Emma nodded and said, “Can you wait for a half hour? I am just finishing up with Jackie.”
Aiden grinned at the older woman, and Emma almost cursed when she watched a blush fill the woman’s cheeks. The man was infuriating, and now Mom had pawned him off on her. She didn’t want to deal with him. Trying to ignore him as he took a seat, she could feel his stare in the center of her back. Shaking her head, she focused on Jackie as she took her through session.
By the end of it, Emma’s nerves were wound tight and she was ready to snap. She smiled at Jackie who sent an approving glance towards Aiden before she walked out the door to her car. “Same time next week,” Emma called after her before she turned and placed her hands on her hips.
“So why are you here...really?”
He gave her an innocent stare before his lips slid into that devilish smile. “I told Alison that I would help you,” he said, “and I can’t help it if I wanted to see you.”
Standing up, he crossed the room like a tiger stalking its prey. Emma held her ground and didn’t step back; there was no way he was going to make her cower. Her eyes connected with his challenging gaze, and he responded with a grin.
“You have really grown up,” he whispered as his fingers traced her cheek. “Definitely a woman now...or are you?”
His eyes twinkled at the challenge, and Emma’s chin rose in response. Her eyes narrowed as she said, “My life is none of your business. Now if you are here to help, get out of my way so I can show you how I want the gym set up.”
Emma placed her hand on Aiden’s chest and felt the heat of his skin through the thin fabric of his shirt. Grinding her teeth, she ignored the desire within her and gave him a little shove.
He barely moved as he captured her hand under his. The hair on her arms rose in response to his touch, and she stared down at his large hand engulfing hers. Scars lined the knuckles and spoke of all the fights he had been in over the decade. He was only twenty-seven, some said too old for the ring, but he still won all his matches. He was really at the top of his game, and he had the scars to show it.
Despite being an all around fighter, Aiden shone when he sparred. He could take any fight to the ground, but on his feet he had one of the deadliest roundhouse kicks in the field today. He also had the unique ability to fight both southpaw and orthodox, and he could kick close in and far out. The scars on his knuckles proved he rarely took a fight to the ground.
Emma was filled with the sudden urge to kiss those scars, but she stopped herself. She glanced up into his eyes and noticed a touch of vulnerability in them that she hadn’t noticed before.
He leaned forward, his lips a few millimeters from her as he said, “It’s strange that you don’t get scared. Women are usually intimidated by me.”
Emma shook her head to clear it of the sudden rush of desire that filled her. She should not be feeling this way towards a man whose father was married to her mom.
“Why should I be intimidated by you?” she asked. “Tony taught me how to subdue any guy...whether he was a fighter or not, remember.”
Aiden’s grin turned sardonic. “Oh yes, Dad and his self defense classes. As much as he likes to brag about women being able to subdue any man, I don’t think he meant trained and professional fighters. So, come on, show me this little movement.”
Smiling sweetly at him, she said, “I don’t think you want me to try if you want to have kids.”
She glanced down at his groin and blushed when she noticed the hard outline of his erection. Oh God! He had a hard on! Suddenly, her words failed her, and she was completely at a loss. A blush rushed into her cheeks, and she tried to think of something to say to expel the tension between them. She’d thought the tension was simply irritation from his teasing, but now...she realized it was something more.
Watching her with heavy lidded eyes, Aiden followed her gaze and pushed his hips forward. Lightening shot through Emma as she felt his shaft against her stomach. Her strength felt like it was draining from her, and she longed to lean against him. She glanced up into his eyes, his mouth so close to hers, and she longed for him to kiss her. She shook her head at how her animalistic desires were taking over.
Get those thoughts out of your mind, Emma, she said to herself.
He leaned in, going closer and closer, and Emma’s lips parted to accept his kiss. Before his lips brushed against hers, he laughed and took a step back. “I don’t think my dad would teach any woman that move,” he said. “But you win this round.”
Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure what he meant by the last statement, so she focused on the first one as she tried to clear the longing from her body. She was mildly aware of the disappointment coursing through her at Aiden pulling away.
“Yes, your dad would teach women that,” she laughed. “As he always says, when it’s a fight to the death or to keep someone from assaulting you, you do everything and anything to win that fight...even kneeing him in the balls.”
Aiden’s laughter filled the gym, and she gave him a questioning glance. “I forgot how direct you were Em,” he said, and she was breathless. He never called her Em. It was always Emma or Pixie. She liked the way he said it and the way it made her feel.
“It’s refreshing being around a woman who challenges me and doesn’t fawn over me.”
She shook her head, “Yeah, I will never fawn over you, Aiden. No worries there.”
She noticed a look of disappointment as it crossed his face, but she wasn’t sure if she imagined it as he quickly replaced it with a smile. She added, “Okay, the gym. I really want to create training sections in here. Right now, it is too unorganized.”
Turning towards the gym equipment, Emma started to point out the various pieces of equipment and where she wanted it. Aiden listened and didn’t say anything as she indicated the leg machine and pointed towards the wall. He walked over and lifted one side of the machine without even a grunt.
Emma watched as his muscles strained under his shirt, licking her lips in secret desire. She would love to taste that skin and see if it was as hot to the taste as it was to the eye. Clearing her head, she followed him as he wheeled the equipment into place.
He turned to her, and his eyes flared with heat when he noticed her watching him. He gave her a cocky grin and moved to another weight machine she had indicated in the far corner. Picking it up on one side so it was on its runners, he wheeled it into the designated space.
Aiden worked efficiently, but he would cast the occasional glance towards her. When she spoke, he watched her mouth, and she had never been so aware of it before. If she actually thought about it, she was sure he was imagining her mouth around his shaft.
As if the thought had control of her, her eyes slipped to his groin, where she could just make out the ridge of his cock, which was, surprisingly, erect. He smiled as he watched her eyes widen in shock, and she felt the blush in her cheeks. Turning, she said, “Okay, I would like the cardio machines near the windows.”
He nodded. “No problem. Do you find it hot in here?”
Emma blushed a deeper shade of red and shook her head. “No, not at all. If you want to quit, you can.”
He laughed, “You know, I find it really hot in here.” He grinned as he took off his shirt, and Emma had a feeling he was putting on a show.
And what a show it was. His bronzed skin was flawless, and he had a wide chest that tapered down to a six pack waist. His pants hung low on his hips, and she could just make out the start of his v. She wanted to see more of it...wanted to lick that little patch of skin to see if it would tickle him. The blush deepened with her thoughts, and she realized that she was never going to be able to think...much less talk to him now.
She felt her tongue thicken in her mouth as her sexual desire increased. She was so aware of him that she felt every look, every accidental brush as he passed her, felt every word he said.
By the time they were finished for the day, her body hummed with excitement. As Emma locked the
door to leave, Aiden smiled and nodded goodbye before he left her standing there, her body aching for release.
Chapter Four
“Arm bar! Arm bar! Throw a fucking arm bar,” Tony yelled from the seat beside her, and Emma grinned. Despite his rough edges, he was the perfect match for her mother, who was a bit of a wild child herself. Emma glanced past Tony and watched her mother, cheering as loud as the crowd as they watched the cage.
Turning towards the cage, Emma groaned as the fighters grappled. It was clear they were amateur fighters and they really had no right to be in the ring. The amateur fights before the big showcase were always hard to watch for her. She saw the fighters move in ways that would mean serious injuries if they didn’t learn from their mistakes. Honestly, she never really liked being at the fights and usually avoided them. She had been to a lot when she was younger and her brother had been fighting, but now she preferred to just treat the injuries, not watch how the injuries happened.
