a giggle. Across the chest was a large red
S
. What was it with this guy and graphic superhero T-shirts?

Her flaming, Medusa-like hair wasn’t doing the look any favors. Ryann shuffled into Aiden’s bathroom and washed her face, removing her makeup smudges, and ran her damp fingers through her hair trying to tame the wavy mess. She’d have to wait until she got into her bathroom to brush her teeth unless . . . Ryann pulled open the top drawer and found a stockpile of spare toothbrushes. She plucked one out, opened the package, and in a few minutes she was minty fresh and just about as presentable as she could be for a braless woman wearing an oversized Superman T-shirt. She opened the door and slipped into the hallway, about to make her walk of shame into the guest bedroom to get properly dressed, when that voice stopped her cold.

“Morning, Gingersnap . . .”

Oh, merciful God in Heaven, please no . . .
Ryann closed her eyes as she sent up the quick prayer. This was the guy cornering Aiden for his fights? Unable to hide her grimace, she slowly opened one eye at a time and tipped her head to the side, giving her a clearer view of the dining room table and the two men sitting at it. She wasn’t sure what shocked her more: seeing the fighter who had given her such a hard time back at the gym—the one with the cold steel-gray eyes and the scar slashing across his cheek—or Aiden. Holy shit, he was dressed in a black suit straight off the cover of a
GQ
magazine. But that wasn’t all that caught her notice. His piercings were gone—the lip, the brow, his ears—all of them, and his unruly dark hair was tamed into submission by gel that left his tawny locks several shades darker.

Controlled and sophisticated, his appearance hinted at nothing of the man seething beneath all that refinement—until he flashed her that devilish grin over his cup of coffee. And just like that, the butterflies woke, battering their way into her chest. He was breathtakingly handsome, but not in that badass, panty-dropping way she was used to. No, this version of Aiden was untouchably rich and powerfully intimidating—their differences in class made all the more acute by her disheveled appearance and braless state, wearing a T-shirt that hung down her thighs.

“Ryann, come here. I want you to meet Nikko Del Toro.”

“We’ve met,” she said drily, stepping forward.

“Not officially . . .” the fighter chimed in. A smug, amused grin tugged at the scar on his cheek.

Yep, her shirt, bra, and his T-shirt were still scattered on the dining room floor. He could have at least picked them up before his friend came over, but hey, if he wanted to flaunt their sexcapade, then that was his prerogative. She refused to be embarrassed about it. As she moved through the living room and Aiden got a good look at her, his amber eyes sparkled with mischievous humor. Then that smile split into a full-on heart-stopping grin. “I like the shirt,” he said into his mug before taking a sip.

“Thanks.” Standing up straight with her head held high, Ryann walked into the dining room as if she were royalty, knowing damn well her breasts swayed on proud display. The soft cotton of his T-shirt folded into the deep valley of her cleavage. She knew the exact moment Aiden realized his mistake of calling her over because those rich golden-amber eyes dropped to her chest and he seemed to have a little trouble getting his coffee down. She shot him a saucy,
Didn’t think that one through too well, did ya?
smile, and walked over to Nikko, who looked a mixture of shocked and wildly entertained, his gaze darting from her to Aiden then back to her breasts.

“It’s nice to
officially
meet you,” she said with saccharine sweetness, holding out her hand.

He took hers in his firm grip. “Likewise.”

“So, you’re going to corner Aiden, huh?”

Nikko’s gaze flickered to Aiden before landing back on her. “Yep.”

“Have you ever coached before?”

His indulging smile rankled her nerves. “Didn’t realize this was a job interview.”

Did he think this was a joke? Aiden was stepping into an underground fight club tonight. What he was doing was dangerous, and these guys didn’t mess around. She felt responsible enough as it was. If he got hurt because of her . . .

“Nikko and I are sparring partners,” Aiden interjected. “He’s more than qualified, Ryann.”

“Don’t worry, Gingersnap. I’ll keep our boy in one piece.”

She bristled at the nickname, but kept the impeccable smile on her wooden face. She wouldn’t let him see how much he rattled her or how much she hated that name. “See that you do,” she grumbled. Maybe it wasn’t fair for her to take her fears and frustration out on Aiden’s friend, but she hated the idea of him fighting for Moralli, and it twisted the knife to know she was the reason he was doing it. She felt powerless to help him and that loss of control made her downright waspish.

“Retract your claws, kitten,” Aiden teased, snagging her wrist and pulling her onto his lap. “Everything is going to be just fine.”

Aiden was right, this wasn’t Nikko’s fault. He was here to help. She could cut him a little slack. “I appreciate you coming here to help him.”

Nikko nodded his acknowledgment, and she turned her attention back to Aiden and slipped her arm around his neck, not caring if she put wrinkles in his fancy suit. All she wanted right now was to be close to him, to feel his reassuring strength enveloping her. She wiggled in a little tighter, and he tensed, another part of him growing hard beneath her. The low growl rumbling deep in his throat warned her she was playing with fire. She smiled innocently and took his mug from his hand, sipping at his coffee.

