Ten
Her Destiny
Sin
Ijabbed a left hook. Dodged to perfection. Good.
A heavy breath heaved out of me, but I didn’t waste any time. I sent an uppercut next. Missed.
Shit. I lost my balance. I collided against a tree trunk and wrapped my arms around it like a goddamn tree hugger.
Excellent. Blown my shot again.
The bark of the tree scraped my cheek. I dabbed my fingertips at the damage, and red smeared the skin. But winning triumphantly wasn’t the main objective.
No pain. No gain, baby.
I spun around and faced my opponent’s backside while Saint took the next attack. He struggled to hold on as the combat got out of hand. Our naughty obsession was much too skilled.
Saint had lunged at Liv. She saw him coming, and she bent her knees. Legs locked. She flipped him over her back, and Saint headed straight for me.
Fuck! Imminent impact.
“Get the fuck off me, man!” I heaved aggressively and pushed my best friend off.
Saint wheezed, and he made a T with his hands. “I need a minute. Time out.”
“K, old man,” I joked and slapped him on the back.
Saint crouched down with his hands on his knees for a brief pause.
Liv shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her hair swayed in a ponytail with her fists out in front of her.
She was ready. A fucking natural born killer.
Primed like a dang tiger with its claws drawn, eager to take its prey.
We made her, created our girl to fight for her life and never back down.
Liv had wanted to spar. She always did when we had downtime. This time, she wanted lessons outside the penthouse gym and in the park behind the nightclub. Away from the mat, which provided her with added protection.
We didn’t want to hurt our girl, no scratches intended when we taught her self-defense. In the bedroom, though? Well, that was another story.
Saint caught his breath and pointed at Liv. “Nah, man. She’s good.”
My friend was right. Liv was on fire. But we needed her flame to continue to burn and not blow out.
“Not good enough,” I grumbled and shook my head. “She needs to be perfect.”
Saint stood up straight.
“I disagree. Liv is—” I punched Saint in the gut.
Saint sucked in a breath; he winced in pain and hunched over. I laid my arm across his shoulders and stooped down. My eyes met his with an intense, stern warning.
“Don’t make me punch you again,” I said low enough that only he heard me.
“What the hell was that for?” Saint questioned.
“For being stupid,” I expressed, grabbing his sweaty chin. “We need to keep Liv on her toes. We can’t let her think she’s ready and cause her to let her damn guard down.”
“Right. Good fucking point.” Saint shook his head while beads of sweat dripped from his hair. “I’m such a dumbass.”
“Yes.” I tapped him on the shoulder. “Yes, you are, my friend.”
Now that the bullshit was out of the way, we could continue. There was always more technique to share, more moves to make, and more battles for Liv to win. Did I go easy on her?
Hell no.
Okay. I fucking did in the beginning, but Liv had been in the early learning stages. She needed time to build up her confidence, let her faith in herself come to light, and master the true form of martial arts. Her delicate brain had to process, but Liv wasn’t a fragile flower anymore.
“Okay. New game plan.” I clapped my hands together. “Come at me.”
I signaled with my hands for Liv to charge. I squatted down, hands on my knees, and eyes locked on her. She didn’t move.
Saint grimaced, his gut still ached from my punch. “Come on, darling. Give us your best shot.”
Liv sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. “This isn’t helping.”
“What the hell do you mean, sweetheart?” I stood up.
“Teaching me on demand and commanding me to do whatever you tell me,” Liv answered.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “You do like that.”
“I do.” Liv exhaled heavily in frustration. “But—”
“But nothing.” I cut in and walked toward her. “This fucking works with us teaching you in a safe environment. Doesn’t it?”
“No. It doesn’t. Where’s the suspense? The adrenaline pumping so hard my heart races in my chest?” Liv placed her hand over my heart and the other tapped her head. “What about the goddamn fear?”
Saint ambled around us and stood behind her.
He ran his fingers through her hair and let the strands lay in the palm of his hand.
He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent.
Liv shuddered from the close contact while he carefully pulled the elastic hairband, and her loose locks tumbled onto her shoulders.
Saint caressed his hands down her arms. “You want the fucking chase? The goddamn thrill?”
“Yes,” Liv whispered shakily.
I cupped her chin, tilted it upward, and made Liv peer up at me. Out of instinct, her dark eyes blazed with lust but swirled with a tiny glimpse of fear. The way I wanted her. Scared. Somewhere in there was the terror, even though she put up a hell of a hard front.
Liv trembled when the pad of my thumb caught her lower lip. Roughly, but passionately, I caressed the wet flesh. Pink. Tender. Far too tempting not to nip.
“You crave the realism of an attack?” I let go of Liv’s lip and ran my hand down to rest on the nape of her neck.
“Yes.” I gently squeezed her delicate collarbone, and her breath hitched through a parted mouth. “The surprise.”
“Then you better run before we catch you,” Saint whispered in her ear.
“Yes,” I hissed with a grin and dropped my hand. “Run along. Be our prey. Don’t forget what happens when we find you.”
“We’ll fuck you,” Saint added with the sound of possession.
Liv glanced back. She leaned into him, and her hand grazed his cheek. Her gaze landed on his mouth, and she brushed her lips against Saint’s.
“Not if”—Liv turned to me, and her mouth grazed mine—“I find you both first.”
Liv bit me. Fuck! That smarts!
Liv took off like a damn speeding bullet. I touched my fingers to my lip and saw blood. She got me good.
“I’ll be damned…” I sighed with a slow smile creeping across my face.
“Dude… she made you bleed. Sweet.” Saint nodded with a goofy grin of approval. “Should we give Liv a thirty-second head start?”
“Nah…” I licked my wound and cracked my neck. “Let’s give her ten. Then give our girl what she’s been fucking dreaming of.”