Page 79 of Promises in the Dark

Rolling my eyes, I took my group off to the side while Pyro started barking orders at his.

“Alright, you limp dicks, first things first. Warm up those sorry excuses you call muscles! Jumping jacks, push-ups, and if I see anyone half-assing it, you’ll regret the day you crawled outta your mama.”

They stumbled through the warm-up routine like a bunch of drunken toddlers, limbs flailing and sweat flying. I barked orders like a drill sergeant on crack, pushing them harder, faster, until they looked like they were about to puke.

“Okay, enough of that shit,” I snarled, wiping the sweat from my brow. “Now, grab a partner! Time for some real practice.”

The medical staff looked around, eyes darting like scared little rats, until everyone was paired up except for Red. She stood there, a bit uncertain, looking around like she didn’t belong until her eyes met mine.

“Great,” I muttered under my breath, striding over to her. “Well, looks like you got stuck with me, princess.”

“Lucky me,” she replied, squaring her shoulders like she was actually ready for this.

I gestured for her to throw a punch, and with a scowl, she obliged. She swung at me, but it was a joke—sloppy, weak, no power behind it. I dodged it with ease, smirking.

“You call that a punch?” I laughed, stepping aside as her fist flew past me.

She growled in frustration, spinning around to try again, this time with a half-assed kick.

I blocked it effortlessly, grabbing her leg and tossing her off balance. She stumbled, cursing under her breath.

“Is that the best you got?”

Red’s jaw clenched, her eyes blazing with fury as she launched herself at me, a whirlwind of punches and kicks.

She swung, I ducked. She kicked, I sidestepped.

Sure, she wasn’t exactly a combat goddess. Hell, she couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if her life depended on it. But holy shit, every time she swung at me, her fists barely grazing my chest, I could feel myself getting harder than a titanium rod.

“Come on, hit me,” I commanded.

And oh boy, she came at me like a goddamn hurricane. She didn’t hold back, her attacks becoming more frenzied as she tried to land a hit on me. I could see the fire burning in her eyes, the need to prove herself, and fuck if it didn’t turn me on.

“You’re gonna have to do better than that,” I chuckled, almost enjoying this game of cat and mouse.

She kept coming, each punch fueled by enough rage to light up a small city. This time, I caught her wrist mid-air, twisting it behind her back in a move that would have had her on her knees if we were in a different situation.

“Easy there, tiger,” I goaded, sidestepping another blow. “Don’t want to hurt yourself.”

But Red wasn’t having it. She twisted and writhed in my grasp, trying to break free. “Go to Hell!” she spat, trying to land a kick at my shin.

I laughed, easily sidestepping her clumsy attempt. “Feisty, aren’t we?”

I tightened my grip on her wrist, enjoying the way she squirmed. In that moment, I realized just how much I liked this side of her. The fire, the passion—it was intoxicating.

I released her wrist, stepping back to give her a moment. Not that I wanted to. Fuck, every inch of me wanted to pin her down and keep her there.

Fuck, she was so fucking tempting.

Irresistible. In every way.

Red lunged again and I deflected her blow, spinning her around and pinning her onto one of the mats with my weight before she even knew what hit her. She grunted as the air was knocked out of her, and I smirked down at her.

“If we were out there with the enemy,” I breathed, my lips hovering just inches from hers. “You’d be dead by now. You need to control that temper of yours, or it’ll get you killed.”

Her eyes flashed with anger, but there was something else there—something raw, wild, and just as fucked up as the shit running through my head.

God, I was so damn turned on.

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