Captivated

Liam had just motioned for her to follow him to the punching bag, Alyssa’s eyes widening at the thought of trying it for herself.

“Uh, what? No, no thank you. I really don’t feel like embarrassing myself tonight,” Alyssa laughed, inwardly groaning when Liam basically ignored her and pulled her over to the bag himself.

“Here, hold out your hands,” he commanded, taping her hands up for her. “Alright, let me see you make a fist.” Alyssa held up both of her hands, clenching them into fists. “That’s really good, actually. Your thumb is in the right position so it won’t break if you hit something hard. So far so good,” he commented. Alyssa smiled up at him and he pulled his gaze away from her hands and locked eyes with her, giving her his own shy smile. “Alright uh, take your stance.”

“My what?”

“Your stance,” Liam repeated. Alyssa gave him the same blank look, not having any idea what he wanted from her. “Here,” he stated, walking behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. He pushed her forward lightly, positioning her in front of the bag, and then suddenly Alyssa felt one of his hands on her left hip while the other hand was on her inner thigh right by her knee. She would have said something if she trusted her voice, but then he did the same thing to her other leg and whatever had been left of her voice was completely gone now. “There,” Liam finished, moving to stand by her side. “Feet are shoulder width apart.”

“Oh, my stance,” Alyssa laughed at herself.

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Liam was confused as he looked at her.

“I know that’s what you said, but it’s not what you think I heard,” Alyssa explained. “I am so sorry. Your accent, ‘stonce’…I didn’t know what that was.”

Liam let out a large laugh, and Alyssa was relieved that he wasn’t offended. “I’ll try to sound more American next time,” he assured. Alyssa nodded and they got serious once more as Alyssa listened carefully to Liam’s instructions on how to punch. He even stood behind her and gripped her arm and hand in his, and while it was a very effective teaching technique, Alyssa had a few problems focusing with him pressed up against her.

Ten minutes later however, Alyssa was throwing pretty damn good punches as Liam held the punching bag from the other side and offered words of encouragement. Conversation flowed effortlessly, the two of them getting to know each other fairly quickly and easily. Eventually Alyssa tired out, collapsing against the bag and looking up at a grinning Liam. “I am…exhausted,” she breathed out.

“I’m impressed though,” Liam replied. “You picked it up pretty quickly. You should keep it up.”

“I might. It was fun,” Alyssa nodded, pushing herself upright and holding her hands in front of her as she walked towards the locker rooms. “You’re going to have to e-mail me directions on how to wrap my hands though,” she joked as she failed miserably at picking the tape off.

“Here, let me,” he motioned, taking her hands in his as he set to work. They stood in the hallway of the locker rooms, the men’s room behind him and the women’s room behind her, with the sauna further down at the end of the hall. No one was around, due to it being almost one o’clock in the morning despite the fact it was a twenty-four hour gym.

Alyssa let out a slow hiss once the tape was all off, flexing her fingers a bit. Liam shot her a concerned look, prompting her to speak. “I’m not really used to repeatedly punching things,” she grinned. Liam grinned back, but it faded slightly when he took her hands in his and examined her fingers.

“Yeah, they’ll probably be a bit sore for a while,” he nodded. “Sorry, I should have warned you. I hope you don’t have a job that requires you to do a lot of typing or writing…?”

“Actually…I do,” Alyssa sighed, causing Liam to scrunch up his face.

“Damn, sorry.”

“Not your fault,” she shrugged.

“I wish I could make it better for you somehow,” he told her. “We can get you some ice for it, or when you go home put a bag of frozen vegetables on your knuckles.” Alyssa nodded, thinking the conversation was over, but he was still looking at her hands.

Alyssa watched in slow motion as he brought her right hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles before pressing a kiss to each fingertip. Her throat was as dry as ever, and the only thing she could mutter was an inaudible “Oh.” His fingers rotated her hand so her palm was now at his lips, and then he moved them along to her wrist. His teeth scraped lightly at the sensitive flesh, causing Alyssa’s knees to buckle slightly. Liam caught this, moving forward until her back hit the wall, pressing up against her while at the same time supporting her up. His lips traveled up her arm and landed on her shoulder, where he slid the strap of her tank top down to give his mouth better access. “Liam,” Alyssa whimpered, neither of them sure if her tone was encouraging or cautionary.

Liam dragged his lips all the way to her collarbone and up to her neck, sucking lightly and making Alyssa moan softly. The noise made Liam pull back, as if just realizing what he was doing, and he stared at her face. His gaze traveled from her soft lips to her rosy cheeks and finally onto her eyes, locking their stares. He stayed motionless, completely pressed up against her, determined to let her decide what their next moves would be.

Alyssa felt his brown eyes searching hers, and she was sure right then that she had never seen a more rich, deep brown before in her entire life. Not only that, but he was like a human version of a puppy, and the eyes he was giving her would make even the toughest women cave in. A quick glance to either side of her head brought his bulging biceps into view, seeing as he was trapping her against the wall.

“Alyssa,” he finally managed to choke out, not sure how much longer he was going to be able to wait. A million thoughts were running through her head, and she didn’t know which one to address first. There was the issue of them being in a public area, there was the problem that she was self-conscious as all hell, and there was also the little fact that she had no idea who this guy was. He wasn’t even from the same continent as her, let alone the same country.

