by Ciana Stone
That told her it had to be one of two things. Either her lust for Rock was clouding her mind, throwing her radar off kilter, or the clue to the dweeb's location was somewhere inside the gym.
She'd figured the lust aspect would be easy to resolve. Get Rock in bed and ease the wanting, thus restoring her ability. Only it hadn't worked out that way. There was enough chemistry between them to ignite a nuclear explosion, but so far every time one of them started to make a move, something got in the way.
They hadn't even been able to get on the mat together. The first afternoon they planned to spar, things went haywire. One of the women clients tried to sneak a smoke in the locker room, forgot her smoke as she chatted on her cell phone and set the towel bin on fire. That set off the alarm and the sprinkler system, not to mention alerting the fire department.
In the end, the gym had closed for nearly a week, in which time she sat around and stewed over what to do, and scouted fruitlessly.
The next opportunity for a match arose two days after the reopening of the gym. She and Rock had just squared off when a blonde weighed down in gold and diamonds burst in, screaming at Rock for causing her to lose her husband. She ranted and raved for half an hour, screaming about loss of money and cars and, oh my god, the Palm Springs house.
It wasn't hard to figure out that the woman had enjoyed a fling with Rock, gotten caught somehow and lost her sugar daddy. Jazz didn't see any indication of heartbreak over the man, but real anguish over the loss of income and material things.
After that the gym got busy, one training session on top of another. She and Rock were both slammed and the schedule always worked out to have one or the other of them having night sessions that precluded any personal involvement.
Unrequited desire was starting to make both of them testy. Before she left earlier this evening, she'd asked about the next day's schedule and he'd barked at her about checking it for herself if she wanted to know.
She'd understood the tension. No way she had failed to notice the hard-on he'd get when he watched her stretch, or she got close enough to tease him with a sexy quip. She knew he wanted her. Whether his desire was as strong as her own was still uncertain but at this point she didn't think it possible because she was about ready to jump him in public.
But right now she had a job to do, and it was one she didn't particularly relish. She normally didn't have a problem with breaking and entering to get a job done. She did what it took to achieve results. But this was different. She was breaking into a place owned by people she'd come to think of as friends.
Even cranky old Ed had grown on her. She saw through his gruff exterior to the big heart he tried to hide. He even bought her lunch a couple of times and had opened up about his past and told her about his days as a fighter, as well as the time he spent working as a guard at a state prison.
She'd come to love the old guy, and the idea of breaking into his place and snooping around was giving her a guilty conscience, something she wasn't accustomed to.
She blew out her breath, took a look around then slipped out of the car and ran to the back door.
The gym's security sucked. It took her less than a minute to bypass the alarm and open the door. Once inside she pulled the door closed behind her, locked it and stood for a minute, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness.
Being familiar with the layout, she was able to navigate through the gym to the office with ease. It was locked, but that only slowed her down for a few seconds, then she was inside, closing the door behind her.
She turned on the small lamp on the desk and went to the filing cabinet. Ed was an old-fashioned guy, not current with technology. He kept his client files the old-fashioned way. By hand.
The filing cabinet was not locked. She quickly went through the folders, thankful that Ed was organized. Everything was neatly filed in alphabetical order. There was no R. C. Burns folder.
She closed the cabinet and took a seat at the desk. She couldn't be wrong. Her sense told her the answer was here. But where? If Burns wasn't a client then what was his connection?
She went through the desk drawers, looking for a clue. The bottom drawer contained file folders, labeled only by dates. She pulled out the folder titled 2012 and opened it. Inside were tax returns. She almost closed it but something caught her eyes.
The gym was owned by Ed Nash and R. C. Burns. "Well, I'll be damned," she murmured to herself and closed the file. Now to find an address for Burns. She remembered Ed's address book, an old ratty affair that was at least a decade old. He kept it in the desk under his ledger.
She located it and flipped through the pages. There was no entry for R. C. Burns. Odd. You'd think a man would keep an address on his business partner, or a phone number or something.
But such was not the case. She wasn't going to find anything else here. Might as well leave. She'd just have to find a way to get the information from Ed.
Rock entered through the front door, keyed in the code to the alarm then locked the door. He didn't bother to turn on the lights. He'd leave the locker room door propped open after he changed. That would be plenty of light.
He started for the locker room then stopped. A line of light came from beneath the office door. Thinking that Ed had forgotten to turn off the light, he changed directions and made for the office. Before he reached it the light went out.
Rock shifted without conscious thought, taking the shape of a large black leopard. Braced and ready, he waited for the door to open.
Chapter Four
This was supposed to be a piece of cake and maybe it would be if I could find the damn mark. My "locator beacon" has been binging like a damn sonar for weeks and still I haven't gotten a bead on this Burns character. What the hell?
It can't be my case of girl wood for Rock that has me failing. I mean, yeah, I want to jump him in the worst way but I can't believe it's preventing me from finding this Burns character. Something's hinky here.
