Talon put down his glass of juice. The look he gave her froze her in place. Wry with a good dose of sexy. He was too sexy for his own good. “We’re not going jogging this morning.” Then he threw her a casual half-smile. Those dimples of his popped out in full force. She was going out with another guy tonight. Nerves fluttered awake inside her. It was for the best, even if it terrified her.

Vicky felt herself frown as she gave him the once-over. "You looked dressed to work out." She looked down at her clothes. "I'm dressed to work out."

Talon nodded once. “I didn’t say we weren’t going to work out, just that we weren’t going jogging. It seemed stupid to keep doing something we weren’t enjoying.” He raised his brows as if challenging her to argue.

"Okay," Vicky folded her arms, "what did you have in mind? I hope it gets the heart rate up."

Sex maybe?

No.

Flip.

Stop.

He pretended to think on it. “Yes, it is guaranteed to get your heartrate right up.” His gorgeous eyes were bright. “You’ll work up a serious sweat and most importantly, I think you’ll have a ton of fun doing it. Make that, we’ll have a ton of fun doing it.”

Her mind was still in the gutter. Every word bringing up images of them sweating and touching and ... “Sounds good.” Her voice was strained.

“It will be. Follow me.” He started walking towards the door.

“We’re leaving?”

Talon choked out a laugh as he turned back to face her. He didn’t laugh very often. She liked hearing it. “Yes, we’re leaving.”

“Okay. Are you going to give me a clue? Anything other than we’ll be getting hot and sweaty?” she asked as they walked out of her apartment.

“Don’t forget the fun. Lots of fun,” he said as she locked the door.

“That too.” They made their way to the elevator.

Talon pushed the button.

“You’re really not saying anything else, are you?” she asked as the doors closed. He on one side and she on the other.

“Why do you need to know so badly?” He leaned back.

“I don’t know. I guess I don’t like surprises.”

“Some surprises are good.”

“And some not so much, but I trust you.” She smiled, realizing that she did trust him.

“Good.” They walked out of the elevator and out the front door to her apartment. An Uber was waiting. Talon walked over to the car and opened the door for her. “Ladies first.”

Impressive. “You ordered us an Uber?”

“I’m learning.”

“You are,” she said as she got in.

Talon walked around to the other side and got in next to her. “It’s a short drive.”

“Okay.” She found herself smiling, excited to find out what he had planned.

He hadn’t lied when he said the trip would be short. They drove into a more industrial part of town and minutes later, pulled up to the curb. The building was red brick with a tin roof. Even the big roller door was made from sheet metal. “Jimmy’s Boxing Hall.” Vicky sounded hesitant as she read the sign above the door. She wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Talon thanked the driver and took her hand. He took her hand. Oh jeez. Why was she freaking out about such a simple thing? It wasn’t like that. It didn’t mean anything.

It felt good though. His hand was warm and his touch firm. All too soon he was letting go. That’s when she realized they were inside. She’d been so hung up on his touch that she hadn’t paid attention to where they were heading.

There were men everywhere. Guys hitting bags. Guys pounding padded things on other guys hands and guys pounding one another. The men were a wide range of ages and a wide range of fitness levels. There was one other lady, hitting a bag on the far side of the room. She wore shorts and an exercise bra.

When Vicky looked at Talon, he was grinning. All out grinning. Nothing fake about that smile. His whole face radiated. “We’re going to have some fun.”

She felt those words in the pit of her stomach. “Okay, if you say so.” She couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive, but at the same time, she couldn’t resist the urge to smile along with him. “Where do we start?”

“Here.” He pointed to a couple of hanging bags. There was a buff guy pounding on the one right on the end.

“Hello.” An elderly man approached, he was medium height and although he carried some weight, Vicky could see that there was plenty of muscle there too. “You must be Talon.”

“Yes, and this is Vicky.” He touched her lower back.

The older guy took Talon’s hand in a shake, which ended in a grimace. “Wow. You have some grip. You fight?”

Talon nodded. “Nothing formal, I like to play around,” he answered. Vague, just like she’d taught him.

