Her Obsession (by Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 91

Give Me Everything You’ve Got.

I found her by the hedgerow, shoulder pressed to the old stone fence, jaw working like she was chewing on it. Not angry at Ari, no, I could see that…Her fists curled at her sides, knuckles white because she was mad at herself. That was worse. That was the kind of rage that ate people from the inside. I walked up slowly, not wanting to scare her, but close enough so she couldn’t pretend I wasn’t there. She didn’t look at me when I stopped. Instead, she watched the field, eyes flat, a storm in the dark.

“You okay?” I asked. It was a stupid question. Of course, she wasn’t okay.

She let out a breath that smelled like smoke and old iron. “I keep thinking, if I hadn’t…” The rest of it got swallowed, the sentence collapsing on itself. She hated those loose ends, the things she couldn’t fix.

I stepped in, took her hand. Her fingers were cool, hard as carved stone, and for a second I felt the tremor under them. I tightened my grip, thumb rubbing the side of her palm. “Come on,” I said, low. “Sweetheart. You’re not gonna chew yourself up over words. Not here.”

She blinked at me, a flicker. That was enough. I led her around the back of the house, past the stables where a mare poked her head over the fence and snorted, past the men’s cabins where a couple of lads were already swapping stories and throwing a ball back and forth. The morning air smelled like hay and smoke and something else…home. And then there it was, the ring. Ragged ropes sagged between sun- bleached posts, the canvas frayed and stained from a hundred fights. It didn’t look pretty, but it belonged. Old leather gloves hung from a peg. A faded sign nailed to the post read Train Hard, Eat Harder. Pa’s handwriting. God help me, it made me grin. I caught her watching it, that jaw still clenched, and I smiled back. “You wanna let out some of that frustration?” I asked, stepping up onto the lowest rope and swinging one leg over. “Come on. Try me then, baby.”

She sniffed, half–laughed and something in her loosened. Her shoulders dropped a fraction. She shrugged out of her jacket, the movement small but deliberate, and the way she wrapped her hands, thumbs, gauze, tape, was precise, businesslike. No theatrics. No hunting for applause. I rolled my gloves on slowly, watching her every motion. “Take it all out,” I said. “On me.” My voice was half dare, half promise.

She stepped up onto the ring beside me, eyes hard, mouth set. For a heartbeat, she just stood there, small, dangerous, coiled and then she moved. Her first hit landed clean against my ribs. The second caught my shoulder. I grunted, more pleased than hurt. She hit like winter: cold, efficient, inevitable. Not sloppy, not petulant, but purposeful.

I gave back only what she asked for. A feint, a quick jab, an opening. She answered it and then pushed harder, letting the anger become something that made sense again: speed, rhythm, breath. Each strike loosened another knot inside her until she was laughing, harsh, and incredulous and striking even faster. When she finally let her guard drop just a beat and smiled, just a quick, private thing, I felt something in me unclench, too. She bounced back on her toes, sweat already slick at her temples, and gave me that dangerous grin that made my gut twist. Her fists came up again, fast, sharp. “Come on, big guy. You’re not even trying.”

I smirked, rolling my shoulders, letting the ropes creak as I leaned into them. “Wouldn’t want to hurt a delicate little lady.”

Her eyes flashed. Before I could blink, she came at me, a blur of muscle and fire. Her heel whipped up, catching me square in the chest with a fly kick that knocked me a step back. The ropes groaned under my weight.

I narrowed my eyes, heat curling through me, part challenge, part hunger. “Alright then,” I growled, straightening up. “You want to play with the big boy? Let’s do it.”

The next few minutes were chaos, fists, feet, sweat, the slap of leather on skin. She was fast, unpredictable, never striking from the same angle twice. I gave back harder now, forcing her to dodge, to counter, to snarl at me every time I blocked. Her laugh came sharp between breaths, wild and alive. Then I caught her. One misstep, one fraction too slow, and I was behind her, arms locking around her waist. I lifted her clean off her feet, dragging her back against me. She thrashed, elbows flying, but I had her pinned. My palms slid up, cupping the swell of her breasts through her thin shirt, squeezing just enough to make her gasp. My mouth found her neck, sucking hard, biting just enough to leave her shivering in my hold.

Her moan broke raw in her throat, and she twisted her head toward me, eyes blazing. “That’s unfair fighting.”

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12:52 Mon, Oct 20

Give Me Everything You’ve Got

76

I shrugged against her skin, my smirk brushing her ear. “No one said there were rules,” I murmured, voice low and thick. “I was just using my best assets against you.”

Her laugh came out half breathless, half–feral, and she arched against me, body already giving in even as her fists still curled like she might keep swinging, and Christ, I’d never seen anything so beautiful.

She wriggled in my grip, but not to break free. No, her body turned, twisting like smoke until she was facing me, legs clamping tight around my hips. Her weight settled against me in a way that made my pulse slam through my veins. Her hands slid up, fingers tangling into my hair, tugging hard enough to make my head snap back, then dragging me down to her. Our mouths crashed together, no finesse, just hunger. Teeth clashed, lips bruised, her moan spilling straight into me as I pressed her back against the ropes. She ground down against me, the heat of her body searing through layers of fabric. My hands cupped her ass, dragging her tighter against my cock as it strained against my pants, each grind making my vision blur at the edges.

“Fuck, little ghost,” I groaned into her mouth, every word a rasp.

She tugged my hair harder, arching into me, her hips rolling against mine with the same relentless rhythm she’d fought me with minutes ago. Her breath was hot against my jaw when she broke the kiss just long enough to growl, “More.”

I gave it to her. Our mouths found each other again, desperate, messy, every kiss a fight for dominance. Her nails scraped my scalp, my teeth caught her lip, and she gasped, the sound vibrating between us. The ropes behind her strained with every thrust of my hips, the ring groaning beneath us like it knew it couldn’t contain this heat.

Fuck, I needed to be inside my girl, now. But not here.

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