Jazz let her eyes readjust to the darkness after turning off the office light then cracked open the door and eased out, relocking it and pulling it to before turning to leave. That's when the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She wasn't alone.
She sensed more than saw the attack, feeling a disturbance in the air. Without thinking, she went on the defensive. She deflected the first blow, but winced at the rake of what felt like claws across her back.
A low growl told her that whatever had attacked her, it wasn't human. She wasn't afraid to go one-on-one with a man, but whatever it was that was in here with her, it wasn't a man. She froze and searched the darkness, eyes darting one way and then another.
When the gleam of green eyes caught her attention she couldn't stifle the gasp that emerged. The enormous black cat inched closer. Holy shit. It was a not just a cat, but a panther, sleek and muscular and intently focused on her.
Jazz inched back from it. This was one of those times when it was wise to pull a Hank Snow and hit the road. She continued to inch backwards until she was far enough way she thought she had a chance. At that point she pivoted and ran. As fast as she could during the direction of the door.
There was no sound behind her but her inner radar alerted her to another attack. She whirled around to face the cat. Only it wasn't a car attacking her. It was a man. She waited until the last possible moment then stepped out of the path of her attacker. Her counter-attack was deflected, followed by a rapid two-punch combination. One blow passed over the top of her head, alerting her that her attacker assumed her to be taller. The second found a mark in her diaphragm, hard enough to have air exploding from her lungs.
Whoever this was he was all too human and he was meant business. Did that mean she had more than one enemy to battle? She dismissed the thought and went after him, landing one kick on the side of his face, and hearing a soft grunt when it did. She feinted and dodged to one side and kicked again.
This time, her ankle was grabbed and before she could prepare, her attacker twisted, forcing her to ei
ther go with the twist, or suffer a dislocated knee. She chose the former and propelled her body into a spin.
The momentum broke her attacker's hold and had her landing several feet away. She backed away as the large dark shadow advanced. A shaft of light from between the slits in the vertical blinds covering the front windows of the gym slanted across her attacker's face.
Jazz gasped."Rock?"
He stopped dead in his tracks."What the hell are you doing here?"
"We have to get out of here. There's a panther in here. It was after—oh my god, why are you naked?"
"I said what are you doing here?"
"Didn't you hear me? There's a -"
"Answer the question."
Jazz was dumbfounded. How could he not be concerned? She was itching to get the hell out of there and now more so than ever. How was she going to talk her way out of this?
"I—I, uh, forgot something."
"How did you get in?" He advanced on her and she stepped back. "Well?" He took another step toward her when she didn't answer.
Jazz had no answer. At least none that he would like. So she gave up on trying to come up with a convincing lie and resorted to another tactic. Retreat.
"Sorry. Gotta go." She turned and ran.
Rock quickly raced after her. He'd been surprised to find her and now regretted shifting. As it stood, he was chasing after her bare ass naked. Nonetheless as she darted across the training mat, heading for the rear exit, he dove at her, wrapping one arm around her midsection and taking her down with him.
They hit the mat and rolled in different directions. Jazz was on her feet at almost the same instant he jumped up."I want answers." He worked to position himself between her and the rear exit.
"So do I! Why are you naked?"
"I said I want answers."
"Back off, Rock. Nothing was taken, nothing destroyed. Just let it go."
"Can't do that. There has to be a reason you broke in here. You're not leaving until you tell me why."
"You think you can stop me, big fella?"she taunted in what she hoped was a scornful voice. She had to get an advantage. He was bigger and stronger. Maybe even faster. All she had was mental. If she could get him off balance, then maybe she'd have a chance.
Rock laughed at her taunt."Baby, there's no question about it."
"Feeling cocky are we?" She gave a pointed look in the direction of his crotch and then returned her gaze to his, waiting for him to make a move.
"In more ways than one."
She cursed the thrill that sizzled through her veins at the undisguised hunger in his voice because it cost her precious seconds. She had time to throw up an arm block, deflecting his punch so that it zinged by her right ear.
Rock pressed forward. It took all she had to block or avoid his feet and fists. She saw no openings for attack. All she could do was try to outlast him, hope that he would tire from the attack and leave himself open.
Tense minutes passed, only the sound of their harsh breathing and rapid fire movements creating a disturbance in the air and breaking the dark silence. Jazz was having trouble focusing. Energy was rolling off Rock so strong, so vitally male, that her desire was working against her.
What a marvelous man he was. His eyes glittered like a wild beast, the color darkened to that of steel. Muscles bunched and lengthened with his strikes, air sizzling with his speed.
It woke something inside her that had lain dormant for too long. Moisture stained the crotch of her black tights, and her nipples burned against the tight constraint of her top. God she wanted him. She wanted him to be strong enough to best her.
But she wanted it to be a true fight. She wanted him to be man enough to take everything she had to dish out and more. With no other thoughts in her mind, she exploded into attack mode.
Rock sensed the change in her a split second before she launched her offensive. He smelled her, the sweet musk of her sex enveloped him like a spell, making him burn for her. It ignited a new hunger. He wanted to beat her. Not hurt her, but physically dominate her. He wanted to conquer her then take all he wanted of her.
