The Ballerina & The Fighter (Book 1) (13 page)

I should have turned my ass
around as soon as I saw her on the dance floor with that dude. But I couldn’t
take my eyes off her. Today was a shitty day. After my meeting last night,
deciding to leave Ivy alone, my concentration was crap and this morning Joe
handed me my head on a platter because of my inattention during training.

I bore the bruises on my ass
to prove it. I thought about Ivy all night. Also, what was the point of
training so long and hard for something I would not be allowed to claim.
Like her.

Last night I was reminded
about the fight and the enforcer, who happened to be Jai’s older brother,
wanted to work out the details, right down to how I would take the fall. There
were no rounds, like most regular fights, for this fight, we fought until
somebody went down. Nor was it the kinda shit most associated with MMA leagues,
there wasn’t a lot of boxing or rolling around on the floor. This was a purer
form of the arts. But they wanted me to make sure I dragged it out and the last
few minutes get my ass good and truly kicked. Then I had to fucking do it again
during the blade part of the match, and let the dick head draw first blood.

They reminded me of all of
this while Joe sat at the conference table with four of the heads of the
Triads, and the fucker I had to fight stood behind Joe’s chair, his hands on
the back of it. The implication was clear. I’d watched him fight. I was better.
I had to fucking let this piece of shit take me down with the flat of a blade.
I could not bring myself to look at anyone else in the room but Joe, otherwise
I would have given them the finger and walked out. I had to agree. I had no
choice but to be a fucking pin cushion. Joe needed me to do this. After
everything he’d done for my mom before she died, for me. I owed that man
everything. I owed him my life. So if I had to bruise and bleed a little for
him, so be it. I didn’t have to like it though.

Yet there was one thing I
wanted, more than anything in this world, one night with Ivy. Just one night. I
had planned to stay away and I would have, I swear I would have. Except I saw
her at a weak moment and I needed her so badly. So I stood in the club like an
ass and watched her dance. The way her body moved as she turned in a circle was
a feast for the senses. Her eyes had been closed but when she opened them again
they were wide open and staring right at me. I raised one hand and extended a
finger back and forth in her direction. Calling her to me, and wonders of
wonders, she came.

I took her hand and turned to
go. I needed. I wanted. Now. But she tugged on my hand stopping me cold. Taking
me out of whatever the fucking universe I thought we lived in that I could just
walk right outta there with her, find the nearest room and fuck each other’s
brains out.

“Where are we going?” she
asked.

At least she hadn’t let my
hand go. I stepped right up into her space and lowered my head to her ear.
“Your place.”

I was so close to her, when
she inhaled her chest touched my jacket covered arm and I felt it down to my
bones.

“One sec. I have to let Dante
know I’m leaving.”

She didn’t give me a chance
to object, just pulled away from me, and I wasn’t going to as long as she took
me home with her. And what the fuck was she doing there with Dante anyway? I
stood there and watched her walk over to the bastard. Bi my ass, he was the
cream between two girls. He stopped to listen to what Ivy had to say and he
raised his head to stare at me. I just stood there with my arms folded across
my chest. Even from the short distance that separated us, I saw his eyes
narrow. I continued to stare at him until someone got in the way of our stare
down. Then Ivy stood in front of me again.

“Let’s go,” she said.

I took her hand just like
before without a word, left the club and flagged down a cab. I told the cab
driver her address. We sat in the back of that cab, each of us looking out the
window at the cityscape as the car whisked us back to her condo. I reached my
hand out to the center of the seat until I barely touched her thigh, but didn’t
turn my head in her direction, then I felt what I was waiting for. Her touch on
my hand. She’d taken my hand in hers. Only then did I turn my head to find her
staring at me. We remained that way, not saying a word, drinking each other in,
sending silent signals back and forth. Once the cab pulled up to the curb in
front of her building and came to a stop, I managed to tear my gaze away from
her and pay the man.

Still without exchanging a
word we took the long ride in the elevator up to her floor. I don’t know why
she didn’t say anything, but I know why I didn’t. I didn’t want to say anything
stupid and screw this up. I needed her. I just needed her in my arms tonight. I
deserved to know exactly what it was I was giving up. In truth, I wanted the
memory.

I stood behind her as she
opened the door; she paused at the entryway and turned on the light switch on
the wall. A floor lamp by the long black leather couch in the living room
turned on. She moved aside for me to enter first, then shut the door before
turning to face me. Ivy took my hand and led me to her room, shutting the door
behind us, then moved over to stand beside her bed. She’d left the curtains
open in her room and the lights from the buildings across the street provided
scant illumination. I could see just enough in the dim light to make out her
silhouette on a bed big enough for both of us. That’s all I noticed. I stood in
front of her and removed my jacket and shirt, tossing them on the floor;
uncaring that we might be putting on a show for anyone in the buildings across
the street with binoculars. She raised her hand and ran it over my bare chest,
my stomach muscles clenched as she traced the pattern of the tattoo I wore on
my chest. It hadn’t been there the last time I’d bared myself to her. I’d
gotten it years ago, when I first got to Japan, a reminder. It was the picture
of a heart wrapped in ivy.

Her eyes flew to mine. I
hoped she understood the significance. “What’s this?”

“Just what it looks like.” I
couldn’t bring myself to say any more, but then again neither did she.

