Free To Russia With Love (Countermeasure Series) by Cecilia Aubrey, Chris Almeida Page A

hall. Within minutes she was changed and racing down the stairs to the basement. She did a happy dance in her head as she walked into the room. She stopped dead in her tracks. Holy hell! Trevor was already flowing through a series of stretch exercises. “How’d you change and get here so fast?”
    He smirked at her reflection in the mirror. “Clothes were still in the dryer.” Trevor tilted his head toward the laundry area. “Voilá. Changed and ready to go.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I win. My choice.”
    “Freaking cheat,” Cassandra mumbled under her breath, moving further into the room, beginning her own series of stretches.
    Her narrowed eyes followed Trevor as he walked to the media player, peeved that she hadn’t thought of the dryer herself. As the blood-pumping music filled the room, Cassandra felt the heat of Trevor’s appreciative gaze tracking her movements from where he stood. She became a little self-conscious as she moved through the warm-up exercises. Glancing in the mirror, she caught the satisfied triumphant smirk on his face and raised an eyebrow. “What? You cheated, that’s all.” She hated the wide grin that burst across his face at her sulky tone. “But you won. So…what’s it going to be?” She pulled her legs together, reached for the arches of her feet, and laid her forehead on her knees. The burn along the back of her thighs invigorated her.
    “How about we do some wrestling. We’re both good at it.”
    Cassandra’s eyes gleamed with pleasure. She was always game for a good sparring. The last time they had grappled, she had taken him down. Already picturing herself the winner, she moved to join Trevor at the center of the mat. She balanced on the balls of her feet, knees slightly bent and arms hanging loose at her sides in anticipation of his first move. Cassandra eyed the flexing muscles in Trevor’s arms as he moved from foot to foot across the mat. Damn he’s hot. Trevor smirked.
    “I just said that out loud, didn’t I?” she asked. His widening grin confirmed her worst fears. Cassandra shook her head. Can’t a girl ever get a break? His smugness fueled her already-burning temper. She faked a grab for his leg. As he jumped out of the way, she hooked her other arm around his neck in a headlock and twisted her body in one single fluid movement so her back was to him.
    “Still grinning, babe?” she spoke over her shoulder, tightening her hold around his neck and pulling him flush against her hip.
    Before she could force him to his knees, Trevor shoved her arm from his neck, grabbed her shirt in both hands, and swept her leg from under her. She fell with a big “oomph!” to the mats.
    Trevor grinned down into her face. “Gotcha!” His hearty laughter echoed in the room.
    Cassandra stared up at him in surprise and quickly rolled to her feet back into fighting position. “Yeah, keep laughing, boyo.” Wiping her hands on the back of her pants, she watched him closely through narrowed eyes and planned her next move.
    They circled each other, looking for a breach in the other’s defenses, eyes locked, perspiration coating their skin. Cassandra lunged for his legs. Trevor shoved her hands away, twisting his body to safety. His chuckle filled her ears.
    “Really? Still laughing?” she grumbled under her breath. Dropping into a squat she swept her leg out, knocking Trevor’s legs out from under him.
    A hundred and eighty pounds of lean mass collapsed with a whomp to the floor and a groan filled the air. “Damn!” As he hit the mat, Trevor whipped out his hand, snagged the back of Cassandra’s pants, and jerked her to her knees. His move was swift and fluid as he scrambled up behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck in a chokehold. Heart racing in her chest, Cassandra wiggled her hand between his arm and her neck. Covering his hand with her free one, she grabbed three of his fingers and pulled back in a finger lock.
    “Fuck, Cassie!” He pushed her from him,