Sweet Revenge

by Christy Reece

  The thudding of her heart had little to do with the physical exertion and everything to do with that beautiful smile and the most wonderful words she’d ever heard from him … Dylan was proud of her!

  “Does that mean we can start some self-defense training?”

  “We’ll start a few things, but you’ll still have to do all the other workout stuff, too.”

  She nodded, understanding suddenly that if they’d started training right away, not only would she have been too weak, she would have been even more panicked than she had been today. But now she was more than ready to move forward.

  “The sooner I can get trained, the sooner I can put Reddington behind bars.”

  She saw immediately that she’d said the wrong thing. The smile disappeared, and that cold, ominous expression she’d thought was a permanent look returned.

  “Why are you so dead set against me doing this?”

  His good mood gone, Dylan stood, causing her to have to back completely away from him. He could deal with sore balls. Even handle the self-castigation of doing something so out of character as kissing her. However, her reminder that she still planned to go after Reddington surpassed everything else. Especially when he still planned to make sure she did nothing of the kind.

  “Because no matter how much you train or how hard you try, you will never be ready to do what needs to be done. That’s why.”

  She rose gracefully, a cloak of dignity wrapped around her in obvious self-protection. Yeah, he knew he’d hurt her feelings again. Her expression clearly revealed her thoughts. Another reason she didn’t need to get involved with Reddington and his shit. The woman couldn’t hide an emotion for more than a few seconds. How the hell did she think she was going to go undercover with the sleaze and not reveal everything?

  “If I’m not ready, it won’t be my fault. It will be yours. I’ll do everything you tell me to do.” She gave him a stiff nod and added, “Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Savage.” Then, turning her back to him, she headed toward the stairway.

  “Uh, Jamie.”

  Without turning, she snapped out “What?”

  “I don’t smoke.”

  Watching her shoulders stiffen even more in outrage almost made him forget his anger. She was just so easy. And so damn beautiful.

  As she disappeared from sight, Dylan turned away and blew out a ragged sigh, disgusted with himself. He’d kissed her … holy hell, he’d kissed her. He could lie and tell himself it was the shortest and least romantic kiss on record. He’d barely felt the warmth of her mouth before he’d pulled away. But when she’d surprised him with her kick and then looked so horrified that she’d hurt him, he’d reacted with pure instinct. Two weeks of keeping his distance by doing nothing more than growling orders at her had been totally demolished.

  Now he had to reestablish that distance, because if he didn’t, the next time he touched her, he wouldn’t be able to stop with a quick, chaste kiss.

  The buzz of the cellphone in his pocket steered his mind back to his mission. A few days ago, McCall had said there might be some information soon. He pulled the phone out but before answering, he ran up to his room and closed the door. When he spoke, Dylan’s words were an indication of his mood: “I hope to hell you’re calling with some news.”

  McCall snorted. “Sounds like your day has been as good as mine.”

  “Don’t tell me you have no news.”

  “Oh, I have news. Unfortunately, none of it’s good.”

  “What?”

  “Reddington’s gone off the grid.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just that. The man can’t be found.”

  “How the hell does a man with so many businesses and contacts just disappear?”

  “Money helps, I would imagine. My sources tell me he’s gone home, to wherever he keeps his family stashed. We knew he had a secret hideout … Jamie got that information for us. Problem is, so far, we haven’t been able to find that location.”

  “So if he’s gone, I guess that means he’s not kidnapping and selling human beings.”

  “There is that, but unless we catch him in the act, or find a way to get inside his organization, we’re stuck twiddling our thumbs.”

  “And we’re sure he’s not trading?”

  “As sure as we can be about a man we can’t even find. Word is, he’s going low-profile until the heat’s off. We knew he’d probably curtail his auctions for a while. I just didn’t expect him to disappear, too.”

  “As much as I hate for him to resume business, if he doesn’t, it’s going to be a damn sight harder to get to him.”

  “Yeah … but he won’t give it up. It’s too profitable, and my sources tell me he likes it too much. We just need to be ready when the time comes. How’s the training going?”

  “Let’s just say I’m going to be walking funny for a couple of days.”

  “She got the drop on you? I didn’t know anyone could do that.”

  Dylan snorted. “It helps when my opponent looks like she couldn’t swat a mosquito.” He added grudgingly, “She’s got good instincts.”

  “You find out what she’s hiding?”

  “No. We’re not exactly on speaking terms yet. Getting her to open up with me is going to take some time.” He shrugged and added, “Still not sure she knows anything significant.”

  “Maybe, but if she’s got anything, it’s more than we have right now. At least with Reddington shutting down for a while, you’ll have the time to find out.”

  Dylan looked out the window at the white blanket of snow that still covered the ground. The sudden desire to get some fresh air made him cut the call short. “Yeah … that’s true. Listen, let me know if anything changes on your end. I’ll see what I can find out here.”

  “Will do.”

  Dylan closed his phone and grabbed his jacket. Wouldn’t hurt to have more firewood. The fact that he had enough stored up for another week didn’t matter. Getting some fresh air but, most of all, getting as far away from Jamie as possible felt imperative.

