Guns & Burning Rubber: The Iron Brotherhood series Read Free Page B

Kara threw up her hands in disgust.  The controller she had been holding so closely dropped down, discarded, into her lap.
    “Well, looks like I win again!” Cross cheered, as his own race car sped easily across the finish line, now that he’d taken out his competition.  “That’s what, the fourth race in a row?  The fifth?  I’m starting to lose track!”
    Kara leaned over so that she could throw a punch at Cross’s arm, but even as he winced from the blow, he kept on laughing.  “I thought you were supposed to have these killer reflexes, being trained and all!” he called out.  “What happened to those?  I’m kicking your ass here!”
    “Yes, because I totally have the time to sit around playing video games,” Kara tried to protest.  “I’m out at a real job, remember?  I can’t just make money illegally and then spend the rest of my time being lazy and playing games!”
    “Too bad, really,” Cross mused.  “If you could, I bet that you’d both be happier, and not suck so much at this.  I really don’t think that I can keep up the cover of us dating, if you’re always going to be this terrible at racing games.  I mean, how could I bear to be seen with you?”
    Growling, Kara leaned over to throw another punch at the man.  But this time, instead of dodging away, Cross reached up and caught her fist as she pushed out, giving it an extra tug forward to pull her off balance.
    Compensating for that unexpected pull, Kara put her other hand up to catch her fall, her palm going flat against the man’s chest.  Unfortunately, Cross wasn’t prepared to catch both of their weight, and the man’s eyes went wide as he tumbled backwards on the floor, Kara landing on top of him.
    For a moment, they both lay there, both of them breathing hard, Cross still holding Kara’s wrist caught in his grip.  Beneath her, she could feel the man’s chest rising and falling, coming up to briefly press smoothly against hers before falling away as he let out the air in his lungs.  He was wearing only a thin tee shirt covering his muscular frame, and she could feel the heat of his body soaking through into her own chest.
    Squirming a little, trying to pull herself up from the floundering position, Kara tilted her head back - and stared right into Cross’s big, bright blue eyes.
    Oh, that was a mistake, she thought briefly to herself, as she felt emotion come coursing up through her body.
    For just a moment, Cross’s eyes echoed her surprise.  But then, in a sudden and stunning transformation, they melted, those blue chips of ice softening as he gazed deep into her own eyes.
    Cross released his hold on Kara’s wrist, his hands instead sliding around her body, landing on the small of her back, creeping up towards her shoulder blades.  The man gently squeezed her up against him, pressing her in closer.
    Closer, closer.  Kara felt as though she was falling, dropping in towards the man’s face beneath her with no parachute.  Inside her head, she knew that this was wrong.  It was a mistake - she needed to stay separate.
    But yet it felt so right.
    She tilted her head ever so slightly to one side as they came together, so that they wouldn’t bump noses.  Her lips parted ever so slightly, curling out to meet his.
    The kiss was soft and gentle at first, but there was a hunger underlying its illusory calm.  Almost immediately, both of them were opening their mouths wider, clamoring for more.
    Ever so gently, Kara felt the man’s tongue flick out, dancing around hers, touching lightly.  She almost laughed at it.  This big, strong, powerful man still seemed to feel as though he needed to be gentle with her!
    She pushed back with unusual ferocity, arching her back as she pulled her hips up further against his waist.  Her jeans felt tight and confining, holding in her body, and she wished that she could somehow make them instantly vanish.
    As if reading her mind, Cross’s hands slid back down from her back,