But he had an idea. Kat’s kicking skills were fucking impressive and he had to snap himself out of it more than once as he watched how flexible and powerful her leg movements were.
He kept reminding himself to pay attention and not get caught up in any fantasies. Otherwise, he was going to catch a foot alongside the head, and then have to worry about more than just a cut lip.
She probably heard what he was about to say many times, but he would say it anyway to drive it home. “The reach with your leg is longer than your arm, so use that to your advantage. Jayne likes to punch and then follow up with a choke hold to get her opponents to the ground. You need to stay out of the range of her fist and keep her from grabbing you. If she puts you in a clinch and gets you down, it’s over, Kat.”
Kat continued to bounce around the mat on the balls of her feet, sweat sliding down her skin and soaking her hair and sports bra. She had her fists raised to about chest height and her eyes attentively followed every move he made.
“If you only kick low, she’s going to learn that pattern. I’m thinking for every low kick, you do a quick spin with a high kick to follow. Got it?”
Kat didn’t answer him around her mouthguard, instead she just nodded sharply once, drops of sweat dripping off the spiky ends of her hair and dotting the mat around them.
“Let’s practice that. Fake a punch, kick low, then high. Aim for her temple. Make her head spin. Once you rattle her brain, follow up with a direct punch, elbow strike or knee strike to the head. Got it?”
Kat nodded again.
And miracle of all miracles, the woman was actually listening. At least she listened to his instructions when they were on the mat.
Somewhat.
He wondered why. And if something had changed after their kiss.
Because, fuck him, it wasn’t like she talked to him about it afterward. Last night, he ate his dinner by himself and, again this morning, he went solo for breakfast.
He heard Kat only go downstairs once he went to bed last night to watch the YouTube videos. After a couple of hours of analyzing Calamity Jayne, he got in a little girl-on-girl porn before crashing.
The car ride this morning was almost completely silent, too.
But her whole demeanor changed once she came out of the locker room ready to spar with him. Even though she only wore a sports bra and tight black compression shorts, she wore it like a suit of armor and was prepared to slay some dragons.
Or slay his ass.
Every once in a while, he’d run his tongue over the cut on his lip, and the metallic taste would remind him of that kiss. She had been holding back yesterday, and he was dying to find out what would happen when she didn't.
But now was not the time to be distracted by that, not when a shin was headed toward his ribs.
He turned and knocked it away. “That’s center. Go low, then high. One, two. Bam, bam.”
She jabbed at him and he easily deflected it, then she kicked him low enough to make his knee buckle. He caught himself and braced for her higher kick. When it came it still wasn’t high enough for what he needed.
“Kick higher, Kat,” he yelled at her. “Go for my head.”
Yes, he was taller than Kat and even taller than Calamity Jayne. But, fuck, he’d seen Kat get some impressive height. He knew what she was capable of when she combined her kick with a spin.
She could be getting too tired.
She took two more jabs at him, connecting once in the solar plexus, but he quickly regained his breath as he dodged the lower kick and, as her body began to swing, he knew what was coming next.
As she twisted mid-air, her heel aimed at the side of his head, he ducked, snagged her ankle and yanked.
She fell hard to the mat with a grunt, landing on one hand, her elbow and a hip while air whooshed from her lungs.
He didn’t give her a chance to recover before he dropped almost all his weight on her, pinning her to the mat, and got her into a guillotine choke hold.
He squeezed enough to restrict her air but not choke her out.
“Escape, Kat,” he urged her.
“Kat,” Berger yelled. “Tap out if you need to.”
When the fuck did he come back in? Steel had told Kat’s manager and trainer to take a walk while they sparred because in the beginning, he stood on the edge of the mat yelling instructions at Steel. And he wasn’t having any part of that bullshit.
Luckily Berger gave in, even though reluctantly. Otherwise, it might have ended up being the two of them on the mat instead of him and Kat.
Now he was about to bust Berger in the fucking mouth if he didn’t let Steel do what he needed to do.
Which was get Kat prepared for the fight of her career.
Berger might only be seeing dollar signs, but Steel knew deep down Kat needed and wanted this win. He saw it. He understood that hunger. For that reason, he would do everything he could to help her get what she wanted. With or without Berger’s help.
If Berger kept stepping in, Steel would train her back at the house. But, unfortunately, there weren’t any mats there.
His attention was drawn back to Kat as she attempted to escape not only his choke hold but his weight. “Don’t you fucking tap out. You get the fuck out of this hold.”
Her face was red from exertion, but her eyes held a focused determination. And all kinds of sounds—sounds of exertion he could imagine coming from her when she had sex—escaped around her mouthguard. There might have been a few curses peppered in there. Though, he knew she couldn’t curse in the ring during a legal fight according to the rules.
Illegal ones? Everyone let the F-bomb drop. Hell, the opponents brutally taunted each other non-stop. Steel had heard every insult known to man during an underground fight. It got both the fighters—and the betting audience—pumped and ready to pound each other into the dirt, concrete or pavement.
