Surge: (#7 The Beat and The Pulse) by Amity Cross

under his shirt, feeling the hard ridges of muscle in his back, and the movement coaxed him to press harder against me. He thrust his thigh between my legs, forcing them to part as he began to grind against my clit.
    A sharp pulse of pleasure rolled through my body, making me moan into his mouth, and he took me deeper. He kissed exactly like he fought. Brutally .
    God, this was what I wanted with Dean. This was how I’d imagined it would be with him yesterday in the gym when I finally worked up the courage to address my feelings. I had envisioned fireworks and a dirty little romp on the gym mats as the sun rose, not fleeing to Melbourne with a broken heart.
    Shit, I shouldn’t be kissing Gabe O’Connell. He’d beaten Dean in the octagon. He was the bad guy. The rival. I was crossing brands into enemy territory. This was a betrayal. I shouldn’t be… But he was so good with his mouth, so imagine what he could do with his…
    “No,” I rasped, tearing my mouth away from his.
    “You can feel it, right?” Gabe murmured, his lips grazing the shell of my ear. “How good it could be?”
    My body shuddered against his at the thought. I knew he was right. Sex with Gabe O’Connell would be mind-blowing because he obviously knew where to put it and how, but my heart wouldn’t be in it. I’d just be scratching an itch created by another man.
    “I can’t,” I said breathlessly, pushing my palms against his chest.
    He stepped back, breaking contact, and my gaze dropped to his crotch where a very impressive erection was pressing against his trousers, begging to be freed.
    “You sure?” he asked with a smirk. “You look hungry.”
    His words slapped me around the face, and suddenly, my mind was clear. The proverbial ice water had doused my body, and I shuddered as I realized what I’d almost done.
    Fumbling for my key card, I yanked it out of my pocket and shoved it into the lock. It flashed green, and I couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
    Gabe stepped forward, thinking I was desperate to get inside and rip his pants off, but I slammed the door in his face before he could even get close.
    “Oh, c’mon!” he exclaimed, his voice muffled. A second later, his fist pounded against the door.
    Ignoring him, I shoved into the bathroom and turned on the shower, twisting the taps as far as they would go. Steam began to billow into the little room as I kicked off my heels and stripped out of my clothes, dumping them without a care. The water and grime on the floor would probably ruin my expensive silk blouse, but I didn’t give a stuff.
    Stepping under the shower, I twisted the cap off the bottled hotel soap and began to lather up a face washer. I was such an idiot. I was so stupid even the dictionary didn’t have a word to describe the level of dumb I’d been tonight. First Hamish, a good guy who I just needed to leave alone to move on with his life, then Gabe O’Connell. GABE O’CONNELL. I was certifiably fucked in the head.
    Emptying the little bottle of soap, I slapped the face washer against my skin and began to scrub myself clean.
    Dean couldn’t find out. If he knew, he wouldn’t want me around anymore. I’d almost fallen into bed with the guy he’d tried to protect me from. I’d let the slimy asshole shove his tongue down my throat. That was the ultimate betrayal.
    No one could ever know.
    No one.
    Ever.

10

Dean
    T he weekend went by , and my phone was silent.
    I think I called Josie about twenty times and left just as many messages like a needy bastard.
    I was that worked up about a particular missing blonde I didn’t even bother going to the Friday night fights at the arena. Josie left me reeling out of control at the gym, and I knew I’d hurt her, but her proposition was out in left field, and I hadn’t seen it coming at all.
    Seriously, I was a guy. I thought about a lot of inappropriate things, but Josie… I didn’t know. She wasn’t like anyone else I knew.
    The one thing I did understand