Page 20 of Their Tracked Obsession

I spun around and faced my opponent’s backside while Saint took the next attack. He struggled to hold on as the combat got out of hand. Our naughty obsession was much too skilled.

Saint had lunged at Liv. She saw him coming, and she bent her knees. Legs locked. She flipped him over her back, and Saint headed straight for me.

Fuck! Imminent impact.

“Get the fuck off me, man!” I heaved aggressively and pushed my best friend off.

Saint wheezed, and he made a T with his hands. “I need a minute. Time out.”

“K, old man,” I joked and slapped him on the back.

Saint crouched down with his hands on his knees for a brief pause. Liv shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her hair swayed in a ponytail with her fists out in front of her. She was ready. A fucking natural born killer. Primed like a dang tiger with its claws drawn, eager to take its prey. We made her, created our girl to fight for her life and never back down.

Liv had wanted to spar. She always did when we had downtime. This time, she wanted lessons outside the penthouse gym and in the park behind the nightclub. Away from the mat, which provided her with added protection.

We didn’t want to hurt our girl, no scratches intended when we taught her self-defense. In the bedroom, though? Well, that was another story.

Saint caught his breath and pointed at Liv. “Nah, man. She’s good.”

My friend was right. Liv was on fire. But we needed her flame to continue to burn and not blow out.

“Not good enough,” I grumbled and shook my head. “She needs to be perfect.”

Saint stood up straight.

“I disagree. Liv is—” I punched Saint in the gut.

Saint sucked in a breath; he winced in pain and hunched over. I laid my arm across his shoulders and stooped down. My eyes met his with an intense, stern warning.

“Don’t make me punch you again,” I said low enough that only he heard me.

“What the hell was that for?” Saint questioned.

“For being stupid,” I expressed, grabbing his sweaty chin. “We need to keep Liv on her toes. We can’t let her think she’s ready and cause her to let her damn guard down.”

“Right. Good fucking point.” Saint shook his head while beads of sweat dripped from his hair. “I’m such a dumbass.”

“Yes.” I tapped him on the shoulder. “Yes, you are, my friend.”

Now that the bullshit was out of the way, we could continue. There was always more technique to share, more moves to make, and more battles for Liv to win. Did I go easy on her?

Hell no.

Okay. I fucking did in the beginning, but Liv had been in the early learning stages. She needed time to build up her confidence, let her faith in herself come to light, and master the true form of martial arts. Her delicate brain had to process, but Liv wasn’t a fragile flower anymore.

“Okay. New game plan.” I clapped my hands together. “Come at me.”

I signaled with my hands for Liv to charge. I squatted down, hands on my knees, and eyes locked on her. She didn’t move.

Saint grimaced, his gut still ached from my punch. “Come on, darling. Give us your best shot.”

Liv sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. “This isn’t helping.”

“What the hell do you mean, sweetheart?” I stood up.

“Teaching me on demand and commanding me to do whatever you tell me,” Liv answered.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You do like that.”