Undaunted (No Rival Book 2)

by Charity Parkerson

  Her heart slammed against her chest with such force Mandy thought she might die. “Yes,” she whispered past dry lips.

  He rocked upward, sliding his cock into her opening slightly before withdrawing. “Tell me you belong to me,” he demanded. “I need to know you’re mine.” The desperation in his gaze left her breathless.

  Her eyes burned and her nose prickled even as her overly sensitized nub begged for his attention. “I’m yours.” Before the echo of her promise died away and in one swift motion, Mandy found herself pinned beneath two-hundred-plus pounds of turned on male. He crushed the air from her lungs as he surged inside her. Her channel stretched wide to accommodate him. Oxygen no longer mattered to her. Animalistic desire clawed at her skin and she locked her inner muscles around his shaft in an attempt to keep him from withdrawing.

  Knox’s teeth scraped the column of her throat while she dug her heels into the mattress, pressing closer to him. “Please?” She didn’t care that she was begging. “I hurt.” Hanging on the edge of orgasm, she had no pride left. Even as his dick pumped inside her, Knox reached between them and pressed against her clit with his thumb, forcing her to take her pleasure. Demanding lips met hers and excitement pounded through her. Electric twinges singed her nerve endings as she rubbed herself against his touch. Her focus locked on the tingling between her legs as her muscles tensed in anticipation. Cupping his ass, Mandy dug her fingernails into his skin as the first spasm rocketed through her. His name tore from her throat and his teeth sank into her shoulder, ratcheting up the intensity of the orgasm tearing through her.

  A strangled cry left him as he drove forward one last time. The assault on her senses left her shredded. She clutched him tighter to her chest when his weight landed on her. Heated lips touched her cheek, stealing her soul. She understood something better in that moment than ever before. Breathing was overrated.

  *

  With one arm thrown over Mandy’s chest, Knox kept her pinned to the bed. After cleaning up his mess, he’d spent several minutes enjoying the feel of having her tucked against him. He thought she’d fallen asleep until her fingertips slid down the inside of his forearm, sketching his scar. For some reason he couldn’t explain, he needed her to know he wasn’t weak-natured. “It was a long time ago.”

  She jumped in surprise and her gaze shot to his. “I thought you were sleeping.”

  At her statement, he smiled in spite of himself. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.” He traced the outline of her cheek with his eyes. “You’re so damn gorgeous.”

  “Thank you,” she responded, sounding prim. “You’re pretty damn hot yourself.” With a grumble of laughter, Knox came up onto his elbow and hovered over her.

  Following the motion with his gaze, he trailed his thumb over her bottom lip. The tip of her tongue shot out, swiping along its pad before disappearing again. Unable to do otherwise, Knox captured her mouth with his. Lips parted, neither of them moved to deepen the kiss. It was an exchanging of breath and more intimate than anything they’d done thus far.

  He glided his hand down her body and grasped her hip before closing his teeth around her bottom lip. When her hands fluttered at his back, something shifted in his chest. The roar of possessiveness he’d felt before claiming her body paled in comparison to the beast currently rising inside him. In that moment, he recognized something important. He would kill anyone who attempted to take her from him.

  The arousal always simmering under his skin when she was near fired to life. Without any real plan of doing so, he rolled until she was trapped underneath him. His hand slipped between their bodies as his tongue fought hers for dominance. Slickened, wet folds met his touch, making his cock ache, dripping. Palming himself, Knox teased her sensitized nub with his crown. It was pure torture. Her kiss became demanding. The brush of her inner thighs against his hips drove him insane. Hot liquid from her pussy coated his needy dick. Her tight opening beckoned him. The tip of his cock slipped inside her channel before sliding out again. Knox groaned as he tore his mouth away.

  “Fucking condom. I forgot.” The dazed look in her eyes combined with her body’s reaction to his touch almost caused him to forget again. “This has never happened to me before,” he said, pleading for her to understand what she did to him.