  Shrugging into his jacket as he crossed the living room, he slid his feet into his boots, grabbed the ax from the wall and his gloves from his pocket, and opened the outside door.

  “Where are you going?”

  After an imperceptible sigh, he answered, “Need to chop some firewood.”

  “Can I come with you?”

  “No” trembled on his mouth, but he’d heard the plea behind the question. Hell, she’d been locked inside this cabin for days, too. And she’d had it harder … being cooped up with a surly grouch was no one’s idea of a good time.

  Without turning, he growled, “Get the heavy coat I gave you and your snow boots. I’ll be out back.”

  He was barely down the steps before she was on the porch and following him. He glanced back to see that the coat almost swallowed her and the boots she wore were now knee-deep in snow.

  “Can you walk?” He wasn’t planning on carrying her, but if she couldn’t get through the deep snow, maybe she’d turn around and go back to the cabin.

  As usual, that stubborn little chin jutted out and her mouth took on a mutinous line. “If you can, then so can I.”

  Resisting the urge to go to her, cover her delicate pink lips with his mouth, and taste her sweetness, Dylan turned around and kept on walking toward the tree stump.

  He heard her struggling behind him and knew she was having a hell of a time making it through the snow. Damned if he’d ask if she needed help. Still, he made the pretense of looking up at the sky so he could see her out of his peripheral vision. Yeah, she was having trouble, but she was making it.

  With the decision to pretend that she wasn’t within feet of him, Dylan took a dead tree limb, placed it on the stump, and swung the ax. The loud whack was startling in the midst of the white dead silence. Grabbing another limb, Dylan set to work, hoping for relief from this never-ending need he could do nothing about.

  Jamie hugged herself for warm
th as she watched the surly man working in front of her. Breathing the icy air into her lungs was almost painful, but damned if she would go back to that cabin. This was the first time she’d been out in days. She couldn’t face those walls again … at least, not yet.

  The fact that Dylan didn’t want her out here with him was evident. She had thought she’d ceased being hurt by his more than obvious resentment of her presence. But after their little training interlude today, she had hoped the ice had been broken. Not only had Dylan laughed—something she hadn’t believed was even possible—but he’d kissed her. Holy guacamole, he’d kissed her!

  Okay, so it’d been barely a peck and was over before her brain could even register it was happening … still, it had happened. She told herself it didn’t mean anything. Just a spur-of-the-moment reaction to what she’d managed to do. She had almost brought Dylan to his knees.

  At that thought, Jamie started worrying. That kind of injury could incapacitate a man. Maybe that was why he was so surly again. Had he been limping when he’d walked outside? Was he still hurting?

  “Are your testicles okay?”

  In the midst of swinging the ax down, he missed the wood completely. The blade lodged with a thud into the tree stump. He whirled around, his expression one of incredulity. “Excuse me?”

  A fire-red blush heated her cheeks. Okay, so it was probably an inappropriate question. No, not probably … it was an inappropriate question. Aunt Mavis was probably doing triple spins in her grave. Still, the question was out there. There was no point in pretending she hadn’t asked it.

  “I know that kind of blow can be really painful for a man. I was just wondering if you were still hurting.”

  He shook his head, and Jamie could swear his mouth twitched as though he fought a smile. “My balls are just fine. Thanks for asking.”

  “Because if they’re not, I thought maybe an ice pack might help.”

  He turned his back, and she saw his shoulders jerking. He was laughing at her. That didn’t bother her in the least. Making Dylan laugh, even if he was laughing at her, felt like she’d won the lottery.

  Surprising her, he turned back around, and yes oh yes, that beautiful, usually grim mouth was smiling again. “The thought of putting an ice pack down there sounds a hell of a lot more painful than being kneed.”

  She laughed. “I guess that would be uncomfortable.”

  Shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe their conversation, he turned back to chopping.

  No longer occupied with her worry about Dylan or embarrassment over her question, Jamie suddenly realized she was freezing. Expecting the man chopping wood with the ferocity of a lumberjack in a speed contest to speak to her again was hopeless. Even with his back to her, she recognized that he’d closed himself off again.

  “I think I’ll head back inside.”

  Dylan’s answer was a barely distinguishable nod. Blowing out a sigh at the foolish wish that some of the ice surrounding him had melted, Jamie turned and trudged toward the cabin. She barely got two steps before Dylan called out “Put on your workout clothes. We’ll get in a quick self-defense lesson before dinner.”

  Maybe something significant had happened … perhaps not ice breaking, but a breakthrough all the same. At this point, she would take what she could get.

  Feeling ridiculously happy, Jamie picked up her pace. Finally, her self-defense training was about to begin.

  five

  “No, allow your feet to move your whole body.” Dylan stood in front of her. “Watch.”

  In wide-eyed awe, Jamie watched as Dylan’s entire body twisted in one seamless, graceful movement as he turned almost completely around. How could someone so big move with such precision and grace?

  “How long did it take for you to be able to move like that?”

  “Each person has their strengths. When I was a kid, I used to pretend I was a jungle cat. I practiced moving slowly and stealthily.” He shrugged. “I think that helped.”

