Ten
TEN
Cierra
I hadn’t taken my eyes off Greyson as I braced for what was next.
“Alright, so to start this next part of the lesson, I’m going to have you play the attacker for a moment while I demonstrate what you’re going to do. Then I’ll have you attack again, and I’ll walk through it step-by-step, so you can get a better feel for each move. Once I’ve done that, we’ll switch.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m not sure I know how to attack you.”
“You’re going to go for my throat.”
My brows shot up. “What?”
Greyson reached out, curled his fingers around my wrist, and lifted my hand to his throat. “Wrap your hand around the front of my throat.”
I did as he asked, but I swore I could feel the spark between us at the touch. My lips parted, and I was suddenly in desperate need of a drink. Unfortunately, I was too consumed by the feel of him beneath my fingertips that I didn’t speak up.
Instead, I focused my gaze on where I was touching Greyson.
“Ready?” he asked.
Blinking my eyes, I shook off the fog. “Yes.”
“Okay. Keep a firm hold there, and I’ll do the rest.”
The next thing I knew, with a swiftness I could only ever hope to master, Greyson freed himself from my hold. It happened so fast, I wasn’t quite sure what he’d done. “Wow,” I marveled.
He laughed. “I’ll do it again, slower this time, so you can see what’s happening.”
As he got into position, I was still stunned at what he’d just done. I lifted my hand to his throat once more, and Greyson immediately launched into a detailed explanation of what needed to be done in this situation. “If you can’t breathe, you can’t fight back. So, you need to make sure you break this connection your attacker has with your throat. And this lesson applies whether you’ve got one hand choking you or two.” His body moved as he walked through the steps. “You’re going to lift one of your arms up above the height of your attacker’s arms, doing that as you turn your body to the opposite side. The turning will force him to lose his grip, and to ensure those hands come away from your throat, you’ll drop your arm down over his. From here, you’ll utilize several of the basic strikes and kicks we’ve worked on since your first lesson.”
My body was twisted slightly and bent at an awkward angle. Greyson’s hands landed behind my head and on one of my arms. Slowly, he lifted his knee up toward my torso, never making contact or hurting me. “You can do a knee to the torso, a kick to the groin, or even an uppercut to the jaw. Whatever you do, you want to make sure you’ve got good technique and that you follow through with those movements for them to be effective. Are you ready to give it a try?”
I stood up straight and noted the confident look on his face. He’d had his hands on me as he’d instructed me, and I found it incredibly difficult to concentrate. One look at Greyson told me this was just another day of training for him.
A rush of air left my lungs. I was going to make such a fool of myself. “I think so.”
Greyson reached his hand out and curled his fingers around my throat. For a moment, I was paralyzed. Not by fear, but by burning hot desire. My hand had felt tiny and incapable of doing any real damage when I’d been the attacker, but Greyson would have had no trouble cutting off my oxygen supply if he wanted.
But it wasn’t the thought of him hurting me that washed over me. It was the idea of him having his hand just like it was now, but in a different setting, one that involved us doing more of that connecting we’d missed out on yesterday.
“Lift your arm,” Greyson urged, bringing me back to reality. My hand shot into the air. “Now turn your body to the opposite side as you drop that arm down hard over mine.”
I did as he instructed, freeing myself from his hold.
“Great job. Let’s try that again before we get to the second part. You need to be able to execute that with more ease and confidence.”
We did it again.
And again.
And again.
We’d done it so many times, I could feel his fingers around my throat even when they weren’t there. And I longed to have them back, to feel his touch on my skin.
Did he know what he was doing to me? Did he know how disappointed I’d been when I crawled into bed last night without having seen him?
Why hadn’t he reached out for me yesterday? Why didn’t he feel the same?
I rid myself of the questions that plagued me and prepared to go again. “This time, let’s add on the second half. Once you’ve gotten my hand off your throat, you need to figure out how to follow through. Just removing my hands won’t be enough. You’ve got to strike hard enough that I’m disoriented or unbalance me to the point I’m about to go down and you can get away.”
I wasn’t quite sure what move I’d use, but I nodded my understanding. “Okay. I’ll try.”
Like it was nothing, Greyson reached for my throat again. I wondered if he could feel the way I had to swallow nearly every time he gripped me like that. I gave myself a few seconds to consider how I’d attack in the second half and followed through. My movements weren’t nearly as seamless as they’d been when I’d been focusing only on the first half, but I’d managed to do them correctly.
“Excellent. Let’s go again.”
So, I did it again.
“Better. Keep going.”
Greyson continued to encourage me, his expression focused and determined. I didn’t see an ounce of longing or desire.
And it was brutal.
Over and over, we did the same thing, and each time became progressively more difficult for me. My trouble wasn’t with what I was attempting to do, though. It was with what I was trying not to do.
The constant touching and the proximity made it impossible to pretend I didn’t care that he hadn’t shown up yesterday.
I hadn’t realized how caught up I’d gotten in that disappointment that it was affecting my training. I hadn’t noticed how I was letting the frustration out as I executed each move.
Or, well, I hadn’t noticed until I had no choice.
