Page 60 of Big Girl Panties

I followed him through the house, which was massive, to the opposite end. I assumed it was his garage, but when he pushed the door open and flicked on the light, I realized I was wrong.

"Wait." I stopped short at the threshold, my jaw dropping as I took in the equipment-filled room. "You have a home gym?" He nodded, a hint of pride crossing his features as he watched my reaction. "Is that a wrestling ring?"

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck, "It's like a miniature-sized ring compared to the one I perform on, but I use it to practice."

"So are you going to teach me some wrestling moves?"

The corner of his lip curled up, and he bounced his brows. "Do you want to wrestle with me?" His tone was flirtatiously playful.

"I have a feeling we are talking about two different kinds of wrestling," I laughed.

His laugh was warm and genuine. "So, what do you think? Ready to get thrown around a little?"

The way he said it made my stomach flip in the best possible way. "I should probably warn you, I'm not exactly built like your typical wrestling student."

Matt's eyes traveled over my curves in a way that made me feel like I was on fire. "Good thing I'm not your typical wrestling teacher then."

We climbed into the ring, and I immediately felt out of my element. The canvas gave slightly under my feet, and the ropes were tighter than I'd expected.

"First lesson." Matt moved closer until I could smell his cologne mixed with that hint of sweat that should have been gross but somehow wasn't. "Wrestling is all about leverage, not size. You've got curves? Use them to your advantage."

"I highly doubt my ass is going to help me in a wrestling match."

"Your ass," his voice dropping to that rumble that seemed to vibrate directly through my spine, "is going to be one of your greatest assets." His hands hovered near but not touching my hips, close enough that I could feel their heat. "Lower center of gravity, better balance." He circled behind me, his breath warm against my ear. "Trust me."

He positioned himself behind me, his hands settling on my hips. "Now, if someone grabs you like this, what do you do?"

My brain had officially left the building. "Um… panic?"

"Wrong answer." I could feel his smile against my ear. "You drop your weight, pivot, and…"

He guided me through the movement, his body pressed against mine as he showed me how to break free. When I managed to spin around and face him, we were suddenly chest to chest, his hands still on my waist.

"Very good," he murmured, and I was pretty sure we weren't talking about wrestling anymore.

"Should we… Should we practice that again?"

"Absolutely. But this time, I want you to really commit to it. Don't hold back."

We ran through the move several more times, and each time, the contact lasted a little longer, and the space between us got a little smaller. By the fifth repetition, when I spun around to face him, his hands slid up to cup my face.

"You're a natural," he said softly.

"At wrestling or at making you want to kiss me?"

His thumb traced my bottom lip. "Both."

Before I could lose my nerve, I rose on my toes and kissed him. When his arms wrapped around me, lifting me slightly off the ground, I felt like I could conquer the world.

"We should probably get back to the lesson," I said against his mouth, not meaning a word of it.

"Probably." He nipped at my lower lip. "But I think you need to learn the most important move first."

"Which is?"

"The pin." His grin was absolutely wicked. "It's all about positioning, pressure, and knowing exactly where to put your hands."

"Show me."