“What do you do?” He eyed Talon’s biceps, before looking him in the eyes.

"Security." Another vague answer. "You said we could help ourselves for an hour or two?" Quick change of subject. He was getting there.

“Yeah, you’re welcome. Let me know if you would like a match.” He pointed to the roped springboard platforms. There were several of them. Two in use. Guys hashing it out in gloves and mouth guards.

“I will.” Talon nodded once. She was shocked at how well he had handled himself. He was learning the ropes quickly. It was time they went out again. Talon needed more interaction with women. Not just with her. It was how he was going to learn in the end. You could only teach someone so much in theory.

She struggled to take that step though. What if he did end up sleeping with the next one? Sure, he’d said he wouldn’t go down that road. He seemed to still be mourning his wife, but he was a red-blooded guy, at the end of the day. She was jealous. Ridiculously so, and she had no right to be.

She realized that Talon was talking to her. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said that I can see you’re a little overwhelmed but don’t be. There is no reason to feel that way.”

“I’m fine. Excited to be here.” One of the guys in the ring stumbled back, falling onto one knee. He was breathing heavily, bleeding from a cut under one of his eyes.

“Do you want to try?” Talon said, drawing her attention back to him. He unzipped and shrugged off his sweatshirt.

Talon was wearing a tank. A tank for darned sake. “Nice shirt.” Nice. Nice? The tank wasn’t just plain nice. It was unbelievable. “You went shopping?”

It was white and fit him … well, it fit him just so. His biceps were amazing. She needed to stop looking, so she focused on two guys working out across the room.

Talon shrugged. “Yes, I decided to go shopping for a couple of things of my own.” He unzipped his bag and threw her some gloves. “Like these.”

She scrambled to catch them and failed. They fell to the right of her feet.

Talon smiled. “Sorry, I should have said ‘catch’.”

Vicky could see by his smirk that he was teasing her and that he wasn’t sorry in the least. “No problem.” She picked up the gloves, throwing them back at him without any warning.

Talon moved quickly, seeming to snatch them from the air.

Okay.

Wow.

No fair.

She spotted a bottle of water on the table next to her and picked that up, throwing it hard and to his right. He caught that too, using just one hand. His eyes didn’t stray from hers either.

Well, shit.

“I have very good reflexes.” He looked away as he said it. Almost like he was embarrassed.

“No kidding.” She laughed. “That was pretty impressive.

“Let me help you with your gloves.”

“That would be great.” Vicky shrugged out of her own sweatshirt, tossing it on Talon’s bag. It was cool in the gym, but she had no doubt that she’d work up a sweat in no time.

He closed the distance between them, taking one of her hands in his. “Shove your hand into the glove. Then make a fist.” He held out one of the gloves with his other hand.

She did as he said. “Are you sure I won’t get injured?”

“No, I will look after you. Don’t worry.”

Boy, but she liked the sound of that. A little too much. “Push your fisted hand as far into the glove as it will go.”

Again, she complied. Talon pulled a strap and secured the Velcro. “Now for the other hand.” They went through the motions a second time.

He took a step back so that he could check out his handiwork. Talon nodded. “Ready?”

“I guess.”

“You’re going to enjoy this.” He gestured to the punching bag. “We’ll keep it simple.”

She sucked in a deep breath and widened her eyes. “Please do. Simple sounds good right now.” Vicky positioned herself in front of the black, overstuffed bag. “Do I just hit it?”

“Put one leg in front of the other like this.” Talon demonstrated.

“Okay.” She copied him.

“Bend your knees a little, like this.”

“Okay.”

“Hold your hands up in front of yourself, chin slightly down, eyes over your gloves so that you can see your opponent.”

She snort-laughed. “It’s not like I’m actually going to fight someone.”

“We’re sparring at the end of our session.”

Butterflies went nuts inside her stomach.

“Don’t look so worried, I’ll go easy on you.” Talon bumped shoulders with her, practically knocking her over. He gripped her upper arms. “I’ll go really easy on you.” He smiled.

“Gee thanks! I’m not worried in the least.”

“Maybe you should be … just a little.”

