Her Heart's Desire by Lisa Watson Read Free Book Online

the hold.”
    Before Tiffany could reply, Ivan dipped behind her and grabbed her waist. She immediately hooked one leg around his, and then planted her other foot. Tiffany put her hands on his arms, pushed down and then grabbed his thumb. She pushed it back.
    “Good, now follow up with kicks to the groin and solar plexus, or elbows to the neck and face.”
    They practiced a few times. Ivan was a big man, and though he did not use his full weight while going through the motions, Tiffany was still winded.
    He nodded with approval. “Much better, but remember—” he grabbed her suddenly and spun her away from him so that her back was flush against his front “—quick blows, and then get out of there.” His breath caressed her ear in an intimate whisper. “And never, ever let your guard down.”
    He turned her again so that they were facing each other, but he did not release her. Her arms came up to his shoulders to steady herself. Tiffany was breathing heavily from the exertion—or was it the close proximity to Ivan? She honestly didn’t know.
    “Thank you for showing me that technique. You must be good at a lot of these.”
    He chuckled. “I’ve had a great deal of practice over the years.”
    Tiffany’s eyes met his. A warm heat spread from the lower half of her body upward. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she said, “I’ll bet.”
    His eyes darkened instantly. Tiffany was too caught up in the sudden predatory gleam in his eye to move. Mortified at her own words, she blushed. “What I meant was...”
    “You didn’t mean to give me a compliment?” he asked.
    “No, I was...just not like that .”
    Ivan lowered his arms, and she was free. Tiffany felt the rush of space between them. It was hard not to protest at the loss of warmth from his embrace.
    “How about I walk you out?”
    “Sure.”
    He escorted her to her car and made sure she was inside and settled. He sat back on his haunches so they were eye level.
    “Thanks again for coming.”
    “My pleasure.”
    “Good night, Tiffany. Ring me one when you get home so that I know you’re safe.”
    She looked surprised. “Oh, sure.”
    He stood up, tapped her door, and then moved back. Tiffany waved and drove away.
    She decided to take the long way home to give herself some time to process what had happened after their exercise class. Out of the blue, their light, jovial manner had changed to something thick, tangible and most definitely sexual.
    Recalling their conversation sent tingles throughout her body. She had never been that suggestive before, but being alone with Ivan after such a hands-on type of class made the nerve endings in her body go supercharged. She could feel an undercurrent. His amber eyes reminded her of a tiger’s, making her wonder if there were a few seconds before being devoured that the jungle cat’s prey stood mesmerized by the sheer hypnotic effect of its golden gaze.
    The feeling was similar to observing one of her favorite paintings. The longer she stared at it, the more she wanted to stare.
    When she was wrapped in Ivan’s ironclad embrace, the only thing on her mind was that she wanted him to kiss her. Not the quick peck on the lips, but the most thorough, deep, erotic kiss she’d ever had in her life.
    * * *
    As Ivan drove home, he thought about his evening. He had enjoyed teaching the seniors’ class—and spending time with Tiffany.
    Who are you kidding? It’s the most fun you’ve had in a while.
    He thought about the gleam in Tiffany’s eyes when she took him down for the first time. There was such a sense of accomplishment and confidence in her expression that he had to chuckle. Before she got back to business, she took a victory lap around the class that reminded him of Sylvester Stallone jumping up and down in triumph in the movie Rocky. She was something else.
    He also recounted their playful banter and how, seconds later, it took everything in him not to grab her and claim her sexy mouth for a