Seduced by Innocencey(32)

Over and over we practiced these moves. Our bodies brushing against each other, the feel of his breath on my neck when he came up behind me, the hardness of his body when he pinned me to the ground.

He drilled me in each position, forcing me to escape, to free myself from his grasp. My muscles burned with the fire of new movement, getting stronger with each repetition.

These techniques required a certain submission that I had a hard time giving. The letting go of power in order to attain it was a foreign concept to me. Unnatural, even. I hoped that in a real life situation, muscle memory would kick in, and I'd be able to let go, to go limp in the arms of my attacker in order to escape. To twist instead of pull, using leverage rather than force to free my wrists from bondage.

But the only way my muscles would remember was if I kept practicing.

Soon enough I mastered the groin shots and even got the hang of the wrist move. But no matter how hard I tried, I still stiffened and fought rather than relaxed when he attacked from behind. Overriding my natural survival instinct turned out to be harder than I imagined, even if this particular instinct wouldn't help me survive.

"Breathe through it. Remember that it's a strategy that will give you the clear shot to hit and escape. Think of it as a feint. You're not really giving in, you're psyching your attacker out. It's just a trick. Ready to try it again?"

I bent over to catch my breath, hands perched on my knees to keep me upright. "Yeah, just give me a second."

"You're doing great, Rose, honestly. I'm really proud of you. This isn't easy to learn in one night. And really, we have time. We can keep working on it. It doesn't all have to happen now."

Oh, but it did. I might not be able to sneak out again. I might not see him after today. And next week, I had to face an enemy I didn't know how to defeat. An enemy I didn't understand at all.

And yet, knowing I might not see Derek again hurt far more than thoughts of our upcoming battle with the Druids.

He drew me to him both emotionally and physically, in a way that defied logic and reason. I wanted to know him intimately, and more than that, I wanted to be known by him. A fluttering of panic built up in my chest like angry bees when I thought of sharing my darkest secrets with him.

More than telling him witches were real, and I was one. More than revealing the attacks my family had been under recently. To be truly close with anyone, I would have to confess the darkness that lived in me. I would have to tell him everything, and if I did that, he'd never want to see me again, of that I was certain.

I'd known from the beginning I should walk away, say goodbye before I hurt us both, but it was too late for that. Pain had already inserted itself into our lives. I couldn't save myself from it.

So why was I still here, pressed against him, taking in every look, every touch, every unspoken message shared between us?

I never imagined that lust, or perhaps love, could have this hold on someone. A vice squeezed every drop of joy from my heart each time I imagined my world without him. Had it only been a few short days since I first set eyes on him? It felt like a lifetime.

He reached behind me once again, pulling me against him, and this time I stopped fighting. Surrendering to his arms, to us, to the magic and mystery that held us together in a world determined to tear us apart, I let go.

When my body collapsed in his arms, he adjusted to catch me, and I feigned an attack on his nether regions, though my intentions in that department had nothing to do with pain, and everything to do with pleasure.

He spun me around, grinning from ear to ear. "You did it, Rose! That was awesome."

Heart beating out of my chest, legs weak and wobbly, I gripped his muscular arms to steady myself. "I did, didn't I?"

Time stood still as we clung to each other. We could have been the only two people in the world, for all that the world mattered to us in that moment.

"Rose." His voice came out thick and husky—the sound of desire and longing.

My head tilted back, lips parted, a buzz of anticipation shooting through my body.

Everything beyond his eyes, his body, his presence, faded into a blur as he became hyper-focused.

He leaned in with a cautious hesitancy, and I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. The unspoken question of "Will you run again?"

I stood on my toes to reach his mouth with mine, answering his desire with wordless lips.

The mysteries of the universe locked into place as his lips pressed against mine.

With a gentle urgency, he peppered kisses on the surprisingly sensitive skin of my jawline, up to my ear. His tongue flicked out and teeth latched on to tug at my lobe, then, using his teeth, he drew a line of fire down my neck.

A moan escaped my lips as his hand moved under the top of my uniform, touching the burning flesh of my waist and moving up toward my ribs.