But back on the mat, Kat was currently doing her best to wedge her feet and hands between them, using any method possible to break his hold.
She wasn’t allowed to pinch, bite or head butt him. Or, thank fuck, knee him in the nuts. He sure as fuck hoped she followed those rules since he wasn’t wearing a cup.
“C’mon, Kat. Jayne’s bigger than you, better than you. She’s going to kick your ass in front of millions of people. Show them you can win. Or at least go down hard trying.”
He knew throwing the possibility of losing at her would get her working harder to escape.
“Tap out, Kat,” Berger said. “Sterling, let her go.”
Steel ignored the deliberate use of his last name. “Do it, Kat. Tap out and I’ll make it worse next time. Get the fuck out of this hold. Hurt me if you have to.”
Just don’t knee me in the nuts.
Kat grimaced around her mouthguard and elbowed him in the ribs before slamming her heel into his shin. That had to have hurt her more than him. But she didn’t give up.
She didn’t tap out.
“Good girl,” he murmured close to her ear, knowing that would piss her the fuck off.
And it did.
Even though the growl was muffled by the mouthguard, he heard it and fought his grin as she began using her fists, elbows and feet as much as possible. She turned into a wildcat, her body bowing, flexing and twisting as if she was fighting for her life.
As he took the blows, he winced and knew he’d be sporting bruises later. But he’d wear every fucking one of those with honor.
Kat was not a quitter and he respected the fuck out of that.
However, he wasn’t, either.
He tightened his choke hold, now completely cutting off her oxygen. Her face began to turn purple, but she didn’t panic and also didn’t tap out.
She was stubborn as fuck. She would actually pass out before giving up.
He needed to make a decision.
That decision was made by her manager, who was now standing over the both of them, his face also almost purple but not from a lack of oxygen.
“Kat, tap out!” Berger yelled. “Fucking let her go, Steel!”
Steel put his mouth to Kat’s ear and whispered, “You ready to tap out, Kitty Kat?”
She had stopped fighting and her nails, even though short, now dug into his forearms.
“You’ve gone too far!” Berger screamed at him, getting closer and about to jump in to interfere.
If he did, it was on. And Steel wasn’t going to keep it at eighty percent with Berger.
He released his hold and Kat took a big gasp of air before rolling away from him and onto her knees, hands to her throat.
Her voice was rough, and her breathing ragged when she said, “I didn’t tap out.”
“And you have to know when to quit,” Steel reminded her as he got to his feet.
“Kat.” Berger reached out to help her stand, but she lifted a hand to ward him off, her chest still heaving, her face red, still slightly bent over trying to catch her breath.
“I’m fine,” she told him.
Berger spun toward Steel and bellowed, “You’re fired!”
Fuck. “I’ll let her decide that.” He slid his eyes to Kat, who had finally made it to her feet and had her gloves planted on her hips as she sucked in oxygen. Sweat dripped down the sides of her face as she stared at him.
Something behind those amber eyes got him right in the gut.
Was it respect?
Nah, couldn’t be.
“Berger, why don’t you give us a minute?” Steel murmured, not looking in the fuming man’s direction.
“No.”
Without breaking Steel’s gaze, Kat said, “Berg, just give us a few.”
“Kat...”
“Please.” That single word Kat uttered was firm and wasn’t a request. Steel knew it and, luckily, so did Berger.
But it still took a good thirty seconds before Berger urged, “Yell if you need me,” in a tight voice. The static-filled air around them moved when Berger strode out of the training room and into the main gym, muttering under his breath the whole time.
Steel waited until the man was clear of the room, taking some of the tension with him. “Am I fired, Kitty Kat?”
If she really wanted him gone, now would be the perfect time to push it. He would have no choice if Berger and her both agreed.
Steel watched as her throat undulated. The throat which still bore a red mark from how tightly he’d held her there. “Not if you can work with me to get me ready for this fight.”
“Like what I just did?”
“Yes. Don’t give me any quarter.”
“Kat, it’s sparring, not a fight. You don’t go one hundred percent. In fact, you shouldn’t.”
“Then, like today, go as far as you think I need. The male partners he’s been getting me are handling me with kid gloves. I’m not going to win like that.”
He then stated something they both knew. “You want to win.”
Kat simply shot him a look.
Steel grinned. “Fuck yes, you want to win,” he repeated more firmly. “I get it. But Berger’s not going to like it.”
But, hot damn, he loved that tenacity.
“I’m his boss. In turn, I’m yours,” she finally said.
And, hot damn, those words made his dick twitch. “Think we had that discussion.”
“Then maybe you should just listen.”
Steel pointed a finger at her. “Pot.” He jerked his thumb at his chest. “Kettle.”
“No shit,” she muttered.
When he took a step toward her, her spine snapped straight and her eyes became wary, but he ignored it and approached her anyway.
When he was so close he could feel the heat radiating off her and inhale the metallic scent of her sweat, he reached out.
He could see her struggle not to step out of range and remain where she was.
