Becoming a Legend

She pulled on the fabric of his boxers, and he immediately popped out, inches from her face. She slid the boxers the rest of the way down his legs until they were off. Her eyes were huge as she looked at him, and he had no doubt that he would actually die if she didn’t touch him soon.

  But instead, she breathed on him. Long, slow, warm breaths of air swirled around him as her fingers trailed down his abdomen to his inner thighs then back up. The tension growing in his body was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He was never one to delay gratification, and being made to wait like this was something entirely new, and his brain went blank. He was totally focused on her.

  “Nora,” Kane moaned as he shoved his head back into the pillow, feeling both ecstasy and agony at the same time.

  Then he wasn’t waiting any longer. Her mouth slid over him, perfectly warm and wet in every way he wanted. He moaned again, pressing his hips toward her. She increased the pressure, her tongue twirling around him as he slid in and out of her mouth. His eyes squeezed shut as he did everything he could to calm himself and make their first time last as long as possible.

  Nora was giving him so much, and he realized he wanted to focus on her, too. He wanted to make her happy, to meet her needs—definitely a new feeling for him. Sitting up, he grabbed her waist.

  “I need to taste you,” he growled, and in a flurry of movements they twisted around so she was still on top, her head over his groin, her knees on either side of his head.

  He was staring directly up at pink lace. And it was wet.

  “Don’t stop, Nora,” he instructed, his voice gruff and low as he lifted his hips toward her mouth again. She quickly obliged him, sliding her lips over his shaft once more.

  He pushed her knees even wider, lowering her core closer to him, then ran one finger over the pink lace, feeling its dampness. She trembled above him. Not removing her panties, he replaced his finger with his tongue. He made long, slow licks across the fabric and felt her panting around him. Wanting more, he hooked the lace to the side.

  Her entire body jolted at the first touch of his tongue against her flesh. A smile tugged at his lips as he applied more pressure. That’s it, kitty.

  His teeth found her tiny bud, and he pulled gently, so gently, as she shook harder against him. He took his time, alternating small kisses and long strokes of his tongue. It was satisfying in more than just a sexual way; he was feeling this on a deeper level. The way this strong, beautiful woman knelt over his face and allowed him to plunge into the deepest part of her made him crazy with a lust not only for her body but for all of her.

  Anticipation built, coiling through him at explosive levels. He had plans for where he wanted to bury himself, so he didn’t want to come yet. But he was going to make sure she did. His hands clutched her bottom tighter, digging his fingers ever so slightly into her cheeks as his tongue met her body with vigor. He teased the tiny bud mercilessly, the bold caress of his tongue sliding back and forth over her.

  She cried out and arched her back, pressing her hips against his face as she first tensed and then unraveled. Her body collapsed down on his, her limbs spasming and her womanhood pulsing against his lips. He was nowhere near stopping and probably couldn’t have even if he’d wanted to. She was too intoxicating. Her taste, her warmth—he wanted it all.

  He wanted her, and now he was going to have her.

  —

  Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Nora’s mind was racing a million miles an hour as she came down from her orgasm.

  Moving almost feverishly, Kane flipped her onto her back and positioned her so her head was on the pillow. Then he was all over her. His mouth trailed hot kisses and tiny nips over her breasts, up against her neck.

  “You taste amazing.” His gruff voice stirred her insides in a way no man ever had before. Something about her body having such an effect on a powerfully large man like Kane was more than a little exciting, and anticipation built within her once more.

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” She bit the corner of her lip to keep from smiling too wide, but his eyes traveled to her lips and he growled. His eyes were so dark now, she almost couldn’t tell they were blue anymore. Then the throbbing between her legs demanded attention. “Do you have, um, protection?”

  He reached over her and into his nightstand, pulling out a small foil packet and ripping it open with his teeth. His hand disappeared between them as he pulled it on. Then he pushed her knees apart and settled between them. His fingers found her core, and he rubbed small circles in exactly the right spot, causing her back to arch off the bed as she held on to his shoulders.

  She leaned forward and caught his lips with hers, kissing him so hungrily, wordlessly begging him…now. He took the hint and wrapped both his arms around her back as his tip pressed against her entrance for a moment before plunging deep inside. She gasped at the welcome intrusion, shocked at his size and how full she felt. She wrapped her legs around his lower back as he slowly pulled back out.

  His mouth devoured hers, and she wound her arms around him so their torsos were pressed together tightly. She felt cherished in a way she never had before during sex. Something about the way he cradled her was more intimate than the way he was thrusting in and out. Her hips met his with as much force and need as his, driven by rising tension.

  Their kiss was finally broken as he nibbled and licked his way down her neck to her collarbone and then finally to her breasts. He took a nipple into his mouth, alternately pulling on it with his teeth and softly kissing and stroking it with his tongue. She threw her head back at the sensation, groaning with a breathless urgency.

  Her hands grabbed at the sheets and twisted the material until she had a strong hold. She needed something, anything, to keep her grounded in this moment. The pulsing and pulling and thrusting was overpowering, and she felt ready to explode again.

