THE COUGAR'S BABY - 16

C H A P T E R S I X T E E N - - - - S H A U N

Daniella was a distraction like no other. Shaun had no problem admitting that.

She’d changed out of her slacks and shirt to come in for their training session, and now her body was far more exposed to his hungry gaze. She was dressed in leggings and a black workout top, not revealing anything and giving her room for function and movement, but it also showed off her delectable curves, the arch of her back, and the slightest hint of her heavy breasts. And that was pure torture, undiluted and brought to Shaun in the form of an assignment.

I’m going to have to beat Jerome up for this shit one of these days, he thought, trying to find his voice to speak to her as she warmed up, his eyes glued to every ripple of muscle, every motion she made.

Perfection. Now even more so, with her slightly rounder curves and a body that could fill his big paws, were he only allowed to touch it.

He stretched his neck side to side, feeling the crackle it sent down his spine. He had a crick in his left shoulder from getting too close to a lunatic with a knife back in Afghanistan, and his knee had never been the same after taking that damn bullet. But those were small grievances in comparison to losing limbs or worse during service.

The only good body is one being put to use, he reminded himself, trying to focus on the task at hand instead of Dani’s tempting ass.

“Let’s go then, baby,” he said, holding firmly to the affectionate moniker even though he saw a strain of irritation cross Dani every time he used it.

That was probably why he kept using it. Well, that and the fact that it took him back to that one night they’d shared every damn time and that was a nice enough memory to revisit often.

She stopped warming up, her eyes sharply on him as she met him on the cushioned mat in the middle of the small, private room. He’d made sure there would be no one to walk in on them, no one to disturb them. The doors were unlocked but it was late in the evening, as both of them seemed to prefer, nocturnal shifters as they were.

“Let’s make this fast. I have places to be,” she said with the beginnings of a snarl.

Shaun grinned. “We’re not done before I say we’re done. Lieutenant’s orders.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. Shaun knew as Dani must that all of this was as much to piss him and her off as it was to actually make sure she was on top of her game. They’d have weapons training the next evening with a larger group, but physical prowess and hand-to-hand combat was something they could check in private. It wouldn’t have to take long, but that all depended on how much they ended up enjoying it.

“What do you want me to do?” Dani asked as Shaun brought up his hands and parted his legs for better grip on the dark blue mat.

“Take me out,” he said, a wolfish smile spreading on his lips. “I’ll play nice.”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t?” she huffed back, though he could see the smirk that she lazily tried to hide from him.

“I’m a man of my word whenever it suits me,” he said leisurely, the last words delivered when Dani was already making a pass at him.

She jabbed with her right hand, feigning a hit to distract him when her left came up, a tight fist rolled and getting by Shaun easily. He hopped to the left, putting some distance between them.

“That the best you can do?” he asked, loving the determination he could see on her, making her muscles strain and her teeth bare.

Dani came at him again and this time, she didn’t waste any time on misdirection. Her left-handed punch rattled past his arm and into his ribs and she brought up her knee in order to sock him in the gut, but he batted it away easily enough, putting some shoulder into it and making her spin away for balance. He could have grabbed her leg and brought her down on the mat, but it was too early.

“That better?” she questioned with a feral grin as Shaun touched his ribs gingerly, adrenaline beginning to course through him, life-giving and thick.

“Barely felt it,” he said, sending her hissing and coming for him again.

She was a firecracker. Shorter by a lot but a bit faster too. It took effort to keep up with her, parrying and blocking as her fists and legs sought tender flesh. She got in a few lucky hits on his shoulders and one in the gut before Shaun felt a familiar growl rising in his chest, the tender, careful side of him beaten into submission.

The next time she came for him, looking to plant her leg in his chest and then maybe sweep him off his feet when he was off balance, he grabbed her ankle, twisting it roughly. He sent her into the mat, spinning her body in the air, but she had enough good sense to roll along with the motion. She’d barely hit the floor before she was scrambling to her feet, putting distance between them now to regain her senses.

Shaun grinned approvingly. There was a slight sheen of sweat on her now, making her skin glisten, and he knew he had to look much the same. There was a fire in her eyes, a willingness, no, a need to win, and he knew that look well. You could see it in the eyes of every warrior. No one wanted to fucking lose, least of all people who got their highs and their lows off of their victories and defeats.She came for him like a bat out of hell and Shaun forgot all about his good manners. He blocked her first two punches but with a successful feint, she got in a solid jab low in his abs, no gentlemen’s rules in place against it. He heaved over, coughing, and she slammed her knee in his face roughly, sending blood flying out of his nose.

Shaun snarled, snagging two strong arms around her and pile-driving her into the mat, smothering her with his size and strength. She squirmed out from underneath him before he could pin her and they were both on their feet again, wild-eyed and disheveled.

“Shit, Shaun. I’m sorry,” she said, genuine surprise in her voice and her eyes wide. “I didn't mean to.”

