Aimée Thurlo - Restless Wind

“So you were handling a security issue?” He grinned, and rubbed his chest where she’d whacked him with the back of her head.

“Yeah…that is, until I got assaulted.” She could still feel the warm outline of his body against the cradle of her thighs. She sighed softly.

“Yeah, you do that to me, too.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. The grass was cold,” she protested primly.

“Not anymore,” he answered, hurrying back inside with her, then closing and locking the door.

Trying to focus her thoughts, Dana stared across the room at nothing in particular and forced her breathing to even out. His reaction to a perceived threat had been lightning fast and very effective. His training was obviously top-notch and the incident proved that she was in very good hands. And those hands…so rough, yet so incredibly gentle. She shivered.

“Stop fighting the attraction between us,” he whispered in her ear. “Put yourself in my hands.”

The temptation was overwhelming, but she stepped away from him. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m nowhere near that attracted to you. Now let me go fix this wig.” She stormed down the hall, went directly to the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Alone again, she plopped down on the edge of the bed and took a deep, steadying breath. She had no idea how to deal with her feelings for Ranger. She wasn’t an innocent. Casual sex might have been an option if she hadn’t been absolutely positive that there’d be nothing casual about it with Ranger. Her feelings, though undefined, were too strong, and went well beyond a physical attraction. Ranger simply wasn’t the kind of man who brought out halfway emotions.

Finding grass stains on her wig and clothes, she opted for an entirely new disguise. Dana selected a long, blond-haired wig, jeans, and a light knit royal blue sweater. After adjusting her makeup to match her new look, she went back down the hallway.

When she drew close to the kitchen, she heard Ranger speaking softly on the phone. The fact that he was deliberately keeping his voice down made her curious, and she stopped to listen.

“I’ll find out what she’s holding back and if she’s really as innocent as she claims to be. But with Dana, if I rush it, I’ll get nowhere. I need time to work.”

Ranger’s words squeezed the air out of her lungs. He hadn’t been attracted to her at all. It had all been a game of manipulation-a way to soften her up and get her to lower her defenses. Seething, she walked back to the living room. But as her gaze fell on the laptop computer her anger gave way to logic…and a crushing sense of disappointment.

She couldn’t really blame Ranger. Undercover cops worked to achieve a greater good and had to use whatever tools were at their disposal. Ranger was trying to find Hastiin Sani’s killers, and he’d known she was holding out on him. He’d simply done what he’d had to do.

As her anger faded, an unexpected sadness took its place, filling her, and draining her of all other emotions. Thinking that he really cared for her had given her comfort in a time of violence and fear. Now that comfort had been taken from her.

“There you are,” Ranger said, coming out of the kitchen and giving her a once-over. “I think the dark-haired wig you had on before was a better disguise. You’re going to attract attention no matter where you go because of your looks, but a light-haired wig in a community filled with mostly dark-haired women and men will make you stand out too much.”

Earlier she might have thanked him for the compliment, but now she only saw it as insincere flattery. “I’ll put the other one back on before we go to the bars tonight,” she responded without expression.

“Good. For now, why don’t you change into something loose and comfortable. Then I’ll teach you some moves.”

“Excuse me?” Her heart automatically started thumping overtime, but she forced herself to calm down. She couldn’t allow him to play her like this.

“You need to know how to defend yourself in case someone comes after you and I’m not right there to help.”

She’d already seen what the men after her were capable of doing. “I dislike violence, but that’s a good idea.”

“Just remember that this is about survival, not choice.”

Dana nodded once, bracing herself. Like her mother before her, she’d learn to do whatever was necessary to keep going.

“There’re some jogging pants and sweatshirts in the chest of drawers in the bedroom. Pick a fit that’ll give you maximum mobility and plan on a workout.”

The promise of a workout with him teased her imagination but, with effort, she banished those feelings to a dark spot in her mind. Survival was all that mattered now.

By the time she joined him again, she’d already done some stretching exercises. It hadn’t been to loosen her muscles, but more to focus her mind. Now, she finally felt ready.

“I’ve set things up for us in the garage,” he said. “It’s unheated and cold in there, but after a few minutes of heavy exercise, you won’t notice it.”

Dana followed him, her gaze straying across his shoulders and strong back. She’d seen how he’d made short work of those men who’d run them off the road. Ranger’s body was well-toned and hard as steel. Suppressing a sigh, she trained her gaze on her shoes instead.

As they entered the two-car garage, she saw that he’d rolled out a large mat that covered half of the area not occupied by that deceptive-looking car. Ranger kicked off his shoes and she did the same.

“Okay, to the mat,” he said.

They’d both stepped onto the soft surface when he suddenly took a step forward and swept her legs out from under her. She went down hard.

“Hey, I wasn’t ready,” she said, catching her breath.

“That’s your first lesson. Never lower your guard. Your enemy will always use it against you.”

When Dana got back up, she kept her distance from him. “Bully. I won’t repeat the mistake.”

As he looked at her, he knew she’d be a quick study. Her eyes were focused now and she was watching him carefully. “Before we get to some of the basic moves, I have to teach you how to fall.”

“I’ll get my practice every time I hit the mat. Maybe you should teach me how to keep from falling.”

Ranger didn’t answer. In a dazzlingly fast move, he tried to sweep her legs out from under her again. This time, she jumped nimbly to one side.

“I told you, I don’t repeat mistakes.”

He gave her an approving nod. “That was very good. Now let me teach you a basic but effective defense move. Make your opponent sing.”

He grabbed her from behind in a loose choke hold and pressed her against him. “Sing-first jam your elbow into your opponent’s solar plexus,” he instructed, bending her arm at the elbow and showing her how to aim. “The i is for instep. Stomp down hard on his foot with the heel of your shoe, then when he bends over, use your fist and slam it into the bridge of his nose. That’s the n. The last part-and be careful now-is to take your fist and slam it hard into his groin. Sing. Get it?”

She nodded, then made a fist.

“Wait…let me see how you make a fist,” he said.

She held it out. “A fist is a fist. So what?”

“Ever notice a boxing glove? There’s a place for just your thumb. You only put your thumb on the inside of your fingers if you want to break it in a particularly painful way. Make a fist like this,” he said, showing her how to place her thumb over her coiled fingers.

She imitated the position of his fingers, then went through the Sing exercise in slow motion.

“You need to practice this, because speed and surprise are your greatest allies,” he said.