Unbound (Forbidden Bond Book 1)(40)

"Darren was with her? If you see either of them, have me paged!" Kayden  didn't like the sound of that. Darren was a volatile bastard, and Dani  was a firecracker. If he offended her, she would surely let him have it.  Kayden ran back toward the locker rooms. When he rounded the last  corner, he found Dani leaning against the wall. Without thinking he  snatched her up into his arms like a rag doll and hugged her.

"Where have you been? My nerves can't handle the way you disappear like that all the time!"

"I'm sorry, Kayden. I just went to get a change of clothes and got lost  on the way back." She leaned back and put her hands on his chest. Her  acceptance of the embrace made him feel oddly happy. He liked knowing  she was comfortable with him.

"Yeah, Kayden, loosen up." Darren appeared from the locker room.  "Danielle here was telling me you're going to teach her some  self-defense. I told her I could handle it for you."

Kayden possessively slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her toward  a training room. "I've got it, thanks." Kayden couldn't stand the cocky  bastard.

He pulled her a little tighter and ruffled her hair.

"Could you just try to make my job a little easier and not give me a  heart attack before I'm twenty-two? I told you to fight fair. You didn't  need to search for backup in case I kick your ass."

She smiled and pushed him into the wall. "I don't think it will be a  fair fight if you get to use your arms, or your legs, for that matter.  So I have to use what I've got." She squealed as he pulled her into a  room with wall-to-wall floor mats like gymnasts use.

Kayden truly enjoyed the playful banter. "I think you should wear headgear. If I scratch that pretty face, I'll get fired."

Kayden turned for a storage closet and got a surprise when Dani hit him  from behind with a blow to the back of the knee, taking him down. She  pounced on him, putting him in a tight headlock with her legs wrapped  around his waist so if he got up, she wouldn't lose her grip.

He didn't stand. He sat there on his knees, laughing his ass off at the  effort she was putting into choking him. He reached up and grabbed her  upper arms, dragging her over his shoulder. She struggled, to no avail.  He put her in a bear hug that had her arms completely disabled.

"Now what are you going to do, little girl?" Kayden knew it was wrong,  but damn he was getting turned on by their playful wrestling.

She smiled and leaned her face closer, like she would kiss him. When she  was so close he could feel her breath on his lips, he closed his eyes.  She head butted him, drawing blood from both his mouth and her forehead.  Stunned, he released her. She jumped up ready to fight, with her foot  in the middle of his chest, setting him off-balance, but only for a  second. He would fight dirty, if that was what she wanted.

Back on his feet, he looked at her, really looked at her, for the first  time. She bounced like a prizefighter in her light gray pants that  barely covered her hips and a short black tank that clung to her like a  swimsuit, only covering a small portion of her belly. She had defined  abs to match the toned arms that currently held up tiny fists. Kayden  was confused when he saw the bruises still visible on her creamy skin  from her broken ribs. She should've healed long ago.

Her hair was a wild riot of dark waves and stunning streaks of white and  red. Her eyes were so light blue that they were almost clear. She  looked at him with a challenge in her aquamarine gaze. Damn, if she  wasn't the hottest thing he'd ever seen. She stood, daring him to swing  at her, as a trickle of blood ran down her nose from her forehead. He  stepped forward with his long reach and an open hand. He slapped her  before she could block.

"You better keep those hands higher." He walked slowly around her like a  big cat sizing up his prey while she hopped and bobbed. He stepped in  again and caught her other side, but she got in a right jab before he  pulled away.         

     



 

"Nice shot, very nice," he praised. It didn't hurt him, but he was  pleased nonetheless. She could surely hold her own with a human. He  really enjoyed watching her, but the amount of blood on her face began  to concern him, and she had a big handprint on her left cheek. Shit,  he'd left a mark on that pretty face. It was enough for one day, so he  barreled down on her, turning her around, one arm twisted behind her.  Her face was smearing blood on the wall before she could blink. He  pressed his body against hers and whispered into her ear, "That's enough  now, Dani. Calm down before you really hurt yourself."