“You look very handsome in your suit,” she commented, smoothing out his collar. “You took out all your metal.”

“Not all of it.” He flashed her his tongue and the metal bar sticking through it. “I left your favorite one.”

Rogue!
Her cheeks heated at his teasing. Trying her best to ignore the wicked imagery his tongue presented, she took another drink of his coffee and asked, “Where are you going?”

“The firm.”

His voice was strained, whether from his raging erection pressed against her bottom or the unpleasantness of the day ahead, she couldn’t know. But the thought of Aiden walking out that door worried her more than she wanted to admit. What if Moralli discovered what he was planning?

“How long will you be gone?” she asked, all carefree pretenses gone.

He reached up and smoothed his thumb between her wrinkled brows. “It’s hard to say. I’m not sure what kind of a reception to expect at the firm after being away for so long. Getting security clearance and access to my old files might take a while. I have a lunch meeting with the DA at noon, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She nodded. “I’m almost finished with that dossier on Joe Paskel. I’ll have it ready for you when you get back.”

He gave her a teasing grin she was sure was purely for the benefit of belaying her fears. “Wow, I’m impressed. You work fast, Ms. Andrews. I might just have to hire you.”

She set his coffee cup on the table and leaned close, whispering, “You’d be surprised how fast I can work.” She nipped the lobe of his ear and slipped off his lap, letting the invitation hang in the air as she sauntered toward the bedroom, bending down to swipe her bra and T-shirt off the floor along the way.

A throaty chuckle echoed behind her and she heard Nikko taunt, “Man, you’ve got your hands full with that one.”

“Fuck me,” Aiden groaned. “You don’t even know the half of it.”

No sooner did Ryann close her bedroom door than she heard it open behind her, shut, and the lock click into place. She didn’t turn around or acknowledge him as she walked toward the dresser, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Pretending she didn’t know he was there, she slipped off her bottoms and tossed them into the hamper along with the clothes she picked up off the dining room floor. Standing there in nothing but his T-shirt, she was about to pull open the top drawer and grab a change of clothes to bring into the shower when Aiden came up behind her, pressing his erection against her bottom.

His unyielding body fit tightly against her back, setting her off balance. Ryann splayed her hands against the top of the dresser to steady herself as Aiden’s hands dropped to her thighs and rode up her hips, bringing his T-shirt with him. “You look so fucking hot in my clothes,” he growled beside her ear. Hands spanning her waist, he slid them up her ribs and gripped her breasts. He squeezed, pinching her nipples until pleasure blurred with pain. It was just how she liked it, riding that thin edge with him. He always seemed to know just when to pull back. A wanton moan escaped her throat, and she tipped her head to the side, giving him full access to her neck.

“You’re killing me, you know that?” He gripped her tighter, pulling her against him roughly. A thrill of excitement shot through her, the shiver centering between her legs. You might dress a man in expensive, sophisticated suits, but that didn’t make him a gentleman. He was still her Aiden, still the same man who’d made passionate love to her last night. It didn’t matter how refined he might appear on the outside, on the inside he was still her wild, reckless fighter.

“You’re going to wrinkle your suit,” she teased, her statement ending with a moan when his hand slid down her belly to dip between her thighs.

His mouth halted on her neck and he glanced up, locking his gaze with hers in the dresser mirror. Holy shit, the erotic scene they made nearly made her come right then and there. Here she stood braced against the dresser, sleep-disheveled in an old, worn-out T-shirt hiked up her front, exposing a wealth of smooth pale flesh. One of Aiden’s hands cupped her breast, while his other played between her parted legs. He towered over her, wearing his
GQ
suit, looking all prim and proper, except the sleeves of his jacket had worked up just enough to reveal a glimpse of his tattoos. Mercy, he was stunning—and those eyes . . . dark amber with deep flecks of brown. So intense, so possessive . . . so passionate.

“Aiden . . .” she breathed the plea as he bit out a sharp curse that was exactly what she wanted him to do to her right now.

In seconds his suit jacket was gone, buttons were pinging off the hardwood floor as he ripped his gray shirt off his shoulders and shucked it like the thing was on fire. His hands were at his waist, unfastening his belt. The
riiiiip
of metal friction as his zipper gave way sent Ryann’s heart racing with anticipation. She could see a flash of Aiden’s bare hip in the mirror as his black trousers dropped to his knees. His foot wedged between hers and knocked them farther apart. The hard length of his erection slipped between her legs as one hand fisted into her dark red curls, pulling her mass of wild hair over to one side, baring her neck.

His mouth was back on her throat, kissing, sucking, nipping the flesh just above her shoulder when he thrust into her, bringing her to her tiptoes. Ryann scrambled for purchase. She locked her elbows, nails digging into his oak dresser as he gripped her hip to steady her. Aiden’s hand slammed down on the dresser, his arm crossing over hers for balance. She bit her lip to keep from crying out in pleasure.