Bonus Scene
The beginning…
“You’re holding back,” I gritted my teeth, throwing another punch. Benson dodges my strike with ease, circling me.
The bastard grinned.
Anger flared in my gut. “Don’t baby me.”
“I’m not babying you.”
“Yes, you are. I’m not some fragile woman.”
“Don’t I fucking know it,” he grunts.
We were between assignments, and he’s been teaching me some martial arts moves.
All agents were trained in hand-to-hand combat, a requirement of the service, but it’s only effective in specific job roles.
Benson was trained in Krav Maga. It focused purely on self-defense and survival in real-life situations.
The techniques were easy to learn, so I jumped at the chance to train with him.
In a series of moves, we danced. Each strike was a cadence of precise blows and blocks. Benson was swift on his feet.
Lethal.
“Drop your chin,” he ordered.
I did as he said, then reached out to strike again, but he grabbed my arm, twisting it behind my back and securing me to his hard chest. His hand wrapped firmly around my neck, immobilizing me. A wave of heat centered at my throbbing core.
“Now what?” he breathed against my ear, causing my pussy to clench.
I should not be feeling this intense reaction to him.
He was my superior. My boss. But every time we got close, every time our arms brushed against one another, or his gaze lingered too long, my entire body became warm and tingly.
He’s never stepped out of line. Not once.
The man had an insane amount of self-control.
But there was no mistaking the want in his eyes.
The desire.
I recognized it because it matches my own.
Stomping on his instep, I spun out of his hold, swiping my leg to the back of his feet, effectively taking him down to the mat. I straddled his hips, pinning his wrists in place above his head.
His ocean eyes gleamed with pride. “Very good.”
I beamed, basking in his praise.
“But you forgot one important detail.”
“What?” I asked, breathlessly.
Thrusting his hips upward, the move forced me to release him as he reversed positions, pinning my wrists and legs to the mat.
Face dangerously close to mine, he said in a deep voice. “Never give your opponent leverage.”
I shifted beneath him, struggling in his hold. His eyes flared, going molten as a hitched breath left his lips. Satisfied with his reaction to my closeness, I softened beneath his hold, my body melting under his heated stare.
He did not move an inch. Not even a blink.
But I did not share his restraint. And I did not possess a modicum of self-control when I leaned in, closing the distance between us, my lips capturing his bottom lip with a soft bite.
He froze, shocked by my bold move, but the moment I swiped my tongue along the seam of his warm lips, he lost the war with himself.
His hot tongue swept into my mouth in a possessive claim, his unique taste as intoxicating as his scent. Gripping his shirt, I pulled him closer, a silent plea to keep going.
But all too soon, he’s pulling away.
“Fuck,” he cursed, shifting off me. He dragged a hand through his hair, regret pinching his brow. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You didn’t. I did,” I said, propping myself up on my elbows.
Then he was on his feet, walking towards the locker room. Thankfully, the private gym was empty at this time.
Raising my hand, I touch my tingling lips. I shouldn’t have done that. Why did I kiss him? It was reckless, stupid, and completely unprofessional.
Regret slammed into me: the implications of my foolish act and the realization that he could have me fired, have me chasing after him.
He was standing in front of his locker when I walked in, hands braced on each side, head hanging between his hunched shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, approaching him carefully. “It will never happen again.”
He didn’t respond, grabbing his towel from his bag, then slamming his locker door before heading towards the showers. I slumped down on the bench, burying my face in my hands.
What the hell had I done?
In a moment of weakness, I ruined everything, our easy work relationship and potentially my career. My father was right. He’d said I’d fail at this, just not for the reasons I thought I would.
I had my hand on the door, ready to flee, but I was stopped by his warm body pressing in behind me. His words were low and hot against the shell of my ear. “Why?”
Slowly, I spun in place, flattening my back to the door, and fought for air as I took him in. A white terry cloth towel was wrapped around his waist as he towered over me, his large frame imposing and radiating heat. The remnants of shower water glistened on his chest.
His gaze held mine, desire and something else swirling in the cool depths. “You make me feel things I’ve never felt before.”
His eyes flared with heat. “What kind of things?”
“When you pin me to the mat, when your fingers wrap around my throat, when you—when you dominate me—”
I paused, heat flaring in my cheeks.
I was no innocent virgin. I’d had sex. Good sex. But none of them had made me feel the way this man had, and he’d barely touched me. None of them ever made me want to be owned. It was something I’d secretly craved, but I’d never had the nerve to express it out loud, much less act on it.
His eyes glittered with promise as his hand moved to curl around my neck, barely cutting off my air supply. My blood pounded in my veins with anticipation.
Leaning down, his mouth crashed against mine, hot and hungry. He devoured me whole, licking and fucking my mouth, claiming with every stroke of his hot tongue.
“I feel it too,” he whispers, and my chest tightens along with my core.
“You were reckless. Anyone could have walked in here and seen us.”
I nodded.
“You put both of us at risk.”
I nodded again.
“I’m going to punish you for that.”
I gasped, my pulse thundering in my veins. “Yes, please.”
Continue reading for a sneak peek of The Sheriff’s Vow.
The sixth and final book of The Brothers in Blue Series.
Coming Summer 2026!
Unedited & subject to change.