  “I’m on the pill,” she said misunderstanding his words. “I have been ever since…” Her face became hard as she trailed off and he recognized himself in her expression. Life pissed her off. It didn’t beat her down. It made her mad as hell, just as it did him. He wanted to fix it. He needed her whole. Without warning, he surged forward. She gasped when he was fully seated inside her, but the anger left her face. With lust clawing at his spine, he still managed to hold her gaze as he promised her the world. “I won’t ever let you hurt again.”

  * * * * *

  Mandy knew there was a special place in hell for people who brought donuts and coffee into a fitness center. Of course, she still did. Kerry’s face lit up at the sight of her. Shaking the box in her hand, Mandy sang, “I have something for you.”

  “Ooh,” Kerry sighed as she stretched for the box, but at the last second Mandy held it out of her reach.

  “This is a bribe so you won’t tell Knox you heard the news first.” Kerry’s face brightened even more. “You got the job.”

  “I got the job!” Mandy screamed. Kerry jumped up and down squealing. Inside, Mandy was doing the same girlie dance. In her four-inch heels, she didn’t dare attempt it. Kerry rescued the coffee and donuts before giving her a quick hug.

  “Sheesh, I feel like a hobbit next you. Good grief. Those heels must put you well over six feet.”

  Mandy waved off her words. “Please, girl. I’ve always wished I was short and curvy instead of towering over everyone like some sort of Amazon woman. Try being taller than almost every man you meet. It’s a bitch.”

  Kerry rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she muttered. With a sweeping glance, Kerry checked out Mandy’s pencil skirt, which landed mid-thigh, and her thin coral-colored silk shirt. “I assume you’re not here to work out.”

  “Ha! If you ever see me running, you had better look to see who’s chasing me. Seriously, I’ll probably drop dead at sixty of a heart attack, but I don’t like going to the gym. I just wanted to pop by and tell you how it went.”

  Kerry settled onto the stool behind the check-in counter. “I’m so glad you did. Knox is still here, if you want to go back and share the news.”

  A giddy feeling rose inside her. “If it’s okay, then I’d love to.”

  “Hell yeah, it’s okay,” Kerry agreed immediately. “Here. Let me give you this.” Opening one of her drawers, Kerry pulled out a card. It reminded Mandy of one of the keycards Black River handed out to hotel guests. After clicking a few keys on the computer, Kerry stuck the card into a square electronic device. It beeped twice. She handed it over. “You’ll need this to get into the training center.”

  Mandy palmed the card with a grateful smile and Kerry stood, once more. “Here’s what you’re going to do. After you go through this door, instead of turning right, toward the weights and classrooms, as you usually do, you’re going to go left.” Kerry twisted her hips and mimicked her directions, reminding Mandy of a flight attendant. “There’s a long hallway. You’ll see the locker rooms on the right hand side of the hall and then it’s the next door on the left. Scan the card and you’ll be good. Make sure you hang on to it so you’ll have access from now on. Plus, if you drive around back, there is a metal staircase that leads straight there, and you can use the pass to unlock the door, but I hope you don’t skip out on seeing me,” she added with a wink.

  “Oh my gosh, Kerry. Thank you. Will you get into trouble for this?”

  Kerry scoffed. “Nah. Max owns this place. Well, he does now that his father has passed away. He’s been running it for the past few years since his dad’s been sick, anyhow, so there wasn’t really any change for us. He loves my brother way too much to ever get angry with m
e. I’m a good employee, but I also do as I please.”

  Mandy clutched the card to her chest with a surge of gratefulness. “You’re amazing.”

  “Go on,” she said with a blush. After a moment, she added. “But really, I know I am.”

  A roar of laughter rolled through Mandy. “Enjoy your snack and I’ll stop by again on my way out.”

  Kerry waved her away. “Yes. Please go away. I can’t eat this in front of your skinny ass.”

  With a shake of her head, Mandy headed inside. The training area was simple to find with Kerry’s directions. Several people paused to eye her as she passed, but she ignored them. The metal door handle turned easily in her hand once she scanned the card. The scent of man and leather assailed her senses as soon as she stepped inside. Back when she’d been a little girl, her father had been a prizefighter for Black River’s Casino division, and the smell caused nostalgia to roll through her. However, boxing was a very different sport from the no-holds-barred-style fights people trained for in places such as these.

