Breaking Beast (Pounding Hearts 4)

Oh, he can see all right.

“Do you come here a lot?” I ask, folding up my bra.

“Yeah,” he says roughly and has to once more clear his throat. “Especially after a fight. It can take a few weeks to loosen up after you’ve been beat on.”

I stack my bra on top of my shirt and then slowly slide my panties down. My heart is pounding so loud I can hear the pounding in my ears.

Before I get my panties all the way down to the floor, there’s a light rapping on the door.

“Are you ready?” A muffled voice asks.

I freeze in surprise, my panties at my hips.

“No,” Alex bellows so loudly I hear the person on the other side of the door gasp.

“Okay!” They squeak. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

I wait a couple of heartbeats before unfreezing.

“Wow,” I say, pushing my panties down and quickly stepping out of them. “I hope they’re massaging you and not me.”

Alex only grunts as I wrap the sheet around me.

Walking to the side of the table, I climb up and then spread out. Once I’ve got the sheet covering all the important parts of me, I tell him, “I’m done; you can look now.”

I hear the whispering of the sheet as he pulls it off his head but don’t glance back.

“I promise I won’t peek,” I remind him and lay my head on my arms, trying to relax.

It feels like only a couple of seconds pass before I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I said I wouldn’t peek but unconsciously I glance over. Alex is shirtless with the white sheet I threw at his head wrapped around his hips. The white of the sheet is a stark contrast against his bronze skin and I can’t stop my eyes from drinking him in.

“You said you wouldn’t peek,” he smirks, and I realize my damn jaw is hanging open.

I snap my teeth together and turn my head away. My face feels hot with embarrassment. I stare at the wall, willing my body to cool down.

I’m just too damn aware of him. It’s as if all of my senses are attuned to him, straining towards him.

My ears strain, picking up every little creak and grunt as he climbs up on his table. I can picture what he looks like inside my head without actually seeing him.

The bulge of his biceps as he pulls himself up. All the muscles in his back flexing and relaxing as he stretches out. If the sheet slipped down, I could get a peek of his…

Now that I think about it, maybe getting a massage together was a bad idea.

His sheets rustle and he groans. “I’ve been long overdue for this.” A moment later he tells me, “You can look now.”

I don’t glance over at him, focusing instead on one of the flickering candles, watching the flame dance. I don’t want his already massive ego to think I’m eager to look at him, even if deep down inside I am.

“Christy?” he asks after a long moment and I finally drag my eyes away from the candle to glance over at him. “Are you okay?”

Our eyes meet and my embarrassment withers under the weight of his concern. “Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

“You seem a little…” he trails off.

Upset about the effect you’re having on me? I finish for him inside my head.

“I’m fine,” I reassure him again. “Just a little nervous.”

Maybe if I took advantage of his open invitation last night, I wouldn’t be so damn wound up.

There’s a rapping at the door and this time a deep, masculine voice asks, “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” I call out before Alex has a chance to scare them off again.

I hear the door open and glance back. A man and a woman wearing crisp white uniforms walk in.

The man flashes a grin so bright it’s nearly blinding. “Good afternoon,” he says cheerfully. “I’m Justin, and this is Sarah.”

Sarah smiles and gives a little wave.

“We’ll be your masseuses today.” Justin laces his fingers together and then flexes them in front of him, causing them to pop. “Are you ready to get started?”

Much to my chagrin, I don’t get Sarah for my masseuse, I get stuck with Justin. Don’t get me wrong, Justin’s a good masseuse, and he has nice soft hands, it’s just that I’m not used to being touched by a stranger.

Especially if the stranger is a man.

Urging me to just relax, Justin’s hands are strong and his fingers work deep into my flesh, but I can’t fully appreciate it because I can’t stop myself from focusing on Alex and all the little noises he’s making.

Alex and Sarah laugh easily together, and every couple of seconds he’s groaning with pleasure.

Those groans, they hit me hard. I feel them resonating deep in my core, and it’s a struggle not to squirm against my table. A struggle not to react as Justin’s hands rub me down. A struggle not to be bitter that it’s him touching me and not Alex.