“Fuck you didn’t, Dani. Keep going,” he said, his voice low, his shoulders tense.

He hunched over slightly, letting his knees buckle just enough to put his center of gravity lower. She was shorter than he was and it was costing him. Apparently when Shaun had taken the task of checking up on the physical status of the spitfire before him, it was not her health he should have been worrying about, but his.

She lunged at him and he could see the reflection of the jaguar so clearly in her movements, poised yet fast and deadly. Shaun blocked her kick with his arm but did not have time to throw back as she pulled away, traipsing on swift feet. There was a grin on her lips that she probably was not even aware of and it was sexy as sin.

Using the lull, he didn’t wait for her to come to him. He feinted with his left, which she easily anticipated, and then again and again until finally his right came in swinging, aiming for her ribs and hitting with a crack. She wheezed, sucking in a breath, but that didn’t stop her. It wasn’t simple training anymore. This was more.

A year of frustration being let out on one another, perhaps? The violent dance of two people with far more to say to each other than they dared utter? Whatever it was, it was getting fucking painful, but he wouldn’t stop before she did.

Her smile was now gone and she favored one side, trying to keep her arm down to guard the injured ribs. He knew how she felt; he was nursing a similar injury himself. Both were more careful now, circling one another. Shaun could sense the copper in his mouth and it tasted bitter, like the time he’d spent without her.

Finally, she came at him again and it was immediately obvious what Dani was trying to do. Her hands sought to distract him, but the wary look she tossed his injured knee told him everything he needed to know. Her bare foot stomped into it the same moment that he reached down, grabbing her by the calf and flipping her down on her back, and she hissed with pain.

Shaun rained down on her, pinning her down, his strong arms snaking around her as she tried to fight her way free. But she had no leverage, no fight against his size and strength. When they’d been standing, she’d had a shot and a damn good one, to Shaun’s surprise, but in the end, a powerhouse would plow through the defenses of a lighter, more agile fighter.

Shaun waited for her to tap out, squeezing her in a vise, his lips so close to her neck that it hurt not to taste her skin. The tiny beads of sweat that rolled down made his insides twist and he felt like a damn mess over it all.

“Fuck!” she squealed, frustration mingling with anger as she tapped the mat in a hurry a few times, Shaun unfurling himself from around her immediately.

They rolled apart and Shaun fell on his back, looking up at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling heavily.

Hell was that?

When he looked over to Dani, hearing her labored breaths, she was glowering at him from under dark lashes, wiping at her mouth. It came back bloody. Looking down, he could see sharp tooth marks on his arm and a trickle of blood. He burst out laughing, a deep, resounding sound that seemed to bounce back from the walls.

“What’s so damn funny?” Dani asked, wiping the blood from her mouth on her hand.

“You, baby,” he said, hauling himself up to sit, a few feet of distance between him and her. “This was supposed to be a friendly spar. Something you want to tell me about?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dani said tersely, jumping up on her feet, though the way she winced a little and how her fingers traced the side he’d pummeled wasn’t lost on him.

“Sure you don’t.”

Dani walked over to her bag and took out a water bottle and a towel. She wet the towel and wiped up the blood before padding over to Shaun with soft steps, barely hinting that they’d just been locked in mortal combat with one another. Shaun watched her as she came back, lowering herself next to him and reaching both the bottle and the towel out to him.

“You look like a mess, Shaun.”

“You should see the other guy,” he replied, taking the offered items and pressing the towel to his face.

It smelled like her. Scratch that, he smelled like her. He mopped up the blood, trying his teeth with his tongue to make sure they were all where he expected them to be, and discarded the ratty cloth on the mat before taking a swig of water.

“Come on now, Dani. Talk to me here. That shit was personal. I’ve been in enough fights to recognize when someone really wants to throw my ass to the ground.”

“Are you saying you didn’t do the same? Don’t fool me, soldier, I can read you as well as you claim to be able to read me.”

Shaun looked at her for a long moment, a predatory smile on his lips. He shouldn’t have admitted this, but he liked the way she challenged him. Whether it was physical or mental, he enjoyed their back and forth and finding someone who could and would go toe-to-toe with him—hell, that was something. Gone was the scared girl he’d seen in the office, replaced by a huntress ready to kick ass and take no prisoners.

“So a stalemate? We’ll both pretend that we were at the right place at the right time and both needed to let off a bit of steam, is that it? I’m not sure I’m buying that, Dani.”

“It’s the best you’re going to get,” she huffed, her teeth digging into her lower lip.

For a second, she looked vulnerable again, the way she had been when she’d been in his arms, letting herself put her guard down when they’d been together. She went to get up but Shaun couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been lying to him now, hiding something and he didn’t know what. He spotted his chance and the jaguar acted before the man could object.

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her roughly into his lap, his strong hands locking around her and cradling her closely. His lips found hers and he kissed her hungrily, one hand behind her head, gripping her ponytail.

It was now or never. She’d punch him in the face or she’d kiss him back. Lock and load, baby.