Because it built and built to the point that I finally chose a new technique for the second half of the attack and wound up throwing Greyson off balance.
As he went down to the ground and I realized what I’d done, I reached for him. I stumbled and went down with him.
I landed on top of Greyson, his arms wrapped firmly around my body, and his eyes widened in surprise. “Are you… What was that all about?”
Before I could stop the words from spilling out of my mouth, I blurted, “You never showed.” Instantly, I winced, and my neck, face, and ears felt like they were on fire. The heat had nothing to do with all the physical activity that had been taking place, either.
His body tensed beneath mine. “What?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. That was… I didn’t mean to say that.”
Greyson’s expression changed, his features marred by a look of concentration. I wanted to squirm out of his hold and stand up, but I wasn’t sure, given the position we were in, that I should start moving around on top of him.
“I never showed. What does that mean?”
I bit down on my lip, growing wildly uncomfortable. “Nothing.” My voice was barely a whisper.
Greyson’s arms tightened around me, and his voice dipped low. “Cierra, tell me.”
God, this was mortifying. I didn’t want to tell him, but I got the distinct feeling Greyson wasn’t going to release me until I told him the truth. “I got the wrong idea.”
“About what?”
I couldn’t take the intensity in his gaze, so my eyes drifted to the mat behind his head.
Keeping one arm wrapped firmly around me, Greyson brought his other one up to pinch my chin lightly and urge me to look at him again. “What did you get the wrong idea about?”
I remained silent for several beats before I confessed, “I thought you liked me.”
“I do. I think you’re great.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Not like that. Not just as friends. I mean… I just thought… You didn’t show up yesterday.”
Suddenly, it was Greyson who couldn’t seem to get his voice to work. And, if it was possible, his body seemed to go more rigid beneath mine. When so much time passed without him responding, I felt compelled to backtrack.
“Look, it’s silly. Just forget I said?—”
I stopped speaking.
Or, technically, it was made physically impossible for me to speak.
Because Greyson’s hand had drifted from my chin to the side of my face while he lifted his head and captured my lips with his. I was momentarily stunned, caught off guard completely.
But once I wrapped my head around what was happening, how good it felt, I melted into him and kissed him back.
His lips were soft but skilled. I was lost in his kiss, in him. And with his arm around my waist, holding me tight against him, I wouldn’t have cared if I stayed like this forever.
My heart pounded. No doubt Greyson could feel it.
But it seemed I might not have been alone in what I was feeling, because a low groan escaped from him when I let out a soft moan.
Greyson’s hand that had been at the side of my face drifted back and tugged lightly on my ponytail, enough that my mouth separated from his. We stared at each other for several long moments, neither of us saying a word.
I wasn’t quite sure what I would or could have said after all of that, anyway.
Eventually, he was the one who broke the silence. “That’s the way I like you, Cierra. It’s not just as friends.”
Ever-so-slowly, I nodded.
“I was going to come to your place after I left work last night, but at the last minute, I decided against it.”
“Why?”
Another slow smile spread across his face. “We’d been seeing one another every day, and I thought it might be a good idea to miss each other. You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all. It seems my strategy was right, too.”
So, I hadn’t been the only one who’d developed an attraction here. Greyson really did like me, too. And he’d purposely chosen not to seek me out yesterday, so we’d both grow to appreciate the time we did have together.
Smart man.
“You kissed me.”
His lips twitched. “Only after you tackled me to the ground.”
Technically, I hadn’t tackled him. I lost my footing as I sent him to the ground, and he was the one who grabbed hold of me. But that wasn’t what mattered. “You kissed me.”
He grinned. “I did. Do you want me to do it again?”
Just as I was about to answer him, we heard a knock at the side of the room. Our heads snapped in that direction, and we found Brixton, Jake, and Kane looking at us through the window, smiling and waving.
Greyson’s hand shot out to the side, and he stuck his middle finger up at them.
The three of them threw their heads back with laughter before walking off.
I wanted to die of embarrassment and finally decided to crawl off Greyson. “I can’t believe they saw that. Oh, God. Are you going to get into trouble?”
The amusement was back in his features. Through his laughter, Greyson sat up across from me and assured me everything would be okay. “I’m not going to get into trouble for kissing a gorgeous woman. Don’t worry about it.”
He thought I was gorgeous. I didn’t know what to do with that information, so I ignored it and focused on something else. “I’m so mortified. I can’t believe your friends and coworkers caught us.”
Greyson arched a brow. “Was it that bad?”
“What? No. I mean?—”
“Relax, I was just teasing you.”
Teasing. Something he claimed a guy did when he liked a girl.
My face felt impossibly hot. “I’m sorry for taking the lesson so seriously and causing you to fall like that.”
“Are you kidding me? That was excellent. Not only was it the closest I’ve seen you to being precisely how you should be in a situation like that, but it also ended with you on top of me and kissing me. I’m not sure it could have gone any better than that.”
“Just to clarify, Greyson, you were the one who kissed me,” I reminded him.
The corners of his mouth tipped up in a smile. “I know. And if I didn’t think it’d freak you out completely, I’d do it again.”
