Rough Around the Edges (46 page)

“Let’s get to the gym then. The faster we get there, the faster we can get back here.” Though he loved spending time with her at his original MMA gym, he was totally serious. It was a mark of how much she’d changed his life that he was scheming how to speed through their workouts and make it back to the apartment.

He followed her to the bedroom, where he died a little inside as she stripped down to nothing. He forced himself to keep his hands to himself – mostly – as she rummaged through a dresser drawer and pulled out workout clothing.

“You’re not trying to skip out on gym night, are you?” she asked as he ran a hand down her back, tracing the curve of her spine and cupping one of her panty-clad ass cheeks, unable to resist.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Really?” she asked, arching a brow as she turned to face him, bending at the waist as she slipped one foot into a pair of stretchy cropped pants.

“Okay, I’m dreaming of it – fantasizing about what I’d do if we didn’t have to go anywhere right now – but I want to go.”

It wasn’t like they were competing or anything, but going to the gym and training had been a part of their relationship ever since the beginning. It felt right, and he vividly remembered the look of joy that had lit up her face the first time she’d thrown a punch with her left arm after finally being given clearance to train by her physical therapist.

The bullet wounds were just scars now, round and pink. She moved well, gracefully, and it was a pleasure to watch. Sometimes the scar tissue pained her, and on those days, he tried to help her through the frustration she usually made an effort to hide.

Wounds left scars, and sometimes pain came back to haunt bodies and hearts that were supposed to have healed. He knew that. He also knew it was easier to keep it in perspective, to live with things, if you had someone who reminded you what it felt like not to hurt.

She rocked up onto her toes, pressing a kiss against his jaw. Bending his neck to meet her, he pressed his mouth to hers and shut his eyes, melting into oblivion for a few moments.

“Are you going to change out of that suit or what?” she asked when the kiss ended.

“Only if you help me.” He shrugged out of his jacket and froze, looking down at his shirt and then at her.

She smiled and unbuttoned his shirt, slowly, letting her short nails scrape against his chest in a way that sent a frisson prickling down his spine, hot and electric. When his shirt hung open he slid out of it and pulled off his undershirt, too.

Pressing her palms against his chest, she stared up at him, dark eyes unblinking. “Why do I feel like I’ve fallen into some sort of trap?” Her neutral expression shattered on the last word as her lips curled into a teasing smile.

He drew in a sharp breath as she flexed her fingers, letting their tips dig into his skin. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.” Pressing a hand behind her head, he drew her close and leaned down. “You know, the gym is open late. We have plenty of time. One more kiss won’t hurt.”

It didn’t hurt at all – that was the beauty of it.

Want more of Ryan & Ally?

Experience Ally’s side of the story in
Battered Not Broken
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About the Author

Ranae Rose is a best-selling author of over a dozen contemporary, paranormal and historical romances, all of them delightfully steamy. She lives on the US East Coast with her husband, child, German Shepherd dogs and overflowing bookshelves. She spends most of her time letting her very active imagination run wild, penning her next story. When she's not writing or lost in her latest read, she can usually be found indulging her love of her two favorite sports - martial arts and horseback riding.

You can find out more about Ranae and her books at…

www.ranaerose.com