“Hey, watch it.” Sloane stormed up to Dex who held his ground, his chin lifted defiantly. Rookie had nerve, but he needed to learn his place. Sloane grabbed him, hauled him off his feet and slammed him into the mat. “Stay the fuck down, if you know what’s good for you.”
Dex ignored him, his breath coming out heavy as he got back on his feet and threw a punch. Stupid little bastard didn’t know when to quit. Sloane ducked, grabbed Dex around the waist and once again slammed him back down on the mat. With a low groan, Dex rolled onto his side and pushed himself onto his hands and knees. Sloane wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand as he circled Dex. He’d lost count of how many times he’d dropped Dex, yet the guy kept getting back up. Granted, each time took a little longer than the last, but he pushed himself to his feet regardless. Sloane didn’t know whether to be impressed or aggravated.
“You’re not cut out for this, Rookie.”
Dex didn’t reply, simply glared at him. He charged Sloane with a growl, ducking under Sloane’s right hook and landing a jab to Sloane’s exposed ribs. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Sloane used the adrenaline pumping through his veins to keep going and bring his fists down onto Dex’s back. Dex hit the mat painfully, his head smacking against it.
Fuck. Sloane touched his ribs and winced. Damn, the rookie had gotten him pretty good. “Why don’t you stay down? It’s only going to get worse.”
With a humorless laugh, Dex rolled onto his back, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “Let me guess. This is the part where I’m supposed to go crying home to Daddy. “Ooh, my new partner hates me. Boohoo.” Sloane could see the strain on the rookie’s face as he struggled to stand, sucking in a sharp breath when he straightened. “Well fuck you. Here’s a little FYI for you. I would rather fucking bleed to death than give you the satisfaction, you prick.”
Sloane arched an eyebrow at him. “Charming.”
“I am fucking charming!” Dex shouted, his entire face going beet red. “I am the most charming motherfucker you will ever know, so kiss my perfectly perky ass!”
After some consideration, Sloane cocked his head to one side and shrugged. “I’ve seen better.”
“Oh, now you’re insulting my ass?”
Sloane opened his mouth when a booming voice came over the speaker system.
“Destructive Delta, please report to briefing room “A” in one hour as per Sergeant Maddock’s orders.”
“Looks like you were saved by daddy after all.” Sloane turned to his team and clapped his hands together. “Okay, hit the showers. See you upstairs.” Everyone headed out, and Sloane made his way to the towel rack. He grabbed himself one to wipe his face, and when he turned, he almost ran into Dex, his rig hanging from one hand.
“Well, let’s see it.”
Sloane threw his towel over his shoulder. “See what?”
“You know.”
“Are you asking me to go feral or whip out my dick?”
Dex looked like he was actually considering it. “Come on. I want to see the alpha beneath the asshole. We’ve got lions, and tigers, and….” Dex shifted his gaze to Sloane’s neck, a strange little smile coming onto his face as he looked back up at Sloane. “Jaguar. Oh my.”
Holy shit, the guy was serious.
Dex shrugged. “I don’t see what the big deal is. You’re my partner, we’re in a wide open space, and there are vending machines down the hall for post shift. We’ve got time before we need to get to the briefing room. It’s my turn to see what I’m dealing with.”
Sloane mulled it over. “Okay.”
“Yeah?”
“Sure.” Sloane circled Dex and crowded him, making him retreat until his back hit the wall. With his arms to the sides of Dex’s head, he watched Dex’s Adam’s apple bob as his new partner swallowed hard. Just as Sloane suspected, Dex was clearly having second thoughts about seeing the “big bad alpha.” He leaned in close, his lips inches away from Dex’s jaw as he inhaled deeply. “Do you know why jaguar Therians are the most lethal of the Felids?”
“Um….”
“My Therian bite has twice the strength of a lion’s. I can use a deep-throat, bite-and-suffocation technique where my fangs pierce through the temporal bones of your skull, right between your ears and pierce your brain.” Sloane gave a little demonstration with his fingers on Dex’s scalp, earning him a scowl. Sloane laughed then whispered in Dex’s ear. “I bet the only word you heard from all that was deep-throat.”
Dex lifted his chin, his eyes dropping once again to Sloane’s mouth before moving back up to meet his gaze. He licked his lips, his eyes clouding over. “Your pupils are dilated. Does that mean you want to fuck me or eat me? Because I might have a problem with one of those.”
Sloane congratulated himself on not letting his surprise show. Rookie definitely had some balls. He curled a hand around Dex’s neck and gave it a gentle squeeze, fully aware of the stirring in his groin. He chose to ignore it. “Next time a stupid idea occurs to you, keep it to yourself. I’m not here to perform tricks for you, and I sure as fuck am not your pet. You got me?”
“Got it.” Dex gave him a curt nod then held a finger up. “Question.”
“No.” Sloane pulled back and strode out of the training room with Dex on his heels. He did his best to ignore the guy, but he didn’t know what he found more disturbing—when the rookie wouldn’t shut up or when he actually did. Sloane glanced over, releasing a groan when he saw the wide grin on Dex’s face. “What?”
Dex gave a lazy shrug. “Nothing.”