Heat spread through my body. It took a massive effort not to react in a way that would let Greyson know the kind of effect he was having on me. In an effort not to embarrass myself further, I asked, “Did I really do a good job with the self-defense today?”
He nodded. “It was excellent. I loved the confidence you showed.”
“I think it was frustration,” I murmured, looking away from him again.
Greyson placed his hand on my thigh, offering a light squeeze of reassurance. “Whatever it was, it was phenomenal. I’m proud of you, especially considering where you were a week ago.”
Tingles ran along my thigh from the intimate touch, doing arguably more to freak me out than another kiss would have. “You should get all the credit. I couldn’t have done any of this without your patience and help.”
He stroked his fingers back and forth across my thigh several times as he shook his head. “You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit, Cierra. You did all the hard work, and you continued to show up. I couldn’t have taught you anything had you decided to give up in the beginning.”
I didn’t have a choice, I thought.
It was right there on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to tell him the truth, to let him know precisely why I’d continued to come to lessons with him. But something stopped me. Fear, perhaps?
“Thank you for saying that,” I murmured.
After giving me one final squeeze, Greyson stood and held his hand out to me. I hesitated for only a moment before I placed my hand in his and allowed him to help me to my feet.
“We’ve got five minutes left here,” he noted. “Did you want to try these new moves again, or are you ready to call it quits for the night?”
I glanced at the clock, even though the time was the last thing on my mind. “I should probably call it a day here. I’m a little out of sorts after that last one.”
His lips twitched, and I yearned to be kissed by him again. “Fair enough. I don’t have anything else going on here after this, so I’ll walk out with you.”
Greyson seemed so casual and unaffected compared to the way I felt inside. How was he able to act like we hadn’t just experienced what we did between us? I didn’t want to believe it hadn’t mattered to him—he’d been very clear with the kiss and the words that followed. He claimed he liked me as more than just friends, but if that was the case, shouldn’t we have had another discussion? Wouldn’t he have tried to kiss me again? If nothing else, why didn’t he seem to have any trouble thinking straight?
With no answers in sight, I moved away from him and to the opposite corner of the room to gather up my things. Once I had my jacket on and my purse, keys, and water bottle in my hands, I walked back toward him. “Do you have to get your stuff?”
He jerked his head toward the door. “I’ll grab it on the way out.”
Greyson and I walked out of the room and made our way toward the exit, stopping once so he could get his keys, wallet, and sweatshirt. And before I knew it, we were walking through the parking lot toward my car. With each step in that direction, the nerves built in my belly.
As much as I had told him I needed to go home, there was a part of me that wished I could have had the courage to tell him I wanted to stay. Not for the lessons, but just to spend more time with him.
But with such a cool confidence exuding from him, I was certain I’d wind up making myself look like an idiot somehow.
We came to a stop beside my car. “Thank you for walking me out.”
“It was my pleasure.”
“And I know you said I don’t need to be, but I’m really sorry about losing my cool in there today.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “If that’s the way you lose your cool and your reasoning for it happening, trust me when I tell you that I’m not mad about it at all.”
I tried to hold his stare, but I quickly grew uncomfortable and restless. God, he was so handsome. And now that I knew what it was like to kiss him, I couldn’t seem to look at him the same as before.
Dropping my gaze to the key fob in my hand, I murmured, “Well, I should probably?—”
Greyson’s fingertips came to my chin and urged me to look up at him again. I had all of two seconds to recognize what was happening and prepare for it. And this time, when his lips touched mine, I didn’t hesitate.
I wrapped my arms around him, relished the way it felt to have both of his around me, and kissed him back properly. I loved the way he kissed. I loved the feeling of his strong, solid body pressed against mine. And most of all, I loved that he didn’t allow me to just get in the car and slink away.
Nope.
Greyson kissed me for a good long while. Our tongues joined the mix this time, tangling and tasting. And when I let out a moan as I felt the desire pool between my legs, Greyson didn’t pull back to stop us.
He kept at it, at me. Only after my lips were swollen with his kisses did he finally separate his mouth from mine.
There was a glimmer in his eye, a sense of satisfaction lingering. “I’ll see you here tomorrow morning.”
I licked my lips and offered a slight nod in return. “Yeah.” I was still trying to catch my breath. “Yeah, I’ll be here.”
He grinned, clearly recognizing the impact he’d had on me. “Sleep well tonight, Cierra.”
I never had trouble sleeping. Did he know this was the very thing that would keep me up later than usual?
“Goodnight, Greyson.”
After releasing my arms around him, Greyson doing the same, I stepped back. He opened my door and held it as I slid inside. Just before he closed it, he uttered four words that sent my heart racing. “Drive safe, pretty lady.”
It was a good thing he’d closed the door without the expectation of a response, because my throat had gone dry, and I wasn’t sure I could have mustered up much of anything anyway.
Since it seemed he was waiting to walk to his vehicle until I pulled away, I turned on my car and did just that.
And even the drive home hadn’t been long enough for me to replay all my favorite parts of our night together.