Page 59 of Vow Of Fire

She didn’t move. I had to fight not to release all that strawberry-blonde hair and bury my face in it, while I kissed that delectable neck.

I released her and stepped around so I was facing her again.

Space.

Space was good.

So was pain. My pain.

I held a hand up. “Strike.”

She hesitated only a second before snapping her hand forward.

Crack.

“Harder.”

“I’m hitting you as hard as I can,” she complained.

I tilted my head. “Then you’re going to die.”

Gritting her teeth, she tried again. This time she committed to the strike and it was harder. The edge of her palm smacked against mine hard enough to sting.

“Good. Again. Picture going through your assailant.”

I made her do the move over and over again, correcting her stance, adjusting her elbow, and showing her how to keep her wrist locked.

The slap of her hand against mine cracked off the surrounding trees. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kyle watching, an amused expression on his face. He must be wondering what the fuck I was doing training her, the woman I’d paid to have guarded.

By the sixth strike, Evelyn wasn’t holding back anymore.

On the seventh, I caught her wrist mid-strike, used her own momentum to pull her in, and spun her so she was facing away from me. My forearm was against her collarbone, her back flush against me from shoulder to thigh. That sexy ass was nestled so tight against my crotch it made me instantly hard.

“This is what’s going to happen in real life,” I growled into her ear. “He won’t stand still and let you hit him.”

She wriggled, making me even harder, but I had a strong grip on her and she wasn’t going anywhere. I was, however, grateful for the tough denim.

“He’ll grab you and kill you. You have about four seconds to react.”

She stopped moving.

I let a long beat pass, then said, “Bend your knees and drop your weight.”

She dropped. The drag pulled at my arm.

“Now stomp down, heel first. Use your full body weight. The instep has a dozen small bones in it and they will shatter on contact. You don’t need to be strong, you just need to hit it right.”

She drove her heel down. I shifted half an inch and let her connect with the dirt.

“Faster. Do it again.”

Frustration flashed across her face. Good. I wanted to make her mad.

The second time, she nearly got me. I just managed to shift before her heel crashed into the side of my boot. I felt the impact through the leather.

“Yeah, that’s more like it. Now you’re getting it.”

She glowed at the praise. I gave her a second to get her breath back. My dick was still throbbing from connecting with her gorgeous behind and I surreptitiously adjusted my waistband, giving myself some extra space.