CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE #2
For the next ten minutes, Jude watched as Dawn put Angela through her paces, working on escaping from a variety of grips.
“Okay. Let’s see how you do against Jude.”
Angela looked at him with wide eyes, then nodded.
Jude watched the uncertainty flicker across Angela's face and felt his protective instincts flare. He wanted to reassure her, but he also knew she needed to push through this barrier. Fighting against someone larger and stronger was the whole point of the training.
"I'll start easy," he said, moving onto the mat. "Just like Dawn did with you."
Angela took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. The determination in her stance reminded him of the way she'd confronted her mother at the resort—that same quiet steel beneath the surface.
He approached her slowly, reaching for her wrist with deliberate, telegraphed movements. She responded exactly as she'd been taught, stepping into him and twisting away from his grip. Her technique was solid, but he could feel the hesitation in her movements.
"Good," he said. "But you need to commit to the movement. If you hesitate, you give your attacker time to adjust."
Angela nodded, her jaw set with concentration. "Again?"
This time when he reached for her, she moved with more conviction. Her escape was cleaner, faster, and she followed through with the palm strike Dawn had taught her. The heel of her hand connected with his chest—not hard enough to hurt, but with enough force that he felt it.
"Better," he said, stepping back. "Much better."
The approval in his voice seemed to bolster her confidence. Her shoulders relaxed slightly, and when she looked at him, there was less fear in her eyes.
"Let's try something more challenging," he said, wanting to see how she'd handle a more realistic scenario.
Jude moved toward her again, this time with less telegraphing. He reached for her shoulder, and Angela reacted immediately, ducking under his arm and spinning away. Her movement was fluid, instinctive, and he felt a surge of pride at her progress.
"Excellent," Dawn called from the sidelines. "That was much more natural."
Angela's face lit up at the praise, and Jude had to fight back a smile. The transformation in her confidence over the past few weeks had been remarkable to witness.
"One more," he said, knowing he needed to push her just a little further. "This time, I'm going to grab your wrist and not let go easily."
Angela nodded, though he saw her swallow hard. When he moved toward her this time, he didn't hold back as much. His hand closed around her delicate wrist with firm pressure, the kind of grip that would genuinely require technique to break.
For a moment, Angela froze. He could feel the tension in her arm, the way her muscles locked up in response to being restrained. The fear was back in her eyes, and Jude had to resist the urge to immediately release her.
But then he watched something shift in her expression. Her jaw tightened, and instead of pulling away, she stepped toward him just as Dawn had taught her.
She twisted her wrist toward his thumb, and when his grip loosened slightly, she swept her leg behind his and pushed hard against his chest with her free hand. Jude, caught off guard by the unexpected move, lost his balance and toppled backward, landing on the mat with a solid thud.
For a moment, the gym was completely silent. Then Dawn let out a whoop of triumph.
"That's what I'm talking about!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Perfect execution, Angela!"
Angela stood frozen, staring down at Jude with wide eyes and parted lips. The realization of what she'd just done seemed to hit her all at once—she'd taken down the head of security, a man with years of training and experience.
He’d learned a couple of valuable lessons in the exchange as well. Being near Angela was a huge distraction. But also, he needed to not underestimate her ability. That combination was going to land him on the floor at her feet again if he didn’t get a handle on those things.
"I'm so sorry," she gasped, reaching out a hand to help him up. "I didn't mean to—"
"Don't apologize," Jude said, taking her offered hand, even though he didn’t need her help and rose to his feet. His pride in her accomplishment far outweighed any embarrassment he might have felt. "That was exactly what you were supposed to do."
He noticed a flush creeping up her neck as she released his hand. The warmth of her skin lingered on his palm, and he resisted the urge to flex his fingers.
"But I didn't think I'd actually—" She gestured vaguely at the mat where he'd just been sprawled.
"Take me down?" Jude finished for her, the corner of his mouth lifting. "That's the whole point, Angela. The techniques work if you commit to them.”
"I'll try to remember that."
"Let's take five," Dawn announced, glancing between them with that knowing look that made Jude want to avert his eyes. "Hydrate, everyone. Then we'll switch partners."
As Angela moved toward the water cooler at the side of the room, Jude followed, suddenly parched. She filled a paper cup and handed it to him before filling one for herself.
"Thanks for not going easy on me," she said, taking a small sip of water. "It helps me understand what I'm actually capable of."
Jude studied her profile as she drank, noting the way strands of her hair had come loose from its ponytail during their sparring session. A few of them clung to her damp neck, and he wondered what it would feel like to brush them away.
"You're stronger than you think," he said, forcing his attention back to her words rather than on the graceful curve of her neck. "You just needed to believe it."
She turned to fully face him, and the proximity hit him like a physical force. They were standing close enough that he could see the flecks of green in her blue eyes.
"I wouldn't have believed it if someone had told me I could do that," she admitted, her voice soft. "Take down someone like you."
The admiration in her tone sent warmth spreading through his chest. He'd been praised by Duncan countless times, had earned the respect of his security team through years of proving himself, but somehow Angela's quiet acknowledgment meant more than all of that combined.
"You did good," he said, his voice gruff.
Something shifted in her expression, a softness that made his pulse quicken. Not much in his world was soft. Yet Angela had come into his life, softness wrapped around strength. It was so appealing to him, and right then, he wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her close.
For a moment, the noise of the gym faded into the background—Dawn's instructions to Kiara, Annie's quiet encouragement—and it felt like they were the only two people in the room.
"Angela." Her name escaped his lips as barely more than a whisper.
She took a small step closer, and Jude felt his resolve wavering like a candle’s flame in the wind.
Everything he'd told himself about maintaining professional boundaries, about protecting both their positions within the Burke family—it all seemed suddenly insignificant compared to the pull he felt toward her.
"Jude, I—"
"Alright, everyone!" Dawn's voice cut through the moment like a blade. "Let's switch things up. Kiara, you get Jude."
The spell broke instantly. Angela stepped back, color flooding her cheeks as she looked away. Jude cleared his throat and crushed the paper cup in his hand, the small sound unnaturally loud in his ears.
"Right," he said, his voice carefully neutral as he tossed the cup into the garbage can and turned to face the mat. "Kiara, you ready?"
Kiara bounced to her feet with characteristic enthusiasm. "Absolutely. I've been watching your technique with Angela, and I think I can take you."
The confidence in her voice almost made Jude smile, despite the tension still thrumming through his system. Almost.
He forced himself to move away from Angela, to focus on the task at hand.
But as he approached the mat where Kiara waited with that eager gleam in her eyes, he could feel Angela's gaze following him.
The awareness of her attention made his movements feel awkward, self-conscious in a way they never had before.
"Ready to see if I can take you down too?" Kiara asked with a grin that reminded him that she and Angela weren't actually sisters by blood. Where Angela approached everything with careful consideration, Kiara dove in headfirst.
"Let's see what you've got," Jude replied, grateful for the distraction of Kiara's competitive energy.
The next fifteen minutes passed in a blur of movement and instruction.
Kiara was aggressive in her movements, throwing herself into each technique with an enthusiasm that sometimes worked against her.
She tried to muscle through moves that required finesse, and Jude had to remind her repeatedly that technique trumped strength.
But she was learning. Both of them were.
After Dawn put an end to the training time, Jude glanced over to where Angela sat cross-legged on the edge of the mat beside Annie.
They both smiled at him, but only one of the smiles made his heart skip a beat. And that smile tempted him more than ever to throw caution to the wind and follow his heart.