She had worked her way down the point in twice the time it should have taken her and she had ignored half of what he had told her along the way. He had caught her scent first thing simply because she hadn’t tested the direction the wind was blowing. He had heard her skirting the small clearing five minutes before, going in the complete opposite direction that she should have gone.
She stopped, frowning, her blue eyes flashing with anger.
Her breasts were heaving with exertion and nerves and he doubted she could have heard anyone sneaking up on her for the pounding of her own heart.
“I was quiet, dammit. I didn’t make a sound.”
“Do you think I would lie to you?” he growled. “I heard you coming five minutes ago. If this were Grange’s property the guards would have already had you down, stripped and fucked. I told you, Elizabeth. Quietly. I showed you how.”
He was being hard on her. But if he could hear her that far away then those damned dogs patrolling Grange’s estate could too.
“How much quieter do I have to be?” She was tired, irritated and ready to tear into him now.
“A hell of a lot quieter,” he snarled. “Turn around, get your ass back up to that point and try it again. Grange returns to his estate in two weeks. That’s it. End of training and kill time. You won’t be ready.”
“The hell I won’t,” she snarled. “Son of a bitch. You’re a Breed. Of course you heard me. Grange doesn’t have Breeds for soldiers, does he?”
“No, he doesn’t,” he said softly, smiling tightly, controlling the instinctive rush to protect her. “He has dogs. Big mean dogs trained to fuck nosy little girls who come creeping around his estate. You’ve had a taste of it, baby. Wanna try for the real animals now?”
Her face flushed in fury, her lips thinning as she stared at him coldly.
“Aren’t you just a barrel of laughs this morning,” she sneered. “Too bad you’re not as well trained as Grange’s dogs are.”
She turned on her heel and slipped back around the cabin as he felt offended anger flow through his body. He stomped after her, determined to teach her that soldiers never sassed their trainers. Not and get away with it.
As he rounded the side of the cabin he had no more than a second’s warning before his feet flew out from under him, leaving him on his back with a furious Elizabeth straddling his chest, the sharp end of a stick pressing to his throat.
“I get breakfast now, big boy,” she snarled, curling her lip in sneering triumph as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Who says I can’t be quiet?”
She had him. Damn her, she had tricked him so quickly he hadn’t even considered she would turn so sneaky.
He lifted his hand and pulled the stick away from from her, tossing it aside as he stared up at her.
“Next time you come over me like that you better be naked,” he growled.
“Next time, I’m going to stomp your balls for being so insulting,” she snapped back.
He had no doubt she would. If she got the chance.
He lifted her off him then rose to his feet as she stood, watching him in triumph. “You did good. Not good enough, but good.”
She breathed out roughly.
“Not good enough?” She placed her hands on her hips as she watched with a frown. “I got you. Fair and square. How is that not good enough?”
“Because I trust you and I have the added handicap of being so damned hot to fuck you I can’t consider you a threat just yet. Bad move on my part. I won’t make that mistake again.” Damned if his pride could handle it.
They had been working for most of the morning. He had dragged her out of bed before dawn, marched her to the top of the rise above the cabin and told her to wait before heading back down. On the way up, he had taught her how to move through the brush, keeping her steps light, her breathing slow and easy. How to pace herself, time her steps, and move without causing a ripple of sound.
Not that he had expected her to pick it up as well as she had. She had actually surprised him. But she could be better. If his instincts were right, she had the potential to move as silently as any hunter ever born. And she was willing to work for what she needed to know. That was imperative. Elizabeth understood that she needed what Dash was teaching her, just as Dash himself was aware of it.
“That’s a poor excuse,” she finally grunted before turning and heading back to the front of the cabin. “I need a shower and breakfast. I’ll try it again after I’ve thought about it.”
She was rolling her shoulders, her voice was thoughtful, as though something had come to her that she wasn’t quite certain of, and her ass was filling those jeans out like a dream.
Dash grimaced as his dick throbbed and his lust seemed to hit peak level. He hadn’t touched her since the night at Mike’s ranch. The rushed departure, exhausting flight and the journey to the cabin had been made in less than twenty-four hours. They had both collapsed into the bed and slept like the dead as soon they had eaten a hastily prepared meal.
Training had begun yesterday as soon as they left the cabin and by the time he nearly carried her back into the cabin last night, he had known sex wouldn’t be at the top of her list of priorities. But it was rising quickly to his.
He watched her disappear into the bedroom of the small cabin, and minutes later heard the shower turn on full force. He put together a quick breakfast: two large, filled omelets, fried potatoes and orange juice. Fresh coffee brewed on the counter and by the time she walked out of the bedroom nearly thirty minutes later, he was setting it on the table.
“Eat. We’ll practice self-defense after breakfast then give it a break until evening.”
He sat across from her, digging into his own food. It was fuel, pure and simple, high on carbs and protein with plenty of running power. She would need the energy to get through the next two weeks. She was already run down, tired. She wasn’t living on shattered nerves and fear now. That adrenaline heightened the senses and gave an added edge, even if it was a false one. Now, she was going to have to teach her senses to work in the proper direction. Without the nerves. Without the adrenaline kick that the life or death situation she had faced before had given her.
She drew in a deep breath, but rather than arguing, only nodded. The action drew his attention to her breasts. Unconfined, without the bra, they were still ripe and full, plump little mounds that his hands itched to cup and caress. He was dying to take her again. To see if the sensations were as intense a second time around or if it had all been a dream.
Training first, he reminded himself as he finished his meal then sat back to enjoy his coffee. It was his first cup in days and damned if he hadn’t missed it. The caffeine jolt to his system was almost immediate, making him contain a hum of pleasure.
Elizabeth wasn’t nearly as reticent. A long, low sound of appreciation vibrated in her throat as she closed her eyes, relishing the taste as well as the jolt. Her expression was pure sensual delight and as she swallowed the hot brew, her tongue peeked out to catch an escaping drop on her lower lip.
Dash’s cock jerked in awareness. He remembered her licking her lips in just that manner once before. When she had licked the last taste of his cock from them after he pulled her from him right before Mike’s interruption.
“I almost forgot how good it was.” She sighed as she opened her eyes, her gaze meeting his.
A flush instantly filled her cheeks as his gaze dropped to her damp lips.
“Finish your coffee.” Dash rose to his feet, clearing their plates from the table. “I want to start teaching you how to fight with more than nerves and fear. You have to keep your head clear to be efficient. To deliver a blow that will disable instead of merely stun. If you just stun your enemy, you risk him coming up behind you later. If you disable him, you can put him out indefinitely. Short of killing him, that’s your best bet.”
“If he’s the enemy, why not just kill him?” She rose to her feet as well, moving to the coffee pot to refill her cup. “I didn’t notice you caring much for disabling that guy you killed at the apartment.”