Strongman by Denise Rossetti Read Free Book Online

taking advantage of his weight and size. Bracketing Griff’s head between his forearms, he nipped at his lips, ran his tongue over the tumbler’s crooked tooth, growling deep in his throat.
    Griff growled back and one hand clamped on Fort’s buttock, the fingers digging in hard.
    The sound of it, so deep, so masculine, hit Fort like a shower of cold water. Fuck, fuck ! What the hell was he doing?
    He wrenched himself away. Panting, they stared at each other.
    Fort’s head felt curiously empty, wiped clean of coherent thought. Finally, he said,
    “You’re shaking.” He’d get up in a minute, of course he would, but Griff had spread his thighs to accommodate his hips and he wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. Not physically, anyway.
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    Denise Rossetti
    “That’s because you’re going to kill me. But I’ll die reasonably happy.”
    Strangely, Fort had to fight the desire to laugh, though the fact there was no air left in the wagon made it easier. “Only reasonably?”
    “One lousy kiss isn’t worth dying for.”
    Fort blinked, stung. “It wasn’t lousy!”
    “We can do better.” Griff smiled like a hungry fellwolf and ran his hand into the open neck of Fort’s shirt, the pads of his fingers brushing a nipple. Fort could have sworn the tingle coursed all the way from his chest down to his toes, with a significant detour to the groin area. Under him, Griff murmured, “Care to try again?”
    “No.” He’d felt like this before—every time he’d been wounded, in fact. First, the emptiness of shock, the disbelief, then the flood of pain. Gods, Griff had taken him.
    Taken him as if he were a green girl! This wasn’t what he wanted, wasn’t—
    Fort stopped the thought cold. A commander accepted responsibility for his own actions, first and foremost. He couldn’t say he hadn’t wanted it. Fuck, he’d enjoyed the hell out of it! Best kiss he’d ever had.
    “You little shit. You set me up.” He wrapped long, strong fingers around Griff’s throat and squeezed hard, waiting for the fear to flare in his eyes. “I should beat the crap out of you.”
    The fear didn’t come. Griff lay quietly beneath him, the trusting fool. “But you won’t.”
    “No.” Feeling unaccountably depressed, Fort peeled himself away. He sat up and buried his head in his hands, but Griff simply lay, completely at home in his bed, on his silken bedroll. Fort knew he’d take the image of the tumbler’s lithe, rumpled beauty with him to the grave.
    “I’d give you a run for your money.”
    “What?”
    “I’ll take you on one day.” Griff propped himself up on one elbow. He dabbed at his swollen mouth with a cautious forefinger, as if looking for blood.
    “Don’t be stupid,” said Fort roughly. “You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
    Griff bared his teeth. “Don’t bet on it.” He swung his legs around to sit next to Fort, thigh to thigh. Stretching up, he brushed Fort’s hair out of the way and placed his lips against his ear. “Naked,” he whispered, his breath hot and moist. He slid an open palm up the inside of Fort’s leg, the fingertips coming to rest a hairsbreadth from his quivering scrotum. “We’ll do it naked.” His tongue crept out, licked the upper curve of Fort’s ear. “Winner takes all.”
    Fortitude McLaren very nearly came in his trews. Offered to his Goddess, then and there.
    “Aaargh!” He leaped to his feet, chest heaving, fists clenched. “Stop it, you dirty little shit! Stop it!”
    Griff uncoiled and stood, graceful as ever. “Fort?”
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    Strongman
    “ What ?”
    “You’re shaking too. Did you know that?”
    “No.” Fort dragged in a breath, counted his heartbeats. By the time he reached six, he was able to say it again, with some semblance of control, “No. I’m all right.”
    Griff laid a hand on his forearm. “It won’t be so bad, truly.”
    Fort jerked away with an oath. “Don’t patronize me!” he snarled.
    Griff’s expression grew stiff with offense.