Catch, Curse, Release (Immortal Warriors #1) ✅ Completed

Chapter Twenty-Four: Winners and Losers

**A/N: The following chapter contains mature sexual content. However, this is still the EDITED version of this particluar chapter. If you would like to read Chapter 24: Winners and Losers as I originally wrote it (with more graphic language), please read The Desmond Files: Restricted Chapters book on my profile page. Thank you! =c] wendy**

Winners and Losers (**Edited Version**)

Five minutes later Lori had a hard time concentrating on her next move. It would help if she could look at the board without her eyes travelling to the very naked and very well defined chest of one Eric McKenna. She was pretty sure he kept shifting around in his chair so her eyes would have to follow the dance of muscles that rippled along his arms and shoulders. She’d already lost one of her underskirts because she’d been so busy drooling she’d gone over her time limit.

So far she’d lost only two of her underskirts and one of her stockings. When Eric had asked her to remove her hosiery, she’d lifted up her skirts and slowly revealed her modern nylon, held in place by a gold and white garter belt. No matter what she thought of Des, his taste in undergarments was without equal. She was pretty sure he knew exactly what Victoria’s Secret was all about.

When Eric had caught sight of the golden suspenders that held the lacey tops of her stockings in place she’d heard him suck in a sharp breath.

“Wait, lass,” He’d blinked his eyes slowly as he stared at her legs, “What are you wearin’?” he asked, his voice sounding a little strangled.

“Oh this?” she’d asked innocently, “It’s a garter belt. It holds up a lady’s stockings. Have you never seen one before, my lord?”

Eric had only moved his head from side to side as if momentarily struck dumb. Lori tried her best not to laugh out loud. “Would you care for a better look?” she’d asked, rising without waiting for his answer. She’d lifted her full skirts a little higher but not too high – just enough to give him a good eyeful. She’d turned around once before sitting back down. Letting her skirts drop, she reached under them and removed one hose and added it to the pile on the floor.

He’d wasted no time in taking her rook, demanding the other hose but this time asking her to leave her skirts up so he could watch her slide it down her leg. She’d only smiled as she leaned forward to do just that but then easily took his bishop at the last second, causing Eric to groan in frustration as she left her stocking right where it was.

Now it was her move again but she was seriously wondering how smart it was to request Eric’s shirt when she’d taken one of his knights a few moves back. He sat across from her in just his britches and boots, his arms crossed across his chest as he timed her. His dual arm bands tattooed on each bicep looking good enough to lick. She’d initially thought them black but now, upon further study, she realized they were actually purple; a deep purple that matched his clan colors. She followed the curving lines of the slightly tribal tattoo with her eyes, wondering if she’d ever seen anything sexier.

She was pretty sure she hadn’t.

“Time is up lass.” Eric murmured.

Lori’s eyes snapped up, expecting to see a self-satisfied grin on his face but she was mistaken. His face was as intense as she’d ever seen it. It made her stomach flip from the sheer force of it, his eyes sweeping over her entire frame missing nothing.

When he spoke again his voice was hard, the voice of a man who’d given orders his whole life, “Your bodice, lass. Take it off.”   

Because she’d run out of time, Lori was unable to make a saving move. There was nothing for her to do but remove her top. This had been her idea so she wasn’t about to waffle now.