Full Contact (Redemption #3)(52)

“Is he alone?” My nails dig into my palm as I try to think of a way inside. If I wait until he comes out, it may be too late.

“Yeah. We closed the gym for the fight, and Torment’s in the first-aid room with Makayla so there’s no one else there.”

“Please.” I grab Rampage’s hand. “He shouldn’t be alone. I just want him to know I’m here.”

“I can tell—”

“Don’t make me beg. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

Rampage hesitates, then shakes his head. “Even if I was inclined to break the rules, it’s probably not safe for you right now. Never saw him so wound up before. That was a vicious fight.”

“I can take care of myself.” I sigh and throw down my only chip. “I could do a piece for you for free. Something on your arm. Maybe a symbol that represents your fight name…”

He mocks a frown. “Are you trying to bribe me?”

“Yes. Absolutely. Whatever it takes.”

A grin spreads across his face. “A bull. That’s what I want. With a ring through its nose.”

Relief washes through me and I have to hold back from giving him a hug. “You tell Rose when you want to come in.”

He pushes open the changing room door and his face softens. “I’ll be right here ’case you need me or ’case someone tries to get in.”

“Thanks.”

Rampage gives me a wink. “See ya, Sia.”

When I walk into the changing room, the scents of sweat and unwashed gym clothes make my nose wrinkle, but I forge ahead and find the VIP room through a red door at the top of a small flight of stairs. Clean and bright, and smelling faintly of sweat and lemon cleaner, it houses two rows of beige lockers, wide benches, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and shelves of fluffy towels.

Ray is at the back, facing away from me, a towel wrapped around his narrow hips. He must have just stepped out of the shower because his hair is wet, and the air is thick and fragrant with the sharp scent of the shower gel I have smelled on his skin.

Seemingly oblivious to my presence, he mumbles something to himself then pounds on the locker. The loud bang makes me gasp, and I step back into the door with a soft thud.

His head jerks up and he spins to face me. But it isn’t Ray who meets my gaze, but the Predator. In the flesh.

“Go, Sia.” His voice is rough, hoarse as if it is an effort to force the words out. “Get out of here.”

Goose bumps prick my arms and I twist my hands together. “You weren’t fighting the way you usually fight. You seemed…angry. Out of control. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, as if in pain. “Please.”

“I’m not leaving you alone. Not like this.”

His hands curl into fists at his sides and his eyes narrow. “Man hurts someone he cares about, he should be alone.”

“Yes, you hurt me,” I say, taking a step toward him. “I felt betrayed when you told Torment I was painting. I felt like you exposed me to the world when you shared that piece of me that I had only wanted to share with you.”

A groan erupts from his throat. “You don’t think I realized that after I saw your face. Christ, if I could take it back…”

“It was my fault.” I stop two feet away from him and tug my T-shirt over my head, the only way I can think to calm him down. “I know you were just trying to help. And you were right. You couldn’t have known how it would make me feel or why it was important because I never told you.”

Under his shocked, heated gaze, I unclip my bra and slide it off, dropping it to the floor. Then I undo my jeans and shimmy them over my hips along with my underwear. Ray doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak. But his eyes sweep my body with a feral gleam.

“What are you doing?” His breathing is raw, ragged, and thick with need.

“Soothing the savage beast.” I close the distance between us and slide one hand around his neck, while I whip off his towel with the other and dig my fingers into his ass. Already thick and hard, his cock presses against my hip as I lean up and nuzzle his neck. “I know we’re not in this for the long haul, but I want to tell you what happened to me. I will tell you. Just give me time.”

“Sia.” He groans my name and threads his fingers through my hair. “Do you know what you’re doing? After last time…”

With a soft sigh, I rock up to kiss him, sliding my tongue along the seam of his lips until he opens for me. But one kiss is all it takes. Within a heartbeat, I am no longer the predator.

I am the prey.

Heart pounding in my chest, I stare up into his eyes, caught in the fire that matches the burning in my veins. His fingers stroke my neck, over the pulse point at the base of my throat, then he cups my jaw, tilts my head back, and lowers his mouth. There is no gentleness in his kiss, no fleeting meeting of lips or dancing of tongues. Instead, his mouth is hot and hungry, his tongue thrusting deep, devouring me even as I struggle to breathe.

He pulls back, rasping his breaths, and then curls his hand around the back of my neck, immobilizing me with his touch. “Anything I do hurts you or makes you panic, you tell me to stop. Understood?”

“I’ll say stop. I promise.”

He grunts his approval, then fishes around in his gym bag on the bench and pulls out a condom.