20. Twenty
Holy. Shit.
Madeline bounces back down the stairs, and suddenly I don’t know what to do with myself, what to do with my damn hands. I settle for shoving them into the pockets of my sweats, not wanting to look like an idiot.
She’s fucking incredible. She looks like a damn model, and I’m going to have to teach her how to fight. This is going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
Pun fully intended.
“Ready, Princess?” I shoot her my winning grin, and she rolls her eyes. Not the reaction I was hoping to receive, but at least she’s smiling, so it’s a win in my book.
I gesture towards the door like I’m revealing some sort of grand prize, bending forward and sweeping my arm across the room. I could totally be prince charming… if prince charming wanted to pin the princess against the wall and make her scream.
She chuckles and takes the hint, leading the way out the door. I take a completely professional look at her ass while she walks past, entranced by the sway of her hips. But I am a professional after all, so I don’t let it distract me to the point of rooting my feet to where they stand.
Tucker doesn’t follow the same degree of upstanding respectability I pride myself on, so he’s stock still, continuing to stare after her as I pass by.
“Have fun with your computers, Tuck!” I call over my shoulder.
That breaks his spell, and he flips me off, his eyes never leaving Madeline. My responding laugh is loud enough that I know he can hear it even after the door swings shut behind me.
I jog over to where she’s waiting for me in the middle of the clearing, unsure of where she’s supposed to go. Fair, I didn’t tell her what’s on the docket for today.
“I figure we’ll do a short run, then get to fighting to see where your baseline is, and where we need to build.”
She nods with a fire in her eyes. “Let’s get going, then.”
“Think you can keep up?”
“I’m up for a challenge.”
I can tell she means it. The woman in front of me is ready to do whatever it’s going to take to get where she needs to go. Based on the set of her shoulders and the sheer determination pouring off her in waves, I know she’ll get there.
I take off, setting an easy pace down the narrow dirt road that leads out of the clearing. We pass the trees in a comfortable silence, and my legs are pushing me to go faster, to follow the grueling pace I set every morning. I hold back though, not because I don’t think she can handle it, but because I’m enjoying the casual pace and her presence close behind me.
The forest teems with life all around us, and I can hear everything as if I’m connected to it. The wind through the trees. The birds chirping as they dive through the air. The chittering of the squirrels just off the path. The gentle and consistent pounding of our feet serves as the only interruption to the nature around us.
When we pass the first mile, the road opens up to a fork, either path could be a good test depending on how she’s holding up. I pause, waiting for her to catch up with me. A mistake, for more than one reason.
First, she seems annoyed at how easy I’m taking this. Like she’s somehow been coddled for too long, and she’s just desperate to push herself. Why, though? I assumed she’d want a gentler approach after being rescued, but maybe she’s too keen to it after being deprived of care and respect for so long. She doesn’t see my going easy on her as aid, she sees it as pity.
Second, her cheeks and chest have turned pink, the exertion bringing a slight flush to her features. A thin sheen of sweat is misted over her skin, highlighting the delicate curves of her body, and my first instinct is to lick her. The thought catches me a little off guard, but holy fuck. The woman standing in front of me is hot as sin, and she has no idea.
She’s staring directly at me, her fists are planted on her hips and she’s giving me a ‘Don’t fuck with me right now’ glare that pushes everything over the top. I might have to physically restrain myself to keep from pinning her against a tree.
“What?” She says though an irritated huff. She’s breathing deeply, but evenly, clearly not too winded by the first span of the trail.
Fine. You want a workout, Princess? I’ll give you one.
“Just making sure you’re still with me.” I wink at her. “Try and keep up.”
I turn up the path leading off to the right, definitely the more challenging of the two. It’s the trail I run most mornings, and now we’re moving at a pace that is damn near what I usually keep.
Running like this helps me separate myself from whatever is raging inside of me. Most days it’s pent-up anger, but today it’s working to pull me out of this lusty cloud that seems to cling to me whenever Madeline is around. I’m no celibate saint, but something about her makes me feel like a horny teenager.
The separation from my baser emotions is why I run alone every day. Tucker tried to join me for a while, but I always either said no or pushed myself to the point of getting sick while trying to leave him in the dust. I need to be on my own in these moments to keep my mind clear.
I almost forget she’s behind me while I lose myself to the woods and the cool early morning mist.
I take another turn onto a nearly invisible foot path that will lead us back towards the clearing. I can still hear her behind me, her feet hit the ground slightly out of sync with my own, and I feel a little surge of pride knowing she’s keeping up.
“Still good back there?” I call over my shoulder. This next span through the woods is the most difficult, and I don’t want to have to slow my pace too much, but I will if she needs it. I don’t want to wear her out too much before I can assess her fighting instincts. I can always run again later. My own bullshit can wait.
“Stop checking on me, Ray. You’re not gonna lose me.” Her irritation from earlier has died down, but I’m glad to hear her playful tone coming through her panted words.
