“Oh, I can take whatever you dish out, big boy, don’t worry.” She gave a slight shrug. “Don’t want to hurt you, that’s all. Doesn’t seem fair, with your limp and all.”
“Right.” He bit back a grin. “Well, low blow aside, I’ve taken on warriors twice your size and won every time, so a little half-pint like you should be no trouble at all.”
Fierce competitiveness flashed in her amber eyes and her Cheshire Cat smile widened. His traitorous cock twitched in response. “Okay then. You’ve got yourself a sparring partner, buddy. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Twenty minutes later, Heath was back in the basement, warm and dry and stretching out his now-stiff muscles in preparation for teaching Aileen a thing or two about messing with an ex-military man. He’d just bent over to touch his toes when a creak sounded on the stairs behind him. He glanced back and nearly swallowed his damned tongue.
Gone was the bulky Santa suit and clunky boots. In its place was a pair of black, form-fitting yoga pants and a pastel pink sports bra that revealed far more than it concealed. If she’d planned to use distraction to her advantage, then she’d done well. He also didn’t miss the way her gaze caught on his backside, currently in the air because of his position, or the slight blush of color now staining her cheeks. Okay then. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who could use their body for distraction purposes tonight.
He straightened, then decided to remove the T-shirt he’d put on after returning from the cold outside. Slowly, Heath pulled the garment over his head before tossing it aside, giving her ample opportunity to ogle him to her heart’s content. He might be out of the Navy now, but he still kept himself in fighting shape and knowing his toned physique got her attention gave him a small thrill of pleasure. By the time he faced her fully, her cheeks were a darker shade of pink and her lips were parted slightly.
His gaze was suddenly riveted there, watching as her pink tongue peeked out to lick her full bottom lip and through the thin material of her top, he saw her nipples hardened. As if caught in a spell, his own body tightened, hardened, and his throat constricted with need before he forced himself to turn away. “If you’re ready, we can get started.”
“Uh, yeah,” Aileen said, her voice sounding breathy and distant. “Let’s do it.”
The double entendre wasn’t lost on Heath, or his cock. And now all he could seem to picture was him, taking her over and over again—against the wall, on the floor, upstairs in his bed; licking and stroking and tasting and claiming every square inch of her soft, supple little body. He damned near groaned before he severed the sound.
Heath could see now how this workout had been a massive mistake in judgement on his part, but it was too late to back out now. Especially after he’d called her on doing basically the same thing earlier. Nope. He’d have to see this through. No matter the consequences.
“Yep.” He walked to one side of the mat in the middle of the large space and crouched slightly, preparing for her attack. “Proceed.”
* * *
Aileen eyed her opponent from across the room, circling him slowly as she waited for him to strike. Krav Maga was about self-defense, not attacking, and though she could go on the offensive if necessary, she really wanted to see how Heath was going to handle fighting her.
She took a deep breath and shook her arms to keep her muscles loose, her eyes never leaving his as they went around and around like two caged tigers ready to defend their territory.
“Are we going to dance all night or are you going to make good on your promise of a workout?” she taunted, hoping to get a rise out of him. Also hoping to distract herself, to keep her gaze from drifting down his handsome face to his flawless, toned chest—smooth except for that tantalizing dark trail of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his sweatpants. Was he wearing anything under them? The possible answer to that question dried her mouth and she licked her lips, aware that he tracked the tiny movement, his own mouth falling open slightly and his breath growing deeper, harder.
At last he made a growling sound deep in his throat and came at her, his large hands landing on her shoulders and she reacted on pure instinct, her years of classes kicking in without thought. He was a good foot taller and had at least fifty pounds of solid muscle on her, but size didn’t matter in Krav Maga and that was why she’d chosen it. Aileen took a large step back with one leg, bracing herself as she brought her arms up between his—crossed at the forearms, Wonder Woman-style. Then she twisted her arms as she flung them outward, using the full force of her body weight. Once she’d broken his hold, she slammed her hands against his ears in a double-pound strike. Heath yelped and grabbed his head, doubling over, and that’s when she went for a knee to the stomach. With a loud “ooofff” he fell to his knees then rolled over flat on his back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling while he blinked hard.
“Jesus,” he said, breathless. “I thought we were pulling our punches here.”
“I did,” she said, smiling down at him. “I could’ve kneed you in the balls. You’re welcome.”
“Fuck.” Heath shook his head then rubbed his eyes. “I’m dizzy.”
“An ear strike will do that to you. Sorry. I tried to not hit so hard.” Pride welled up inside her, along with concern. The guy looked seriously nauseous, the tanned color in his cheeks draining away to leave a sickly green tone behind. Aileen knelt beside him and reached over to rub his temples. “Close your eyes and relax. This helps make the dizziness go away.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, doing as she instructed. “Guess I didn’t rate any tough-guy points with that display, huh?”
She gazed down at his gorgeous face, a bit of his color returning, and the tension inside her re
laxed a tad. She’d just wanted to teach him a lesson—that she could take care of herself—not hurt him. Aileen leaned forward slightly, giving in to her urge to kiss him without even realizing she was doing it. Before her mouth reached his, however, he’d locked his hands around her wrists and levered his body up, rolling her beneath him and trapping her between his powerful thighs.
Her heart thumped and moisture gathered between her legs, even as her embarrassment grew at her own stupidity. She’d allowed him to distract her and he’d taken full advantage, as any good warrior would. Her Krav Maga instructor would’ve been appalled. Yet as she laid there, staring up into Heath’s stormy gray eyes, feeling his bare chest brush against her with each inhalation, his warm, heavy weight pressing her firmly against the cold mat beneath them, all she could do was wish he’d hurry up and kiss her already before she exploded.
“How about now?” he asked, heat and humor dancing in his gaze.
“How about now what?” Aileen rocked her hips upward, grinding against him in blatant invitation. Fighting against her attraction to him was too damned hard, and she was too damned tired now to keep up the pretense. And yes, her brother might be mortified that she’d slept with his best friend, but sometimes a girl had to do what a girl had to do. Right now? Aileen needed to feel him inside her more than she needed her next breath.
At the rubbing of her body against his, separated only by thin fabric, Heath gasped and held her wrists tight to the mat beside her head. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” She did it again.
“That, dammit.” His voice sounded strained and a darkening scowl grew on his face. “We can’t.”
“Can’t what?” Instead of grinding into him, this time she arched, brushing her sensitive nipples against his chest. A small moan escaped her before she could bite it back. She knew she was acting like a cat in heat, but hell if she could stop herself now. She wanted him too badly. “Can’t that?”