He stripped off his shirt and put his gloves on, then went to work on his favorite bag. He was so intent on his task he didn't hear the footsteps behind him, until he heard a throat clearing itself quietly. He whirled around, seeing Drew leaning against one of the posts of the ring in the middle of the room, her arms folded over her chest.
"Hey," he panted. "I thought you'd gone home."
"Nope," she replied. "Just went outside to talk to some of the women before they left. Looks like you're going to have a big roster for those classes."
"Good," Heath replied, raking a hand through his hair. His chest and back were covered in fine beads of sweat and his arms and shoulders ached slightly; he must have zoned out during his impromptu workout and gone harder than he'd planned.
Drew cocked her head, drawing her lower lip between her teeth as her eyes slid down him slowly. "You know, I never got my one-on-one final test, Teach."
Heath immediately felt a surge go through him at both her words and the look in her eyes. "You didn't?" he asked. "Huh. My mistake."
Drew smiled and reached up to tug on one of the ring ropes. "Maybe we should do that now, while all the information and the techniques are fresh in my mind." Before he could reply, Drew pulled herself up agilely and ducked between the ropes, heading for the center of the ring. She turned around and met his eyes, then pulled her workout T-shirt over her head, revealing a white sports bra she wore with her tight black yoga pants. He watched as she kicked off her running shoes and socks, then rolled her head around her shoulders as she stretched her arms.
"Come on, Yoda," she called.
Heath joined her in the ring, wearing just his basketball shorts and his shoes. He copied her movements and removed his shoes and socks as well, stretching out his own arms. His eyes moved over her frame, appreciating the way low-cut sports bra showed plenty of her ample cleavage, and the way her black pants clung to her hips and the lovely, perky curve of her bottom. As his body stirred below the waist, inside his shorts, he thought that perhaps this particular test would end a little differently than the others had.
He dropped into a fighting stance, playfully circling her. "I don't have the armor on," he reminded her. "So no knees to any places you're gonna end up regretting later."
Drew smirked, then dodged in lightning fast, slamming against his shoulder, throwing him off balance, and cutting an angle before dancing away.
"Very nice," he murmured. "Very fast." Drew hopped lightly from foot to foot, and Heath reminded himself that she had had boxing training, once upon a time. He'd never really seen her in action this way before, but he could tell from her stance and movements that she'd had a good teacher.
He was momentarily distracted by the way her abdomen contracted when she moved, and how the air conditioning made her nipples suddenly come alive through the fabric of her sports bra, and missed her next lightning fast lunge inward as she lightly smacked his temple with the back of her hand before moving away just as fast. He shook his head and glanced at her face, seeing she was unsmiling, but her eyes were dancing merrily. She loved that she'd caught him off guard twice now.
No more, he thought, his slightly competitive nature rising to the top. He lowered his head and studied her shoulder line intently, still circling her as he brought his hands up loosely into guard. He feinted to one side and she fell for it, moving to block, before he lunged from the other side. He kicked her feet out from underneath her then caught her before she could fall over, gently pushing her away as he playfully smacked her bottom. He laughed at her expression before his eyes slipped down her body once again, unable to resist checking her out for the umpteenth time. The heightened tension and the light physical contact was distracting and was doing nothing for his hardening length; this was almost—almost —as good as foreplay.
He circled her as she danced around him, and they took turns feinting and lunging with no real contact. She skipped in toward him, ducking to one side before leaning back the other way and kicking the back of his knee, making his leg buckle before she twirled away. He growled, righting himself, and began circling her in a way that had her back against the ropes in a matter of moments. He lunged, and she ducked swiftly under his arms. Fast, he thought, impressed. But not fast enough.
Before she could dance out of reach again, he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back against his chest. For a moment he held her there as she looked back at him. He pressed his hips forward slightly, right into the soft, curved flesh of her bottom so she could feel him. Her eyes hazed out for a moment, the warm, bright brown color darkening as she felt him pressing against her. Then, they sharpened with focus as a startled look entered them when he lifted her high into the air. He grinned up at her, then slammed her onto her back onto the mat, like he had when they had played together in the ring the first time so many weeks ago.