A Perfect Storm(61)

       
           



       

Stunned, he stopped in his tracks.

Smug, vindicated, Arizona whispered, "Gotcha." Maybe now he'd take her seriously.

Trace barked a laugh. "Not bad, Arizona." He sat forward. "But if that  wasn't a killing blow-and it rarely is, at least not right away and not  against a guy like Dare-then you're in trouble, because now you've lost  your weapon."

Oh, well … yeah, maybe.

Trace nodded at her. "Try again."

Expression enigmatic, Dare handed her the makeshift knife and resumed his stance. "Ready?"

She set her feet apart and rolled her shoulders to loosen them. "Yup."

This time, the second he moved, she dashed in, ducked under his arm and  used the side of the twig to simulate a slash across his crotch. She  rolled out of the way.

She felt pretty good about her speed, until she came up and found Dare  right behind her, saying, "I might be bleeding out, but now I'm really  pissed, too." Effortlessly, he contained her in a choke hold. "And then  we'd die together."

He didn't hurt her, but no way could she get out of his hold, either.

Near her ear, he asked, "What would you do now?"

Still held tight, she said, "Normally I'd stomp an instep, or deliver a  head butt. Or even just drop my weight so you had to readjust your grip.  But you've already taken away those options."

"True enough."

"I guess I'd just bide my time and wait for an opening." She tipped her  head around to smile at him. "Everyone slips up eventually."

"Maybe." Dare released her. "Unless I snapped your neck without missing a  beat." He smoothed down her mussed hair, then lifted her chin. "And  that's the thing, Arizona. You never know how trained someone might be.  Most idiots in bars are without skill. But not always. It's not  something you can take for granted."

Feeling her blood sing through her veins, Arizona grinned. "Okay, so school me." She shook out her limbs. "I'm all ears."

Trace laughed again. "You're all something-not sure ears are the right description."

Over the next few minutes, as she and Dare tried several different moves  together, she was almost able to put aside her conflict with Spencer.

But not quite.

Where was he now? What was he doing?

Was he so angry that he'd avoid her the rest of their trip?

Like hell. She wouldn't let him brood. If he wanted to argue, fine, she'd argue. But she wouldn't-

She grunted when Dare caught her unawares and tripped her to her back.  She bounded right back, jerked to the side and kicked him in his sexy  butt.

The women started cheering; it was Arizona they wanted to see come out ahead.

They booed Dare when he again took her legs out from under her, even  though he brought her down easy to the grass. "You're distracted," he  scolded. "And that could cost you your life."

They hooted and hollered when she rapidly squirreled around and locked  her arms tight over Dare's throat. "Not that distracted," she said as  she used her knees in his back for leverage.

Dare laughed. "You are fast."

"Cry uncle?" she asked outrageously, just to egg on the women.

"I don't think so." Dare flipped her over his shoulder and tossed her high into the air, making her squawk loudly in surprise.

Trace roared with hilarity even as Dare caught her again, and the women joined in.

Jackson came to stand over her. "You said something about crying uncle, Arizona?"

Exhilarated and gasping for breath, she shouted, "Never!"

Sargie and Tai wanted in on the game. The big dogs started bounding  around them to the point that Grim the cat hissed and ran off, and even  Liger turned up his nose and moved a safer distance away.

On her back, grass in her hair and the sun in her eyes, Arizona fended  off the dogs and laughed till her sides hurt. It was so much fun. She  couldn't recall the last time she'd … played.

Maybe she never had.

Shaking his head, Dare threw more grass at her while Tai and Sargie both  tried to get in his lap. "I'll concede that you have some skill, brat."

"And just think." Wearing a proud grin, Jackson stood over her, his  hands on his hips. "If you lived close, I could work with you until  you're good."

Ha! She looked up at him. "I'm already good."

"Yeah, maybe." His grin widened. "For a girl."

Grabbing his ankle, Arizona jerked him off balance, and he ended up on  his butt beside her. For a second, he sat in stunned silence while Trace  and Dare chuckled and the women heckled him.                       
       
