Hammer's Fall (The Breakers' Bad Boys) (6 page)

After she finished her brownie, Evie got up and hurried off after thanking her one last time. When she was gone, Kalista turned to Jared and found him watching her with an intensity that made her blink in surprise.

“Thank you for bringing Evie by. I really would love to participate in the adoption event.”

“It’s for a good cause and she usually pulls in tons of people. She has a lot of dogs that deserve good homes.”

Kalista eyed his shirt and track pants that both sported a stylized design with the words “Rough & Tough” spelled out in white along one leg of his black pants and down one long sleeve of his shirt. The scripted font was fancy, yet somehow masculine, as was the scrolling red dragon design behind the words. Without thinking, she reached out to trace the letters on his arm and felt him tense. “I see you wearing things that say this a lot.”

“It’s…” He cleared his throat. “I have an endorsement deal with Rough and Tough sports apparel. It’s a company that specializes in making clothes for MMA fighters, snowboarders, surfers…basically all of the extreme sports. They have been approached by some of the main-stream sports teams, but I’m not sure if they are willing to branch out into those markets.”

“Wow, so you take pictures and stuff for them?” She tried to hide her smile as he seemed to squirm in his chair.

“Yeah. Sure…sometimes. Basically, all I have to do is wear the stuff.”

She smiled at him. “That seems like a pretty sweet deal. If someone sent me free clothes I’d wear it, too.”

He got a funny gleam in his eyes as he watched her. “They are always trying to send me women’s clothes to help advertise that line. I’ll let Rever know to tell them to send me some for you.”

Her heart fluttered before settling back into a steady rhythm. “Thanks. I would definitely wear them, especially since I’m going to be working out more from now on.” She paused before asking, “Who is Rever?”

Hammer once again relaxed in his chair, content to spend time with his little fairy. He normally didn’t like talking about his endorsement deal, but he’d answer any question Kali wanted. He had been thinking about her all damn day. Hell, he had also thought about all night…particularly when he had jerked off in the shower before going to bed.

Shit.
Just thinking about his cock and Kali together had blood flowing down to his groin.

Focus, dickhead…

“I guess you could say that my friend Adam Rever is my manager. We knew each other from when we were in the Army. He’s also my business partner with another friend of ours, Daryk Nyght. Both of them wanted to join with me to create Fight Hard after I hurt my knee.”

Her eyes clouded with sympathy and she placed her hand on his arm as if to comfort him. “Do you mind if I ask how you got injured?”

His body went tight like some pathetic schoolboy when she placed her hand on him. Christ, she was stroking his arm now. He wanted to fucking whimper as he imagined her soft hand and gentle fingers wrapped his cock and ruthlessly fought back the urge to grab her and carry her out of her bakery like some marauding Neanderthal.

He shifted in his seat before answering. “It was a training accident. Knee injuries are pretty common for professional MMA fighters. Because we twist a lot and do a bunch of ground work, it’s easy to get hurt when you are grappling with someone who is trying to get you in a lock. I knew it was always a risk since I had previously hurt my knee when I was a Ranger.” He saw her wide eyes and hurried to assure her. “It wasn’t bad, and it held up long enough for me to have a pretty good career as a fighter in the ring. I had reconstructive surgery on my knee, and now it’s almost good as new.”

“But you can’t fight anymore? Professionally, I mean.”

“I guess I could now, but I accomplished what I wanted to already, so it was as good a time as any to retire.” She wrinkled her nose at him. He wanted to lean down and kiss it because she was so damn cute when she did it, but he refrained.

“It’s funny to think of you as retired. You’re only what, thirty? I like to think thirty is young, and not just because I will be hitting the big three-oh in six months.”

He chuckled. “I’m thirty-three. Gonna be thirty-four in April, though.”

“Thank God you’re older than me. I feel better now.”

“Glad I could help,” he said with a chuckle.

She smiled. “I’ll have to make you a cake for your birthday.”

That had him pausing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a birthday cake. Sure, after he and his mother escaped his father’s craziness she had always made sure to celebrate his birthday with him, but since then it hadn’t even occurred to him. While he had been in the Army his birthday had just been another day to be grateful he was still alive. When he had come back home and started fighting professionally, he had always been on a strict training program and would never have thought of eating something as sinful as cake.