Liam, realizing he was losing Alyssa to her thoughts, rolled his hips slightly against hers to remind her of the topic at hand. Her eyes snapped back up to his gaze, which looked even more like a puppy dog if that were possible. She watched his neck as he swallowed hard, and suddenly Alyssa was ready to throw caution to the wind. She pushed herself up on her toes, pressing herself further against him and crashed her lips to his.

He responded immediately, a relieved groan escaping his throat. He grabbed at her then, one hand winding around to the back of her neck and pulling her closer while the other was still propped against the wall and supporting their weight.

Alyssa’s fingers were trailing down Liam’s naked chest, scratching lightly and causing him to emit a small growl. His hands immediately gripped her hips hard, grunting out a “Jump for me, baby,” as he used her momentum to lift her and guide her legs around his waist. He kissed her hard once more, walking toward the enclosed and completely private sauna and locking them in.

Liam sat down with Alyssa in his lap, his hands moving everywhere from her thighs to her hips to her back. Her hands gripped his shoulders hard, admiring the hard muscles she felt underneath her palms. She felt Liam’s fingers slip beneath her shirt, but much to her dismay they remained respectfully at her hips. She shifted herself a little, trying to nudge his fingers elsewhere, but all she did was cause Liam to suck in a breath as she rubbed herself against him. Her action was not all in vain, however, because Liam took the hint and moved his hands up along her ribcage, taking the shirt with him. He threw it to the side, pressing his lips to the top of her breasts that were visible above her bra. She felt his tongue dart out and lick her skin, causing her to shiver despite the blazing heat of the sauna.

The humid temperature of the sauna was making their bodies slick with sweat, and Alyssa was having a hard time finding anything firm to grasp onto. She raked her nails down his back in frustration at not being able to grab at him, and in return he groaned and bit the area where her neck met her shoulders.

He soothed the spot immediately with his tongue, reaching behind her to undo her bra. He fumbled for a few moments before Alyssa pulled back and removed the garment herself. “It’s a sports bra,” she said, breathless. “No clasp.”

Liam grinned before letting his eyes travel down to her naked chest, and Alyssa clenched her fists at her sides to resist the urge to cover herself up. She had always felt self conscious with other men, but there was something about Liam that made her feel much more carefree and confident. Alyssa jolted a little when Liam grabbed her clenched fists, considering she had been expecting him to grab at something else.

Almost as if he had been able to read her mind, he uncurled her clenched fingers and intertwined them with his own. He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, then her cheek, and then settled his lips against her ear. “You’re beautiful.”

He pulled back, looking into her eyes to make sure she knew he was serious. Alyssa bit her lip, smiling lightly before kissing him softly. He turned them to the side then, laying her down against the long cedar bench. His body covered hers, their torsos slick with sweat and sliding together easily as he rubbed himself against her some more.

There was a sudden banging against the door, causing Liam to pull away quickly and shield Alyssa behind him, just in case he hadn’t locked the sauna door like he thought he had. “Sorry to bother you,” a voice called out. “But I heard a few guys saying they were headed in here in a couple minutes and just thought I’d give you guys a heads up. Have fun,” the anonymous helper finished.

“Uh, thanks,” Liam uttered out in response. Alyssa threw her hands over her face, not sure if she was more embarrassed that she had actually been about to have sex in a public place or that someone else had noticed them. “Come on, love,” Liam pulled her up, handing her shirt and bra to her. She threw on the shirt, clutching the bra in her hand as she walked straight to the door. She unlocked it and peeked out, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw nobody. She walked out quickly, making a beeline for the women’s locker room. “Lyss,” Liam called out, unsuccessfully. She didn’t respond or even slow down to look at him, so Liam jogged a bit to catch up with her. “Alyssa,” he repeated, right behind her as she pushed through the door to the locker room. The door closed promptly in his face, causing him to stop abruptly and pound his fist against the door.

Liam turned around to head into the men’s locker room, pausing to let a few people pass him on the way to the sauna. He raised his eyebrow, silently thanking whoever had come to warn them just in time.

Alyssa splashed cool water on her face, trying to counteract the burn she was sure was still showing on her cheeks. She had no idea what had gotten into her. Yes, Liam was attractive, but he was also a complete and total stranger. And they were at the gym for fuck’s sake! In the sauna of all places. What the hell was she thinking?

She rested her hands against the counter and looked up into the mirror, ready to mentally scold herself. She stopped short however, seeing her flushed reflection. Liam’s love bites were all over her neck and collarbone, her cheeks were tinted pink, and her lips were rosy and swollen from his kisses. She was practically glowing, and she had to admit that despite not knowing her, Liam had managed to make her feel more beautiful than any other guy ever had.

She tore her gaze away from the mirror, taking a deep breath and pushing herself away from the sink. She grabbed her gym bag and exited the room quickly, hoping Liam had decided to shower so she wouldn’t have to face him. Not only was she embarrassed about the entire situation, but also the way she handled herself afterwards. She just couldn’t bring herself to face him after she had exited the sauna, feeling somewhat like an easy hussy.

After a cautious look outside the locker room, Alyssa deemed it safe enough to leave. Her eyes were constantly scanning the entire gym, and she was ready to bolt at any glimpse of him.

Only after she was out in the cool, brisk night air did she let out the breath she had been holding. She began to walk to her car, her knees buckling at the quiet “Hey,” behind her.