She didn’t say another word,
just lowered her hand, took off her jacket, tossed it past me, sat on the bed,
then toed off her shoes. Scooting up onto the mattress, I placed one knee
beside her and moved my hands to grab the edge of her shirt, pulling it up and
over her head then tossing it over my shoulder in the direction I’d sent my
shirt. I ran my hand from her collarbone down over her bra to her belly button
and continued until I got to the snap on her jeans. One handed I opened her
jeans and unzipped them. Getting off the bed I pulled them down her legs, until
they pooled on the floor beneath her feet. I looked at her as she lay there in
only her blue underwear.

“Beautiful,” I said, running
my hands down her thighs as I straightened. I took my boots off, undid my own
jeans, and took my wallet outta my back pocket. I had two condoms in there; I
took them both out and tossed them beside her on the bed. I pulled down both my
jeans and underwear. My dick sprang free, straining toward her; I moved to
place one knee beside her again. She raised her hand and wrapped it around my
neck bringing my face down to hers. I covered her mouth and pushed my tongue
into hers. Joining our bodies in one way, and anticipating how else I would
join our bodies in another moment.

Without releasing her mouth I
rolled her a little so I could get to her back and unhook her bra. She shifted
until I helped her get it off, and sweet Jesus the burn when we were finally
flesh against flesh, but still not enough. My cock surged against her mons,
desperately seeking entrance to her haven. I lowered my hand; I was impatient
and ripped her underwear off. She gigged.

“In a hurry?” she panted
against my lips.

“Hell ya,” I moaned.

Grabbing her around the
waist, I guided her until she lay full length on the bed and then I covered
her. My naked body over hers. “Heaven,” I whispered, as I kissed her ear. “I’m
almost there.”

“So, are you a poet now?” she
asked.

I would be anything she
needed me to be. “Only for you.” I looked upon the face of this woman whom I
could never quite forget. No matter what I was doing or how far apart we’d been
over the years, she was always there. That day on the beach, all those years
ago she’d worked her way inside of me and there was no letting go. Part of me
would always be hers, even while part of me would belong to the Triad and could
never claim her. Sadness overwhelmed me and I buried my face in the side of her
neck, inhaling her scent, taking it into my body. The scent of coconut and lime
calmed me; she’d worn that fragrance years ago, too. I kissed her neck and
moved down to her breast. My mouth captured one plump nipple. I moved my other
hand until it enclosed her other breast, and let my thumb rub back and forth
over one nipple while I suckled from the other. Her breasts weren’t overly
large, they fit in my hand with room to spare, but they were the perfect size
for me and I worshiped them.

I continued kissing and
licking my way down her body, but kept one hand on her breast, the other I
moved to caress her thigh. My lips and tongue continued to sturdily move
downward until I reached her wet core. I opened my mouth and covered her
center, creating a suction that had her trying to lift off the bed, and the sweet
cries of her moans filled my ears.

Beneath me, her body shook,
then suddenly went ridged just before she wrapped those dancer thighs around my
head and clenched her ass as she gushed like a river into my waiting mouth. I
lapped up all of her before lifting my head. Twisting, I searched for one of
the condoms I’d tossed to the bed. Finding one I tore it open and pushed it
over my swollen throbbing cock. Turning back to her, I crawled up her body and
wrapped one hand under her head bringing her lips to mine as I positioned
myself at her entrance.

I entered her slowly; I
wanted this to last for us both. I wanted her to remember me whether her eyes
were open or closed. I eased just the crown in first and God she was tight,
then I eased in some more of me, it was then I encounter an obstruction. “Holy
shit!”

My eyes grew wide as I stared
into her pain filled ones, I started to withdraw but my Ivy had other ideas.
She wrapped her legs around my waist and tilted, taking me back inside her.

“Baby, hold up,” I panted. I
had questions; I raised myself up to look upon her beautiful face. She stared
back at me and smiled; all traces of pain gone from her features.

“I waited for you.”

That simple statement
answered them all. Nothing would stop me from claiming her then. I surged
forward.

Chapter Fourteen

Ivy

I had never felt these kinds
of emotions with anyone else. Only Maze, even all those years ago it’d always
been Maze. He alone touched the depths I needed. Looking into his eyes when I’d
seen him at the club and he’d called to me—well nothing was going to stop
me from going to him. I needed to know he was all right, that he hadn’t been
the one hurt the other night. It might have been crazy to take him back to my
place, but I really didn’t care. I knew what I was going to do. What I wanted
him to do.

By the time he slipped into
me I was so wet and ready for him, I thought I’d combust. When he pierced my
membrane I felt only a moment of pain, and then his fullness stretched me,
filled me. I must have cried out because he froze again. Pushing my hair off my
face, he looked into my eyes. I smiled up at him, “I’m fine. Keep going.” I was
fine; I’d never known such pleasure. Not even while dancing.

He lowered his head and
covered my mouth with his, pushing his tongue inside to dance a duet with mine.
I forgot about the pain and only the pleasure of having him inside of me,
consuming me, making me his. Then after a moment, he began to move and lowered
his head to the side of my neck. He kept one arm wrapped around my waist the
other hand he entwined our fingers and held it on the bed at our sides while he
moved even faster in and out of me. I caught his rhythm and moved with him,
stroke for stroke. A fire built in my core, threatening to erupt my breathing as
it raced away from me, matching that of Maze. I felt I was doing a pirouette
out of control, unable and unwilling to stop because the faster I spun I knew
I’d eventually fly.