I watch her grind her hips with a smirk pulling on my lips. Bria’s ploy to keep me interested is backfiring. Big time.

I take the opportunity to study the contrast between Bria and Taylor. Bria’s appearance – complete with manicured nails and not a strand of hair out of place isn’t nearly as appealing as Taylor’s feminine innocence, and natural unassuming beauty. Bria is practically throwing her sexuality in my face, so I’m perplexed at my strong reaction to Taylor. She’s not my type. Too young… too real…

I shake my head and chuckle at the look of concentration on Taylor’s face. Bria slips her hand into mine, lacing our fingers together. I look to Taylor to see if she notices. She does.

Now girls, don’t fight. There’s plenty of me to go around.

Bria’s expression tells me she’s not above the catty threat our closeness implies.

“Is this lesson over? I need to figure out where my next class is.” Taylor stands her ground, looking Bria up and down with annoyance.

“Yeah, this is boring,” I say, stuffing my hands low in my pockets.

Taylor’s face betrays her hurt over my comment. Good. I couldn’t have her knowing how not boring that was. Down boy.

Bria’s wicked little grin gives away her motivation and her eyes find mine just briefly. “Just trying to help.”

My ass she was trying to help. She wanted to humiliate the pretty little new girl in my presence to make sure I only noticed her. And don’t get me wrong, of course I noticed Bria. I’m sure she’d be in my bed later, but Taylor – she’d be fun in a different sort of way. Soft, innocent, a tense bundle of nerves I’d have to coax her out of her shell. Bria would be on me the second I gave the command. Where’s the fun in that?

Taylor pushes past Bria and storms toward the door. She gives it a shove and continues into the hall. I shuffle out past Bria without a word and follow Taylor into the hall. In a few paces, I catch up and she tenses, noticing I’m beside her.

“Where are you headed?”

She glances over at me briefly, then turns away, looking annoyed. “I have Defense Techniques next,” she says, thrusting her chin up.

I smile. “Me too. I’ll show you.”

Her brow creases. She assumed I’m a second year like Bria, so she’s trying to understand how we have the same class.

“So where are you from?” I ask.

“Pennsylvania.”

“And you were a junior there?” I inquire.

“Yup.” She nods.

I can sense she’s irritated at me. I have no idea why.

We climb the stairs, and walk in silence along the long hallway, and for once I don’t know what to ask next. I never have to try around girls, but she seems completely immune to me. I decide to wait her out. After a few minutes, I’m proven right. The silence becomes too much for her.

“So…” she asks like she can’t help what she wants to say next, biting into her soft bottom lip. “Bria – she’s your girlfriend?”

“Um, no.” I focus my gaze down the hallway, thinking about how to answer. “We hang out some nights.” I clear my throat, stopping myself. God I sound like a dick. Great first impression, Colt. You want this girl to like you, not be repulsed. I recover, glancing over at her and flash a smile. “But regardless, I don’t date first years.”

She shakes her head and lets out a throaty laugh at my assumption. “Ew, no. That’s not why I asked.” She holds up her hands. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of being even remotely interested in you.”

I plaster on an unconcerned grin. “Good. Now that we have that settled.” I pull open the door. “In here.” 

Chapter 5

The classroom is a big, empty room with some tumbling mats on the floor and it’s buzzing with all the first year students. I head straight for Logan in the center of the room. The instructor hasn’t shown up yet, so people are goofing off. The overhead lights are turned off, but the big windows let in plenty of natural light.

“That was quite a show you put on,” Logan says, grinning at me. It takes me a second to remember that he and a group of guys stood watching my Zumba class. I slug him in the arm. He winces, but his smile doesn’t fade.

Colt faces the class from the front of the room. “Alright guys, let’s get started.”

Everyone falls quiet at once. I lean toward Logan and whisper, “Another second year as an instructor? