Free To Woo A Warrior (Southern Sanctuary) by Jane Cousins Page A

candidates leaving their offices over the
past five days completely escaped the man?  “You… ” 
  He was about to tell Hadleigh that she didn’t have to comply with
Xander’s request but he lost the ability to speak abruptly.
    Hadleigh had just pulled her long
sleeve top off to reveal that she was wearing a small black tank top
underneath. Vaughn’s problem was the tank top was short.  Exposing a lot
of creamy soft skin above the waist band of her
trousers and it was tight, hugging those gorgeous full breasts of hers like a
silken bandage. When she turned to face him, the strap of the top slid slightly
to one side revealing the black satin strap of her bra underneath. Vaughn’s
ability to breathe went right out the door along with his ability to speak.
When he finally managed to meet those crystal grey eyes of hers instead of arch
knowledge that her feminine wiles were creating havoc with his simple male mind
he found storm clouds. A stoic look on her face that
all but dared him to make a comment. She was the most confounding woman ever.
    Swallowing hard he finally managed
to lean over and whisper. “You don’t have to do this.”
    “I’m good.”  
    She made to move past him but he
halted her progress by reaching over to tuck a stray curl behind her ear.
    “Just don’t hurt him too much okay.
If you break him he stays broke.” 
    Now it was Hadleigh’s turn to
swallow.  She’d defiantly taken off her top expecting Vaughn to look away
in disgust or disinterest but instead he’d looked kind of well … dazed. And
when he’d reached up to tuck her hair back, it was all she could not to melt
into his touch.
    She needed to hurt something and
hurt something right now. Thank the Goddess Xander Marr was looking for a
beating.
    She tossed the man three times in a
row flat on his back; didn’t even raise her heartbeat let alone a sweat. It was
a frustrating exercise right up there with all her sad attempts at sex ; a lot of build-up and then a complete let down. Gritting
out a polite smile she forced down her temper. To give him his due the
Professor knew how to take a fall, which was about the kindest thing she could
say about his fighting technique.
    What had slightly weirded her out throughout the entire encounter was the way
the professor’s smile had grown wider with every crash he took to the
mat.  His blue eyes positively glowing with heated admiration by the time
he called a draw.  Holding back a derisive laugh she agreed that certainly
the bout was a draw as he rose to his feet one last time with her help.
  Despite his mussed hair and a slight bruise coming up on his wrist
the Professor looked none the worse for wear.
    “Welcome to the team.” He stated
heartily as if he had the deciding the vote, holding open his arms.
    For what Hadleigh wasn’t quite sure.
 She rarely spent much time amongst norms and the non-magical folk at the
Sanctuary didn’t count as they were all bat shit crazy
artistic people. Still it was all she could do not to knock Xander Marr back to
the floor when he stepped forward encasing her in a hug.
    Behind her she thought she heard Vaughn
growl, which was the first sound he’d made since she’d stepped onto the mats.
Forcing herself to relax, she thumped the Professor on the back twice in a
gesture of shared camaraderie that she wasn’t particularly feeling.
    Stepping back Xander beamed at her
as if that hadn’t been the most awkward hug in the history of hugs and that his
back wasn’t aching from where she’d thumped him. “I can tell we’re going to
have great fun you and I. Ohh !”  
    He’d noticed something on her
shoulder and immediately Hadleigh froze, was it a spider? It had to be a spider
from the way Xander’s skin tightened around his eyes in concern though funnily
the skin on his forehead remained taunt and carefree. No time to think about
whether the man had botox injections she all but screamed
internally, there was a spider on her. Then