           



       

Then Jackson's eyes narrowed with wicked intent. "Paybacks are hell, honey."

Uh-oh! Snickering, Arizona shot to her feet, but she didn't get far. She  squealed again as Jackson easily brought her to the ground, but instead  of grappling, he … tickled her.

Until that moment, she hadn't realized she was so incredibly ticklish.  She laughed and struggled, kicked and punched, and did her best to get  away.

She was no match for Jackson.

He caught her wrists and pinned them down. "Cry uncle," he insisted with unrelenting good humor.

"No, never!" Around her laughter, she said, "I'll get you somehow. I'll-"

Jackson contained both her wrists in one big hand. He half loomed over her, using one leg to trap hers in place.

Too late, Arizona realized her precarious position.

The laughter died; her heart started a mad drumming and her lungs compressed.

But no matter what she tried, she couldn't get free of him.

* * *

LAUGHING SHRIEKS INTERRUPTED Chris's efforts to distract Spencer by  waxing on about the in-depth program. Not that he'd been able to  concentrate much anyway. It had been clear to Spencer that the entire  birthday celebration was difficult for Arizona, so he'd tried not to  take her cutting remarks to heart.

But damn it, was she serious?

Send her to another man? Hell, no, he didn't want to do that. Ever. The idea of her with someone else ate him up inside.

Long before he'd made love with her, he'd fought that internal battle over doing the right thing or being selfish.

"Is someone skinning the cats?" Grinning, Chris headed for the back door.

"That was Arizona." Frowning, Spencer followed. He'd recognize Arizona's  voice anywhere, but shrieking? That was so unlike her. "Something's  wrong."

"They're probably just playing."

Spencer hastened his step. He had hoped that eventually Arizona would realize how these people cared about her.

But he hadn't expected it to happen today.

He drew up short at what he found.

He'd been inside less than twenty minutes-and somehow, in his absence, she'd ended up on the ground with Dare and Jackson both.

He'd heard her laughter … so why did he feel so uneasy now?

Chris, still holding a stack of printouts from the computer program,  grinned when he saw the antics in the yard. "We're missing all the fun."

Spencer didn't return the grin. The closer he got, the tighter his tension grew.

Finally, as Dare stood, Spencer got a good look at Jackson straddling  Arizona's hips. Her hair was now more out of the rubber band than in it.  With one hand Jackson kept her arms over her head, and with the other  he attempted to tickle her bare midriff while she twisted and turned.

Even more than that, Spencer saw her face. Pale, drawn. She fought  silently, trying to free herself without giving away her terror at being  under a man.

An anomalous emotion, blistering hot and explosive, coursed through Spencer. "Get the hell off her!"

"Whoa, subtle, dude," Chris told him. "Real subtle."

Not giving a damn what anyone thought, Spencer reached her in three long  strides. Catching Jackson by the upper arm, he literally hauled him up  and away from Arizona, freeing her from his hold.

In an instant, she was on her feet, sucking in much-needed air, still shaky but, again, trying her utmost to conceal it.

She kept one fist pressed to her stomach, the other stiff at her side.

Heaving beside her, Spencer marveled at her strength, her pride. He  fought the urge to grab her close-and the urge to flatten Jackson. He  wanted to hug her, to shield her against his body.

Everyone now stood around them, watchful, their gazes ripe with sudden understanding, concern and … sympathy.

Fuck.

Arizona would hate that. She'd rather suffer through the terror than  have anyone look at her in pity. Any second now someone would reach out  to her.

She looked as if she'd fracture if that happened.

As a distraction, Spencer turned to Jackson and crowded close to ask hotly, "Are you out of your mind?"

Slowly, his every movement precise, Jackson straightened to his full  height, which remained a few inches short of Spencer's near six and a  half feet. His expression darkened, but he looked beyond Spencer to  Arizona and then back again.

Spencer held his gaze, willing him to understand. Praying that he would.