Too much like flirting. Vicky nodded.

“Hands up to protect yourself.” Talon demonstrated for her. He wasn’t wearing gloves. “The key is to stay relaxed.”

She laughed, shaking her head.

“No really, you’ll hit harder if you do. When you punch, you should exhale. Rotate your hand like this.” He did a slow-mo punch into the bag, not really hitting it. “One, two.” He punched twice, slow and easy. “Three.” He punched with his other hand. “You try. Legs apart. One a bit more forward than … yes, that’s it,” he encouraged. “Hands up in the defensive position.”

She pulled her hands up, like he had shown her and tried to hit left. It felt like her knuckles cracked a little as she hit the bag.

“Relax,” Talon said. “Breathe out as you hit.”

She tried again.

“That’s it. One, two, three.”

She hit with the other hand.

“Good. That’s it. Keep going.”

Within half a minute she was completely out of breath. “You weren’t lying when you said this was a workout.” She felt hot.

“Now try this. Upward jabs. One, one, one, alternating hands.” He jabbed into the bag, again going slowly so she could see exactly what he was doing.

She tried to emulate him.

“Almost. Your hands should be almost palms up … that’s it, better.”

Good thing was, that although she was punching, she seemed to be using different muscles. It didn’t take long for her to tire.

“Great, now for the hook.”

“The hook?”

“Yup. If you were going to break your opponent’s jaw, this is the punch you would use.”

“Break his jaw?” She shouldn’t be turned on. It was pathetic and quite frankly, a little sick. There was something wrong with her and this picture.

“Yes.” Talon was completely deadpan.

“Have you actually broken someone’s jaw before?” Her voice was a touch breathless.

Talon nodded. “Several times.” So matter a fact. “I’ve broken many ribs, arms, even a couple of legs.”

Her nipples really should not be tightening. She was a sad and sorry case.

Vicky cleared her throat. “Go ahead and show me, why don’t you?” She pointed at the bag, using her gloved hand.

He swung sideways instead of head-on, coming in at an arc that would land on an opponent’s face. She could picture it. “You try,” he said.

Vicky took up the fighting stance. One leg in front of the other as he’d shown her. She swung in, trying to do it in the same way Talon had done.

“Good, only …” He came in behind her. Although he wasn’t touching her, she could feel him at her back. There, right there. He gripped her left elbow, lifting it. “Your defensive arm dips every time you hit right, creating an opening.”

“Oh. I see.” More than a touch breathless now.

“Your swing is also a bit wide. You need to try to keep it tighter, more concise.”

It was like he was talking dirty or something because she was certainly reacting. At least, her body was. “Okay, how’s this?”

He gripped her elbow as she hit right. “You’re still dropping your left.”

“I’ll have to work on it.”

“Now you can work on each one, or put them together like this.” He did a series of punches, combining all three techniques. “I think you should first practice them individually though.”

“I think so too.”

“Let me know when you’re ready to add in some kicks.”

“Kicks?” Righto, this was getting interesting.

Talon’s eyes sparkled, and the edges of his mouth twitched. “I’m sure you want a full body workout. Not just your upper?”

“You’re absolutely right. Full body is a must.” She was seeing sexual innuendos in everything.

“Let’s work on the punches first. Take plenty of breaks, there’s water in my bag. First show me the three.”

She did them for him. Talon gave her a couple of pointers for each of them. “You okay to work on it for a bit on your own?”

She nodded. “Definitely.”

“Great, let’s get in some hits and we’ll move to legs in a few?” Talon spoke as he moved to a bag one position up, leaving an open space between them.

“Sounds good.” She was already feeling her arms but she could do this. She could.

Talon took up the fight stance like it was second nature, his fists coming up. When he landed the first few punches, everybody in the facility stopped to watch. He moved quickly, with such grace and agility. Pow! Pow! Pow! She could understand what he meant when he said to keep it tight and concise. It didn’t look like he was really trying and yet his punches landed with such power. One, two, three. One, one, one. A series of all of them.

Wow.

Just wow.

Talon stopped, arms still braced, he glanced her way. “Are you going to watch me all day?”

