Read Online The Rings Fighter by JC Andrijeski - Free Book Online Page B

than one.
    He let out a low growl when she began unfastening the top of his pants.
    “Gods above... you’re persistent...” he said, his voice holding a strained humor. “Why, Chloe? You don’t have to do this. I promise you, you don’t. I didn’t kill him to––”
    “I know that,” she said, cutting him off. She leaned down, kissing him lingeringly on the neck. He let out a clenched breath when she ran her tongue in a light circle over his throat. “And I know it’s not really me you’re interested in,” she said, softer still. She slid a hand further down his body, massaging the erection now straining his pants. “I know all of that, Ringmaster... and it’s okay. It really is. I want this. And I’m pretty sure you do, too...”
    He let out a low sound when she didn’t stop exploring him with her hands. It turned into a groan half-mixed with a gasp, right before he arched his body up to her fingers. When she started to let go of him, to sit up so she could finish taking off his clothes, he caught hold of her wrist, pressing her palm harder against his erection.
    He let out another gasping sound when she massaged him harder.
    “Sting me,” she said, softer.
    “Chloe...” He let out another pained groan.
    “Sting me.”
    “It’s been awhile,” he confessed, his voice gruff. “Are you sure you want to start this? I can’t promise I’ll be––”
    “I want you,” she said, her voice firm. “Make up your mind, Ringmaster. I’ve been utterly clear about mine...”
    He fell silent at that, unmoving as she continued to stroke his skin.
    Nirreth had the softest skin. She marveled at that softness now, stroking his muscular tail where it coiled lightly around her waist. The contrast struck her even more when she remembered what he’d done that afternoon with his hands and body.
    Despite her words, she let him think, sitting up on his waist while he stared at the ceiling.
    After a few seconds more, he looked at her.
    “You’re right,” he said, gruff. “I like her. The fighter.”
    Chloe smiled, rolling her eyes. “I know.”
    “I don’t know her well, of course...” he added. “But... well...” He hesitated, and she swore she saw guilt in his eyes when they met hers next. “I do know her. In some respects. We get to know them. For the Rings. There are brain scans... we learn a lot. Emotions. Memories. Things they think about... what they fear. She is...”
    He hesitated again, unmoving as Chloe stroked his skin.
    Chloe got the feeling he was embarrassed, even as he seemed determined to tell her the truth.
    “...She is like me,” he confessed finally. “There are... similarities. I felt you thinking that today, and you are right. I can... relate to her.”
    Chloe nodded, keeping her expression still. “Is she the reason you wanted Agnon’s death hidden from the media?”
    He blinked up at her, surprised.
    “Yes.” Exhaling at her silence, he added, “She would not know the context. It would look like pointless murder to her. I know you think I was terrible to her... and I was... but murder. Murder would be different to her. I know this about her, too.”
    He looked up, as if trying again to read her face with his eyes.
    “You still would want to do this?” he said warily. “Given what I said?”
    She grinned at him; she couldn’t help it.
    “This isn’t a marriage proposal, Ringmaster,” she teased.
    He smiled at that, then chuckled, as if unable to help himself, either. “So what is it then?” he said, teasing her back. “You just want my body for a night? Is that it?”
    She shrugged, but didn’t deny it.
    “Comfort,” she said. “I want comfort... and your body... for a night,” she added with a smile, stroking his soft skin. “I suspect you want those things, too. Maybe for different reasons.” She hesitated, caressing the flat planes of his stomach as she let her words grow more serious. “She’s got a lover. The Rings fighter. Obviously you’re not happy