  Some aspects of the sport were the same. The punching bags and roped-off ring looked similar to the ones her father had used, but she knew from going to Rhys’ matches, these men faced-off in wire cages. Her gaze took in two men taking shots at one another inside the ring while several others called out suggestions. The sound of solid punches landing on a bag rang out rhythmically, reverberating off the dark walls. In stark contrast to the brightly lit classrooms, this part of the building seemed almost dingy.

  One of the men at the edge of the ring caught sight of her and nudged the man next to him. To her surprise, all activity came to a halt. Pasting on her most luminous smile, Mandy gave them a small wave. “Hey guys. Is Knox around?”

  An older gentleman with puffs of white hair and a bright red face gave a sharp nod at her question. “Sure, sugar. Knox, there’s some smoking-hot chick asking for you!” She winced at his unexpected bellow. Holding back a laugh, she mouthed “thank you”, and his slow wink made her face flush red. She shifted nervously under the men’s stares. When Knox finally appeared from the opposite side of the room, a wave of relief rushed over her. She’d always hated being the center of attention. The urge to begin flashing her keycard while screaming “I have a pass” overcame her.

  The picture of Knox crossing the room to her side wiped away her anxiety. He was barefoot, bare-chested and tape covered his knuckles. A pair of workout pants rode low on his hips, allowing the tail of the dragon tattooed on his side to show across his oblique muscles. Her body hummed to life. Every fluid movement he produced reminded her of the way he made love to her. The green of his eyes sharpened when he spotted her. She wondered how she’d ever believed he was detached from the world around him. Knox was an emotional charge on overdrive. Most likely, he felt more than most people ever did. It turned her on.

  “Hey babe,” he said while snagging her waist and hauling her against him. As his lips caressed hers, the club roared back to life. “Damn, I needed that.” The combination of his confession and kiss left her breathless. “You’re taller,” he added, dropping his gaze to her feet.

  Mandy huffed. “You came from all the way across this big-ass room and you’re just now noticing the heels?”

  A smile hovered at the corners of his mouth as he answered. “It’s your fault. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from your face. Actually, I might embarrass myself if these guys get a good enough view of me right now. The way you look at me, damn.” His growled curse dampened her panties. She wanted to press closer to feel the proof of his arousal for herself. Somehow, she kept her feet glued to the floor. She forgot why she was there until he called her back. “How did the interview go?”

  “I got the job.”

  Knox threw his arms up. “Woot! She got the job!”

  A round of cheers rang out and Mandy blushed hotly. “Has everyone been waiting on the word?” she asked in a stage whisper.

  “Have you met Kerry? She tells everything she knows to everyone.”

  Mandy pressed her lips together in an attempt to hold on to her admission but she couldn’t. “I guess I should confess, then. I told her first.”

  Knox roared with laughter. Mandy wasn’t the only who froze to stare at the rare occurrence. While he wiped away a tear of mirth, she studied his luminous smile. “Goddamn, you make me happy,” he said while crowding her with his body. “Baby, Kerry would have tackled you in the doorway if you’d tried to get past her without saying anything.” She didn’t hear a single thing past the “happy” part.

  “I make you happy?” She couldn’t hide the wonder in her voice.

  Cupping her chin, Knox traced her bottom lip with his thumb as he answered. “If I had you alone right now, I’d show you exactly how high you take me, baby.”

  “Oh, so not alone,” she said more as a reminder for herself than anyone. Stepping out of his embrace, she put a bit of distance between them to hang on to her sanity. “I stopped by for another reason,” she added, forcing her body to take a breather before she gave everyone a show. She stuffed her keycard into her purse. Pulling out the envelope she’d found in her mailbox earlier in the day, she waved it in his direction. “Someone paid off my hospital bill.”

  The blank countenance she was accustomed to dealing with fell back into place. “Um, about that.” Her eyebrows rose in question when he didn’t say anything else. With a heavy sigh, he scrubbed his hands across the back of his head. “I have some connections at the hospital…” He floundered helplessly before groaning like a man doomed. “I gave the bill to Rhys.”