Some primitive part of his mind realized it was what she wanted. Jazz was not a woman who would give herself to a man. She would take from a man, dominating him and taking what she needed unless he was strong enough to turn the tables on her. She was accustomed to being the conqueror but inside was the call of a female begging to be subjugated.
And he was determined to be that man. He deflected her opening salvo, countering with judo moves, forcing the fight to be waged up close. He grabbed her arm, twisting and turning so that he ended up behind her, her arm bent up behind her back, hips arching backward to relieve the pressure.
For a split second he thought he had her. As her ass ground back against him and her free hand came up to grab a fistful of hair, he realized his folly. Showing superior skill and leverage, she flipped him over her shoulder.
Rock hit and rolled, scissoring his legs to catch her ankle and send her flying. He was on her the moment she hit the floor. They rolled over and over, each trying to gain the advantage, make the pin.
The contact of their bodies was electric. He thickened to full erection, pressing against her belly, making his desire evident. Her eyes widened and he pressed the advantage, rolling her over onto her back and pinning her hands to the floor as he straddled her body.
"Get off me," she warned in a husky voice.
"Or what?"
"Or prove to me you can fuck as well as you fight."
Rock's face tightened and his eyes blazed. For a moment Jazz thought she'd been too brash. Then he stretched out on the length of her, bringing her imprisoned hands up above her head and claiming her in a kiss of savage passion.
It was what she'd longed for. She returned the kiss with need as demanding as what was given, their tongues battling for dominance, bodies straining into one another.
He pulled back from the kiss and sat up, keeping her pinned between his knees. She saw the fire that burned in his eyes and welcomed it, wanted to be burned by it. He grabbed the low neckline of her tank-top in both hands and with one pull ripped it down the center. Her breasts spilled free, drawing his eyes. His hands moved to her breasts, gathering them up, lifting and pushing them together, his thumbs roughly tracking over her nipples.
She gasped at the riot of sensation that radiated from her nipples and swam swiftly down the length of her body, finding home between her legs. She started to reach for him, to pull him back to her hungry lips, wanting more of his taste.
"No." His voice was a low growl. "Put your hands back. On the mat, over your head."
Her first thought was to argue. She was never submissive. She'd played the role of dominant as long as she could remember.
"Now," he added in a voice that had a shiver running down her spine. It was a tone she knew well. The tone of command.
"Do it, Jazz." His voice was a sexy rasp. "Do it and I'll give you what you need."
"What makes you think you know what I need, Rock?"
Cool air whispered against her breasts as his hot hands released them. A fraction of a second later she gasped as he pinched her nipples, rolling them between index fingers and thumbs.
"What've you got to lose, Jazz?" He, lowered his head to one breast to flick his tongue over a taut nipple. "And just so you're aware, I get tested regularly and am clean. Got the paperwork to prove it. But if you'd prefer to use protection..."
"Hmmm." She arched up into the sensation. "No need. I'm clean. Certificate in my bag if you want it."
"Baby, reading is the last thing on my mind right now. I trust you."
With that Rock sucked her nipple into his mouth, the heat and wetness searing her and making her want to dig her fingers into his flesh. She couldn't take it. Couldn't lie passive.
She tore her hands free, grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him more firmly against her breast but Rock pushed away.
"This isn't going to be much of a party if you keep
all those clothes on," he said with a smile and rose to let her slide her legs from beneath him.
She did not move from her place on the floor. She simply rolled her hips off the floor, bringing her feet up over her head to strip off her soft-soled shoes and toss them aside.
With her legs still in the air, she reached behind her hips and peeled the spandex down, baring her ass, then legs as she worked the material up to her feet and then tossed it aside.
His gaze on her was like something tangible. Slowly she spread her legs and lowered them, bending her knees as she placed her feet on either side of him. His face wore a wolfish look, dark eyes pinned on her sex.
She let her hand trail down from her knees to the junction of her thighs, cupping her wet sex and barring his view.
Rock smiled and started for her but she didn't give him time to reach her before she was on her knees in front of him, one hand clasped firmly around the base of his shaft and the other winding around behind him to grab his tight ass and pull him toward her eager mouth.
Her tongue flicked at the tip of his erection, drawing a sharp intake of breath from him that made her look up. "Come here," he growled, winding one hand in her hair to pull her to her feet.
His lips descended on hers in a kiss that seared through her body, making even the bottom of her feet burn. His body was hot against hers, hard, long and lean. She exulted in the fact that she had to look up to meet his eyes when the kiss ended. At five foot ten, she was not a short woman. Rock towered over her by good eight or nine inches, so tall and massive that it made her feel small in comparison.
As his lips moved to her neck, working across her shoulder in licks and bites, his hand moved between her legs, stroking and probing. She did not think to stifle the lusty moan his touch inspired. As if enflamed by the sound, he claimed her lips in a rough kiss and rammed his fingers inside her. She moaned into his mouth, moving against his questing fingers.