Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Roman stood with one arm wrapped under her breasts, her head tucked beneath his chin, her body flush against his. Even all hot and sweaty, she felt so good.
Every single thing about her turned him on—the way her hair smelled, the way the curves of her tiny body fit his muscular frame. For better or worse, things between them had shifted dramatically, and he wouldn’t change it for the world.
He still couldn’t believe he’d kissed her last night.
It hadn’t been a real kiss, but it had been automatic, as if he’d done it a hundred times.
The look on her face had done him in—the one that spoke of a mixture of shock and fear.
He had wanted to lift her into his arms and promise to keep her safe forever.
Unfortunately, they had already been there for a week.
All she’d have left of him once they got home were the evasion tactics he was currently teaching her.
With her chin tucked into the crook of his right elbow, he tightened his hold around her neck. “Now, show me how you’re gonna get free.”
Her hands came up and wrapped around his forearm, trying to drag it away from her throat. She let out a frustrated little growl when he dragged her backward a few steps, demonstrating how easily he could overpower her. He loosened his hold and set her away from him, then met her gaze.
“Your goal isn’t to fight me—it’s to escape,” he explained. “Since you’re small, it’s going to be difficult for you to fend off an attack. Six seconds is all it takes to choke someone out. You need to remain in control and use your entire body to get free. Let’s try it again.”
He pulled her back into a reverse chokehold. “I’m holding you with my right arm, so you’ll need to escape to your left. Small step forward with your left foot, then slide your right foot between our bodies and rotate your shoulders.”
He tapped her right thigh, and she followed his instructions, slowly spinning until she was facing him. “Keep your body low as you move, then once your shoulders are free of my arms, push off as hard as you can and run.”
He turned her and pulled her against him, then dragged her backward a couple of steps. Her feet tangled with his as she fought for purchase. She dug in her heels and rotated her hips toward him. “Come on, Irina. Break it, break my hold!”
She threw all of her weight into the spin, loosening his grip, but he grabbed for her again as she tried to evade his hold.
Her adrenaline was running high, and he saw the move coming before one slender leg kicked forward, right toward the soft spot between his legs.
He shifted slightly to the side, but her foot connected with his groin, and he let out a grunt of pain as he dropped to one knee.
Damn, he’d forgotten how bad that hurt.
“I’m sorry!” Irina threw herself forward and grabbed his shoulders. “Are you okay?”
He forced out a laugh. “I will be in a sec.”
“I’m so sorry.” She pulled him into a hug, and on his knees the way he was, his cheek pressed against her stomach. They were both sticky and sweaty, but he didn’t give a single thought to it. He wrapped his arms around the back of her legs and held on tight.
She felt so good. Too good.
She let out a little squeak as he shifted his weight, rolling them until she was pinned beneath him, his weight settled firmly between her hips.
“Don’t ever apologize. You did exactly what I told you to do.
You go back to check on someone and they do this.
” He gestured with his chin to his precarious position between her legs.
“This is exactly what a sexual predator wants.”
Big blue eyes stared up at him, one hundred percent focused now on his words. He wrapped his hands around her throat. “Show me what you do.”
Her right hand came up and wrapped around his forearm, and her left hand cut across his chest until the flat of her palm lay against the base of his neck. Her feet crawled up his body until her right leg was braced over his shoulder and the left swung in front of his face, forcing him to lean back.
Grabbing his wrist with both hands, she rolled to the side so his arm was trapped between her legs. Arcing her back, she pressed her hips upward, putting enough pressure on his elbow to snap the joint.
“Easy!” he yelled.
She immediately released him, rolling to her feet and jogging away. “That was pretty good, huh?”
She threw a cheeky grin his way, and he couldn’t help but laugh as he climbed to his feet. “Yeah, it was.”
She was proving to be a quick learner. She wasn’t proficient by any means, but he was incredibly proud that she was taking the instruction seriously.
That cocky little smile gracing her lips made him want to pick her up and toss her tiny self over his shoulder, dominate her in every way known to mankind.
He dipped his chin. “You know I owe you for that.”
She squealed and tried to dart away as he lunged toward her. He caught her wrist and tugged her toward him, but she slipped from his grasp, dancing backward. Not taking his eyes from her, a predatory smile lifted his lips. “Where you goin’, trouble?”
She licked her lips and glanced past him—to the pool at his back. A gleam entered her eyes, but she tried to play it cool. She shrugged. “I’m hungry, aren’t you?” She took a step closer. “What are you feeling for lunch? I was thinking—”
All of a sudden she rushed him, arms outstretched, reaching for his chest. He grinned as he fended her off.
Grabbing her around her narrow waist, he whirled her so they were reversed and she was inches away from the edge of the pool.
She held fast to his forearms, balanced only on the balls of her feet.
He watched her face as she hung there, suspended over the edge of the pool.
If he let go, she’d fall in, and she knew it.
She let out a little shriek as he released her waist and grabbed her wrists instead, lowering her another foot closer to the water. “That’s payback, trouble.”
“If I’m going in, you’re coming with me.” She grinned hugely and levered all of her weight backward, trying to pull him in with her.
He had to outweigh her skinny self by at least eighty pounds; she had absolutely zero chance of budging him, but it didn’t stop her from trying. Digging her heels in, she used every ounce of muscle she possessed to try to pull him with her.
Her face twisted in consternation, and he let out a laugh. She was so adorable he couldn’t handle it sometimes. Relaxing his muscles, he leaned forward, and they toppled toward the water together. He surfaced and stood to find Irina hastily swiping long strands of blonde hair from her face.
“You jerk!” She sputtered with laughter and swiped her arm across the surface of the water, sending a wave splashing over him.
“Now you’ve done it.” He growled and dove toward her.
She was hampered by the water as she tried to move out of arm’s reach, and he easily pulled her under.
She popped back up, pressing down on his shoulders, and he allowed her to dunk him before wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off her feet.
She threw her head back on a laugh as she clutched at his shoulders. “Okay, okay, truce!”
“That’s what I thought.” He grinned.
Face to face, they stared at each other, and all of a sudden it sank in just how close they were.
Irina’s chest rose on a breath, brushing against his.
He was flirting with fire, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember why it was a bad idea.
Irina evoked feelings in him, both emotional and physical, that he’d never experienced.
He’d tried to rationalize it by telling himself it was only because he hadn’t been with a woman in months.
But he knew better. It was Irina who was different. He couldn’t think when she was around, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She was a perpetual distraction, and he couldn’t focus on anything but her.
Her lips were only inches from his own. He dropped his gaze to her mouth, full and sensual. Her lips rolled inward then parted slightly on a soft sigh as her fingers sank into the hair at the base of his neck. He dipped his head just as a high-pitched ring pierced the air.
Both of them froze. The ring came a second time from his cell phone, and Irina lifted her gaze to his. He wanted to ignore it, to recapture the spark he’d felt a moment ago zinging between them.
A third ring pealed incessantly.
He cleared his throat. “I should get that.”
He simultaneously cursed and blessed whoever had just ruined the moment as Irina drifted away. Cool water replaced the feel of her hot body against him, and he wanted to pull her back to him.
Shaking his lust-addled head, he braced his hands on the side of the pool and launched himself up and over. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder to where Irina had paused on the steps of the pool.
She was bent over at the waist, hair draped over one shoulder as she wrung water from the long strands. It glimmered in the sunlight, and he wanted to run his fingers through it, gather it up and pull her close, take that kiss she was so willing to offer just a few seconds ago.
His gaze dropped to her bottom, barely constrained by a tiny scrap of teal fabric. His blood went hot, and he let out a little growl as he snatched up the phone.
It was going to be a long week.