“I don’t know anything about self-defense which is why I thought you were here. To teach me.” Grace continued to glower up at him. “And don’t call me Kitten. My name is Grace, and it’s pretty demeaning to call me anything else without my permission.”
“Even when it fits? You’re the one who hissed at me, remember?”
She muttered something under her breath.
“What was that? Didn’t hear you.”
“I said, call me Kitten again, and I’ll show you just how sharp my claws are.”
Did she think she was attracted to this guy?
Sure he was hot, and when he took off his hoodie and stripped down to his tee shirt, it was all she could do not to drool. But he was gruff, and he was rude, and she wasn’t kidding. If he called her Kitten one more time, she was going for his beautiful, beautiful eyes.
They were one of his best features. And then there was his muscles, and his hard jaw, and his unruly hair, and—
Ugh. Okay. So she was still attracted to this guy.
Didn’t mean he wasn’t a jerk! What kind of man just tossed someone to the floor like that?
The deputy leaned in, bending over to offer her his hand. She slapped it away. Annoyance rode her hard; the sting of embarrassment was just an unwelcome bonus. She wanted to prove that she was worth teaching, that she could do this. But what happened? He knocked her on her ass with his first move.
“I got it.”
Rick backed away, giving her space to rise up off of the mat. “You really are like a kitten, Kitten. So tiny and cute, but, hell, you’ve got quite a pair of claws on you, huh?”
Beneath the curtain of her hair, she glared at him. “I told you. My name is Grace.”
“Don’t want to be called Kitten? Prove it. Prove you’re made of stronger stuff.”
She would. Oh, she would. “How?”
“Third lesson. There’s no such thing as a fair fight. If you ever need to use what I’m going to teach you, you’re in a fight for your life. You fight fair, or you fight to win. And you never, ever give your opponent any advantage. You ready? Let’s try again.”
Once again, the deputy assumed a position behind her. When she gave the nod that she was set, he reached out and gripped her wrist, jerking it back. Grace couldn’t break the hold. His taunts ringing in her ears, the dismissive way he called her Kitten setting fire to her blood, she snapped. He wouldn’t let go? She’d make him.
Instead of struggling against his grip, she went loose and limber as if she’d given in. He relaxed. Might’ve only been for a second. It was enough. Yanking on his arm, twisting it so that it was in front of her, Grace bit him. Just opened wide and sank her teeth right into his flesh. She didn’t try to break skin or anything. A small nip and Rick let go of her.
It was instinct. If Grace stopped to think about what she was doing, she never would have had the nerve. It was the way he dared her to prove it. Rick wanted her to fight to win? She could do that.
Of course, she regretted it as soon as she was wiping the salty taste of his skin from her mouth. What was she thinking? Forget her strange attraction to the brawny deputy. She’d be lucky if he even wanted to teach her anything else after that.
To her surprise, Rick’s dark eyes gleamed in approval before she could even make an attempt at an apology.
“That’s what I’m talking about.” He lifted his arm up, nodding at the marks she left there. “Could’ve been deeper. Don’t be afraid to hurt me, Kitten. I can take it, and it’ll help you learn.”
Grace couldn’t stop herself. Brushing her hair out of her face, she snarled.
He laughed. “You’re right. You’re more of a Tiger, aren’t you?”
“It’s Grace, damn it!” Then, as she realized who she had just snapped at, she quickly added, “Deputy.”
He wasn’t looking at her, his dark eyes turned down as he ran the edge of his thumb over the imprints from her teeth. “That’s fair, Grace. But I’m not a deputy when I’m here with you. I’m your instructor.”
“So you’re still going to teach me? Really? Even after I tried to take a chunk out of your arm?”
A brisk nod.
“Thank you… uh—” He didn’t want to be called Deputy. Teach sounded ridiculous, and Sir was way too formal. And though he introduced himself when she opened the door, she didn’t feel right using his first name. It was too intimate somehow. “What should I call you then?”