Page 55 of Property of Scar

Instead, I roll, immediately coming back up, my lungs pulling in air harder now, faster, my chest rising and falling in sharp contrast to the absolute stillness of him.

“You don’t even breathe,” I snap, circling him, adrenaline humming through my veins. “That’s cheating.”

His head tips slightly, studying me with that maddeningly calm expression. “And yet you’re still standing.”

A grin tugs at my mouth. “You sound disappointed.”

“I’m observant.”

“Same thing.” I launch at him before the last word has fully left my mouth.

We collide hard enough to drive us both into the remaining pillar. The concrete groans, and another crack races through it, dust spilling down around us as the whole structure shudders.

This time, neither of us bounces away. His hand catches my wrist. Mine fists in the front of his shirt. We’re chest to chest, my pulse hammering against a body that refuses to have one.

“You always fight like this?” I growl, my voice lower now, rough around the edges. “Or am I getting special treatment?”

Something shifts behind those red eyes. “I’ve never fought anyone like you.” His eyes meet mine, something brutally honest in them shining back at me.

My heart is racing like a damn hurricane, those fucking goose bumps are blistering all over my skin as fireworks dance through my body at the way he is looking at me right now.

Damn him!

Something comes over me, and I don’t think. I just act. I grab the front of his cut and drag him the last inch, then slam my lips to his like a punch.

Hard.

Angry.

All teeth, frustration, and weeks of pretending neither of us wanted this. He answers it instantly, one hand burying itself in my hair while the other locks around my waist, hauling me tighter against him until the broken pillar digs into both our backs.

The whole damn world narrows to impact.

My tongue slides into his mouth, and I can’t help the moan I let out as I lift my leg to wrap around him. His hand grips my thigh tightly in response, his body grinding into me, hard as stone, as he kisses me back with all of his pent-up energy.

A low growl escapes him, his teeth extending through the bloodlust, and they graze my lips, drawing blood. His hands tighten on me harder, pinning me to the wall, his growls becoming more animalistic as I taste the blood in my mouth through the kiss, and reality begins to crash in.

I shove him back.

He lets me.

We break apart just far enough to breathe, both of us staring for the smallest fraction of a second.

“That…” I grumble, trying to catch my breath, already raising my guard again, “… was definitely cheating. Don’t think you can distract me from the fight, sir!”

The corner of his mouth twitches. “You started it.”

“Prove it.”

He comes at me before the words finish leaving my mouth. His grip shifts at my side, turning what should have been space into leverage, and I feel the exact second he decides I’ve had enough control of the pace. My balance goes with it, my body pulled into motion I didn’t choose, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of an easy throw. I twist mid-movement, catching his shoulder and using his momentum to drag him with me instead of away, and we slam into the edge of a squat rack.

Metal shrieks.

The frame buckles under the impact, bolts tearing loose as the structure tilts sideways and crashes into the floor, weights spilling in a thunder of steel that echoes through the gym.

“Careful,” I mutter, my breath coming quicker now as I push off him, circling just enough to reset my footing. “At this rate, there won’t be anything left to train in.”

“If that’s your concern…” he replies, stepping through the debris like it isn’t even there, “… you’re focusing on the wrong thing.”