Free Spitfire Suckerpunch (House of Pain Book 2) by Lavender Parker Page B

enthusiastic,” Gennifer said with a laugh. “I appreciate that. Don't you, Tate?” Tate shrugged, his eyes on the girl as she made her way back to him. Sure enough, it looked like there was an extra spring in her step. She turned to Gennifer then and they went over what to do again, but he wasn't listening. He was looking at her face and wondering what the hell her name was and where she'd come from. The lack of knowledge was bothering him. He decided that at the end of the class he was going to have to ask her, no matter how awkward it may be. He had to know.
    Finally she stood in front of him, her back to him, and he told himself it was time to do something. So he lunged at her, grabbing her around the waist and hauling her up again. She wasn't light, exactly, but she wasn't heavy either. He could feel the muscles in his arms and chest straining as she fought against him, and suddenly he was thinking things he had no business thinking about. He'd been celibate for too long, it was normal, he told himself. But it didn't stop him from feeling like a damn pervert. Here he was, acting out the part of a predator, all the while thinking about throwing her against the nearest wall and... well, it didn't matter what he was thinking about. He didn't even know her damn name, so he damn well didn't have any business thinking about how her mouth would feel and how her pussy would taste like or what the nape of her neck would smell like. No business at all.
    He was so involved with trying to not think about fucking her that he didn't move his head out of the way fast enough before the heel of her hand flew toward his face. Luckily, years as a cop had sharpened his reflexes, so he did manage to jerk his head to the side before she knocked the shit out of him. He grabbed her wrist on instinct and she gasped slightly in surprise. She curled her fingers and he noticed her long, pointed, rainbow-colored nails. Then he also noticed a small diamond ring on her ring finger. And that's when it hit him. The combination of the nails and the ring was too familiar. He remembered that diamond ring. After six fucking years, he still remembered that cheap, small ring. She used to fiddle with it when she was nervous, he remembered. When she was in the interrogation room, she'd fiddled with it.
    He caught her eyes and instantly he knew it was her. Any doubts he'd had were gone. He knew exactly who she was and he had a sinking feeling that it was no coincidence that he was standing across from her in the ring at House of Pain. He'd never forgotten her and apparently, she'd never forgotten him either. He wondered how long she'd been out and why she was there. He had so many questions. There was only one thing he knew for sure.
    Trouble had found him and her name was Shay Spears.

Chapter Five
     
     
     
     
    S hay tried to focus on whatever Erica was saying, laughing along when everyone else laughed, but her attention was on the man just outside the ring, peeling off the protective padding. Class was over, but she was more nervous now than at the start. The class had been fun, though, and she liked all the women in the group. They all laughed easily and seemed comfortable with each other, just like the stylists at Gina's salon. Gennifer was tough, but she knew what she was talking about. Maria was warm and motherly. Tiny was shy but smiled easily. Erica and her sister were overly loud and overly friendly, comfortable despite the fact that they were the only two white girls in the whole gym. She should have felt at ease, but she couldn't.
    She was pretty sure Tate knew who she was. She couldn't be sure, but there was something about the way he looked at her in the ring. At the very least, he was suspicious that he knew her from somewhere. She didn't look too much different from when she was arrested, other than the fact that she was about thirty pounds lighter. Even though Gina said she looked older and harder, when Shay looked in the mirror she still