“Come on, wise guy.” I held out my hand to Michaels and then tugged him up once he gripped my wrist. “You good?”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “Just easing you into things.”
I snorted. “Sure you are.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t want to scare you away so soon.”
“There is that,” I said with another snort. “I’m sure you could do some serious damage when you’re not whimpering and getting your arse handed to you.” I grabbed my towel and slung it around my neck. Michaels had fought fiercely. There was a moment there when I thought he had me. A fact supported by how we’d both broken into a sweat, no easy feat with our shifter metabolism. “Hopefully next time, we’ll be training for training’s sake and not because I’m a performing monkey.”
He nodded, his lips quirking. “Boss man there wanted to see what you’ve got. Properly, this time.”
My gaze sought out Thatch’s. “You know, since the boss man over there has been a shifter for, what, five seconds, I’d think he’d be the one who’d need to perform and make sure he can control his wolf.” I was totally taunting the guy. And by Thatch’s grin, he knew it too.
What could I say? I’d be more than happy to go a few rounds with Thatch. Hot and sweaty. Up close and rubbing all over him. I cleared my throat and thought of vaginas. Immediately, I grimaced, my stomach turning. Yeah, it was a sure-fire way to deflate my masting dick.
Joining the fold of Thatch’s special task force had been necessary. And while I admittedly had fallen into the team, it didn’t mean my placement was forever. Once this case was over, I didn’t know if I would return to Brent’s division or not. All I knew for certain was that I wanted to stay, be involved with this kickarse crew. If it meant I had to perform every now and again and perhaps toe the line more than usual, I would try my hardest to do so.
While I was all for going after the bastards behind the drug and the blood experiments with guns blazing and claws sharpened, it was Thatch’s common sense and reasoning that convinced me of this way. The team. I couldn’t go vigilante, and honestly, I thought we were both surprised I hadn’t done so yet. But Thatch could make for a compelling argument when he needed to. I just wished it involved tongues and wanks. Alas, despite the occasional look my way and the out-of-character heat I’d just witnessed, Thatch was all business.
Yeah, I could safely say we were officially friends, but still, it sucked arse. Just not the rimming variety. Sigh.
“Callen, stop swooning and get ready,” Kent sassed.
I rolled my eyes and threw Thatch a smirk before turning my hard stare on Kent. Her mission in life since I’d joined was to rile me up. The woman was a pain in the arse, and I liked her a hell of a lot.
I saw the barely there twitch of her index finger, but it was all I needed—well, that and the slight shift in the air. I ducked low and crouched, my leg stretching and swiping at Jenson. I spun, punching Michaels in the balls before jumping and landing my fist in Jenson’s gut. He gasped and hit the ground.
I made a mental note to buy them both a drink or three later.
In today’s session that Thatch had orchestrated, we were instructed not to hold back. There was no chance of that.
The lights shut off, pitching us into blackness. This was new. I quickly centred myself, shifting my eyes to my wolf’s. Outlines sharpened into focus, and two figures tentatively made their way towards me.
A thrill shot through my body, and while I was a cocky son of a bitch most of the time, this wasn’t going to be pretty. The likelihood was that I was going to get my arse handed to me.
Unless… this was over in the next twenty seconds.
I attacked.
In just five moves, the two were groaning on the floor. The lights flicked on, and I repositioned out of my defensive stance. My eyes adjusting, turning once more human, they landed on the two men at my feet. I winced in sympathy. Maybe I owed them dinner too.
“Need a hand?” I offered.
“No,” Jenson groaned. “We’re good.”
“Speak for yourself,” Michaels added. “Shit, Callen, you had to go for my junk. Twice.” He continued to moan while lying on the mats, holding his balls.
“I would say I’m sorry….” I offered him a friendly smile.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Michaels winced. “No holds barred.”
I grinned. Michaels was a good agent, despite my ability to take him out so efficiently. My nostrils flared in awareness. Shifting my eyes to the side, my gaze settled on Thatch, arms crossed and looking proud as hell.
“Are you next?” I challenged, my head bobbing up and down.
He stepped towards me, and I refused to swallow at his closing proximity. When he paused less than an arm’s length away, he grinned and leaned in. The scent of the woods and Thatch was heady. It was distracting and comforting. I was barely aware of the guys leaving the training room.
With his mouth next to my ear, it was even more difficult to concentrate, especially when he said, “I think it’s best we don’t spar in public.”
Holy balls. There was no stopping the audible swallow this time around. My eyes snapped to Thatch’s when he leaned back with a smirk on his face as he stepped away from me.
No, he didn’t. Did he? “What the hell?”
His smirk became a full-blown smile. Immediately the wings took flight in my gut, and there was no point even thinking about vaginas to get myself under control. Nothing was going to work.
“Get changed,” he shouted over his shoulder just as he exited the room. “You stink!”
Slamming my mouth shut, I stared wide-eyed at the empty doorway. If the bastard was playing with me, I…. Shit, I had no idea what.
With a
