He frowned when she jumped off the counter and started to leave the room. “Forgetting something?”

Her expression was puzzled. Until he turned off the stove’s burner with a flick of his wrist. Looking sheepish, she rubbed her bare foot against the opposite leg. “Don’t tell Hayden?”

“I won’t, if you promise not to break your neck today.”

“I’ll give it my best shot, coach.”

“Jesus.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Go get dressed. I’m coming with you.”

Chapter Ten

Lucy stood with her arms raised as the trapeze instructor, Justin, harnessed her into the safety equipment. She actually worried for the poor guy’s life more than her own, thanks to Matt standing ten feet away watching every movement through dangerously narrowed eyes. It was obvious that he didn’t like the instructor having access to any part of her body, and based on Justin’s strained expression, he’d picked up on Matt’s not-so-subtle warning, too.

The trapeze school practiced outdoors during the summer, right on the Hudson River. A gentle summer breeze flitted across her skin, warm morning sun heating her neck and shoulders. It would be nice if she knew what the hell his possessive attitude meant. She’d been shocked when he offered to come with her today, but he’d just muttered something about it being his day off and having nothing else to do. Was he simply doing her brother a favor by looking out for her, or did he actually want to be here? Last night and this morning, he’d effectively scrambled her brain with extraordinary sex. Somewhere in Hayden’s town house, her panties were still smoking. Talking to him in the kitchen afterward had felt…natural. Well, as natural as possible when a big man-panther who dripped sensuality stood bare-chested licking chocolate off his fingers. She’d been silently begging for him to lose the pants and commence round two, but she’d sensed him holding back.

Talk about confusing. Any other time, she would poke him in the chest and demand answers. It’s how she operated. There was little sense in holding back and not speaking your mind. With Matt, however, she feared it would send him packing. It made her nervous. Set her off-balance. He sent mixed signals and she didn’t know how to receive them. He’d told her he didn’t tolerate liars, but he continued to show up, as if he couldn’t stay away. She liked having him around, even if his intentions were far from clear, so she kept all her confusing thoughts to herself.

She tuned back in to Justin’s safety spiel. “Your first jump, we’ll keep it very simple. You’ll swing back and forth a few times, just to get used to the bar. Then you’ll release and fall into the net. Once you know the net is there and you’ve experienced it, you’ll feel more confident about the next phase.”

Matt crossed his arms. “Next phase?”

“I-if she’s comfortable, we’ll attempt a knee-hang.”

Lucy did a little dance. “Swinging upside down? Boom, let’s do it.”

Justin nodded, shooting Matt an apprehensive look. “Only if you’re comfortable.”

Lucy didn’t know if he was reassuring her or Matt, who looked two seconds from pulling out his badge and shutting the entire operation down.

“Okay, your belt is secure. Once we’re on the platform, we’ll attach it to the very secure safety lines.” Justin looked as though he were embarking on a death march. “I’m going to take you up now.”

“Cool—”

“Wait,” Matt barked. Before she could decipher his intention, he strode toward them, looking incredibly determined. With one tug of her safety belt, she collided with his body and he was kissing her. Not a good-luck-I’ll-catch-you-on-the-flip-side kiss. It was a brain-melting, I-will-make-you-very-sorry-if-you-get-hurt kiss that nearly buckled her knees and sent her crashing to the ground. His tongue swept in and claimed every corner of her mouth, his hand curling around her ponytail to tilt her head back in a gesture of ownership. She moaned into his mouth, surrendering to him on every level possible, but he pulled back all too soon, steadying her with a firm hand on her elbow.

“Wow,” she breathed, immediately wanting to slap herself. Honestly, could she not take his lead and shroud herself in a little bit of mystery, too? Instead, she seemed bent on showing her hand at every opportunity. Perhaps that was the reason he showed up whenever he felt like it. She welcomed him with little urging on his part every time. The annoying realization caused her forehead to crease.

Matt frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m too easy.”

“You’re forcing me to watch while you put your life in the hands of a man wearing purple spandex.” He shook his head. “You are anything but easy.”

She felt her mouth stretch into a grin. “Thank you.”

His jaw flexed as he moved closer, lowering his voice. “At the risk of distracting you, baby, you should know I’m dying to spank your ass right now until you scream.”

Oh, holy hell. Her stomach felt like it had sprouted wings. “H-how is that not distracting?”

“I don’t want you doing this.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Too bad. I’m doing it.”

His eyes flared along with her already raging need. But she wouldn’t give in. She’d already decided a moment ago that she’d done too much of that lately. Time to leave him wanting more for once. He obviously read the resolve in her eyes, because he huffed out a breath, giving one last tug of her belt to judge its secureness. “Go. I’ll be right here.”

“Good. I might need someone to catch me if I miss the net.” She yelped as he made a grab for her, leaping out of his reach and jogging off to join a nervous-looking Justin. They climbed up the ladder to the platform, which Justin explained stood twenty-three feet high. When they reached the top, Lucy scanned her surroundings and took a deep, exhilarating breath. This is what she’d wanted after those grueling years of grad school. What she’d missed by buckling down and locking her wild side in a cage. She’d missed that feeling when you’re about to embark on the unknown. Matt gave her that feeling, too. She just didn’t know how long he’d stick around to give it to her.

No more icky thoughts. Focus on the positive.

Justin finished securing the safety lines to her belt, then handed her the trapeze bar. “Okay, now as I said, this first time is going to be really fun and easy. Just let yourself fly. Drop whenever you’re ready and the net will catch you.”

Lucy nodded once, squared her shoulders, and jumped.

…

Matt watched with a mixture of horror and awe as Lucy tucked her legs up to her chest and curled them around the bar. No. This was only her first jump, she wasn’t supposed to go upside down this quickly. He hadn’t been given enough time to mentally prepare for the sight of her dangling upside down like a monkey at the zoo, zipping through the air at a speed that made his heart seize. Oh, but she couldn’t just dangle. Oh no. This crazy girl he couldn’t get enough of had to fling her arms wide and arch her back, as if she’d been doing it her entire life.

Matt didn’t even realize he’d started moving until he was positioned directly underneath her swinging form, watching her expression transform with absolute bliss. Her beauty and abandon sucked the air right out of his lungs. Yet at the same time, he was jealous. He wanted to be the only one who made her feel like that. If that wasn’t a supremely dangerous and arrogant sentiment, he didn’t know what was. That right didn’t belong to him, nor did it have any place around her. It warned him that he needed to stay far, far away from her, even as he felt compelled to drag her off the trapeze and never let go. For the first time he could remember, he didn’t know if the controlled part of him would win. Not where Lucy was concerned.