Passing His Guard (Against the Cage #2) Read Online Free

Miller.
    Del Toro pulled off his open-mitt gloves and slapped them into Cole’s waiting hand. He shot Aiden a sucks to be you smirk and rose to his feet.
    “Go get those ribs checked out,” Easton told the fighter before turning his full attention to Aiden. “Now I don’t have a guard in, so if you hit me in the fucking mouth, I’ll kill you.” That being said, the Beast of the East knocked his gloves together and they squared off.

    There had to be some kind of mistake. This could not be the same Aiden Kruze, son of Sen. Bennett Kruze and Lady Madeline Kruze, that Ryann was searching for. Yet the similarities were striking. His eyes, for one—those amber irises flecked with dark brown and gold were unmistakable. Even from across the gym, she could see their unnaturally bright hue that seemed to glow with a predatory glint, reminding her of a giant cat. He was larger than the man in the photo. Perhaps not in height but definitely more muscular, and his hair . . . still the same tawny color, it was considerably longer and disheveled. Not one rebellious strand cooperated with the other.
    Aiden stood in the center of the ring as one fighter handed another his gloves and then exited the ring. He moved a little slow, seeming to guard his left side. The two men in the ring began sparring, and watching them fight was like observing a well-choreographed dance. Aiden moved fast and fluidly, ducking and dodging more punches than he was throwing. His opponent seemed stiffer, but what he lacked in footwork he more than made up for in skill and power.
    Ryann had never been an MMA fan. She knew of the sport, understood it was a combination of mixed martial arts styles along with boxing and wrestling, but she’d never seen an actual fight. Watching Aiden in the ring sparring with the other man, she had to admit being a bit awed in the basest, most primal way. The Darwin in her stood up and took notice of what was, without a doubt, the most beautifully well-built man she’d ever seen. Heat flooded her veins, centering in all her feminine places as she stood there watching these two men exchange blows. She was so engrossed in the mock-fight playing out before her that she didn’t even see the third man approach until he was right beside her.
    “You lost?”
    “Excuse me?” She startled, taking a step back to put a little more distance between her and the man towering over her.
    “This isn’t Snap Fitness, lady. Women aren’t allowed in here.”
    What a sexist jackass. “Oh . . . I was umm . . . was looking for someone.”
    The man crossed his beefy arms over his chest, and his dark brows drew tight. Eyes the color of steel, and just as hard, stared her down. The scar slashing through his cheek didn’t do the guy any favors. He looked too mean to be called handsome, though she figured some women would find him so—if they were into that I’m going to eat your liver with fava beans and a bottle of Chianti sort of thing. Ryann, on the other hand . . . not so much.
    “Let me guess,” he said, rolling his eyes in disgust. “You’re looking for Disco.”
    “Who?”
    Instead of answering her, he made half a turn toward the fighters and yelled, “Hey, Disco, you’ve got another banger here to see you!”
    She looked behind her. Was he talking about her? What the hell was a “banger”?
    Aiden turned to look her way. His attention shifted from the brute standing beside her to Ryann. When her eyes briefly locked with those amber jewels, she momentarily forgot to breathe. Something sparked between them, an instant connection held suspended in time—until the man he was sparring with punched him in the face. Ryann gasped, sucking in a giant gulp of air. Aiden stumbled back a step and swiped the back of his gloved hand across his now bleeding lip. He spit out his mouth guard, sending it tumbling across the mat. “Goddammit, Easton! That was a cheap-ass shot and you know it.”
    “Then keep your eyes on me,