Chapter 24

Emersyn

“Are you ready?” he asks as his hazel eyes playfully dance across my face.

I feign an anxious look as I pretend to be nervous. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

He smiles as he says, “Close your eyes.”

I feel the warmth of Liam’s breath upon my neck as he whispers in my ear, “So we are going to start with a little defense. If someone comes up behind you and catches you by surprise you would be at a disadvantage.”

“You want me at a disadvantage?” I say slyly toying with my prey.

He chuckles, leaning his body closer to mine than completely necessary. “I want you to be prepared for anything.”

“Hmm.” I say smiling to myself. “Because all of my enemies are going to want to get this up close and personal?”

I hear the sound of his lips parting as he leans closer and mummers, “With a body like that, absolutely.”

I blush as I allow a smile to spread across my face. “Stop it!”

I hear the rustle of feet approaching and realize that we have drawn an audience. I don’t have to turn to know who is in attendance. His scent fills the air, making my every sense come to life. Liam must sense it, because I feel his body slightly tense against mine before he grits his teeth and mumbles under his breath.

“Apparently, someone else wants another lesson in sparring.”

I don’t hesitate as I allow my body to press against his, distracting him. “It would be a shame if you got distracted from showing me this technique, I’m rather enjoying it.”

Liam clears his throat clearly surprised by my antics. I continue as I push my ass gently against his waist, knowing that Callum will see me only drives me further. “Besides if it’s a show they want then I think we should give it to them.”

I hear him swallow hard, before he stammers out, “You are killing me.”

Not yet, I think myself amused. He forces himself back to the task at hand and places his hands on my hips, an electric shock coursing through my body. “What next?” I whisper back.

“Okay, now I want you to take all your weight and drop it on my foot as hard as you can!” he states as he tenses slightly behind me ready for my onslaught.

“But won’t I hurt you?” I whisper playfully back.

He laughs as he says, “That is the point of sparring. You learn to defend yourself.”

I almost feel bad for what I am about to do, but this is too easy. I don’t hesitate as I whisper back, “Like this?”

I move with the ease of someone who has done this maneuver more times than she can remember, as I lift my foot swiftly before putting all my weight down firmly on his. I kick my foot back quickly and grab his shoulder for leverage as I use my knee to connect with his groin. Liam’s moan floats like music to my ears as he sinks to his knees, holding his family jewels as he groans out, “Yep, just like that! Well played.”

The group of onlookers burst into laughter as I stand over him and lean down gently whispering in his ear before winking, “Game. Set. Match.”

It takes him a few minutes to recover but when he does, I can see the determination in his face. “You want to play? Let’s play.”

I smile broadly as I set my feet ready for his attack, “Come at me.”

He chuckles back as he positions himself to come at my right side. Big mistake. I duck and roll from his grasp as he allows a carefree laugh to escape, “How long have you been training?”

“Only my whole life,” I say grinning back as I get to my feet with ease.

Liam laughs as he leans forward, as if he is about to attack on the left, when he fakes and goes back to the right. I am slightly caught off guard as I feel his foot slide behind mine causing me to tumble backward on the mat beneath me. I instantly know I have messed up and try to correct it by getting up quickly but he grabs me from behind and loops his arm under my neck, effectively locking in a choke hold.

I fight to get my feet back to solid ground, but he has his arm locked tightly beneath my chin, effectively incapacitating me. I curse under my breath before doing the only thing I can do and tapping the mat in surrender.

Liam laughs carelessly as he says, “Checkmate.”

I stand and act like I am having trouble breathing as he leans down, “Are you okay? I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

I lean up and connect my palm with his chest, knocking the air from his lungs, as I sweep my foot beneath his legs, knocking him back to the ground. I stand above him as he sucks in sharp, short bursts of air. “What’s that you were saying?”

He grins at me before swiftly sitting up and grabbing both my ankles and jerking them forward. I hit the mat once again with abrupt force.

Both of us erupt in laughter as we hear the cheers of the crowd that has gathered.

Maverick’s booming voice echoes as he chuckles, “Okay, shows over guys, back to work!”

I don’t bother to move as I allow my pulse to return to normal and instead I roll on my stomach and cast my eyes at Liam. “So what else do you want to teach me?”

He grins as leans up on his elbow. “I could think of a few things,” he whispers.

I allow a playful laugh to escape my lips as I say, “Oh, I’m sure I would be the one teaching you then too.”

Liam’s eyes light with surprise as he counters, “Is that right?”

I can’t help myself, because I still sense Callum’s lingering scent. I lean dangerously close to Liam’s lips as I gaze into his eyes and say with confidence, “Guess you’ll have to find out, huh?”

Liam chokes back a surprised laugh as his eyes dance across my face. “I guess, I will!”

He leans in so close I can feel the warmth of his breath against my lips and I close my eyes expecting to feel his lips grace mine, when he whispers, “But when I kiss you for the first time, I want to make sure you don’t want it to end.”

I open my eyes gazing at him as he winks before pulling himself up and turning to walk towards the door, “Hey, where are you going?”

“The day has just begun,” he calls back over his shoulder.

I stumble to my feet, surprised by his reserve, as I run to catch up with him. I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to feel his lips upon mine, and the anticipation only heightens my curiosity. Liam was making this so much more complicated than I ever imagined.