“Uh oh, you are gonna get it,” Rowe taunted.
“Hey, I’ve got some moves, too, you know.”
“Oh, I know that better than anyone else here.” He threw a wink at his boyfriend.
They reached the mats and the onlookers parted instantly to let them through. “What’s wrong, Hadeon? Don’t like porn? Everyone likes porn.” Noah tugged off his shirt as he walked to Andrei. Rowe knew it was because the shirt was too loose and would give Andrei something to easily grip for a toss, but damn…he liked looking at all those wide, firm muscles.
He noticed he wasn’t the only person enjoying the view either. Men and women alike had their gazes locked on Noah’s chest. One woman had taken a few steps toward him onto the mats. Rowe snickered.
Andrei didn’t say anything. All he did was raise his fingers in the traditional motion that meant, Bring it.
Noah stepped onto the mat, bouncing up on the balls of his feet, his hands raised up to the sides of his face. Rowe watched him move, the easy grace of his muscles playing under golden skin. Noah had well over a decade as an Army Ranger on his side, though he doubted that Noah spent an exorbitant amount of time working on his hand-to-hand fighting skills. Under most circumstances, Noah would have had the upper hand in a street fight against one or two opponents.
But not when it came to Andrei.
“Today, we’re working on takedowns,” Andrei announced in a loud, even voice as if he were teaching a class.
“If you think you can take me down,” Noah taunted. His right hand shot out. Even from where Rowe stood, he knew that Noah had no intention of hitting Andrei. It was a flicker shot to annoy and judge distance as Noah flashed his fingers in front of Andrei’s face. But in a blink, Andrei trapped the arm. He paused for a heartbeat, a wicked grin spread across his face. Then Andrei shifted Noah’s trapped arm in a series of locks until Andrei’s free hand was on the back of Noah’s head. Andrei dropped to his knee and Noah went flying head over feet more than five feet across the room to land on his back.
Everyone in the silent room gasped and took a step back from the mats while Andrei smoothly rose. “That is kali. A reverse punta kapiala.” A loud cheer went up and Rowe noted that a few cell phones appeared around the room as people started filming.
Rowe looked at his lover who was lying flat on his back, blinking several times as if to clear his head. “You okay down there, killer?” Rowe asked, standing over Noah.
Noah grimaced at him and rolled to his knees. “That was just luck,” Noah grumbled.
Rowe stepped back to the edge of the mat while Noah regained his feet and walked over to Andrei, his hands back up in the guard. But this time, he had a little more distance between himself and Andrei, warier of the slimmer man.
“I thought you’d appreciate the porn,” Noah teased. “With Lucas out of town, you’ve got to be feeling a little lonely.”
Andrei said nothing as Noah taunted and threw punches. He blocked and dodged them with practiced ease. And then again, in just an instant, Andrei was pressed up against Noah, his face buried in Noah’s neck while one arm was under Noah’s armpit, the other arm wrapped the top of his free arm. Andrei bent his legs, dropping his hips so that they were just a little lower than Noah’s, their groins pressed tight together. It looked like a lover’s embrace for a heartbeat and then Andrei was flinging Noah over his hip and down onto the mat with a thick thwap filling the air as sweaty flesh met vinyl.
“Judo hip toss,” Andrei murmured.
Noah growled and immediately got back up. He didn’t even get a shot in on Andrei. In a flash, the fighter was positioned behind Noah, arms wrapped around his waist while Andrei’s groin was pressed against Noah’s ass. Rowe felt a stirring in his own lower regions as Andrei lifted and tossed Noah in a classic Greco-Roman wrestling belly-to-back suplex.
Andrei rolled to his feet and stepped away. He grabbed his tank and pulled it off, using it to wipe the sweat dotting his brow. It was easy to see that Andrei was holding back, carrying Noah through the throws, protecting him so that Noah didn’t risk breaking something.
“Is it because I used only gay porn that you’re upset?” Noah called, still lying flat on his back on the black mat. “Do you prefer het porn when your man is out of town?”
People surrounding the mats laughed, but Andrei’s neutral expression didn’t change as he watched Noah push to his feet. His movements were a little slower this time. Getting slammed to the mat again and again wasn’t an easy thing on the body.