Tony was a different story, however, and she gave her stepdad a sidelong glance. He was still very attractive, even though he was in his early fifties. It was clear where Aiden had gotten his looks from – he was a younger version of Tony. He had also inherited Tony’s passion for fighting. In his younger days, Tony was a world kickboxing champion, and he had competed in the Olympics in the Judo division. He was still learning as a martial artist, but he had retired from fighting when he had his son.
Now he taught and trained, but he still loved to fight and would spar with the guys at his gym. And he loved dragging her mom to the matches when he could go to them. Tonight was a treat for him though...he was watching his son.
How she had been talked into this, she would never know. Despite them getting along, the last two weeks had been a nightmare for Emma. She was feeling things that she shouldn’t be feeling, and Aiden seemed to know. He flirted with her whenever their parents weren’t around, and it was driving her to distraction.
She wasn’t even a hundred percent sure if he was flirting. His body would brush against her accidentally or she would catch him staring at her as though he was undressing her. But maybe it was her imagination...of course, she couldn’t imagine the hard on he had had on a number of occasions.
Or the way he would walk out of the shower completely naked, a towel wrapped around his neck and not his waist. She felt herself blush at the memory. God, he was fantastic to look at, and his semi-erect cock had been so thick and long. She’d been speechless, and while she should have turned around, she could do nothing but stare.
He had looked at her and said, “Can you help me dry off? There are a few places I can’t reach.”
She’d blushed as he tossed her the towel, and she scrambled to catch it. He’d stood there in all his glorious nudity, and she’d been tempted. God, she had been more than tempted...she’d even fantasized about pushing him into his room and running the towel and her hands over his body. She’d licked her lips in anticipation at what his shaft would taste like as she swallowed it down her throat.
As embarrassing as it might seem, she’d only been with a few men in her life and none of it had been thrilling. It had simply been sex because she’d reached that point in the relationship, not because she was sexually excited. And knowing that the first time she really wanted to be sexual with a man, she was thinking about her stepbrother was even more embarrassing.
Aiden’s eyes had darkened in heat as he’d watched her tongue dart from her mouth. He had groaned as her eyes roamed over the skin that her hands wanted to touch. Then he’d said the one thing that terrified her, “Do you know how much I want you to take me up on it?”
She’d looked up at him in question as he continued, “I would love to fuck you, Em. I’ve wanted to fuck you since I met you when you were sixteen.”
Emma had balked at that sentence and had run into her bedroom, slamming it shut behind her. She’d tried to avoid him after that, but it was like he sought her out and tried to force her to pay attention to him. She’d not been sure what to do about the obvious attraction they shared.
But maybe he’d only been teasing. He couldn’t possibly think of her that way, could he?
Shaking her head, she turned towards the ring when she heard a sharp crack. One fighter cried out in pain and the crowd went wild as the fight came to an end.
“That’s why you tap out when they have you in an arm bar,” Tony leaned over and whispered to her.
Emma nodded and watched as the ring was cleared and the main event started. Everyone went wild as Aiden walked into the cage and played it up for the crowd. He was dressed in nothing but sparring shorts and his grappling gloves. Tony cheered loudly and stood up, but Emma didn’t join in. Instead, she watched the way his muscles moved in the light. He looked like a wildcat.
Her eyes shifted towards the other fighter, and she felt her heart give a little dance of worry. He was a large brute that looked like he had more reach and strength than Aiden. That wouldn’t be good for sparring and, if they took it to the ground, his weight may give him the advantage over Aiden. She did not want to come to a fight to watch him get pummeled to the ground.
The announcer introduced the fighters and then they were circling each other around the cage. Aiden kept low, his stance southpaw, as he circled his opponent. The other fighter took a swing, and Emma cursed under her breath as a glancing blow hit Aiden’s shoulder as he danced out of reach. Even from where she was sitting, she could tell the punch had hurt.
Aiden circled around quickly and came in near his opponent’s side; he did a three punch combo, each one hitting its mark before he danced out and landed a front kick to the ribs. The fighter moved backward, slower than Aiden was. Emma cheered, she couldn’t help it. Aiden was like a dancer, moving fluidly through his kicks and punches, as the other man was like a lumbering beast. You could tell that both were trained fighters, but Aiden was that much better.