Oops! “It’s just that you’re really good at that.”

“I thought you wanted a workout?” He smiled.

“I do.” She turned back towards her own punching bag. Head in the game. One, two, three. A little awkward. Forget concise and tight, but she got to it anyway. Only, she was tired in no time. She punched and rested and punched a bit more and rested. One thing was for sure, she was using muscles she never even knew existed. Her arms burned. She felt sweat form on her brow.

Just like with the one-armed push-ups, Talon was relentless. He went at that bag like it had done something terrible to him, or to his family maybe. She realized that she didn’t really know much about Talon. Did he have a family? A mom or dad? Brothers or sisters? What was his life like back … wherever he came from?

“Taking a break?”

Shit, she realized she had been staring at him again.

“Yeah, this is hard work.” She looked him over. “I can’t believe you’re not out of breath. You haven’t even broken a sweat.”

“This is nothing.” He walked over to her. “We normally spar for hours. Full contact, male on male.”

“I would love to see that.” It just slipped out.

“It can be pretty gory. Lots of blood. You said that human females don’t like such things.”

“Most human females, I guess.”

“Not you though?”

She bit down on her bottom lip. Why was she biting down on her lip? Vicky stopped. “I would like to see. As long as you didn’t get hurt. I don’t think I’d like that.” That sounded flirty. She shouldn’t be flirting with him. She hadn’t meant it like that. “You’re a friend and I wouldn’t like to see someone I considered to be a friend, get hurt.”

“I’m one of our best fighters.” He shook his head, looking all nonchalant again. “You might see me hurt a couple of the others though.”

The thought thrilled her. In ways it shouldn’t. “They would heal though?” A husky whisper.

“Yes, they would definitely heal and quickly.”

“Then I guess it would be okay.”

Talon looked her in the eyes, deep in the eyes. “You are a strange female, but I like that.”

More of those damned butterflies. She really needed to think more about her date tonight and not get all hung up on a guy who was still hung up on his deceased mate.

“I wish I could take you.” He had a faraway look. “You might like Monsoli.”

“Your home?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Then again, it lacks many of the comforts you have here, but it is beautiful. So vast and untouched. The air is clean.” She could see that he was picturing it. There was a look of longing on his face.

“Unlike the city.”

He wrinkled his nose. “It stinks here.”

“Yeah, we have pollution.”

“The stench from the vehicles, the garbage and the drains.” He shook his head. “Where I am from, the streams run clear, the air is sweet and—”

“You’re really making me want to visit and since I can’t …”

Talon shook his head. “No, I’m afraid it would be impossible.” It may have been her imagination but he seemed upset that she couldn’t. Then he got this stern look. “Enough chit-chat.” He pronounced the words with care. Probably new ones in his vocabulary. “I will show you the kicks now.”

“Let’s do this.” It was fun. Something completely different.

“Face the bag head-on,” Talon instructed, “and kick, kick.” He alternated legs.

He took her through a series of kicks in much the same way he had with the punches. “Got it?” he asked.

“I think so.”

“Are you okay with us practicing on our own for a few minutes?”

“Sure.” She couldn’t wait to see him in action.

Talon moved up the line and began kicking.

Oh wow!

She had to force her eyes back onto her own punching bag. How was it possible for a guy to be that big and that agile? How? She really needed to know.

Vicky felt clumsy as she started on her own bag. She must look like an idiot in comparison. She wasn’t thinking along those lines though. She was going to get it right. No pain no gain became her mantra after a few minutes. Vicky took a break, trying not to drool as she watched Talon go at it, even faster than before. He was breathing a little heavier at this stage. Still no sweat though.

She was thirsty but realized there was no opening a bottle with gloves on her hands. Within a few minutes, she resumed her kicks, practicing each one. Front upwards kicks. Side outward jab kicks and then her favorite, the more arced kick, where she connected with the front of her foot. According to Talon, perfect for snapping a rib. Good information to know. A total turn-on as well. Who knew she was such a perv.

