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“You’ll do a few sparring sessions with me before you go?” She smirked before all the words left my mouth, as if she expected the question.
“I wasn’t planning on it, but would it make you feel better if I did?”
I knew she was humoring me, but it really was the best solution if I had to stay here. Maybe I could convince her to text me every five minutes. No, that was too much, ten minutes was reasonable. If we linked our phones, it would share her location with me at all times. Though the odds of her agreeing to that did not seem high.
“Absolutely.” There was no hesitation in my answer.
“Okay, let me go change into something more appropriate.” She waved a hand down her body, highlighting a cute cami and sleep shorts. There was nothing indecent or sexy about the set, clearly built for comfort. Still, it hinted at the delicate curves I knew were there, based on her dress from the first night.
“I will too.” After working together to wash the dishes, I followed her up the stairs and peeled off to my room. It only took a few minutes to change and grab my sneakers. Vienna didn’t make me wait long, as she popped out of her room in a sleek pair of black shorts and a form fitting muscle shirt. Her wavy hair danced around her head as she finished tying her ponytail.
I gaped as she approached.
Damn.
“You okay there, Merrick?” She stopped in front of me, tipping her head back.
She was always gorgeous, but there was something different about her energy right now. It was confident and relaxed. Sex appeal oozed from her, even while she wasn’t trying to be sexy. And it played havoc on my quickly rising cock.
A slight sparkle shone in her eyes, as if she knew something I didn’t.
I desperately wanted to know. Whatever secret she was keeping, I’d take it to the grave if she trusted me with it.
“Yes,” I managed to get out.
A little snuffle of a laugh escaped her as she shook her head and passed me on her way to the stairs. If I hadn’t been watching her, I wouldn’t have been able to track her progress by sound. By the time I snapped out of my all-consuming admiration, I jogged down behind her, not nearly as quiet.
That’s what I could do. I’d practice being as stealthy as she was. That way when she was ready to take me with her on a job, I would be an asset and not a liability. This assumed she was some kind of PI.
Vienna hadn’t really said what she did, but the little offhand comments here and there made it sound like she researched people, or did some type of investigating. But I wouldn’t push her for an answer. When she was ready, she’d tell me.
Instead of heading to the basement, where I expected her to go, she went to the laundry room by the garage and pulled out a pair of well-worn sneakers from under a bench seat.
“The gym is next door,” she said as she slipped the shoes on. After tying them, she tucked the strings in the side.
I slipped mine on while leaning on the door frame and tucked my strings too. Watching her do it, just seemed like it was a good idea.
Snatching a lightweight jacket from the hook, she opened the garage door with the hand holding the jacket, and led us to the side door of the garage. She locked up behind us, securing the door and likely the alarm. I liked how security-conscious she was.
I’d seen some of the other houses in the daylight, but I hadn’t actually gone exploring. Now as we made our way to the neighboring house, I craned my neck to get a look at the street. Large mature trees surrounded the houses and lined the block. There wasn’t an abundance of sunlight hitting us, casting an eerie vibe on the partially finished houses.
No, there were a few that were finished. Vienna’s was one, and on the far corner was another, but the others I could see were all in varying stages of completion. Had this been a fully inhabited subdivision, it would have housed some wealthier families with large yards and access to serene nature.
I was getting ready to ask a question, when Vienna opened the side door to the neighboring house with another code. “It’s in the basement of this house,” she explained.
From what I saw, the interior was identical to Vienna’s. Not that I saw much, because I barely left the kitchen before we were going down to the basement. When she had said the gym was in the basement, she meant theentirebasement.
Floor to ceiling mirrors lined the walls and state of the art equipment took up one side, leaving a large open area for other types of activity. She walked to a stereo built into the wall and turned on low rock music. Then she toed her shoes off, placing them neatly on the edge of the mats, and turned around to watch me expectantly.
I followed suit and joined her in the middle of the open space.
It was a lot cooler in this basement than it had been next door. The lights worked too. I had so many questions. Did she own both houses? Was her family in real estate? Was that why she had this unfinished subdivision? Why did she live so far away? There had to be generators, right?
"Merrick." It never failed, the moment she said my name, all of my attention snapped to her. Only, she wasn't waiting for me to pay attention, she came right at me in a rush. I was all set to catch her when she launched upward, literally climbing me. One foot against my knee, the other on my shoulder and then those gorgeous legs were wrapped around me.
Even hitting the mat didn't startle me so much as leave me stunned as she rolled free and back to her feet with a kind of effortless grace. I shoved myself upward and grinned at her. "Do that again."
Surprise lit her eyes, surprise and maybe a bit of pleasure. I rolled my shoulders back, ready for her lunge this time. Only instead of coming at me and climbing, she slid around and down, sweeping my legs. I almost managed to stay on my feet. Even as I fought for balance, she locked her legs around me and I was pinned.