  Thrilled that he’d shared a piece of his childhood, no matter how minute, Jamie asked, “What about your speed, though? Your movements are so slow and deliberate, but when you need to, you can move like a cheetah.”

  His eyes glinted with a slight amusement. “Not cheetah speed, but again, cats move fast when they need to.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move that fast.”

  “Moving fast is helpful, but while we’re training, you’ll identify your strengths and we’ll work them to their highest potential. Strengths can minimize weaknesses.”

  “Do you have any weaknesses?”

  “Lemon pie.”

  “Excuse me.”

  “That’s my weakness. Put lemon pie in front of me and I’m the weakest man alive.”

  Disappointed but not surprised that he wasn’t willing to reveal any more personal information, she tilted her head and smiled. “Guess I’d better keep an eye on my lemon shampoo or I’ll find you guzzling it someday.”

  For some odd reason, known only to Dylan, his eyes darkened and an intense look flashed across his face. An instant later, it was replaced with another one of those granite expressions. If it had been anyone else, she would have sworn there had been desire in his eyes. But Dylan attracted to her? No, he was surly, grumpy, and downright rude. There was absolutely no indication that he felt the least bit of attraction to her. Well, there had been that surprise kiss earlier today, but that had been an anomaly. Or had it? For the first time ever, Jamie began to wonder if maybe the attraction she felt for Dylan might not be one-sided after all. A shiver of excitement zoomed up her spine at the thought.

  “You cold?”

  Dylan’s abrupt tone pulled her from the absurd fantasy; she shook her head.

  “Okay, try it again.”

  Remembering his instructions, Jamie went to the mat and once more tried to move her body the way he’d showed her. She whirled around, stumbling a bit. At his command, she repeated the move. And again, and then again. Though breathless, Jamie felt more confident with each successive try. When, at last, she nailed it, she threw him a brilliant smile, waiting for his praise.

  Instead, he grunted and said, “That’s one move. You’ve got about a thousand to go.” He went to the middle of the mat. “Watch me.”

  Feeling like a silly, immature twit for wanting a compliment when she had so far to go, Jamie watched as Dylan added arm movements to the body twist she’d just mastered. A one-two punch that would block an opponent and deliver a blow almost simultaneously.

  In awe once again of his graceful but lethal-looking moves, she went to stand beside him as he showed her the arm movements and made her practice them over and over, and then several more times. In those hours, Jamie began to have serious doubts that she could pull this transformation off. Oh, she still believed she had a surefire way inside Reddington’s private domain, and once in, she could get the information she needed. However, defending herself if she had to wasn’t going to be as straightforward as she’d hoped.

  McKenna and Lucas had made it look so simple … effortless. And the training films she’d watched made the moves seem uncomplicated and easy. Getting her body on board with the easy and uncomplicated part was the problem. Could she really make this happen?

  With each minute that went by, Dylan could feel Jamie’s doubts increasing. Those white teeth were nibbling at her lip—something she often did when she felt uncertain. Also, her eyes had taken on a darker, more somber color. She was beginning to wonder if she had it in her to succeed.

  He told himself he had no reason to feel guilty. Keeping her safe was his number one priority. Besides, it wasn’t his intent that she leave here without being fully prepared to protect herself against a predator.

  As he watched her complete yet another jerky arm motion, Dylan acknowledged that he was walking a fine line. Giving her the confidence to defend herself without the assurance that she could go after Reddington was going to take the delicacy of a true dipl
omat. Since he had a tendency to be as blunt as a mallet, he might have had his own doubts about whether he could pull this off—if it wasn’t for the fact that he couldn’t fail.

  With that thought in mind, Dylan moved behind her and prepared himself for the torture of touching her. The thought of this woman being hurt in any way again cooled his desire to the freezing point.

  “Let me hold your arms and we’ll go through the motions together.”

  Standing behind her, he watched her face in the mirror as he held her slender arms and took her through the movements. A fine sheen of perspiration covered her entire body, and the desire he had hoped he’d squashed refused to leave. Her hair, slightly damp and smelling like the lemon fragrance he associated with her, was in an untidy ponytail, with loose strands falling around her delicate face.

  Able to make the movements without much thought, Dylan gave in to a rare fantasy.

  What would happen if he turned her in his arms and covered her mouth with his? Though he’d barely touched her lips earlier with that too quick kiss, he remembered their softness and the sweetness. Desire pumped through him as he imagined how she would open for him and his tongue would enter that sweet cavern. How the slender arms he held would wrap around him as he pulled her closer and how his hands would cup her beautiful butt as he pressed her against the aching, painful arousal that only her heat could satisfy.

  Growling his frustration, Dylan dropped his arms and backed away. “That’s it for today. We’ll pick it up in the morning, after breakfast.”

  Her eyes wide with surprise, she said, “But can’t I—”

  “Your muscles are going to be sore if we keep this up. Let’s have dinner, and then you might want to consider a hot bath.”

  Before she could question him further, Dylan stomped up the stairs, headed to his room. A cold shower in the midst of winter was a damn stupid thing to do. Since today had been full of damn stupid things already, he figured one more wouldn’t matter.