She nodded, and her muscles relaxed. But she didn’t withdraw her hand.
“A powerful hit with an open palm hurts like hell,” he continued. “Your hand contains the densest bone in your body. Now it might not have as big an impact when slapped against your thigh, but—”
“Like this?” she murmured smacking her hand against his uninjured leg.
It was a playful swat, delivered close enough to his groin to send an altogether different message. His cock perked up and rose to attention as if she’d issued an invitation.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice gruff. “But harder.”
“That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it? Harder?”
“Unless you’re hauling ass, yeah it is.”
She stepped closer. “I’m not running away. I want to try again.”
“I should warn you, I’m going to defend myself,” he murmured.
She nodded and stepped back again.
I can’t take much more of this.
He wanted to pull her close, kiss those full lips, and take her to his bed. He wanted to touch her, taste her, and bury himself inside her—
“Shit,” he said, capturing her wrist a split second before she landed a powerful hit against his windpipe. Instead of mentally stripping off her tank top and sports bra, he needed to pay attention or risk an injury that might sideline him for the night.
“That was close,” he murmured. “Someone else, with less training, would be on the floor fighting to breathe. And when that happens, you—”
“Haul ass.” She smiled. “I know. But if I end up here, caught by my opponent, am I supposed to do this?”
She shifted her body closer and raised her free hand. Her palm brushed his jaw. Her touch was soft, sweet, and unlike any assailant he’d ever encountered. She moved her fingers through his hair. She rose up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. Then, maintaining her hold on him, she drew back.
“No, honey,” he said, his voice rough with wanting. Another hit, another touch, another kiss—he’d take it all. “Do that and you’re asking for a whole world of trouble.”
…
Chrissie stared up at her combat instructor. She wanted to learn self-defense. She’d been glancing over her shoulder ever since the incident after her concert. Knowing she would find a way to come out on top, that a U.S. Navy SEAL would train her—while also watching out for her—was the only thing that had helped her through the long interview with the police.
Her mother had arrived on the scene not long after her manager. Her momma had made a fuss, demanding more security, more from the police, more, more, more. Ever since Chrissie started making money, her mother had developed a fascination with more.
After listing her demands to anyone who would listen, her mother had led Melissa away. Chrissie hated the fact that her little sister was safer somewhere else, away from her. But facing that sad truth had also strengthened her resolve. She would demand that Dante teach her everything he knew. By the time he went back to the job he loved, she wouldn’t need hired muscle. At least not for her peace of mind. Her manager had made it crystal clear that “bodyguard” would be a line item on her budget moving forward.
Chrissie had walked into the room determined. So why was she sabotaging her first lesson?
Because she wanted another night with the man who’d made her scream with pleasure and then tucked her into bed without asking for anything in return. Her mother wasn’t the only one who wanted more from Chrissie’s fame. But what Chrissie wanted didn’t come with a price tag. His hands on her, his lips claiming hers, his body pressed up against her, his mouth delivering another orgasm…
One kiss on-camera, one failed seduction, a wild rescue, and a few conversations? That was the closest she’d come to a relationship in years. She’d been on the road or in a recording studio giving her music her all. She hadn’t looked for a friend, a boyfriend, or a lover. She’d worked.
And then Dante had walked into her life. He’d given her a treat, a break, a taste of sex, without asking for anything. Everyone needed something from her. But not Dante.
She liked him. She trusted him. She respected him. And she wanted him. Plus, he was leaving in a few weeks. The job he loved demanded that he return to duty. They weren’t looking at a potential long-term relationship that would probably implode due to her demanding career. Look at her parents. They barely spent any time together anymore due to the tour schedule and her need to record a new album.
But until he left, until Dante disappeared from her life and returned to his team…
“What kind of trouble?” she asked, stepping closer. She stood with her feet hip-distance apart and straddled his good leg. She rocked her hips and pressed up against the hard length she wanted to feel in her hands and explore with her lips.
Dante stared down at her. “A kiss might give your opponent the impression you want something like this.” He lowered his mouth to her neck.
“I do,” she murmured, closing her eyes.