* * *

Good thing he was there to protect Vicky if the need arose because there was no way she could defend herself. He would bring her back, try to teach her some more moves. By the time he left, she would be in a better position to defend herself. He’d see to it.

Right now, Talon had to keep reminding himself to take it slow. Not to put too much power behind the movements. He didn’t want to accidentally break any of the equipment or possibly even accidentally hurt someone.

Slow.

Easy.

Breathe.

At the same time, he needed to get rid of some energy. There was far too much of that buzzing around him. Making him crazy. That was probably where his need to mount was coming from. Cadon hadn’t mentioned having the problem but then again, Talon couldn’t bring himself to mention that he had a problem, in his daily conversations with the male. He was too ashamed. Maybe not being able to shift and fly was the reason. Maybe he was not the only one suffering. If he got a chance to stretch his wings and really burn some energy, maybe his problem would go away. He couldn’t count on it though.

Talon punched the bag a little harder. Easy. Take it easy. A few more jabs, a few more kicks. He glanced at Vicky. The female was watching him in fascination. It seemed that, like his own kind, human females were also enamored by males who could defend and protect. Enamored by strength. He liked that she was watching. Liking it altogether too much.

“I’m really thirsty.” Vicky tapped her gloves together.

Or she was waiting patiently for him to finish so that he could get her some water? Talon nodded, wiping his brow. At least he had finally managed to break a sweat. Not much, but it was something. Tension still radiated through him. He unzipped the bag and pulled out a water bottle, which he unscrewed, holding it to her mouth.

Vicky drank deeply. “Thank you,” she said, when she finally came up for air. “I’m feeling it. Going to be a bit stiff and sore in the morning.” She smiled.

“Good.”

“If you say so.” She made a face.

“It means that you will have worked. That you have made progress.”

Vicky smiled. He liked it when she smiled, made him feel good inside. “I know. I’m only yanking your chain … joking with you,” she added when she caught his frown.

Talon drank some of the water. “Are you ready to spar? One on one with me?” He tapped his chest.

“We’re a little unevenly matched.” Her voice was soft and she seemed to be breathing more heavily. Maybe she was afraid.

“I will go very easy on you.”

“Okay. How are we going to do this? You’re not going to hit me in the face or anything?”

Talon shook his head. “I would never hit a female, not ever.”

Vicky smiled broadly. “I didn’t think so. That’s why I was asking. You not hitting back kind of defeats the whole purpose though.”

“I will wear these.” He put the hand pads on as he spoke. “You must do your best to try to connect with me. I will block your punches with these.” He lifted his hands, tapping them together. The pads made a twack sound.

A look of horror crossed her face. “What if I actually hit you?”

Talon laughed. “You won’t.”

“You’re sure?”

“Very.”

Vicky raised her brows. “You look so incredibly sure. You’re not worried I might get one tiny hit in?”

“I’m sure and no, I don’t think you will manage even one hit.” He wasn’t saying it to goad her, and yet, he could see her jaw tighten, her whole stance became tense as he spoke.

“Alrighty then.” She put one foot in front of the other and dropped down a little on her knees, lifting her hands into the defensive position. “It’s on like Donkey Kong.” Her eyes blazed.

Another human saying. He could guess what it meant. Talon nodded once. “I’m ready.” He held his hands just in front of him.

Vicky went straight for a low jab. Trying right off the bat to actually hit him. He liked this female. No messing around. She was trying hard, a frown line of concentration on her forehead. He was damned if he didn’t feel it low in his stomach. If he didn’t feel his prick stir.

Blast!

Not now.

Talon breathed deeply, trying hard to concentrate on the sparring session and not on Vicky. How her ponytail bounced. How her nose wrinkled when she’d put in, what she considered to be, a particularly good hit. He easily blocked her and she went straight for a right jab. He blocked her again. She tried several combinations. He blocked each and every one.

"Dammit!" she finally yelled.

“You drop your left before every right.” He smiled.

“And how do you know I’m about to hit left?”

“You take in a slightly deeper breath before each punch. It’s subtle but there.”

Vicky punched a couple more times. “Yeah, you’re right. Thing is, I have to breathe out when I let her rip, right?”

