He was more than ready to intervene when they rolled again and Ethan had to jump to keep from getting caught in the fast-churning tangle of arms and legs. When they stopped, Rosie was on top and she had Riley’s arm caught in an awkward position, using her whole body to keep a steady pressure on it. Riley, around his strained laughter, cried uncle.
Rosie jumped up, punched a fist in the air like a world conqueror, and gave a ferocious battle cry. “Ha! Gotcha with a chicken wing.”
Riley stood, too, grinning from ear to ear, but he shook his head at her. “You hadn’t sunk it good enough. I could have gotten loose if Ethan hadn’t been standing here breathing fire.”
Rosie gasped in high indignation. “That’s just like a man to claim he lost to a woman only because of another man.”
Riley slipped his arm around her. “We’ll keep working on it.” He winked at Ethan.
At that particular moment Rosie wasn’t the least attractive. Her hair stuck out in crazy clumps around the headgear, some long tangled tendrils loose, some looped in and around the straps. Her face was flushed and there was sweat on her forehead and upper lip. The wrinkled, sweat-dampened clothes she wore couldn’t have been less appealing.
And Ethan wanted to throw her over his shoulder, smack her behind soundly, and remind her in no uncertain terms that she’d not only professed her love, but she’d given him a week to get used to it.
Instead, trying to hide his disgruntlement, he said to both of them, “If anyone taped your lessons, they could sell them for porn videos.”
Cocking one shapely hip and giving him a siren’s come-and-get-it smile, Rosie quipped, “Gee, honey, ya really think so?”
The pose should have been ludicrous given her present appearance. Instead, Ethan choked on a surge of lust.
Laughing, Rosie turned and sashayed her way out of the gym, heading for the showers. “Be right back.”
The second she disappeared from sight, Riley dropped against the wall and grabbed his shoulder with a loud groan. “Man, she about tore my rotator cuff. She’s good.”
Ethan stared at him. His eyes narrowed the tiniest bit.
Doing a double take, Riley asked, “What?” Ethan stared some more, no civil words coming to his mind or mouth.
“Oh, come on, Ethan.” Riley pushed his sweaty hair back and grunted. “I’m teaching her to defend herself with legitimate defensive and offensive moves. As a real estate agent, you know she finds herself with male clients in empty houses a lot.”
“Well, I hope if a guy attacks her, she doesn’t stick her face in his crotch. I seriously doubt that’ll deter him.”
Riley tried and failed to stifle his laugh. “She’s learning different ways to utilize the chicken wing—and as I said, she’s getting good at that. She’s also learning some good leg chokes. Usually, a woman who is attacked finds herself on her back with the assailant on top. I’m teaching her how to get out of that hold.”
It made sense. God knew, Ethan wanted her safe, but still…
“I’m also teaching her the Guard, the High Crotch Series and some Silat knife moves.”
“What’s the…never mind. I don’t want to know.” By silent agreement they moved off the mats and to a bench lining one wall. Ethan plopped down, stretched out his legs, dropped his head back against the cool wall and sighed. “Damn, I’m beat.”
Totally deadpan, Riley asked, “Long night?”
But Ethan was actually glad that he’d brought up the subject. Slowly, he swiveled his head toward Riley and opened his eyes. “Did Rosie tell you anything?”
“She’s not one to kiss and tell.”
“I didn’t kiss her.”
“No? Well, whatever you did, she wouldn’t be talking about it. I’ve never once heard her mention a date or what she might have done on a date, have you?” Rather than wait for a reply, Riley continued. “And you know, now that I’m thinking about it, that’s strange, huh?”
Ethan knew he’d rather walk into another burning building than think about Rosie with other men. It never failed to set him on edge. “We didn’t have a damn date, and I didn’t kiss her.”
Rosie reappeared, and Ethan thought she had to have taken the fastest shower in history. Then he realized she hadn’t changed, had only removed the headgear and combed her hair.
She was still sweaty.
“You,” she said, pointing at Ethan, “don’t know what you did.”
He snared her gaze with his own and wouldn’t let her look away. “So tell me, Rosie. Did I kiss you?”
Her cheeks turned pink and she shrugged. “Maybe I don’t remember, either.”
Ethan slowly stood to approach her. “Oh, if I’d kissed you, Rosie, believe me, you’d remember.”
She squared off, facing him like a prizefighter with her hands on her hips, legs braced. “Yeah? And why’s that?”
He jutted his chin forward to match her stance. “Because I’m a damn good kisser.”
“Maybe.”
“It’s true.” He reached back to nudge Riley with a fist. “Ask Riley, he knows.”
Riley almost fell off the bench. “What are you talking about?” His voice rose to a shout when Riley almost never shouted. “I sure as hell haven’t kissed you!”
“Excuse me?”
They all turned toward the front door, and there stood the redhead from the night before. Her glorious hair—Ethan did love the color—was piled on top of her head in loose, very feminine disarray. She wore a pale green, knee-length skirt with a crisp white blouse and very high heels. An enormous satchel was hooked over her arm.
Great, Ethan thought, just great. He needed this like he needed a four-alarm fire.
Much provoked, Riley stood and immediately shouted, “I have never kissed Ethan, swear to God.”
Rosie moved with the speed of light to position herself in front of Ethan.
Ethan started to laugh. He couldn’t help himself. He was still a little hungover, still very confused by Rosie’s recent offer, and horny as hell to boot. Could his life get more muddled?
“It’s true,” he confirmed. “Riley is as macho as they come. Hell, he’s so macho he has hair on the soles of his feet.”
“I do not.” Riley turned to glare at him. “And don’t help me, all right?”
Biting back his smile, Ethan said, “By the way, Riley, I was talking about those twins who wanted to double date, remember? The one told you I was a great kisser and she wanted to test you out to see who was better?”
Riley’s frown lifted, a smile started and he said, “Oh, yeah.”
The redhead looked beyond confused, on the verge of bolting. Her apparent nervousness kept her shifting her feet and twisting her hands. “Are you open?”
Obviously dismissing Ethan and his memories of the twins, Riley looked her over, crossed his arms and said, “I could be.”
Clutching her satchel, Red said, “I need to learn some self-defense.”
Riley cocked a brow at that, Rosie scowled and Ethan felt mired in guilt. “Good God, I didn’t assault you, did I?” He never should have gotten drunk. He never should have…
“No, of course not.” Her green-eyed gaze darted to Rosie, to Ethan and back to Riley. Her slim brows puckered in a suspicious frown. “Am I interrupting?”
“We