I couldn’t resist drawing more parallels between our actions and the match we had just finished. “You’re so fond of using all your strength to beat your opponent, but there’s something to be said for the slow buildup, too.”
“NowI’mthe one who’s bored,” he complained, shifting under me as he tried to coax me into a more satisfying pace.
Rather than taking offense, I laughed it off and did nothing more than rock against him to quiet his fussing. I let my hands draw lazy lines of lust over his skin, determined to make him desire me until it was almost painful that his needs weren’t being met.
“Come on!” He bucked his hips to encourage me to give it to him. “Stop messing around!”
“I’m making you ache for more.” I cut off his angry response with a hard thrust that made him fist his hands on the ground as he pushed back with equal force. “Because as much as you crave glory, you wantmemore.”
Having gotten his attention, I stepped things up and gave him the aggression he was after. He swore with abandon as he kept pace. I grinned when he reached out to grab hold of my shoulders as he writhed under me. Watching him in the throes of passion was the most arousing thing I had ever had the privilege to enjoy.
He almost lost it when I reached down and started pumping his erection with firm tugs. When he tried to growl my name in a warning, it came out as a wanton moan.
After the exquisite torture, I was nearing my limits. I leaned forward to brace myself on my arms, causing him to cry out from the shift in positions. I moaned in my most seductive voice, “Knightley,” before I captured his earlobe in my mouth and tugged it hard with my teeth.
It triggered his second orgasm as he cried out my name while his cum spurted out and decorated his beautiful abs. That was all I needed to take me over the edge. I came with a soft cry as I thrust until I was spent.
When he didn’t shove me aside, it gave me the best sexual afterglow I had ever experienced. I pushed my luck by giving him a gentle kiss, but he shocked me by not stepping it up. For the first time in two years, he allowed me to show him the affection I had held for him since the beginning. Not even his best efforts to drive me away would keep me from him.
As much as I didn’t want to, I pulled out of him and settled at his side. It was a pleasant change of pace to not dissolve into instant bickering, so I enjoyed the silence as we drifted in our separate thoughts. It lasted longer than I had expected before he asked me, “How long have you been planning this?”
Rather than telling the truth, I kept my answer playful. “Your arguments with reporters at press conferences give me a lot of time to think about other stuff I’d rather be doing.”
“Like me?” He scoffed at the notion. “You can’t be serious.”
I couldn’t resist teasing him a little. “Our fighting wasn’t foreplay for you?”
He turned his head to stare at me. “Seriously?”
I gave him my best attempt at an innocent expression. “What? Our banter really gets me going.”
Covering his face to hide the grin he couldn’t quite smother, he laughed hard. For once, it wasn’t bitter or haughty, but a sound of genuine amusement that warmed my heart. “Isthatwhy you antagonize me?”
“Yes, and I’mveryoffended it took two years to get you to translate that into ‘please fuck me stupid,’” I said with mock upset. My peals of laughter ruined the effect, though. “How much more obvious could I be that I desired you?”
“Why?”
I reached out to caress his cheek with my clean hand as I gave him a sincere look. “Because all I have ever wanted these past five years was to be yours.”
“Five years? We’ve only been competing for two.”
“Yes, because it took me three years to become good enough to stand on the same stage as you.” I opened my heart up to him, hoping like hell he didn’t reject me for it. “I’ve been chasing after you since you trounced Terrence Rayston in your debut match.”
It was the first time I had ever stunned him into silence. Swallowing hard, he eventually said, “I don’t understand.”
“The media dubbed you the Iceman because of your icy blue eyes, the way you ruthlessly defeated every opponent, and your cold and aloof demeanor.” I stroked the outline of his strong jaw, amazed he hadn’t rejected me yet. “It confused me how so many people got you so wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not ice—you’refire.” I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. “I didn’t understand how none of them could see that you burn with a need to be the best and always win. You torched all your opponents to ashes with every triumph. It took me years to become good enough to feel your heat as I faced off against you.”
When he said nothing, I hesitated before I continued confessing. “If I didn’t beat you, you’d never notice me. That meant I had to be better than the best, because that was the only way to make you focus all your fire on me. I’m the only one who can withstand your flames. To make you see that, I had to drive you wild by being unbeatable. I want you to only burn for me.”
It took him a while to settle on a response. His confusion was precious, while also making me wish I could bash my head into the nearest wall. “But that almost sounds romantic.”
“Almost?” I snorted at the claim. “Try itabsolutelysounds romantic because itis. You couldn’t tell this entire time that you’re what I’ve been after and not the tournament wins?”
Rather than answering directly, he said something that thrilled me all the same. “You’re myonlyrival. For the last two years, all I’ve thought about is you, because no one else is worthy of me.”