But now, hearing her eagerness to celebrate with him touched a part of his heart he had been worried he didn’t have. “You’re gonna bake me a cake?”

“Of course, silly. Just let me know what kind you want, or I could just surprise you.”

“Surprise me…you know what I like.” Hammer’s voice had lowered to a seductive whisper and he noticed how she shivered at the sound. At least she still seemed to want him after he had practically attacked her last night. He seriously needed to learn how to control himself around her or he was going to fuck everything up. “So, you ready to head over to the gym?”

She smiled at him. “Sure. Did you want to come up to my bed?” Her smile faded to a look of horror. “My apartment! I meant my apartment so I could change clothes if we are going to…just kill me now. Please.”

Hammer fought back his delighted laughter. “I’d be happy to wait for you to change. I’d also like to see your apartment.”

“Ah, yeah…okay. Just…umm, let me tell Becca I’m leaving.”

He watched as Kali scurried over to the counter to speak to her friend and took the extra time alone at the table to will down his raging boner. When she had invited him into her bed it had given him an instant hard-on. He couldn’t be happier at her slip. If his little fairy was thinking about him being in her bed, then he was all for it.

He’d be taking her up on her offer…and soon.

Becca shoved a box into Kali’s hand, and whatever her friend said to her made her blush. Curiosity had him rising from the table. He stepping up behind Kali so he could put his hand on her waist. “Are you ready to go?”

“She is,” Becca answered with an impish grin. “Bye now. Don’t worry about the shop, we’ve got everything covered. See you tomorrow!”

Hammer opened the door and let Kali exit before he followed her outside to the doorway next to her shop. “What’s in the box, Kali?”

“What? Oh, these are for you. It shouldn’t take me long to change, and I’m sorry in advance if my apartment is a mess. At least I think it was messy when I left this morning.”

She shoved the box into his stomach and he caught it automatically as she continued to babble. Kali used her key to let them into the entrance to her apartment building, and he gave into temptation and opened the box. The sweet scent of lavender and vanilla floated out around him as he stared down at the four pretty cupcakes in the box.

Damn it, just damn it.

He carefully closed the box, then set it on a small table she had placed against the wall at the bottom of the staircase. God, he felt as if he moved any faster something inside of him would snap. “I’m sorry.”  The words were spoken harshly as if they had been torn from his throat, but he couldn’t manage anything more.

“About wha—” Kali turned to him and there it was.

He could almost feel his control shatter as those fucking perfect green eyes looked up at him innocently. He couldn’t take it anymore. He needed her too damn much. Moving in fast, he cut off her words with his mouth as he caged her against the wall with his hard body.

Chapter Four

Dear God, it was like being burned alive…

One second Kalista was trying to figure out how the hell to stop rambling as she always did when she was nervous, short of bashing her head against the wall, and the next Jared’s mouth was claiming hers in a way that singed her straight to her core.

His large muscular body pushed her back against the wall of the hallway and her startled gasp was captured by his mouth as he caged her in. Desire flooded her system at the feeling of his rock-hard erection pressing against her stomach. Her body flashed with heat, instantly growing wet as he ground against her, giving her a taste of what he wanted to do to her. She tilted her head, letting him take the kiss deeper until she felt her toes curl in her shoes. His large hands gripping her short hair in his hard grasp so she couldn’t escape him.

Not that she wanted to.

He pulled back, his massive chest billowing out like he had just run a mile at a full sprint. “I need you. Christ, I need you, Kali.” His voice was a harsh growl filled with hunger. “I’m so fucking hard it hurts. Tell me if this is too soon, baby. Tell me that, and I'll try to leave you alone. Say it and I’ll back off.”

Confusion flickered as she tried to focus on what he was saying. She had a difficult time thinking any time he touched her, but it was worse after his kiss made her head practically explode with desire. Jared was lethal to her senses. He had a raw power to him that drew her in like a proverbial flame. She’d never known anyone like him and had certainly never reacted to a man with such abandon before. All of her other lovers had been polite and…hell, who was she kidding? Sex with her former boyfriends had been fun, but almost boring. With just one kiss Jared had wiped away all traces of those previous encounters, leaving only his touch in their stead.

