Page 48 of Hostile Witness
Or maybe she’d take him down for real and he’d need the frozen peas.Possible... not probable.
But all he really wanted to do was take her down on a nice firm bed and love her until she breathlessly whispered his name.
Tia parked,grabbed the groceries, and hustled Flynn into the house. Would Ethan even show up for the takedown?
She changed into yoga pants and made certain Flynn was behind closed doors in her bedroom, unable to observe his two people sparring on the lawn. The poor animal didn’t need any more trauma. But no sooner had she walked away than his barking and whining started.
Tia stuck her head in the bedroom. Oh geez, she’d left the closet open and the offending laundry chute exposed. She shut the closet door, and Flynn hopped on the bed for a nap. Yeah, Flynn sleeping on the bed needed addressing, but not now.
Ethan pulled into the driveway as she corralled her hair into a ponytail.
Jogging out the front door, she yelled, “I’m surprised you showed up, Detective, what with being chicken and all. I hope you’re not planning on doing this in those nice pants and shirt. It’s bound to get messy.”
The piercing look he shot her should’ve had her reconsidering their competition, but it was too late to turn back. She’d thrown down the gauntlet and had to convince him she could take care of herself.
Ethan dug through the ever-present duffel bag in the back of his truck, snapped a pair of shorts over a shoulder, and headed for the front porch. “I’m putting my tenderloin in your refrigerator and changing my clothes. Give me two minutes.”
“Uh-huh. I’ll use the time to warm up. Don’t let Flynn out of the bedroom. He doesn’t need to see me take you down.”
Ethan threw his head back and laughed out loud before going in the house.
Ooh, maybe she was pushing him a little too hard, but he’d remember this day. Next time, he’d ask before assuming he had the right to take over her life. She stretched and slid into a full split. After today, she probably wouldn’t be able to do this move for a while due to sore muscles. Sparring with a man Ethan’s size had consequences.
She glanced at the camera on her maple tree. A wave of fresh irritation fueled her resolve. Sparring with her had consequences, too.
Ethan folded his arms,watching Tia ease into that perfect split. He could think of a whole lot of fun things to do with a woman with that kind of flexibility, but this was not among them. Shutting the door behind him, he called out, “All right, show me what you’ve got.”
Tia rolled her shoulders. “We’re not here to audition for each other. You want to attack me first, or shall I come for you?”
Oh, when he finally got his hands on her, she’d come for him. He was looking forward to it. Lifting his eyes to the treetops, he refocused. Fighting with any woman was distasteful unless said woman threatened those he’d sworn to protect.
Now, with Tia, it wouldn’t be a fair fight if she attacked him. He’d have advance warning, and the element of surprise would be gone. “I’ll attack you first. Turn around.”
Distract, disarm, and disable. He tossed a ball Flynn often played with past her as distraction as he moved in and grabbed her from behind. She clawed like a feral cat, bit his arm—drawing blood—broke free of his choke hold, and spun around with a groin blow he could only describe as lethally quick.
He sank to his knees, retching. Competitors in his various trainings had landed the same move before, but not a one of them had hit the bull’s-eye like she just had. He groaned in pain, and his watering eyes burned.
Tia stood over him. “Now do you believe I know how to take care of myself?” She turned to walk away.
Still wheezing, he recovered his presence of mind.Not so fast, O’Rourke.He wasn’t a one-and-done kind of guy. He reached out, wrapped his hand around her ankle, and yanked hard, landing her on the ground. This time, he was ready for theshoulder blow from her other foot and dodged left, then threw his full weight on top of her, pinning her face-down.
He coughed, summoning his voice. “I’m the bad guy, all two hundred sixty pounds of me, and you’ve really pissed me off now.” Driving her face into the grass, he asked, “Should I kill you first or rape you? You’re helpless and pinned underneath me. What are you going to do, T?”
Ethan held her in the tightest controlled vise grip he’d ever used on a woman. She couldn’t budge even an inch. “You’ve got to get out of this before I kill you, all right?”
While he’d never considered that she’d do it twice, she sank her teeth into the flesh of his hand, biting so hard he cried out in pain. The second he jerked away, she reared her head back and nailed his right eye with the precision of a surgeon. He literally saw stars. The woman was Godzilla in a five-five frame.
Ethan shifted his weight. He had to. Self-preservation kicked in, and too many body parts throbbed at the same time. He moved for only a second, but she drove her pointy elbow straight into the middle of his diaphragm. The air whooshed from his lungs as it hit with the speed of a bullet.
Tia scrambled from beneath him and crawled out of reach. There was grass and mud in her hair and dirt on her face. She was trembling. “I hope you’re convinced I can protect myself?” Groaning, she cradled his cheek with a hand. “You’re going to have a shiner.”
Ethan gasped. “Biting is not Krav Maga.”
“No shit, Sherlock. But if there’s a huge man trying to hurt me, I’ll use whatever tactics I deem necessary to free myself. Satisfied?”
He gaped at the blood running down his arm.
Tia squatted down. “You already know that my fiancé picked me up and threw me into the back seat of his car. I live with thescars from that accident every day. I had to learn how to defend myself.”