Page 11 of Kitten Kisses

“Six-five.” Slater stared at the way Alex’s throat moved as he drank. It was like a workout for his brain trying to stay focused. “And to answer your second question, your muscles will be sore for a while since they’re not used to being stretched,” he said, keeping his focus on his mate.

“Can’t we just consider the ten-minute warmup as our workout?”

“Nice try.” Slater smirked. “We’ll start off with something easy.”

“Like sitting or lying down? I could toss snacks into my mouth as a form of arm curls,” Alex suggested, marching in place to ease the burn.

Slater felt like a goof at how much he liked watching his mate trying to stomp the burn right out of his slender legs. “Nope, we’re doing lunges. And since you’re so enthusiastic about working out, I’m adding an extra fifteen minutes to our session.”

Not really, but it was fun seeing the shocked expression on Alex’s face.

“What?” His eyes widened in horror.

“You gonna stop whining now?” Slater raised an eyebrow.

Alex glared at him but remained silent.

They worked out for the next thirty minutes, with Slater alternating between moderate and easy exercises. A few times his mate stopped to shake out his arms and legs, but he seemed determined to keep going.

When they were done, his mate drank an entire bottle of water then used his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Can you show me at least one self-defense move, like the proper way to punch, before we call it a night?”

Slater tossed him a towel. “Punching will only break your hand. I’ll show you something more effective.”

Punching was effective for him because his hand was much more powerful than a human’s.

Alex set the bottle and towel aside. “Like a chop to the neck?”

“Like a powerful kick.” Slater stood in front of him. “If there isn’t enough space between you and your target, you knee him as hard as you can in the nuts. But if there’s enough space between you two, you can bring your knee up as far as you can and launch your heel at your target’s chest.”

“What if they’re too tall?”

“Then go for their stomach.” He demonstrated a wide stance then launched his heel, stopping when he was far enough away so he wouldn’t accidentally kick his mate.

Alex squeaked, and his eyes widened as he jumped back. “For a second, I thought you were going to actually kick me.”

Slater lowered his leg. “I would never hurt you, hummingbird. Now you try it.”

With an awkward shuffling dance, Alex attempted to mimic Slater’s stance. “Like this?”

“You’re not doing the splits, hon.” Slater squatted, forcing himself not to acknowledge how close Alex’s groin was to him in those cotton shorts or how he could see the outline of his cock.

His tiger growled, longing for his mate’s scent and taste. Slater pulled the guy’s legs closer to adjust their stance, his fingers caressing warm, soft skin.

Damn if he didn’t want to turn his little human into a buffet and indulge until his name was torn from those sultry lips.

Blowing out a breath, Slater stood and backed up a little. He highly doubted Alex would pull off a kick on his first try, so he didn’t need to give the guy much room. “Remember what I showed you.”

Why was his tiger being so cagey? Slater felt it trying to get close to surface, just like it had when he’d talked to his mate in the store.

“Here goes.” Alex launched his leg, but instead of extending it straight forward the way Slater had demonstrated, it shot up toward the ceiling in a high kick.

Slater’s jaw dropped as he watched gravity and momentum take over, causing the guy to spin wildly. Before he could react, Alex collided into him, his mate’s knee glancing Slater’s groin. Holy Fuck! Slater shouted in pain as he lost his balance and catapulted backward, taking Alex with him.

When they hit the floor, he realized in horror that the right side of Alex’s body was under him. He scrambled to his knees, praying he hadn’t injured his mate. “Are you hurt?”

Slater’s fear intensified when the guy let out a lengthy groan. “I think my pride was crushed. It hurts like hell.”

Relieved he hadn’t caused Alex any damage, Slater rested his palms on his thighs and leaned forward, trying his damnedest to ride through the pain. Thank god it was a glancing blow and not a direct hit, but it still hurt like hell.

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