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Anna grinned. Then, she leaned into him, allowing her chest to brush against his. “Surely, we could work something out, no?”
His brows lowered, accusatory.
He could pretend all he wanted, but she’d seen the way he stared when he thought she wasn’t looking. If she’d learned anything in her time with the UNR, it was that everything was a weapon. Sex included. She leaned closer, toying with her lower lip with her teeth before leaning into his neck. “I’m sure we could both walk away pretty satisfied, don’t you?”
A low growl rose in his throat. Before she could celebrate her victory and decide her escape route, his hands were on her, grabbing her body and pulling it tightly against his own. She gasped, trying to pull back but completely trapped by those strong arms of his.
Even worse, a part of her, a deep, deep-down part of her that she would be murdering later that evening, liked the way his strong arms pinned her against him. Liked the feel of his rock-hard body, hot and inviting despite the tumultuous interactions they’d had over the past year.
His face lowered, warm breath washing over her ear and sending a chill down her spine… and a wave of heat between her legs. She squeezed her thighs together when his mouth grazed her ear. “I’m disappointed in you, Anna. I expected a fight.”
She shoved against him, then dropped her full body weight to the ground. She twisted away, making a run in any direction he wasn’t in. Red hot fury pumped in her veins. For a split second, she almost thought she wanted him. Almost thought she could ignore just how infuriating he was. Almost thought—
His hand was on her throat again before she could make it ten feet, pressing her back into a rough tree trunk. This time, the touch wasn’t light or gentle. It was dangerous. Threatening. And still, he did not squeeze.
Her body betrayed her, core tightening once more at his aggressive touch.
“You wanna fight? Fine.” She lifted her arms into the air, threaded her fingers together, and twisted with everything she had. His hold on her broke easily.
She lifted her hands, legs wide and firmly planted on the ground.
“For the record,” Hayden almost grinned, but once again, Anna noticed that he stopped himself, “I would’ve enjoyed either option.”
She nearly snarled at him. Instead, she surged forward, fisting her hand and driving it into his jaw with everything she had. His face turned, but the rest of him remained a stone.
Anna had fought plenty of men in her time, just as large as Hayden, and won.
The man was a damn mountain, unmovable.
She threw another punch, and he took it. About to throw a third, he grabbed her fist mid-air, and then he used his weight, nearly twice her own, to try and press her down into the ground. She went at him with everything she had, knowing that if she fell to the ground, it was over, and then, when it became exceedingly clear she wasn’t going to beat him in hand-to-hand, she yanked out a knife.
He rolled his eyes. “Now that’s not fair.”
She rolled hers right back. “As if you don’t have a weapon on you.”
“I do,” he shrugged. “But I wouldn’t use it on you.”
“Not even if I use mine?” She slashed at him, and her knife sliced into his arm, cutting through his sleeve and glistening red.
“Ouch.” He squinted, then surged forward.
She jumped back, turning, and then ran with everything she had.
Fight as she might, she was not willing to kill the man behind her. And if she wasn’t willing to kill him, she had to escape him. There was no way Anna was knocking him out. The scars on his face told her that many people had tried, and failed, to take him out, and she wasn’t going to be one of them.
She knew her limits.
Just as she thought she was making progress, her entire body slammed into the dirt, his heavy form on her back, crushing her. “Get off me!” she screamed. “Let me go!”
“Anna,” he sighed. “I’m surprised you ran.”
“It was run or kill you. Looks like I made the wrong fucking choice.” She yanked against him again, but it did nothing. His hands had captured her wrists, and held them with ease against her lower back. If she kept thrashing about, it would dislocate her shoulder and still do nothing to help her cause.
She let out an exasperated sigh, and stopped fighting.
His knees dug into the dirt around her, holding his body off, which made it a thousand times easier for her to breathe, dirt in her mouth or not, and then cold metal clasped around her wrists.
“Are you kidding me? I’m cooperating!”