He nodded. “You should try to keep your breathing even at all times though.”

“There are so many things to remember.” She used the back of her glove to wipe some hair off of her face. Her cheeks were flushed. “This is difficult. I can’t believe I actually wanted to hit you there for a moment.”

Talon couldn’t help but smile. Little hellion! “I could see it. It’s good. Another pointer and something you can try is to bounce and move your feet like this.” He showed her, holding his hands up. “Makes it harder to judge what your next move is going to be.”

"Okay." She swiped a gloved hand over her forehead. "I can do that. I used to go to dance class as a girl. Hip-hop." She bobbed her brows. "I have rhythm." Vicky began to bounce gently.

Even with her hands in the defensive position, he could still see how her breasts bounced. It wasn’t an exaggerated movement. Enough to draw the eye. Enough to get his mind working, his imagination went into overdrive.

Bounce.

Bounce.

Bounce.

Conjuring up what she might look like naked. He knew her nipples were plump. He’d seen them through her clothing a time or two. Would they be a lighter shade of pink or darker? How would such heavy mammary glands look …

Whack!

On the side of his jaw. Not hard at all.

“Oh my god! Are you okay?” She put both gloved hands on his chest. Her eyes were filled with concern. “You weren’t ready. I came at you and you weren’t ready. I’m so sorry.”

“No,” he shook his head, “you did a good job.”

She smiled, her face radiating pure joy. "I did?" Then she frowned. "Wait a minute, you're not just saying that to make me feel good about myself, are you? I got in a low blow when you weren't ready, and you're giving it to me because you feel sorry for me?"

“I would never do that. I take sparring seriously. A fighter must always be ready. You got me fair and square.”

She grinned.

Talon wasn't sure what came over him in that moment. Part of him wanted to show her what he meant by being ready at all times, but there was a part of him that was thinking with his prick, for sure.

He gripped her left wrist and side-swiped her with his foot onto the padded mats. Talon was sure to fall as well, placing his body under hers so that, despite the padded mats, she wouldn’t land on the floor.

Vicky landed on top of him. Her eyes wide, the air left her lungs in a shocked sounding gasp as she made contact. He realized his mistake the moment all her softness landed on all of his hardness. Her legs straddled him, knees on the mat. Her breasts were flat against his chest. He could feel her heart race. Her lips were slightly parted, and she was panting softly.

The problem.

His prick went from semi to fully erect in the time it took them to fall. It was hard as granite and perfectly positioned at the juncture of her thighs.

His balls tightened, that feeling was back in the pit of his stomach. His eyes also widened and he pulled in a big lungful of air. Blast! “Um …” He was gripping her upper arms. “I’m … I’m sorry.” He lifted her off of him in one quick motion that put himself in a sitting position and her sitting on the floor in front of him. “I wanted to show you what I meant by being prepared. It was stupid of me. Here,” he looked down at her gloved hands, “I think that’s enough for one day.” He un-velcroed one of her gloves, opening it up so that she could get her hand out.

Her eyes were still wide, her breathing still elevated. He couldn't blame her. By all that was clawed and furry, he had just molested her. "I'm really sorry about that. I don't know what happened. I—"

She touched his arm. “It’s okay. You don’t need to explain. It’s one of those things. You’re a guy and I’m a woman and these things sometimes happen.”

“Thank you for being so sweet about it. I guess you are right. It’s no excuse. None!”

“Stop beating yourself up.” She shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

Talon grit his teeth for a few seconds. “It’s a big deal to me because I see you as a friend and …” His mate. Lark. How could he?

“I can see in your eyes that you feel bad. That you’re feeling guilty,” she spoke softly. “You can’t help your body’s reaction. It’s like trying to stop yourself from breathing … it’s not possible. It doesn’t make you a bad person, Talon, it makes you human.”

“Except, I’m not human.” The words came out as a deep rasp. Things more under control, he jumped to his feet, holding out a hand to Vicky. “We’d better get going.”

She nodded, undoing her other glove on her own. She handed it to Talon. She looked upset and he couldn’t blame her. What the hell was wrong with him?