Looking up at him, seeing the stark passion in his dark eyes, she was mesmerized by him. It was difficult to believe that a man like him could want her so much. It was highly arousing and slightly terrifying that she felt so much for him so fast, but she couldn’t form the words he seemed to be bracing himself for.

Leave her alone?

Did she look stupid?

The hallway at the bottom of the stairs was dark since they hadn’t turned on the light leading up to her apartment. Sounds of the outside world were muffled by the front door. What they were doing was crazy, but something about the predatory way Jared was looking at her made her want to give him anything he wanted, even if she didn’t know what that was. Rational thinking wasn’t possible right now. Jared was like some untamed beast waiting to devour her…and she wanted him to. Hell yes, she wanted him to.

“I…I don’t want to stop. I want you, Jared,” she whispered.

His nostrils flared and heat filled his dark eyes. He let out a sound that was almost animalistic as his mouth crushed down on hers again, scorching her with a fiery kiss. The taste of him exploded on her tongue in a mixture of cinnamon and spice. His tongue plunged into her mouth, taking and tasting, and she met his passion with her own. Her body trembled with the desire coursing through her veins as he pressed against her harder, making her pussy clench with need to have him filling her. She arched her body, needing to be as close to him as possible and whimpered as her hands clutched at his bulging biceps.

Holy hell, was he built.

She wanted to touch him all over, and she wanted his hands on her.

“It’s not enough…”

Hammer felt lost in a haze of need as his steel-hard erection press against Kali, but it wasn’t enough. Without thinking, he jerked her off her feet, lifting her by her thighs so he could grind his hard shaft into her cloth covered pussy, holding her pressed against the wall. He growled out his approval as her legs wrapped around his waist and she ran her hands up his arms to clasp them around his neck to pull him closer.

His mouth ate at hers, voraciously feeding off of her sweet taste. Her soft tongue dueled with his in a sensual dance that made his knees weak and his cock hard as steel. He shoved against her, rubbing against her heated pussy, enjoying the friction in a mimic of love-play. He rocked his hips, then let out a growl of frustration at the unwelcome barrier of their clothes.

Damn it, he needed more.

The desire to be inside her was like a compulsion pounding in his head straight down to his pulsing erection. Setting her back down, his hands reached up and jerked at the neckline of her button-up shirt. The soft sound of her gasp barely registered as the plastic buttons rained down on the wooden floor. Christ, he knew he was acting insane, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He pulled back enough to look down at her, wanting to see her lush curves with his own eyes. His stomach did a flip as he saw the white lace of her bra lovingly cupping her perfect breasts, and his own hands reached up to touch them. He palmed them roughly, feeling the answering surge in his cock when she filled his greedy hands.

“Fuck. You’re so gorgeous.”

“Thank—”

Her words were cut off on a moan as he lowered enough to take one of her hard nipples into his mouth. Not bothering to take her bra off, he jerked the material down so he could suck hard on the taut peak, biting gently until it puckered into a hard little berry. There was something about seeing his woman in white lace that drove him wild with the need to have her.

Her soft hands reached up to grip his head, holding him to her as he switched to the other breast. “Oh God, Jared. It’s so good. Your mouth is so hot.”

Unable to wait any longer, his hands moved down, working quickly to unbuckle her pants. He pushed his hand into her panties and thrust two of his fingers into her hot, little hole, loving how wet she was for him.

“Oh, God!”

“So wet…you’re so wet for me,” he growled out as he felt her body jerk. He pressed his palm against her clit, scissoring his fingers to part the tight muscles of her cunt, testing her readiness. “Do you like that, baby? Do you like my fingers fucking you, Kali?”

“Yes,” she moaned as he curled his fingers so they brushed against her G-spot and his thumb flicked over her clit. He drank down her moan as he took her lips in another brutal kiss. He started stroking his fingers inside of her, thrusting slowly, wanting to make her come before he totally lost it, but she seemed to have other plans.