He caught the scent of her blood so close to his face. It was dark and  seductive, like a human, but sweet and floral like a vamp. Holy hell! He  didn't know if he wanted to bite her or throw her down and make love to  her. Maybe both would have been better. She went slack in his arms as a  quiet sob began to break from her throat. The stress had finally  cracked her outward calm.

"Don't cry, Dani. I'll let you kick my ass again tomorrow." He sat  cross-legged and let her fall onto his lap, holding her like a baby in  his arms. He held her there in the quiet of the training room. He liked  being so close to her, and as much as he hated to see her cry, he loved  being the one there to comfort her. He rocked her back and forth and  whispered gentle encouragements until she was done crying. Then he used  his shirt to wipe the tears and blood from her face.

From behind him, he heard the sound of a single person's applause. The  loud clap of hands echoed in the empty space. He turned his body just  enough to see Darren, sitting against the wall on the far side of the  room.

"Bravo!" Darren exclaimed. "Now I know how you get the ladies to spread  their legs. You behave like a caveman, just knock the hell out of them  and drag them off." Dani stiffened in his arms at the sound of Darren's  voice, and Kayden wondered how long he'd been watching. Jerk probably  followed them from the locker room.

"Oh, don't you worry about my girl. She could flatten my ass anytime she  wanted to. She's just fighting fair today." Kayden continued to inspect  Dani's face and smiled down at her. "Don't you have a job to do,  Darren? Or are you getting paid to be a Peeping Tom these days?" Kayden  hopped up without releasing Dani. Quietly, just for her ears, he said,  "You okay, Tyson?" Dani smiled up at him and nodded as he stood her on  her feet.



Dani recognized the scarred face of the man slowly ambling across the  big room. She'd seen him twice already that day, and he'd been flirty  both times. He eyed her hard with hungry, unnerving eyes. Kayden looked  tense, standing a few feet away from her, but the warrior called Darren  looked as though he couldn't care less if Kayden were in the room.

"Are you?" Darren asked her.

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you his girl?" He gave her a lopsided smile and inclined his head  toward Kayden. Kayden took a step closer. Darren began to circle her  other side.

"I don't belong to anyone, but Kayden is a good friend." She smiled at  Kayden and was surprised at how true the words were. She could think of  several times she'd been in trouble and Kayden had been there for her.  He'd definitely endeared himself to her. Seriously, only a true friend  would let you head butt them and then hold you while you cried.

"Are you promised to anyone?" he asked from behind her. She couldn't  help noticing Kayden bristled at the question. He must have been asking  if she had an arranged marriage in her future.

"I told you, no one owns me. Why do you want to know?" She turned to look at him.

"I want to know because you're beautiful, and if given the chance, I  would take you for my own." He said it as if it were obvious. He stepped  even closer and sniffed the air around her.

"You think you could take me?" she reply acidly.

Dani figured the man was trying to goad Kayden into a fight. What an  ass. She bet that was how he got the scar on his otherwise handsome  face. She refused to let him stand there doing his best to embarrass  Kayden. She took a purposeful step toward Kayden and tucked herself  under his arm, wrapping her arm around his waist. He smiled down at her.  She didn't know exactly why she did it, but she pulled him down toward  her and went up on tiptoes to place a searing kiss on his parted lips.  He tasted like man and sweat. He bent lower, so she didn't have to  stretch so far, and allowed her to explore his mouth more deeply.

She heard Darren let out an amused chuckle behind them. "Let me know if  you want to learn to wrestle with a real man." There was no missing the  sexual innuendo.         

     



 

She knew in the back of her mind that she had made her point and should  stop kissing Kayden. It felt good to kiss someone and not want to bite  him. He was schooled in the art of tongue. He pulled her tightly against  his long, hard body. Dani really liked Kayden, but he just didn't  inspire the kind of need that took over her mind and body when Chase  kissed her. Kayden was funny and comfortable to be around, just like  Jared. But unlike with Jared, when she was with Kayden she didn't feel  like she had to protect him, or feel the need to feed.