Beyond Ecstasy (Beyond #8) Read Online Free Page A

Hawk landed another solid blow on his opponent.
    Lex arched an eyebrow. “Going soft on us, honey?”
    Normally, violence didn't bother her, especially the way it played out during fight nights. The matches were clean, fair, and everyone who climbed behind the cage bars knew exactly what they were getting into. It was a thousand times better than what most people ever got.
    But something about Hawk made it seem...tragic. He spent so much of his time creating —repairing, growing, or building things—that watching him throw himself headlong into this kind of wanton destruction felt wrong. There were better ways to embrace the sweet edge of pain, nobler ways. Ones that weren't so at odds with who he was outside of the cage.
    Lex was still looking at her, so Jeni shrugged. “He doesn't need a fight, he needs to get laid. Professional opinion.”
    Nessa snorted and nudged Jeni with her elbow. “Only one way that's gonna happen. Ready to put your booty where your mouth is?”
    “Nessa,” Noelle chided.
    “What? He follows her around like a puppy.” Nessa grinned. “Tell him to roll over, I bet he'll let you pet him all night long.”
    How many people looked at them and saw that—a woman with a panting man in the palm of her hand? Certainly anyone who thought Hawk was the type to roll over . In reality, he'd be the one turning her over his knee and—
    “I've already tried,” she told Nessa, “but the man's a rock.”
    Noelle stroked Jeni's hair before squeezing her shoulder lightly. “He's focused. I don't think he makes casual decisions. Everything's a mission for him.”
    It was that focus that made him irresistible. No matter what he was doing, he was there , in the moment, and it was so damn easy to picture other things. For Jeni to close her eyes, block out the sight and sounds of the escalating fight, and imagine all that determination turned toward her.
    Too easy.
    A collective shout from the crowd opened her eyes just in time. Hawk had his opponent up against the bars, unleashing a flurry of punches that left the man sagging and then sliding to the floor. And just like that, the fight was over, ended by a tiny, delicious slip in Hawk's iron self-control.
    If she followed him now...
    A shiver slid up Jeni's spine, and she looked down at the melting ice in her glass. It wasn't fair to push him now, to exploit that slip or the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He would come to her when he was ready.
    Unless he didn't. And he was leaving soon, heading to Six on O'Kane business.
    She grabbed one of the open bottles from the table as she rose. “You ladies have a good time tonight.”
    Nessa let out a whoop of unfettered encouragement. “Go get him, Jeni.”
    Lex was more reserved, limiting herself to a wink and a slow salute with her drink. But she didn't have to speak for Jeni to read the caution in her eyes— watch yourself .
    It was a good idea. A man who was down to fuck and ready to go would have already taken her up on one of her invitations, which meant there was something holding Hawk back. Whether he was just new to the O'Kane lifestyle or had something deeper going on, it would serve her well to remember his reserve.
    Then she pushed through the back door of the warehouse, out into the courtyard, and all of that vanished. Without the exterior lights that normally burned, there was only the moonlight washing over his skin. Her breath caught in her chest, and she couldn't pretend that she hadn't been waiting for this moment. That she hadn't chosen to wear her favorite little black dress tonight on purpose, or decided to go bare beneath it, or strapped on the heeled sandals that made her legs look eight miles long.
    All for this moment.
    He turned to look at her, his tattoos cutting intriguing shadows across his chest and shoulders and down his arms. She'd watched the artwork take form, week after week, month after month—Ace's clever storytelling, his eye for beauty. The ink flowed with Hawk's