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

asshole—where they belong, instead of on that tail making eyes at you.”
    Ryann stiffened indignantly. She wasn’t making eyes at him, and she sure as hell wasn’t anyone’s tail. The man beside her chuckled, seeming to take great delight in watching Aiden take one in the mouth. His dark, throaty rumble made the fine hairs on the back of her neck prickle and she shot him a disapproving scowl. “Think that’s funny, do you?”
    “Immensely. Serves the bastard right for breaking my rib.”
    She glanced back at Aiden to find him slipping between the ropes. The moment his feet touched the ground, he headed her way at a determined clip that did funny things to her pulse.
    “That’s enough, Del Toro. Leave the lady alone.”
    Aiden’s attention was fixed on the man standing beside her. It wasn’t until the other fighter chuffed and ambled away that the full weight of that imposing stare became centered solely on her—up close and personal. Her heart actually missed a beat, which was so clichéd she might have laughed out loud if her lungs hadn’t quit working. As his gaze swept over her, making an unhurried head-to-toe assessment, she swore to the Almighty she could actually feel everywhere those eyes touched. They lingered on her breasts without apology. Her nipples hardened in response, and she prayed they weren’t showing through her rayon top, but she suspected her plea had gone unanswered when a crooked grin tipped his mouth.
    As that bold stare traveled south, she found herself thankful for those many hours of Pilates that kept her stomach flat and her waist narrow. By the time his eyes met hers again, all trace of seriousness was gone, and in its place was a flirtatious cad.
    “Hey, baby girl. What can I do you for?”
    It took her a moment to find her voice. “Are you Aiden Kruze?”
    His roguish grin faltered for the briefest moment. “That depends.”
    “On what?”
    “On who wants to know, because I’m sure we’ve never met before.”
    “Oh, and how’s that?” With all the tail this fighter was obviously getting, how could he possibly keep it straight?
    “Because I’d remember meeting the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
    Oh, he was good . . . dangerously good . . . “I’m here because—”
    “I know why you’re here.” He cut her off, his voice a husky growl that should not be warming her in all the right places right now.
    “You do now?”
    He smiled, and she felt that panty-dropping grin all the way to her toes. Oh, boy, this was not good. Not only was Aiden Kruze a breathtakingly handsome handful, he was also engaged to be married, and she would do well to remember that. That thought alone stopped her cold. What kind of a moral-less asshole eye-fucked a woman he just met while he was engaged to marry another? Seriously. It didn’t matter how gorgeous this guy was, he was a total douche bag.
    Hanging on to that ire, Ryann scowled and folded her arms over her chest, which only seemed to succeed in drawing that arrogant gaze back down to her well-endowed cleavage. She cleared her throat loudly to say My eyes are up here, buddy , and arched her brow. “Why is it, exactly, that you think I’m here?” she asked, her tone saccharine sweet.
    “You want a ticket to the fight.”
    “The fight?”
    “Yeah, at the Mirage. It’s sold out and you want me to get you in. I tell you what, baby girl. I’ll do you one better. Go to the ticket office and I’ll have a front row seat waiting for you with a pass to the after party.”
    “But—”
    “Now I gotta get back to training,” he said, cutting her off again.
    The man slipped his arm around her shoulder and guided her toward the door, not caring that he was getting his sweat all over her. She would have corrected his assumption—informing him he was a self-absorbed pompous asshole-cheater, if all rational thought hadn’t fled her mind the moment he touched her.
    Holy shit . . . every nerve ending inside her lit up with