Joy tried to keep
her heart from pounding out of her chest, but it was no use. She had wanted a
good workout and had hoped to strike up a conversation with a shifter or two at
the gym. But the last thing she had expected was to have her Alpha come by and
give her boxing pointers. Had she known that was all it would take
to have the man who haunted her lustful dreams come to her, she would have
watched the damned boxing videos and come to the gym a long time ago.
Warren stood
behind her, his huge hands on her shoulders. “Okay, hit the bag.” His voice
rumbled deep and sexy right next to her ear. His hot breath fanned her neck,
sending a shiver straight through her. Just a small step back and she’d be up
against him.
She blinked a few
times trying to remember what he’d asked of her. Oh, right. Hit the bag. She
brought her arms up and swung, almost missing the bag entirely. Shit.
“You’re not
concentrating, Joy,” he said, his voice sending another jolt through her.
“I’m sorry. I’m
pretty new at this,” she admitted. The only reason she’d chosen to take up
boxing was because she knew Warren included it in his workouts. The fact that
she enjoyed it was a side bonus.
Warren brought
his hand from her right shoulder to her wrist. He positioned it where he
wanted, then stepped back. “It’s okay. You’ll get it. This is where I want you
to hit. Not so far back this time.” He slid his hand down the red leather,
showing her.
She took her
swing, hitting the bag right where he’d instructed.
“Much better. Now
you have to do the same with the left. Always with the middle knuckle.” He came
behind her, positioning both her arms, pressing his hard chest against her
back. She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. When he moved away, it
was all she could do to keep a needy whimper from slipping past her lips.
When he brought
his hands to rest on her hips, her heart thudded, then raced ahead. Although
the workout so far hadn’t been all that strenuous, she couldn’t quite catch her
breath.
“Use your whole
body. Boxing, whether you’re facing an opponent or the bag, isn’t just in the
arms. You have to move with it to put power behind the punches. Now, go again,”
he demanded.
The authoritative
tone of his voice had her girly parts tingling as she drew her arm back and
struck the bag, first with the right, then with the left. Whap. Whap.
“You’re too
tight. Let me show you.”
Joy stepped to
the side, more than happy to watch him move and pose for her.
“See how my legs
are? When you strike, you’re going to move everything from your feet up.”
Warren didn’t have gloves on, but he punched the bag anyway, demonstrating what
he wanted her to do. “Try again.”
She was going to
regret letting him get that close, there was no doubt about it, but she got in
front of the bag and brought her arms up. She didn’t have them up quite high enough,
and her feet weren’t in the right position, but if this was the only contact
she’d have with him, she wanted to make it last.
Warren didn’t
disappoint. With his hands on her hips, he twisted her so she was facing in the
right direction. Pushing his knee between her legs, he widened her stance. “How
long did you say you’ve been doing this?”
“I just started.
I watched a few videos at home and practised in front of a mirror. Today is my
first time at the gym.”
Joy let the
building pressure wash over her. She hadn’t had a heat since before the rest of
her pack had been slaughtered over six months ago, but the need pulsing through
her told her one was coming. All she wanted to do was throw her gloves off and
tackle him to the mat. Too bad there were so many people in the gym. All around
her, men were grunting and sweating as they did their workouts. If it wasn’t
for the fact that the only one her wolf was interested in was the one who had
his leg between hers, she might have enjoyed the sweaty display of rippling
muscles.
Her wolf clawed
at her, wanting more intimacy. It wanted her to rub herself all over Warren and
claim him as her own. She could push her hips back and get a whole lot better
acquainted with Warren, but she’d break her position. Was it worth the
humiliation if he pushed her away? Totally
worth it. But before she had the chance to do it, he pulled back.
“Okay, let me
see.”
When she glanced
at him, his eyes were on her form. On her ass, to be exact. Heart racing, she
gave it a little extra sway as she turned her attention to the bag and swung,
putting his lesson into motion. A second later, the deep rumble of his growl
had her spinning to face him. He took two steps, eliminating the distance
between them in an instant.
As if the man
wasn’t sexy enough on his own, that deep growl had her throbbing at her core.
“How was that?” The words came out in a husky whisper. He had yet to touch her,
but her nipples pebbled and strained against the soft fabric of her tank.
He brought his
hands to her hips, pulling her closer. When the hard ridge of his cock pressed
into her belly, she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning. She shifted her
weight from one side to the other, her body rubbing against his. This was what
she needed—what her wolf needed.
“Much better.”
His gaze drifted to her mouth, and his minty breath mingled with hers.