  Kane pulled her grip from the sheets and intertwined their fingers. He traced the edge of her ear with his tongue, and his breath warmed her neck as he whispered, “Anchor yourself to me, Nora. Nothing else. Only me.”

  She shivered at his words, her entire body glowing with affection as she squeezed his hand tightly and nodded; he continued moving in and out of her with both intensity and passion. He kissed her again and she wanted him never to stop. She slammed her hips forward with the rhythm they’d created; he gripped her hands in his, pinning her down against the bed, his chest pressing against her breasts. As she felt her climaxing nearing, she kissed him harder.

  He arched, his rigid muscles straining, and as she finally peaked and fell over the edge, he let go of one of her hands and splayed his fingers over the back of her neck, drawing her face against his and kissing her with such emotion, she was sure he had to feel it, too. He came seconds later, pressing farther into her than ever before as they continued to kiss.

  And it was euphoria. Not just the physical bliss she was experiencing, but her heart…it was trembling with emotion. His lips traced soft, sleepy lines down the column of her neck as he murmured her name.

  He rolled to his side, taking her with him, and snuggled her against his chest. His arms surrounded her, and she listened as his breathing slowed and softened and he drifted to sleep—but she was too keyed up to find slumber yet. She’d never known making love with him—with anyone—could be such a rush of both pleasure and emotion, and that’s exactly what this had been. Nothing about this had been no-strings-attached sex.

  A warmth spread over her heart that was telling her this was right. This was good. They were good.

  The very idea of they terrified her.

  Chapter 4

  Bang!

  Kane’s eyes blinked open at the sound of his front door closing. It had always irritated him how heavy the door was—no one could close the door without it sounding as if it was being slammed. Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he looked over at Nora.

  But there was no Nora.

  The navy-blue sheets they’d been tangled in last night were now flat against the b
ed. Frowning, he sat up and looked around the room to see if her bra was still hanging off the back of his chair where he’d thrown it, but that was gone, too.

  The sound of a car pulling up out front reached his ears, so he slid out of bed, went to the window, and pushed apart his blinds. A black town car was idling out front—the telltale Uber sign in the window. A figure stepped onto the sidewalk below and headed for the car. Morning sunlight flashed off bobbing blond curls.

  Nora. He couldn’t see her face from his vantage point, but it was clearly her.

  Kane let the blinds fall back into place and headed to the master bathroom to clean up. He turned on the shower, and hot water cascaded from the showerhead, sending clouds of steam rolling through the room. As he stepped under the scalding water, he let the pressure and heat relax his muscles. Tension coiled through his body, holding him prisoner to a perpetual wound-up state he’d been in for months.

  The upcoming championship loomed over him, and he couldn’t keep his mind off of it. Well, that wasn’t true. For a few hours last night, he hadn’t given it a single thought, and he’d felt fan-fucking-tastic.

  Kane reached for the shower gel, doling it out into his palm first, then spreading it over his chest and abs as his mind jogged back to the memories of his fingers playing over Nora’s skin. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he recalled the trusting look in her eyes when he’d sunk inside her, how eagerly her body had responded to his.

  Dropping his hand lower, he took hold of himself as the shower’s spray pounded against his chest. Moving his hand in slow, steady motions, he thought of what a surprise the night before had turned out to be. He’d always known Nora was beautiful—that was easy. But the beautiful swell of her breasts, and the way her back had arched into him, and the feel of her fingers clutching his biceps all told him more about her than he’d ever been able to imagine.

  But then she was gone, and he knew he’d probably spend the rest of the morning—if not longer—thinking about her. He sighed as he remembered where his focus should be instead. Dropping his hand, he returned to taking a simple shower so that he could get over to the gym.

  The upcoming championship was the only thing that should be on his mind. It felt like this was his one opportunity to prove to everyone who he was. His older brothers had all had their moments in the spotlight, and he’d always come in third. Even his younger brothers, who were on different career paths, excelled in everything they did. His twin had gone to prison, yet somehow Kane felt inferior to him as well.

  Fighting was all Kane knew how to do.

  He hadn’t gotten a degree like Rory; he hadn’t become his parents’ pride and joy—a police officer—like Jimmy. He was just in the middle of all of it. He was average. But in the cage? That was where he knew he could be special. He knew he could stand out. This championship was his opportunity to do something his brothers had tried—and failed—to do.

  And he didn’t want anything getting in the way.

  He lathered shampoo into his short hair and thought of Nora again. He knew he should be happy. Very few men would ever complain about a one-night stand leaving before they woke up. In fact, if someone had asked him about that yesterday, he would have said it was a dream come true. With his focus solely on training, he couldn’t handle a relationship with anyone.

  Nora had made it easy for him. She’d kept her word. They’d both agreed that last night would be purely physical, nothing more. He had the fight. She had school. Win-win all around.

  As he finished his soaping motion and switched to rinsing his hair under the water, he frowned as her face flickered back through his memory. So, why doesn’t it feel win-win?

  When he’d woken up to an empty bed, he’d felt as if he’d lost something, as if he’d lost her. He hadn’t even known he’d wanted her. Physically, he definitely had, and he’d spent months hitting on her for just that reason. He’d never considered it could be something more, but seeing her let loose and be vulnerable last night had revealed a woman he found genuinely interesting.