I don’t check back again until we get to the clearing, cranking up the pace until we’re both bursting out of the trees in a near sprint a hundred feet from the opening of the dirt road. I’m feeling refreshed, if not slightly out of breath, and my mind is clear and ready for anything.
I’m thoroughly shocked she was able to keep up with my pace, more because I’ve been able to ditch all the other guys without having to try too hard.
Maybe I’ll really push her tomorrow.
I drop down onto the hard packed dirt, pulling myself into various positions to stretch my now warm limbs and she does the same, following my movements.
She’s breathing much harder after our sprint. Sweat beads across her brow and chest, catching my gaze more than once. Something about her in this state is pushing me closer and closer to the edge.
I’m going to have to exert some serious effort to avoid pitching a tent in my sweats when we start the real training.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll get accustomed to her presence.
As soon as that thought crosses my mind, she bends forward and reaches for her outstretched ankles, putting her cleavage on full display. All of it angled directly towards me.
Nope, never mind. I hope I never get over the sight of her, because Jesus, fuck.
She clears her throat with an over exaggerated sound, and I begrudgingly pull my attention away.
“They’re just breasts,” she chides, but she doesn’t do a good enough job of hiding the smile starting to creep onto her face.
I”m going to have to broaden her vocabulary.
I make a mental note of all the dirty words I desperately want to teach her, and I take one last look at her glorious chest, making sure I get my fill.
“And what a fine pair of tits they are,” I say with a wink, springing up to my feet, done with my own stretches. “Keep stretching, Princess. I’m gonna grab us some water before we start.”
Tucker eyes me the moment I step into the house.
“Are you going to be able to control yourself?” He doesn’t sound angry, and something about that pisses me off.
“What the hell does that mean?” I snap, clenching my fists in an attempt to keep my shit under control. I’m having fun today. I’m having fun with her, and I sure as shit don’t want anything getting in the way of it.
“You know exactly what I mean. She doesn’t need us pawing at her.”
I look up to the ceiling, begging for patience.
“I’m not pawing at her, Tuck. We went on a run, and now we’re going to fight. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Ray,” he groans, running his fingers through his hair. “We need you to make sure she can handle herself; that she can hold her own, now and after the job. This isn’t just fun. This is her future. Her life.” His eyes bore into mine, and if he wasn’t several feet away, I don’t know what I’d do.
“You don’t seem to mind my brand of fun any other day.”
Is he jealous?
Is he worried I’m going to take her away from him?
“That’s not putting us in danger. That’s not putting her in danger,” Tucker whispers, like he doesn’t want Silas to hear from wherever he might be lurking. Like he knows if Dane catches wind that any of this isn’t up to his standard, he’ll shut it down.
He’s right though, as much as I hate to admit it. If I’m wasting her time, I could get us all killed.
Fuck.
I clench my jaw before reestablishing eye contact. “I can keep it together.”
Tucker just looks at me for a second like he doesn’t believe me before he nods and turns away. I’m not going to screw this up. I’m not. I yank two bottles of water from the fridge and head back out.
When my feet hit the hard packed dirt, I’m still holding on to my newfound focus. I’m not doing this to have fun with her. I’m not trying to get in her pants. I mean… I am, but not right now. Tuck is right. I’m the one who has to make sure she can handle this. Make sure she can survive.
Survivemight be the wrong word. She’s proven she can take just about anything, but I need to make sure she can hold her own. Who knows what could happen to her out in the world after we’re done with the job.
There are worse things than death that can happen to a person.
I reach the spot where she’s finishing up her stretches and offer her my hand to help her up.
“Come on. We’re heading over to the shed.” Her hand is still in mine, and I savor the few extra seconds of contact before she finally pulls away.
Her eyebrows pinch together for a moment, but she follows me regardless. Behind the house there’s a secondary structure we’ve outfitted as a storage unit and gym. It’s huge, and we’ve run electricity through it, so “shed” is a bad descriptor, but who cares? A shelter is a shelter is a shelter.
We walk in, and she stills, her attention caught by the dozens of guns and knives lining the wall on the far side of the room. We’ll be covering weapons when Dane gives me the go ahead. Hell, I’ll probably teach her even if he says no. I’d love to see what she can do if she’s actually taught.
My body tightens at the memory of our first interaction, her shooting at me, and me retaliating by grinding myself into her. I could feel the way she reacted under me. I could feel her pulse skitter in her wrists when I bent down to whisper to her. She’s so responsive, and I’m itching to see just how deep that goes.
I’m glad she’s looking away, taking in everything we’ve built here with wide-eyed wonder. If she wasn’t, I don’t know if I would be able to stifle that memory and the thoughts tangled up within it. I have to stay focused. I can’t prove Tucker right so soon after his warning.
I kick off my shoes and step onto the mats laid out in the center of the room, clearing my throat and demanding she return her focus to me, to what we’re doing. Her sheepish look tells me that she feels like she’s been caught, for what, though, I’m not sure.
I just tilt my head, beckoning her over to me.