“How could you even think that?”
And then he was kissing me, in a way that left no doubt about his feelings and attraction to me. I could feel every hard line of his body as he held me close. Eventually, when we had to breathe, he pulled back. We were both panting heavily.
“Sometimes, Abigail, I want you so badly I actually have to leave the room because sleeping next to you is the worst torture I’ve felt in five hundred years. You are stunning and sexy and even when you sleep you’re the cutest damn thing. You make these little noises, almost talking, more like a mumble. And you wear these damn little shirts.” He fisted a handful of my white tank top, exposing the higher planes of my breasts. “I swear, mate, you have no worries about my father finishing me off. I think it was you who was sent here to destroy every last semblance of my sanity.”
He groaned again. “And stop staring at me with those witch eyes.”
I blinked once then, slowly. I had never thought for a second that I affected him in the same way he affected me. I worried at my lips again before remembering his words and releasing them.
“I know my lack of experience must be frustrating. And honestly when we’re together my hormones do most of the thinking and talking. But, Brace, your power and beauty stun me. You’re just too gorgeous, tall, perfect. Before I knew you were Walker, I wondered if you could be real.”
He shook his head, his expression amused. “Abbs, men aren’t beautiful. You are beautiful. And I love your lack of experience; in fact, I’d be obligated to kill any man who’d touched you before, so it’s probably for the best.” He cupped my face again, pulling me closer. “Don’t ever doubt your gifts.”
It took me a moment to make sure I wasn’t going to cry again.
“So you wanna make out?” he said.
I laughed through my tears.
“Yes, I definitely do.”
The next morning when my storming around the house had reached its maximum annoyance level, I found myself in the basement with Brace. Downstairs was set up as a gym and fight-training area. I was pretty excited to work off some of my frustration.
“Okay, Red, let’s see what you’ve got.” Brace stood before me, relaxed, wearing just a pair of loose-fitting lightweight shorts.
It wasn’t really fair; he had the advantage of muscles to distract me. Although, as I pulled off my shirt to reveal the black sports bra which matched my long fitted pants, his expression heated, his eyes liquid chocolate.
“Your distraction techniques are not going to stop me from kicking your butt, Abigail,” he reiterated my initial thoughts.
“So there are no rules, and no specific technique?” I confirmed. “Just the first to yield?”
Brace nodded and stepped closer, sinking into the thick mat we stood on. I was never going to yield. I hoped he knew that.
I started to move then, dancing lightly on my feet. I had to constantly be in motion during a fight; it kept my reflexes sharp. I was waiting for him to give me an opening, let his guard down or something. He didn’t shift as he observed me, the slightest glimmer of humor on his features.
“I didn’t realize this was dance class, Red. You going to fight or ask me to waltz?”
I ducked in quickly then, feinting toward his left side, before sending out a kick with my right. With the slightest twist of his body, he shifted just out of my reach, and tapped me hard on the butt. Damn, I’d forgotten how fast and ninja he was. Usually, my speed was my greatest asset, but I’d have to be smart to even have a chance of making contact with Brace.
“You have to think, always assume your opponent is better at fighting than you, and you need to outsmart them. Observe, watch how they move, and formulate a plan.”
Brace was playing with me. I attacked a few more times. Each resulted in me ending up flat on the floor. I pulled myself up again.
“Your moves are good, but you lack the ability to plan ahead. You simply react to what I’m doing. Make me do the reacting.” He continued to lecture me.
I let out a short breath, my eyes narrowing. He was just trying to help, but I hated it when I wasn’t good at things. It had never been a problem on Earth, although I guess there I had an unfair advantage. Not that I’d known it, but being half-Walker definitely gave me added skills.
I stopped attacking him for a moment, staying back as we circled each other. Moving slowly I remembered an old fight-move I’d seen on television – which I’d thought at the time was pathetic – I considered whether it would work.
Brace had his arms held up to the side, expecting my usual striking attack, but it was time to try something else. I started forward in the same manner, both hands held up defensively to protect my face, but just before I reached him I faked a stumble, dropping to one knee.
I groaned.