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

shaking his fingers.
    Cassandra rolled to her back and a wicked grin covered her face. “Gotcha.”
    “Shite! That fucking hurt!” he hissed, rubbing them vigorously.
    She sat up, leaning back on her hands. “Sorry Trev, did I hurt you? Poor baby! Not smiling now are we?”
    “Your little tab is growing, Cassie Girl,” he growled and she burst out laughing at the scowl on his face.
    Trevor shook his hand in an effort to ease the pain shooting up his arm. The pleasurable game he’d imagined had become a hardcore wrestling match. He faced Cassandra, determined to win now more than ever, and made his move. He charged her and pulled her tight against his chest in a bear hug. She shifted her weight with one leg, throwing him off balance and, as he adjusted his stance, slammed her other knee into his stomach. The air exploded from his lungs and pain radiated to all parts of his body as he crumbled to his knees, wrapping his arms around his stomach. The pain was excruciating. He couldn’t breathe. In the distance, he heard her chuckle.
    “What the hell?!” he rasped through gritted teeth. “I thought this was grappling, not ‘Beat up Trevor’ practice. Damn, woman!” She laughed louder and dismissed the threat, turning her back to him. “Okay, that’s it! All bets are off now! I am bringing you down!”
    Ignoring his screaming stomach muscles, he jumped to his feet, ran at her, grabbing her from behind, and tackled her to the ground, pressing her face-first into the mat with his weight. Cassandra wiggled, kicking her legs and bucking against him. He scissored his legs on the outside of hers, trapping her lower body, and bore all his weight against her back, whispering in a teasing tone close to her ear, “Comfortable?”
    Without warning, Cassandra slammed the back of her head against his forehead. His head snapped back and stars crowded his vision. “Fuck!” Rolling to the mat, Trevor lay on his back rubbing the heel of his hand against his forehead. “What kind of training is this? Don’t use your dirty CIA tricks against me! Save them for the bad g—!”
    Before he could recover, she landed on his chest, pressing him against the mat with her weight while tucking her feet under his legs, preventing him from knocking her off. “You are pinned! And no, the CIA didn’t teach me that, Bob did,” she smirked with a wide victorious smile.
    Trevor dropped his hands from his head and rested them flat on the mat. He took a deep breath and, without opening his eyes, commented with sarcasm dripping from his words, “Remind me to send your dad a thank you note.”
    Cassandra snorted and took a good look at him. Sweat ran in rivulets from his temple, his mop of hair was damp and mussed, making him look edible. “I’m sure he’ll be proud.”
    Her grin slowly faded when she noticed the red mark marring his forehead. A wash of guilt gripped her and, feeling bad for him, she leaned in to press her lips to the mark, but before her lips touched his reddened skin, Trevor’s arms shot out from under her hands and to the side at the same time his hips drove up into her, thrusting her off his chest.
    “Shit!” Cassandra yelled as she landed on her side next him on the mat.
    In another fluid move, he shifted his hips around toward her and jerked her arm, forcing her flat on her back. He lifted his leg and brought his heel down on her chest. Cassandra’s body curved up and she squeezed her eyes shut, anticipating the impact that never happened. When pain didn’t radiate through her upper body, she opened her eyes and saw his heel millimeters from her chest.
    Her eyes snapped to his, now full of merriment. “Gotcha again.”
    “Holy hell, Trev! What kind of move was that?”
    Trevor leaned over her with a big smile on his face. “You really thought I would give up that easily? I am a geek, Cassie, not a friggin’ wimp. It’s called the internet and how-to videos.”
    “Smart ass,” she gasped.
    He watched as she