In Too Deep

Chapter 21

I follow Taylor to the center of the room and stand directly in front of her, my height exaggerated with her so close. She doesn’t even clear my chin. Her face is calm like I have no effect on her, but her hands are balled into fists at her sides. I can tell she’s exasperated by me, just like I am by her.

“There are three main things I want to work with you on over the next few weeks. We’ll practice self-defense techniques for standing, when you’re pinned to the ground, and when fighting someone with a weapon.”

She nods. “Sounds good to me.”

“We’ll start with what to do when your attacker gets you down on the ground, since it can be the most vulnerable position.” I place my hands on her shoulders, looking down at her solemnly, wondering how she’ll be able to protect herself from someone like Lars if I wasn’t around. Maybe I should talk to McAllister about pairing us up together permanently. Distracted by her blue eyes, I look over the top of her head, shaking the thought away. That’s crazy, right?

“Stick to standing as much as possible, that way you can strike your opponent and run away.”

She nods again, looking up at me with trust.

“But despite your best attempts at that, you may get taken to the ground.” I sweep her feet out from under her, forcing her to the ground and lay her gently on her back against the floor. I lie down on top of her, pinning her underneath me.

She lets out a little gasp at the quickness of it and my pulse spikes.

“You okay?” I lean back, studying her.

“Fine.” Her voice is soft.

“Okay then.” I shift, conscious of keeping most of my weight off of her. “When someone’s on top of you, your natural instinct is going to be to push them off of you.”

She pushes against my chest.

I smile down at her. “That’s the wrong thing to do.”

She drops her hands, realizing she’s been outmaneuvered, her lips pulled into a tight line. Damn it, I need to stop looking at her mouth.

I clear my throat. “Pushing against someone at this distance, when they have the upper hand isn’t going to do anything.” Balancing my weight on my elbows, I take her hands, and bring them up to my shoulders. “Instead pull your attacker closer. Wrap your arms around my neck, and pull me toward you.”

She pulls my head flat to her chest.

I breathe her in. Vanilla, clean body wash and feminine sweetness. I find my voice, remembering the lesson. “Good. You’ve incapacitated me from punching or hitting you. Now wrap your legs around my back, interlocking your ankles.”

She brings her legs up and I feel them wrap firmly around my back holding us in place. Damn. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.

“Good. Now with your attacker close, you want to drive your thumbs right into his eye sockets.”

She places her thumbs over my eyes, without applying pressure.

“And remember, in the real thing, you’re not just poking him in the eyes, you’re trying to blind him.”

“Got it.”

“And after the eye gouge, unhook one of your legs from my back, and slip your knee underneath me, sweeping us both over to the side so you can take the top mount position.”

She unhooks one leg, then pushes up and over, causing us both to roll and her to land on top of me, pinning me to the floor with her thighs.

I clear my throat, looking up at her. “Um, good.” I take a second to catch my breath, watching her. Her cheeks are flushed too. “Now you start punching, choking, and doing whatever you have to do.” I pick up her hands and imitate moves like she’s hitting me. She’s like my puppet. Her mouth lifts up in a smile. “Within a few seconds, he’ll stop fighting and bring his arms up to block his face. And then you hop up and run. And keep running until you’re safe.”

She smiles down at me, letting her hands drop. “Can we do that again?”

I sit up and lift her off of me.

We practice the moves again and again, and each time we repeat it I can see her confidence grow, knowing she can free herself.

She begins to get faster at freeing herself and after a few times, we were both sweaty and out of breath. She straddles me again, grinning that little smirk that I both love and hate. I smile back at her unsure what she’s thinking.

“What?” I breathe.

She shakes her head. “Nothing.” But the way she’s looking at me says otherwise.

Sitting in my lap, she shifts ever so slightly, and that’s when I notice it. Fuck. When did that happen? She’s gotten me hard.

I can tell that exact second she notices it too. Her body tenses, her sweet mouth forming into an “O” in utter surprise, and then something else…curiosity? I watch her, barely breathing. Then her lips curl into a grin. She laughs and punches me in the chest. “Mr. Palmer,” she chides, still laughing.

This is not an area of my body I like people laughing at. In one quick motion, I pick her up, lifting her from my lap and stand, leaving her sitting on the floor. Even though I’ve tried time and again to convince myself there’s nothing between us, I can’t deny the chemistry we have.

I turn away, but in a room filled with mirrors, there’s no hiding from her watchful gaze. I reach for a towel, wiping the sweat from my neck. “We’re done. Go shower.” My voice is rough, commanding.

I can tell she’s thinking Yes didn’t satisfy me completely, not when she’s having this effect on me in her sweat pants and T-shirt. And my body can’t deny it – it’s completely true.

I turn and leave without a word, desperately in need of a cold shower.