Shielded Wrongs (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 4)

Resisting the urge to move, I refused to let him see me squirm. He hadn't so much as touched me, but he seared my skin with his brand and imprinted himself on my soul with nothing but a look. "You want me to put my hands on you, Baby Girl?" he asked. "I can think of far more interesting ways to entertain you."

I swallowed, shaking off the fog of lust threatening to make me jump his bones.

Well, bone.

"This is the only thing I'm interested in," I said.

"Little Liar," he chuckled, shaking his head. The look on his face held zero trace of the annoyance most men would have felt if they’d thought I was playing hard to get. Instead, my resistance only seemed to spur Enzo on and make him more determined to watch me unravel. Something lurked behind his eyes, a demon simmering below the surface even though his face and words seemed otherwise amused.

I had the distinct impression I was treading water in the deep end and too naïve to realize a current threatened to pull me under.

"Don't be a douchebag," I laughed. "We both know sex would be a blast, but it isn’t going to happen. So put on your big boy pants, jump up here, and show me what you've got, Enzo."

He complied, pulling himself into the ring with a masculine grace that should have been impossible for a man his size. Enzo moved like an assassin in the night, fluid and silent until he wanted his victim to feel that single moment of pure terror before it all ended. Bellandi men were psychotic, often enjoying the thrill and fear they instilled in their victims before they struck.

But Enzo was his own brand of crazy. Determined to win, with zero interest in anything but getting the job done, he didn't do it for joy.

He did it because it was his duty, and I had a feeling he was a killing machine beneath the careful facade he created to hide what lurked inside him.

Standing in the middle of the ring, I watched him unfold to his full height and smile at me subtly. A single step brought him closer until the next one followed and he stepped directly into my space.

Hands came down on the bare skin of my waist, his pinky touching the spandex of my shorts and his thumb grazing the curve of my breast all in one touch. His long fingers curled around my sides, damn near brushing the base of my spine and touching at the center. His voice tickled my senses, his breath faint but warm on my face as he tilted his down to look at me.

I should have pushed his hands away. Should have insisted he respect my damn personal bubble. But the feeling of his hands on me sent electric tingles zipping through my nerves, lighting my body until it came alive for the first time in what felt like forever.

"I'll spar with you on one condition," he murmured, moving his thumbs ever so slightly until I arched my spine to get away from that invading touch.

"What's that?"

"If I win, your ass is mine," he grunted, tightening his fingers around my sides.

"Geez, straight for anal. Could work a girl up to that at least," I laughed, squirming in his grip and trying to brush off the heat the filthy image conjured in my head.

He chuckled, reaching one of his offending hands up to catch my chin and hold my eyes. "If I win, I'm taking you to the mat and you'll be creaming all over my tongue, Baby Girl."

I smiled through the desire to run and never look back at the man who would unravel me and leave me in pieces, without a doubt. Men never wanted me for long, not with my frantic energy and need to be doing something at all times. "And what do I get if I win?" I asked instead, focusing on the very real opportunity to get rid of him. Enzo was like most physically fit men. Arrogant and thinking he was the biggest and baddest person in the house. People had underestimated me all my life. My greatest hobby was using that against them in the most violent ways.

"My mouth between your legs isn't a reward? Ouch." He mock winced, teasing as his thumb stroked my bottom lip. When he released it, I caved to the inexplicable urge to lick my lips and the taste of him exploded in my mouth. For once, the nagging voice inside my head quieted, not caring about where those hands might have been or what he might have touched. All that mattered was the places they could go very soon. If only I could let that happen.

"If I win, I get to go home without you. If I win, you admit I am fully capable of taking care of myself and fuck right off back to your technological fortress to jerk your dick with your own hand and think about how hard I kicked your ass." His chuckle vibrated his chest against mine, and he ducked his head down to murmur in my ear.

The deep growl of his voice made goosebumps erupt over my skin. "Okay, Baby Girl," he agreed, confidence oozing out of his tone. In his mind, he already had me splayed out beneath him, taking the prize he fought to win.

He took a step back, leaving me shuddering in the absence of the heat that poured off the man's body. He kicked off his boots, tossing them over the edge of the ring. It said something about the level of distraction the man caused in me that I hadn't scolded him for getting in with them on.

Reaching behind his head in that way only men could manage, he tugged his black t-shirt over his head and tossed it into the heap with his boots. "I don't recall asking for a naked wrestle," I snapped.

He smiled, moving his hands down to his belt slowly, so they traced a path over his torso. One that my tongue wanted so desperately to follow. Extremely broad shoulders sloped into a light sprinkling of chest hair and defined lines of muscle. His abs were less defined, but present, in a body that looked like more of a working man's strength than someone who trained his ass off in a gym. His tattoo was more stark against his olive skin in the bright light of the gym, the crows accenting the shadows of his abs perfectly. His fingers flicked open his belt, an arrogant smirk crossing over his face while he watched me study him. "You're mostly naked," he pointed out.

"My bits are all covered." I swallowed as the belt joined the pile and he unbuttoned his jeans and slid down the zipper.

"I'll keep mine covered until I'm balls deep inside you, Carina," he growled, shoving his pants down his muscular legs and kicking them to the side. With him only covered by a pair of black boxer briefs, I realized how thoroughly we matched and a nervous chuckle escaped.

He stood and waited, watching me with that maddening smile on his face like I would be stupid enough to strike first. "You gonna stare at me all day, Lorenzo?"

"I'm going to fuck you until you scream my name," he said, stepping closer to my space. His hand shot forward, slipping under the edge of my bra strap and snapping it back against my skin. Swatting him away, I stared at that hand. He’d moved so quickly. Even if I'd tried to evade it, doing so would have been a challenge.

Smiling, I returned the favor, grabbing his nipple and tweaking it until he barked out a loud laugh and shoved my hand away. "Are you worried, Little Liar?"