Page 13 of Huntress and the Thorn Court
“What?”
“You heard me.”
I shook my head hesitantly. “We were sparring.”
“I told you, you only got the one freebie and you used the excuse of showing the class as a way to get at me.”
“You’re wrong. Now get off me.”
“Am I?”
I managed to maneuver my leg out to the side. Kicking off the floor, I forced us over until I had him on his back with me straddling him. Before I could stand, he gripped my hips rolling us over once more. Our positioning was much more erotic than it had been. With this final roll, he’d settled between my thighs pressing his weight deliciously against my core. I stopped struggling very aware of his body.
“Was this what you were angling for all along?” he asked. The husky way he lowered his voice sent shivers down my spine, but I didn’t dare let him realize it.
“In your dreams. Now get the fuck off me.” I wiggled once trying to throw him off, but it just shifted him against me, and the yoga pants I wore were barely a barrier between us. I was proud of myself for not gasping.
Chuckling, he planted his hands on the floor before jumping to his feet. He held his hand out to me. I ignored it. I didn’t trust myself in that moment to touch him. It had just been a really long time since I had sex, and Gideon, werewolf or not, was incredibly sexy. This was the reasoning I told myself.
“Do you need to work off that energy?” he asked.
Doing my best not to gape at him, I asked, “What?”
“I’d rather you take your aggression out on me and not some unsuspecting wolf. So—” he waved me over with a move of his fingers, taking his stance. I heaved a relieved breath. He wanted to spar. For a moment, I thought he might have been propositioning me. No matter how attractive I might think he was,thatwas something that could never happen.
“I thought you said it wasn’t smart to train with the dominant wolves. As the Alpha, you arethemost dominant wolf.”
He didn’t relax his pose. “The circumstances I mentioned do not apply.” When I still didn’t move, he sighed. “If you don’t want to try to kick my ass—?”
Hearing him say that magic word, I slipped effortlessly into my hunter guise. I charged with a ghostly swiftness that most never even saw coming, but Gideon wasn’t most. His arm shot up blocking my strike. I smiled realizing how much fun this was going to be.
* * *
Flat on myback in a panting heap, I wore a grin even though I lost, again. It was the first time since I arrived that I actually felt like myself. Not the losing, but the training, the sparring. This was part of my regular routine and I didn’t realize how much I had missed it. Training the Omegas wasn’t enough.
What I enjoyed truly was that Gideon didn’t go easy on me because I was a woman or a hunter. He didn’t hold his punches or misdirect them as he’d done earlier. His effort to win was real. Frustration would mar his face when I’d get the upper hand no matter how short the win was.
“I’m sorry, Isabel,” Gideon stated from above me. “I have a meeting to attend.” He held his hand out to me. I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed it allowing him to pull me to my feet. It was something I loved about being on the sparring mat. It made everyone equals. There were no pretenses that needed to be followed. No overthinking what the move meant. It was about training, learning, and letting out frustrations.
The moment he released his hold, I felt the earlier rules of conduct slip back in place. Gideon went back to being the Alpha and I his prisoner. The smile fell from my face and I took a careful step back.
“I hope now you’ll be able to control your aggression,” he stated.
I bristled but didn’t show how his words affected me. “Sure. As soon as you release me from my sentence.”
He narrowed his eyes as he grabbed his shirt. Slipping it back on, he left the room without reply.
I lingered long enough to watch him leave. Not that I had been admiring his backside, though it was a good view, but I wanted to put some distance between us before I departed too. We’d sparred for over an hour. By the time I was done showering, dinner would have already begun.
I stepped out into the hallway deciding if it was faster to head left or right as I was still trying to map the house out. It was huge.
“He’s attractive, isn’t he?”
I turned seeing a leggy blonde with a loose fitting, cream silk shirt tucked into her short, gray, business skirt. I quickly became confused when I realized she was speaking to me.
“Gideon?” she added with a raised brow like that would explain away my confusion. “He’s handsome?” she asked. Unsure why she was speaking to me, and in desperate need of a shower after my sparring match, I figured I’d placate her so I could move on.
“He is,” I admitted. I’d have to be blind not to notice, not that I was interested. Hunters and supernatural beings didn’t mix.
