Zero Sum Love by Laura Marquez Diamond
Author:Laura Marquez Diamond [Marquez Diamond, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-28T18:30:00+00:00
Thereâs a sound down a long hallway. A rhythmic thudding that makes the air shake. It calls to me, propelling me forward into a cavernous room where a man is in a fighting stance. His back is to me. I see every ripple of muscle and every trickle of sweat when he hits the punching bag. With each strike, the bag swings and a thud echoes.
âStop fighting,â I address him, although heâs remained disinterested in my entrance.
âI canât,â the man grunts while continuing to swing with bare knuckles.
âLook at me. Stop fighting and look at me,â I beg over the sound of his heavy breathing.
Some part of me believes that if I can touch him, heâll listen. That Iâm the only one who can make him stop punching even if, somehow, I understand Iâm the reason heâs fighting in the first place.
I step forward and reach out, but he easily evades my advances. The rhythmic cadence of fists hitting the swinging bag is the soundtrack to my frustration.
Then, suddenly, he turns. His eyes, bright indigo with specks of silver, sear through the darkness and arrest me in place.
He stalks like a lion relishing its prey before tearing into pliant flesh. Proud and hungry.
Heâs close. So close. Iâm surrounded by an earthy aroma, herbal and musky. He crowds me so I can finally, finally, touch himâ¦
I wake up with a startled gasp. Hot and disoriented, I force myself to swallow big gulps of oxygen.
It isnât the first time Iâve had this disturbing dream, but itâs the first time the fighter has faced me and confirmed what Iâve always suspected. No matter how far I am from him or how much time has passed, Bryce MacElroy is under my skin and deep in my subconscious.
The clock on my bedside reads two in the morning. I go to the bathroom to splash my face with water and clean the sweat pooling between my breasts.
I forgot to drink water before heading to bed. Parched, I descend dark, familiar steps.
In the fridge is a plate of sliced chicken breast and roasted vegetables, neatly cellophaned with a sticky note over the plastic. My name is scribbled on the note. The cold Fuji water lowers my body temperature and clears my head. Wiggling my fingers under the cover to grab a piece of chicken, I pop it in my mouth.
âGood?â His voice is low and surprisingly close.
âCreep up on people much?â I respond, turning to him.
Bryceâs lips twitch upward while his eyes lower, taking in my tank top and tiny sleep shorts.
âWhy are you here?â I ask, fighting the urge to cover my body. The only person who should be covered up is the man wearing nothing except low-slung jeans.
âYou told me not to add any sensors, remember?â
âAre you planning to guard every window that doesnât have a sensor? Pace up and down my house all night? Youâve got to have something better to do.â
âI was working anyway,â he says with a shrug. âCan you pass me a beer?â
Peering inside, I grab a cold Stella Artois and hand it over.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Just A Kiss by J.H. Croix(375)
Mouth to Mouth_Cover Coming Soon_Beach Kingdom by Tessa Bailey(309)
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore(302)
Funny Feelings by Tarah DeWitt(299)
Until You: A Brother's Best Friend Standalone (Off-Limits) by Catharina Maura(296)
The Secret Fiancée: Lexington and Raya's Story (The Windsors) by Catharina Maura(289)
Taken by Daddy's 4 Dirty Friends: An Age Gap Contemporary Reverse Harem Romance (Their Temptation Book 5) by Barbi Cox(253)
Wicked & Wildflower by Sarah A. Bailey(248)
Freelance Flirt: Falling for the Single Mom (Sworn to Loathe You Book 5) by Rachel John(238)
YOLO by Lani Lynn Vale(226)
On One Condition by K. Bromberg(216)
Her Powerful Scrooge by Hart Lilah(209)
Almost Forever, With for the Baby's Sake by Linda Howard(208)
Until Then: A Sweet Romance by Emily Childs(208)
My Brother's Forbidden Friend - E-book BONUS by Piper Rayne(205)
The Temp by Donna Jay(204)
Black Knights Inc. Boxed Set by Julie Ann Walker(203)
My Sister's Flirty Friend - BONUS by Piper Rayne(203)
Harlequin Desire July 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Adriana Herrera(198)
