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He punched me in the side, the punch probably light for him but hard enough to make the air rush out of my lungs. I tried to dance back, shaking my head to clear it, but he closed on me again.
Warm blood flowed down my face. I must look horrible. I launched myself at him, desperate to finish this, and faked a punch to the left before ducking under his block and hooking my fist. It felt as if my knuckles all but shattered against his rock hard abs. He grabbed me, wrapping his arms around me, and I drove my knee up into his balls. He let out a shocked sound, then threw himself backward.
The two of us slammed into the ground together and I scrambled to get on top. I thought I had him pinned for a second, then he swept my grip away and rolled the two of us over easily, landing on top of me. Blood flowed into my mouth, making me feel like I was going to drown, and I struggled and writhed.
“Good job,” he said, rolling off me and rising to his feet as if it were nothing.
“I am choking on blood I made myself bleed,” I rasped as I struggled to sit up. “I thinkgood jobis an overstatement.”
He knelt in front of me and reached his arm out to steady me. His fingers felt hot on my shoulder, so intense that it almost distracted me from the pain and embarrassment.
His gaze sought mine. “I wouldn’t say something I didn’t mean, Amelia.”
A warm glow lit my chest at those kind words, and I couldn’t meet his eyes no matter how much he was obviously trying to connect with me. I was afraid he’d see how I felt written across my face. When I lifted my hand to my nose, blood seeped between my fingers.
His hands were gentle as he held his t-shirt up to my face. “Tilt your head back.”
He poured water from his water bottle onto his t-shirt and began to gently clean up my face, gripping the back of my head with one hand. His hands were gentle and firm, and slowly my sense of embarrassment ebbed a little bit. It felt good to be taken care of, and Cole seemed pleased with me despite my clumsiness.
“There,” he said, sitting back slightly. The blood had stopped trickling from my nose, and I could finally meet his dark eyes as he smiled, just slightly. That small twitch of Cole’s lips seemed like the first time I’d seen him smile, and it made me want to make his unhesitating grin. I’d bet it was gorgeous. “Look, you kept fighting even once you were hurt. Like you always have, right? You just have to transfer that mindset to physically fighting.”
I nodded, but even that movement hurt.
“If you shift into a wolf, you’ll be fine. Want to go for a run?”
When we were wolves, Cole had displayed a playful side that was intoxicating. There was something alluring about seeing this man who was always so controlled embrace his inner animal. “Very much.”
He stood, his muscles rippling. The sun haloed his hair, and my heart flip-flopped as he held his hand out to me to help me up.
“Good,” he said. “Because I enjoyed running with you the other day.”
They were small, polite words, but he hesitated as if that were some major confession. I let him pull me to my feet, and for a second, the air between us felt charged. I was tempted to take another step into Cole’s waiting arms, to press myself against that hard chest and let him wrap his arms around me.
Then his gaze dropped.
The air shifted in a second, turning icy.
I turned to find Stone watching us. He leaned on the railing of the porch. His gaze seemed to cut right through me.
I turned, but all the warmth between Cole and I seemed to have died. Cole looked stone-faced and resolute, as if he had no real desire to go with me.
“Thank you for the practice,” I said, then held his blood stained t-shirt out. “Your shirt seems like it’s been through more trauma today than any textile should have to endure.”
He gave me a strange look, but took the shirt.
“Tomorrow?” I asked him, feeling irrationally afraid he’d say no, never again.
“Tomorrow,” he agreed.
For someone who had bled an awful lot of my own blood, I felt strangely elated at the thought of seeing Cole again tomorrow.
Stone hopped the railing and came over. “I’ll take her out for that run,” he told Cole.
I turned on him. “Did you know you can speak directly to me?”
Stone’s gaze met mine evenly. “I’m aware.”
Even though he was an asshole, the air between us felt charged, just like when I talked to Cole.
