“How about nothing above the neck?” I said.
“Didn’t plan on it, starshine.” He started bouncing on the balls of his feet and throwing easy punches at the air to warm himself up. Sadly, his hard-on seemed to have disappeared, and kissing looked like it was off the table—for now.
I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I did some limbering up. He was fast and smooth, undeniably strong and fit. Shade seemed pretty easygoing overall, but there was obviously a born warrior underneath. Or one of those alpha animals. There was an innate dominance about him that he didn’t really show off, but that he didn’t downplay, either. It was just there, a part of him.
And he threw a wicked right hook.
I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the wrong side of him in a fight that wasn’t just for some training fun. There was no doubt about it; he would kick my ass. I was no pushover, as I’d had to prove a time or ten on the Mile when Jax hadn’t been around, and I could get the jump on someone when I tried, but my strong suits were blending in, getting in and out of places undetected, and giving the galactic goons the slippery runaround.
Shade moved into kicks, and even just for warm-up, the strong pivot of his bottom foot and the hard snap of his kicking leg made his roundhouse look lethal to me. Cage fighting had been outlawed, but it still happened on some of the seedier spacedocks, and Shade Ganavan could probably have made a fortune at it—as long as he didn’t mind having a few of his features rearranged.
The man I was falling for was powerful and skilled, and I liked the idea of having a top predator showing me how to better defend myself. Truthfully, I needed the training. I had a few good moves, but when they didn’t work out, I could easily end up at a loss.Run really fastwasn’t always a solution, either, and I had two years in prison as proof of that. It would have been a lifetime if other people’s bad luck hadn’t turned into my good fortune.
Shade could obviously be as big a bruiser as his punching bag, but I wasn’t worried about him using his strength against me. My thoughts just kept veering off in other directions—like how much safer every day might feel with him watching my back.
I blinked hard.Stop it.
Self-chiding wasn’t very effective, but it was a start. A modicum of effort on my part to stay reasonable and on track. I would be leaving soon, and mine were ridiculous thoughts.
Shade nodded for me to start. “Show me some of what you’ve got, and then we’ll take it from there.”
A giddy fizz of emotions effervesced inside me again. I couldn’t help stupidly loving any interaction with Shade, even though physically, I still felt like a slug. I did my best to put on a good show and started circling him, looking for an opening. He kept his guard up, watching me. I threw the first punch, and Shade dodged. I tried again.
“You’re transparent as hell. Try not to turn into the punch three hours before you throw it,” he said.
“Three hours?” I grumbled, circling again.
He winked. “Just a tip, sugar.”
I narrowed my eyes.
He moved in, and I danced back. His first punch was so half-assed that I easily stopped it with my glove. A few seconds later, I aimed a kick at his ribs. His hand swept down to block my foot, and his solid forearm sent me hopping back, off-balance.
Shade arched his brows.
Shit.I was making a fool of myself.
He came at me again like he almost meant it, throwing a punch that had me rearing back. I got out of the way in time, and his hit didn’t connect, although I was starting to wonder if he would have let it. Even so, the next thing I knew, my butt hit the mat. Impact jarred a grunt out of me. I’d fallen over, and Shade hadn’t even touched me.
“Tess?” He looked down at me, his eyebrows drawing into a frown.
I blinked. There were two of him. I blinked again. Okay—one.
I decided to admit the truth. “I may not be up for this tonight.”
He scowled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I…” I was too tired to think up a good lie. “I gave blood before coming here. I may have given too much.”
“How much?” he asked.
“Five bags.”
“Five bags!” Shade exploded toward me, dropping to his knees on the mat. “Are you crazy?” He tore off his gloves and then picked me up. I looped my arms around his neck as the room tilted. He carried me like I was small—and I wasnot. I closed my eyes, willing the spinning to stop.
He walked a few steps and then shifted his hold on me. I heard him jiggle a door handle. When I opened my eyes again, he was taking me down a softly lit corridor. I caught flashes of other rooms, but then he turned right, and I found myself being set down on a bed. His bed, I supposed. It was nice. Soft. The bedding was dark brown and slightly textured under my hands and bare feet.
I took stock of the room, which was pretty empty. I could smell Shade in here—or rather the soap he used. There was something fresh about it, like a forest, or the outdoors. I wasn’t quite sure. I didn’t know much about that.