  She was sweet and caring, yet also fierce and confident. He’d always known she possessed those qualities because of her work with at-risk children in the youth center, plus the way she never took his shit and always threw barbs back at him. But last night, he’d somehow peeled away a few more layers and found a woman who was vulnerable and willing, open to him in a way he hadn’t expected. It was intoxicating. She was intoxicating.

  And the sex? That was addictive. He’d never wanted to be inside any woman as much as he’d wanted her last night…or even right now. Kane shook his head as he rinsed the last of the shampoo from his hair and sighed as the contradiction raged inside him. This level of attraction was new for him, and he didn’t like it.

  As the water began to turn slightly chilly, Kane rushed to finish rinsing off the rest of his body. Finally, he stepped out of the shower and toweled off. He dressed in gym clothes, ate a quick breakfast, and chatted briefly with Kieran, who, as usual, had sneaked back home before Fiona’s little sister had woken up. Kane then headed out to Legends to get in a workout. He needed to pound something, and a heavy bag would have to do.

  —

  I’m a total mess, Nora thought to herself as she climbed out of her Uber and hurried toward the building that housed the dean’s office. She had almost been late to a scheduled meeting with the dean and was kicking herself for not having had enough time to go home and change. Her small cocktail dress screamed “walk of shame,” and the wrinkles certainly didn’t help. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail and washed her face before she’d left Kane’s apartment, but that hadn’t really helped.

  Last night…Kane.

  Her cheeks warmed at the memory as she entered the lobby and pressed the elevator button. They’d barely gotten any sleep, just short rests in between enjoying each other, until their bodies had finally worn out around dawn. A couple of hours later, she had awoken abruptly with the realization that she was about to be late. Luckily, a car had been close enough to Kane’s apartment to pick her up immediately, and she didn’t have to wake him for a ride.

  The elevator arrived and Nora stepped in, still feeling slightly guilty about that. She’d never had a one-night stand before, and she didn’t know what the etiquette was, but leaving without waking him had felt wrong. They’d both agreed to keep things physical only, but last night felt like so much more. Her heart had been in it, even if she had done her best to keep her feelings at bay.

  So when she woke up this morning and saw him sleeping peacefully, a sheet draped over his pelvis and one of his strong legs over hers, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from smiling. He was one of the most devastatingly handsome men she’d ever met, especially with that rigid jawline that hardened his face and those long brown lashes that had been closed over what she knew to be his deep blue eyes. He was every woman’s dream in the looks department, but in the recent months, a tension had taken over his expression that made him seem perpetually stressed. Last night, that had finally disappeared, and it had remained gone while he slept.

  But just as quickly as she’d smiled, she had frowned. She was being foolish, getting her hopes up about a man who’d flat-out told her last night was all he had to offer. And it’s all she’d wanted, too. And yet…

  Let it go, she reminded herself. She refused to act like a teenage girl with a crush on an unattainable man. She was smart and strong and fully capable of having sex just for sex. That’s what she’d done. It was empowering and fun, and that’s all it was. At least that’s what she was telling herself. She refused to let the romantic air between them feel like more.

  They didn’t like each other. They’d had sex. Amazing sex. They still didn’t like each other.

  End of story.

  Nora took a deep breath as the elevator arrived on the dean’s floor and the doors slid open. She pushed Kane to the back of her brain, because she had more serious things to focus on at the moment—like how she was about to flun
k out of graduate school.

  “Ms. Hannigan?” the dean’s secretary asked her the moment she walked in.

  Nora nodded.

  “You’re late.”

  Nora frowned and checked her phone. It was only two minutes past her appointment time.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. “Is Dean Spoto still available?”

  “She is. Go on in.” The secretary pointed toward a door behind her. Nora thanked her and tried to ignore her obvious negative appraisal of Nora’s wardrobe choice as she walked past.

  “Dean Spoto?”

  “Ms. Hannigan, come on in.” A slim, smiling woman with long, jet-black hair rose from behind an imposing desk and greeted Nora. She gestured toward one of the two chairs on the opposite side. “Please, have a seat.”

  Nora squared her shoulders and drew a deep breath, then smiled widely. “Thank you, and please, call me Nora.”

  “Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Nora. You’re welcome to call me Ashley. Dean Spoto is so formal.”

  Nora nodded in agreement, feeling a bit more at ease with the friendly woman.

  “All right, let’s just get right down to brass tacks here, okay?”

  Heat washed across Nora’s face. She didn’t know exactly what this meeting was about, but if it had anything to do with her grades, it wasn’t going to be fun.

  “You were accepted into this program because you were one of the top students in your class at New York University when you received your bachelor’s degree. And during your first couple of years here, you excelled. But lately? It’s a different story, Nora.”

  Nora shifted in her seat. “I know I’m a bit behind—”

  “You’re more than just a bit behind, Nora.” The dean frowned, looking more sad than displeased. “If you don’t ace the two classes you’re in right now, you won’t be graduating with the rest of your class, or with your scholarship.”

  Nora’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open slightly. “I know I have to make up for not passing that class last semester, but I thought I’d be able to catch up—”