His fingers curved around the front of her throat and his thumb slid back and forth over the discolored skin he had caused. “You should’ve tapped out. Don’t let your pride affect your decisions. Especially in the ring. It’s stupid and dangerous, Kat. You don’t win if you die trying.”
“You let me go before I blacked out.”
“Only because I thought I would have to beat Berger’s ass.” Which wasn’t entirely true. He’d been about to let her go anyway, but he didn’t want her to know that.
“Next time don’t let me go before I tap out.”
He shifted even closer. “Kat...”
Her chin lifted slightly. “I can’t lose that fight.”
“Berger said you’ll be raking it in win or lose.”
“It’s not about the money.”
And there it was. “Yeah, I get that, Kitty Kat.”
Her chin lifted even higher. “You know I hate that.”
“No, you don’t,” he whispered, dropping his head until he was looking directly down into her eyes, their lips barely a few inches apart. “You haven’t told me once to stop using it.”
He stopped the motion of his thumb over the pulse trying to escape her throat. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, then whispered, “You gonna make me bleed this time?”
“Yes,” she whispered back.
He grinned. “I was never into soft, amenable women.”
“Why do you think I care who you’re into?”
“Because I saw the fear in your eyes by your own reaction to our kiss, Kat. It scared you. Just imagine how good it could be if you let yourself enjoy it.”
“Sex with you would be a power play. And a mistake.”
“Only if you make it that.”
“I guess we’ll never find out for sure.”
“A fucking pity if that’s true,” Steel murmured.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a body beelining toward them. He sighed, released her throat and took a step back just in case Berger tried to get physical with him.
“Kat, you okay?” Berger’s narrowed blue eyes slid from her to Steel and back.
Steel watched Kat mentally shake herself before answering her manager. “Yes, I’m okay.”
“What did you two discuss?” It wasn’t a question but a demand.
Steel was about to tell him to fuck off when Kat turned to Berger and stated, “Steel will be my sparring partner until the fight,” surprising the fuck out of them both.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I don’t want you hurt.”
“I’m not going to hurt her,” Steel grumbled.
Berger’s eyes met his and his eyebrows rose. “No?”
“No.” Steel hoped to fuck that would be true.
And if it wasn’t, he’d kick his own ass.
“Pool in ten,” Steel had yelled at her as she headed into the house earlier from the garage. “No bikini. Something you can swim laps in.”
She hadn’t answered him, instead had gone directly upstairs and put on the only bathing suit she had packed during her last move which could withstand doing laps.
Now she stood by the pool, mesmerized by the way the sun was reflecting off the still water, as she waited for Steel to come out and bark more orders at her.
He sure was a bossy fuck.
If Berger hadn’t interrupted them at the gym, she had a feeling Steel would’ve kissed her again.
Would she have let him?
She closed her eyes, taking herself back to that moment, and imagined what would’ve happened if she had.
Not only did that replay make her nipples ache, but heat slide through her that wasn’t the result of the Nevada late afternoon sun.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
It was stupid of her to even consider having sex with him.
It would be one of the biggest mistakes in her life.
Maybe not the biggest, but close.
Even so...
She had a hard time ignoring how his kiss yesterday affected her. More than she wanted to admit.
And that was the exact reason why she bit him. Because he could have easily convinced her to take it further.
She shouldn’t.
He was her bodyguard. She was his client.
She needed to convince herself it was a bad idea.
So bad.
So, so, so bad.
Damn it. He was such an alpha-hole. Unfortunately, such a freaking hot one.
And he was strong enough personality-wise not to be turned off by her strength and determination. Which was a problem with most of the men she’d dated in the past.
Like Steel calling her a “dyke,” the few men she dated would stick around only for one or two dates before they thought she was “butch” or a lesbian when she didn’t immediately sleep with them. Or drop to her knees in gratitude when they bought her dinner. Or because they found out what she did for a living.
Despite what they thought, she wasn’t a lesbian. She wasn’t even bi.
However, strong women intimidated many men.
But, fuck them. It wasn’t her problem if they had a complex about it. If they wanted a meek and mild woman who was ready to settle down, get married and pop out babies, it wasn’t her.
It might never be her.
She still had so many more things she wanted to do in life before being tied to a husband or children. She had a long bucket list and planned on checking off every one of those things once she had enough money tucked away from her fights. And she retired.
She was not going to turn into her mother, who did nothing but serve her father like a “good wife” was supposed to do, according to her parents.
Fuck that.
Her mother was nobody but “Mrs. Callahan” anymore. She was Kat’s father’s wife. She was Kat and Annabelle’s mother.
The day she got married to Pat Callahan, her mother ceased being Lana Mueller.
If that made her happy, then fine. But Kat didn’t want that for her future. She decided at a young age, she would never let that happen to her. She would never lose her own identity because she became a wife and mother.
She would always be Kat Callahan.
And if a man couldn’t accept that? Then fuck him, too.
An easy way to avoid that problem was to never get married or have children.
Steel Page 8
