“Get back into position. Let’s try again.”
She groaned, trudged to the other side of the mat, but didn’t argue.
Talon squared up again, all calm and focused, while Kitten bounced on her toes like she was about to try out for a middle school volleyball team. How cute.
“Hands up,” he instructed.
“Theyareup,” she argued, raising them higher.
“Not enough,” Talon said, nudging her elbow. “Again.”
I leaned against the wall, drinking from my water bottle. Talon said we couldn't leave until Rowan managed to pin one of us.
“At this rate, we're going to be here until dinner. Possibly until next fucking week.”
“Shut up, Ryker,” she snapped without looking at me.
Talon moved first. A quick step forward, a shift of weight, and then he swept his leg under her with surgical precision. Rowan hit the mat with a soft thud and a very dramatic groan.
Pinned. Again.
Talon looked down at her. “You keep your stance too wide. It’s easy to take you off balance.”
“Thank you for the public humiliation,” she deadpanned.
“You're welcome.”
She glared at him and got up.
“Again,” Talon said.
Rowan groaned like she was being sentenced to death, but took her place across from him anyway.
They circled. Talon watched her closely. Rowan shifted her weight from foot to foot like she couldn't decide which direction to move in.
Then she did something unexpected.
She faked left, stepped right, ducked under his reach, grabbed his wrist with both hands, and used her entire body weight to yank him forward. Off balance.
For a split second, Talon actually stumbled.
Then Rowan hooked her foot behind his ankle andpulled.
Talon went down.
Talon.
Went.
Fucking.
Down.
I choked on my water, spitting it across the room.
Rowan landed on top of him, breathless and triumphant. “Ha! Did you see that, Ryker?”
She glowed with pride, a huge grin plastered across her face, straddling Talon. For approximately two glorious seconds,she had him pinned. Then Talon blinked, shifted his hips, rolled, and flipped her neatly onto her back like she weighed nothing. He hovered over her, hair a little mussed and breathing heavier than before.
