Immortal in Death (In Death #3)(46)

He grinned up at her. She was in a mood, he could see. He just wasn’t sure what mood it was. “Want to see how tough?”

“Think I’m afraid of you?” With her eyes still on his, she stripped off her weapon harness, hung it over one of the bars. “Come on.” She walked over to a mat, curled her fingers in challenge. “See if you can take me down.”

Still prone, he studied her. There was something in her eyes other than challenge, he noted. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was lust. “Eve, I’m covered with sweat.”

She sneered. “Coward.”

He winced. “Let me grab a shower, then — “

“Chicken. You know, some men are still stuck in the mindset that a woman can’t go toe to toe on a physical level. Since I know you’re above that, I can only assume you’re afraid I’ll whip your ass.”

That did it. “End program.” Slowly he sat up and reached toward a stack of towels. He mopped his face. “Wanna fight? I’ll give you time to warm up.”

Her blood was already pumping. “I’m warm enough. Standard hand to hand.”

“No punching,” he said as he stepped onto the mat. At her derisive snort, he narrowed his eyes. “I’m not hitting you.”

“Right. Like you could get past my — “

He came in fast, caught her off balance, and sent her skidding on her butt. “Foul,” she muttered and swung up to the balls of her feet.

“Oh, now there’re rules. Just like a cop.”

They crouched, circled each other. He feinted, she stepped in. For ten interesting seconds, they grappled, her hands sliding off his slick skin. His quick leg hook would have worked if she hadn’t anticipated and gone in low. Using leverage and a quick twist of her body, she flipped him over.

“Now we’re even.” She crouched again as he got to his feet, shook back his hair.

“Okay, Lieutenant, I’m going to stop holding back.”

“Holding back, my butt. You were — “

He almost caught her again, certainly would have taken her down if she hadn’t realized with seconds to spare that his strategy was to distract her with insults. She evaded and turned into his move. Then, when their faces were close, their bodies straining, she pulled out her best weapon.

She slid a hand between his legs, cupped gentle fingers over his balls. He blinked in surprise, in delight. “Well, then,” he murmured and lowered his lips to within an inch of hers before she switched her grip.

He didn’t even have time to curse as he went sailing. He landed with a thud, and she was on him, a knee pressed to his crotch, his shoulders pinned by her hands.

“You’re down, pal. And out.”

“Talk about fouls.”

“Don’t be a sore loser.”

“It’s hard to argue with a woman when she’s got her knee on my ego.”

“Good. Now I’m going to have my way with you.”

“Are you?”

“Damn right. I won.” She cocked her head and reached down to strip off his shirt. “Cooperate and I won’t have to hurt you. Uh-uh.” When he reached for her, she gripped his hands and pushed them back to the mat. “I’m in charge here. Don’t make me get out the cuffs.”

“Hmm. An interesting threat. Why don’t you — ” His words trailed off as her mouth came down on his, hard and hot. Instinctively, his hands flexed under hers, wanting to touch, to take. But he understood she wanted something else, something more. So he would let her find it.

“I’m going to take you.” She bit down on his lip, sending an edge of lust razoring through his gut. “Do whatever I want to you.”

His mind was already spinning, his breath clogging. “Be gentle with me,” he managed, and felt warmth twine with the heat when she laughed.

“Dream on.”

She was rough — quick, demanding hands, impatient, restless lips. He could all but feel the wildness of her need vibrate from her, shimmer into him with some reckless energy that seemed to feed on itself. If she wanted control, he would give it to her. Or so he thought. But somewhere during her onslaught of his system, he simply lost the choice.

She scraped her teeth over him, down him, until the muscles he had toned trembled helplessly. His vision wavered when she took him into her mouth, worked him hard, fast, so that he had to fight every instinct or explode.

“Don’t you hold back on me.” She nipped his thigh, slid her way back up his torso while her hand replaced her mouth. “I want to make you come.” She sucked his tongue into her mouth, bit, released. “Now.”

She watched his eyes go opaque seconds before she felt the orgasm rip through him. Her laugh was shaky with power as she assaulted his ear. “I won again.”

“Jesus. Christ Jesus.” He managed, barely, to wind his arms around her. He was weak as a baby, and tangled with embarrassment at his complete loss of control was a giddy delight. “I don’t know whether to apologize or thank you.”

“Save it. I haven’t finished with you yet.”

He nearly chuckled, but she was nibbling her way around his jaw and sending fresh signals to his battered system. “Darling, you’ll have to give me a minute.”

“I don’t have to do anything.” She was drunk on pleasure, energized by her own power. “You just have to take it.”