I followed his instruction, my heart thundering at our closeness.

He had me shifting my weight around on my legs to get comfortable.

Back and forth. Again. And then again.

He demonstrated an uppercut elbow punch for me, positioning his body next to mine as he rotated his hips and shuffled forward at an imaginary attacker. He moved like lightning strikes in the sky. Fast. Brilliant. Too hot to hold. I repeated his kicks and punches again and again until I began to feel a tight burning in my thighs and arms and buttocks.

“You’ll need to exercise to get stronger muscles,” he told me later as I failed miserably at a good front kick. “The thing to remember about a kick is you go for his twigs and berries. If you can’t, aim for a knee or his neck or nose. Just get the kick in and get out.”

I grunted and wiped sweat from my face.

“Tired?” He paused in demonstrating the kick once again.

I shook my head. Liar, liar. But watching him move his powerful body around was invigorating.

Who needed Gatorade when I had a hot dude showing me his moves?

A few minutes later, we faced off on the mat. “Come at me with some heat. See if you can sneak in my circle and land a tap on my arm.”

“What about the protective gear?”

He waved me off as he positioned himself in a defensive stance. “We’re fine for today. You won’t get in.”

Won’t get in?

I puffed up my chest and shuffled toward him like he’d shown me, hands up and ready to strike. I bounced around back and forth, angling for a spot on his body.

“Come on, Elizabeth. You’re taking too long.”

I moved around him, looking for a way inside, but each time I rotated around him, he’d pivot his body toward mine.

“Move slower,” I snapped.

“It doesn’t have to be perfect, Unicorn Girl. Just get a tap in.”

“Don’t call me that.”

I shifted and he followed.

“I can’t!” I yelled at him. “You’re too big and fast.”

He sighed and rolled his neck. “Pretend we’re at some party and we just met and I’m going to throw you down and take whatever I want …”

I don’t even remember lunging for him. I don’t remember telling my fist to slam his face, but it did. His head jerked back, mostly to avoid my punch, but some of it still connected.

I gasped. “Declan! Why didn’t you defend yourself?”

He blinked a few times. “Damn. I didn’t say break my nose; I said tap .”

I fluttered around him, feeling terrible. My hands cupped his face, our chests touching. “God, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” I ran my fingers across his jawline, fingering the stubble there. “Want me to get some ice? Maybe a bottle of water? Do you need to sit down? God, I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

He wore a bemused expression. “I’m fine. You caught me by surprise is all.”

“I could have hurt you,” I wailed. “And then I’d feel horrible. You’ve been nothing but good and wonderful and sweet to me and I …” I sputtered out of words, scared at what was on the tip of my tongue. God. What was wrong with me?

“Maybe I do need water.” His voice was weird, his eyes as well, the gray taking up most of his irises.

“Declan, your eyes are dilated. Are you sure you’re okay? Do you have a concussion?”

He groaned and shut his eyes.

“Declan?”

He stepped back. “It’s not the hit, Elizabeth. It’s you .”

I hissed, something in my heart shifting as he opened his eyes and stared at me. With longing. With heat.

I imagined fireworks went off somewhere in the distance.

Change happens to all of us. Sometimes you want a new haircut, sometimes you want to try blue cheese instead of ranch, and sometimes you just want to ignore your head and go with what you desire the most. Mostly it’s a gradual process, but not with Declan. I wanted sex on a mat in an un-air-conditioned gym with a hot as hell British guy pounding into me, no matter the consequences. Fuck my silly sex rules. I wanted him.

He studied me. “If you knew what I was thinking, you’d run like hell.”

“Are you thinking about tossing me on the mat for real?”

He lowered his chin, his eyes at half-mast. “Yes.”

I felt drunk at his words. Dizzy with need.

I shivered at the heat that raced up my spine as he stood there looking at me with those molten eyes.

Wanting me .

God, I was sick of being a walking, talking dead person when it came to real emotional need. I just wanted him, hard and fast.