“I had a feeling you’d come in for the kill,” I said.
“Always a good assumption in a fight, especially if it looks like you’re about to go down. Your opponent will always look for weaknesses to exploit. Mistakes to take advantage of.”
“Makes sense.”
Asher wiped the back of his hand across his brow. “That was better, but still not good. Not by a long shot.”
“A long shot? I totally blocked you!”
“I wasn’t even trying, Gray.” He turned his back on me, walking out to the middle of the yard. When he turned to face me again, he waved me forward. “Bring it.”
Determined not to let him get any deeper under my skin than he already was, I steadied myself, taking a deep, centering breath.
Then I charged.
Leading with my shoulder, I ran straight for him, slamming into his gut in a collision as painful as it was satisfying. The impact jarred my bones, but Asher showed no more reaction than if he’d been hit with a stiff breeze.
Locking a meaty hand around my wrist, he said, “Is that your best shot, Cupcake?”
“Nope.” I didn’t hesitate. Grabbing his hand and holding it against my wrist, I swung his arm up and around, twisting it behind him and forcing him to the ground. It was a move Ronan had taught me, and I was surprised at how effective it was against Ash.
My victory, however, was short-lived.
Jerking me forward, he broke my hold and got to his feet, grabbing me and crushing me against his chest, locking his arms around me in an impossibly tight embrace.
“Looks like you’re all out of moves, witch,” he said. “So what happens now?”
Arms pinned to my sides, I lifted my head and met his eyes, our mouths so close I could feel the soft, seductive heat of his breath whispering across my lips.
My body released a sigh, totally without my permission, and his pupils dilated, his lips quirking into that bad-boy grin I loved to hate.
“You tell me,” I said.
Ash’s gaze lowered to my mouth, lingering, his hold around me tightening. Every soft curve of my body molded against every hard plane of his, our skin hot and sticky despite the rapidly cooling temperature.
A low rumble reverberated through his chest, so soft I wasn’t sure he even realized he was doing it. I closed my eyes, swooning a bit on my feet. My heart thudded hard, my breath jagged and uneven, and if Asher had tried to kiss me right then I wouldn’t have done a damn thing to stop him.
I bit my lip, and he growled again.
“This… is a bad idea,” he whispered.
“I’ve had worse.”
“Trust me. You haven’t.” He released me and took a step back, jogging in place and grinding the heels of his hands into his eyes as though he were trying to shake off a nightmare.
When I met his eyes again, all traces of desire were gone.
“Time for a different scenario,” he said, his voice as serious as his eyes. “Close combat, surprise attack from behind.”
He gestured for me to turn around.
When I hesitated, he sighed and said, “I’m not going to hurt you.”
That’s not what I’m worried about, dummy.
Blowing out a breath, I rolled my shoulders and nodded, stamping out the last flicker of heat pulsing inside me.
The moment I turned around, Asher was on me, his arms locked across my shoulders and chest. Immediately I flailed, trying to shake him off.
