Chapter 21

In the empty gym,Emma held her gloves up despite the weight of her arms. Yesterday with her dad had been hard and she used tonight's training to purge her frustrations. Her eyes were fixed on the punching bag before her. Each strike showed her growing strength and resolve.

Dan watched from the sidelines. His admiration was evident in the unwavering attention he gave her. He"d call out occasional tips, his tone a mix of coach and cheerleader. "That"s it, keep pushing. Another thirty seconds."

Her gloves connected with the punching bag in a steady rhythm. Each hit was a release of pent-up energy and emotion. She could feel Dan"s eyes on her like a warm caress.

Jab - cross - left hook - back leg low kick.She imagined her parking-lot attacker with each punch, feeling the satisfaction with each solid connection with the bag. The buzzer indicated the end of the session. Emma finished with a roundhouse high kick and stepped back. Her legs shook as the tension left her body. She looked at Dan.

"You"re holding back," he called out, his voice echoing in the gym. "Remember what Jack taught you about channeling your emotions."

Emma dropped her gloved hands to her knees, breathing heavily. She peaked at Dan from under her eyelashes. Damn it! "I know, I"m trying," she replied. Her voice was a blend of frustration and determination.

"You"re more than trying, you"re succeeding. I think you"re giving about eighty percent, but when you"re in the ring, you need to give it your all! Just keep at it," Dan encouraged, walking over with a bottle of water.

Accepting the water, Emma nodded. "Thanks, Dan. It means a lot to me that you are here."

"Of course, Sparks. Let"s get up into the ring and get a feel for it." Covering his hands with pads, he walked to the steps.

Emma slowly followed. Her lack of speed was partly to catch her breath and partly to admire his epic ass.

After getting into the boxing ring, she bounced on the balls of her feet, her fists raised in readiness.

Dan moved in front of her, his stance a challenge. "Ready?" he asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

Emma lifted her chin. "Ready!"

Her muscles tensed for the first move. Dan stepped forward, moving his pads fast. She countered each gesture with jabs, crosses, uppercuts, and hooks, pushing forward as Dan retreated. For a large and muscled man, he moved light and fast.

"Good! Now, keep the pressure," he encouraged.

Emma pressed on, her focus narrowing to the man before her and the dance of attack and retreat they performed. As they shifted to defensive drills, Dan"s reach forced Emma to be quick and agile, ducking and weaving away from his advances. The adrenaline coursed through her veins, making her blood hum. Each maneuver was a push against her own limits.

"Don"t let yourself get cornered," Dan reminded, and she gave him a well-placed-but- pulled-back hook on his liver.

His "oomph" was satisfying.

"Don"t drop your defenses," Emma countered.

Sweat dripped down her face, and her breaths came in heavy pants. But despite the exhaustion, her smile mirrored by Dan"s satisfied grin. They moved together in a rhythm of challenge and support, a dance of strength and resilience that left them both exhilarated and proud.

When Dan called it quits about twenty minutes later, Emma leaned back into the ropes as she struggled to get her breathing under control.

Dan stripped off his pads and stepped into her personal space. When she tried to rise, he shook his head. "Hang on, Sparks."

His eyes were like the first sip of hot chocolate on a cold winter"s day, as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her Muay Thai shorts.

"What are you doing?"

He just grinned and pulled them down. "Don"t let go of the ropes," he ordered and tossed the garments aside before tackling her boy briefs.

Her eyes widened as he arranged her feet wide apart and placed them further into the ring until she lay with her back and shoulders supported by the ropes. "What? Wait! Da-an!"

He chuckled before giving her a stern look. "Now hold this position."

He kneeled between her legs and hummed appreciatively. "Perfect."

She suddenly remembered he'd bared her lower half. She struggled to rise.

"Don"t let go," he warned again.

She squeaked in alarm when he lifted her legs up and over his shoulders. The ropes dug into her back and her gloved hands impeded her hold. She tightened her core.

"Good girl."

With his hands curled around her hips, he lowered his face until his breath teased her folds. She squirmed and almost lost her hold. With another embarrassing squeak, she pulled in her stomach muscles and concentrated on her posture.

* * *

Dan inhaled the scent of exertion and female musk. He was hard as a rock. Had been since she jabbed him in the side. That wasn"t his usual reaction to a punch, but with Emma almost everything revved up his libido.

He lowered his mouth on her pussy and licked from the back to the top. She tasted like salt and sin. Aware of her awkward position, he battled down his urge to dive in hard and fast.

With his tongue and lips, he teased her clit until the muscles under his hands tensed.

"Oh, god."

Her exclamation made pleasure course through his veins. He moved his tongue faster. Against his mouth she was hot and wet. He shifted one hand below her butt and freed the other to stroke along the slit. Her muscles tensed even more as he danced his fingers over her labia.

Increasing his grip on her butt, he drove the first finger, then two into her weeping channel. He kept up the suction with his mouth.

"Da-an!"

When he lifted his head, he blew hot air over her clit. "Come for me, Sparks!"

She tightened around his fingers, and he returned to sucking her clit, rubbing the nub with his tongue and finding the counterpoint deep inside her. Her muscles clenched around his fingers in an almost-painful grip, until the overwhelming storm of sensation rolled over her.

Dan eased and slowed his ministrations, but kept stimulating her as the climax rippled through. Her back arched farther, and her hips bucked. He pulled out and gripped her hips. Lowering her feet to the mat, he pushed back on his haunches and waited for her to come down from her orgasm. When the haze cleared from her eyes, he rose and lifted her into his arms. After caring her to the showers and stripping them both naked, he used his cock and fingers to please them both.