Despite the disadvantages he had against him, Aiden was landing the most hits and making sure that the majority of his opponent’s were glancing blows. Then the man rushed him as Aiden tried to get out of the corner and the two men tumbled to the ground. It wasn’t a controlled grapple, but it still put Aiden under the lumbering hulk.
Tony stood up and screamed, “Inch out, Aiden! Inch out! Use the cage and get leverage.”
Emma stood beside him, her hand over her mouth in worry. For a few minutes there, she’d felt desire flooding through her. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would move with the same grace when he was making love. She’d forgotten how virile he was when he was fighting, but her body had remembered and it had reacted.
She watched as Aiden twisted and fought off every hold the fighter was trying to place on him. Finally, Aiden swung his legs and was able to maneuver the man into his guard. The crowd cheered as Aiden wrapped his legs around the man’s hips and put him into a closed guard. “Do it, Aiden,” Tony yelled, and Emma gave him a confused glance before she turned back to Aiden.
It was like he had heard his dad as his body flowed through the move as though it was more of a reaction than a learned move. His leg swung up as Aiden grabbed the man’s elbow and forced it backwards at the same time that Aiden’s foot hooked around an arm and across the man’s face. The other foot hooked the armpit and Aiden rolled as he flattened the man down.
As he continued the omoplata, he twisted the opponent’s arm between his legs and rolled out so he was forcing the arm backward. The man yelled out in pain, and then his free hand shot down on the mat in a flurry of activity. The crowd exploded in applause as Aiden untangled himself and stood up. The ref raised his arm to signal that he had won the fight.
Tony cheered, “Did you see that? He finished with an omoplata and won with a tap out!”
Emma nodded as she watched Aiden celebrating his win in the ring. He crossed the ring and helped the fallen opponent up before giving him a hug. Then he returned to the announcer to give an interview. Emma couldn’t take her eyes off of him, and her body
hummed in excitement. Even on the ground, he had been in control and the moves had been flawless.
She couldn’t help but wonder what he would do if he had control of her body. Would his moves be so flawless that he sent her shivering into orgasm after orgasm? She had a feeling he could. He had moved with such predatory grace that she had no doubt it would extend to the bedroom. Shaking her head, she tried to clear her mind.
It was only hormones; her body was reacting to him because he was an alpha male and she liked guys who were as strong in temperament as she was. And maybe this frustration was because she hadn’t had sex in a long time. She tapped her lip as she watched Aiden, and she felt her body pulse with desire as heat flooded her pussy. She shifted uncomfortably and tried to force it away...but as much as she didn’t want to admit it, her body was responding to him. But it was wrong. No matter what her body tried to say – he was her stepbrother!
Chapter Five
Emma glanced in the mirror and grinned at her reflection. Her long hair fell in luxurious waves down her back and the silver halter dress clung to all of her curves. The six inch stilettos she was wearing made her feel tall and her calves looked amazing because of them. She’d done her makeup sparingly, except for the bright red lipstick on her plump lips. She didn’t look like a Pixie, she looked like a wanton she -devil.
Picking up her purse, she headed out of her bedroom and towards the staircase. She needed tonight more than anything. She and Julia were meeting a group of friends at Club Electra in the city. She had plans to pick up some guy at the club and get laid. God, it had been months since she and Bobby had broken up and that was the last time she’d had sex.
For the last few days, her body had been in overdrive. Every time she’d seen Aiden, she’d wanted to press her body against him and stop the flow of desire burning through her day and night. She dreamt of him moving against her in the same fluid manner that he moved when he was fighting. She woke up every night panting and moaning, her skin drenched from sweat, her pussy pulsing with need as she fell back against the cotton sheets.
Bad Fighter Stepbrother (Book 1) Page 2