  She had nothing. Every response she could think up died a fiery death before leaving her lips. With a curse, Knox steered her toward the door. Her feet obeyed while her mind whirled. No matter which path it took, it returned to one thing: Rhys knew. Knox led her out one door and through another. The smell of disinfectant lingered in the air. A row of shelves stocked with paper towels and liquid soap covered one wall. An extra weight bench sat abandoned against another.

  “We’re in a supply closet,” she said absently. It was a ridiculous observation. There was nothing else. No matter how much she probed at the recesses of her brain, she came out empty-handed. “And you’re barefoot,” she added, but he still waited patiently for her to get back on topic. “Seriously, they store mops in here. There are probably potty germs everywhere.”

  He ignored her asinine comments. “Let me have it. You have every right to be pissed off at me, but I want you to say it.”

  “I’m not.” She really wasn’t. She accepted the truth as the words left her mouth. “I mean, obviously I should have been the one to tell him, but I didn’t. It was wrong. It’s just, I couldn’t.” It was easily the worst explanation for her actions on the planet, but Knox still nodded. The understanding etched in the lines of his face made her realize he honestly did get it. Pain ate away at her heart. “He’s your brother,” she said helplessly.

  He turned inside himself. The emotional retreat almost caused her to cry out in loss. His stoic tone did nothing to help matters. “Yes. He is.”

  “One day, you’ll see me as the person who came between the two of you, and you’ll look at me wearing the exact expression you are right now.” Mandy swallowed hard as she grasped the reality of their situation. “It’ll kill me.”

  “No.”

  Mandy’s drew her brows together. “What do you mean, no?”

  He took a step forward, forcing her to retreat, and then another, until her back hit the wall and she couldn’t go any farther. His face remained rigid even as he flattened his palms against the wall on either side of her head. “I mean no. You don’t get to make me feel alive only to take it away. If you’re angry with me, I expect you to say so. If I’ve done something to hurt you, you’re going to fucking tell me, but you do not get—”

  She sealed her mouth over his, cutting off the words.

  Throwing her bag on the floor, she buried both hands in his hair and held him in place. With one last nip
at his bottom lip, she pulled away and stared into his eyes, making sure he understood. “You don’t get to shut me out. I don’t give a shit which face you show the rest of the world. Everything inside you is mine.”

  Knox’s eyes fell closed as his forehead came to rest against hers. “It wasn’t intentional. I swear.”

  “It’s a defense mechanism. I get that.” She gave him a tiny shake to make him open his eyes before whispering, “I want to be under your skin the way you’re under mine.”

  “You’re way past that point.” With a mischievous grin, he added, “This outfit is driving me nuts.” The short skirt inched up a notch with his help. When she didn’t stop him, he tugged it even higher until there was nothing between her hips and the rough pull of his hand wraps. His fingers curled around the elastic of her thong. “I can wait. Until I have you in bed,” he clarified. Even as he made the claim, the silk material slid down her thighs with his help.

  “I can’t.”

  With a smirk, he crouched in front of her. The skin beneath her palms felt unnaturally hot as she braced her weight on his shoulders while he lifted one foot and then the other, peeling away her panties. When he stood once more, he stuffed them inside his pocket.

  “These are mine for now.”

  “I’m not sure they’re your color, but whatever.” Her joke came out sounding breathless. The slick material of her skirt had immediately slid back into place as soon as Knox had let go of it. He remedied the problem by inching it upward again. He stared at her without a hint of his true feelings on his face, except for his eyes. They burned.

  Her hands shaped his biceps while her channel throbbed. Gliding her palms down his chest, Mandy didn’t stop until she reached the waistband of his pants. She hooked her thumbs around the edges.

  “I don’t know how to be normal,” he confessed.

  “I don’t want normal. I want you inside me.” She set his erection free. Her heartbeat quickened. The silken skin of his shaft called for her touch. His gaze became hooded and his voice harshened when she took him in hand.