Page 8 of Wyoming Cowboy Undercover

“It’s okay,” she muttered, finding her voice. “I’m just glad you made it.” She smiled. “I was afraid that you’d cancel.”

“I hate missing a session with you. I look forward to our hour together.”

The feeling was mutual. “Me, too. The highlight of my week.” The one thing in her life that had been all hers.

“I didn’t get a chance to change,” he said, gesturing to his jeans before he dropped his duffel bag on the floor. “But I figured we could start with some speed drills. It’ll sharpen your technique. Improve footwork. Helps prepare you for real-world situations. Then we’ll move on to slow sparring so you can work on seeing the incoming movements. Retrain those panic reflexes into functional ones, for proper evasive movements and counters.”

Everything he’d said blurred together in her ears. “Can we just jump to the slow sparring?”

“I know you want to get to the good stuff.” He clasped her shoulder, and a spark of something she couldn’t name ignited within her—so intense, so raw that her body lit up, every nerve ending coming alive with awareness. “For some reason you seem to enjoy it when I fling you to the ground and pin you.”

Pushing her to writhe beneath him until she executed a contortionist maneuver to break free.

Who wouldn’t enjoy it?

Clearing her throat, she lowered her gaze. “I’m not sure I have time to do everything. I’ve got to be back at the compound by seven.”

His grip on her shoulder tightened. Her pulse pounded as he leaned in close. He smelled sinfully good. The yummy, woodsy scent of him had her thinking of the multitude of rules she wanted to break.

“I can give you a lift,” he said, low in her ear. “Drop you off close without anyone seeing. Like last time. Our little secret.” His smooth warm smile deepened.

Now all she could think about were the big, dirty kinds of secrets she wanted to share with him. “Sounds good.” That would give her more time. With him.

He moved his hand, and her skin felt chilled.

She realized the hardest part of saying goodbye to USD would be knowing there wouldn’t be any more moments such as these with Rocco.

He took off his shirt and stretched. Long, sinewy muscles flexed across his back and abdomen. Her gaze went over the intricate lines of ink that wound over one shoulder and inched across his sexy collarbone.

She swallowed hard, wondering what it would be like to touch him. Not as a result of a self-defense move. Purely for the sake of pleasure.

“Now that’s settled,” he said, “I trust you’re ready for me.”

In more ways than one.

Mercy had to suppress the thought, the urges that came over her whenever she was near him. She was only grateful her father didn’t have a window into her soul. He would be so disappointed.

“Yep.” She hopped side to side on the balls of her feet and stretched her arms. “I’m all warmed up.”

Rocco put padded shin guards on her and then he slipped on a pair of padded gloves. He held up his protected palms and directed her through drills. A series of rapid-fire punches, kicks and other strikes he’d taught her. She listened and responded with the appropriate blows. They got into a quick, demanding rhythm. But her heart was racing too hard. Too fast.

Working up a sweat, she struggled to suck in enough air. The room started to spin. Her pulse throbbed against her temples, her chest growing tighter and tighter. A chill sliced through her. She stumbled back.

The strangest noise filled her ears—a sharp, keening wheeze.

To her shock, the sound was coming from her.

“Mercy?” Rocco asked, worry coming over his face. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, but she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t talk. Was she having a heart attack? Was she dying? “Ambulance. I think I need an ambulance.”

He ripped off the gloves and clasped her arms. She was shaking.

“Sit down.” He guided her down to a mat. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”

She muttered off as much as she could through strained breaths.

“Close your eyes,” he said, and she did. “Listen to the sound of my voice. I want you to inhale for a count of two. That’s right. Exhale. One. Two.” He repeated the instructions over and over, rubbing his warm hands up and down her arms until she was doing it. “Now I want you to inhale for a count of four.” A pause. “Exhale the same. One. Two. Three. Four.”

---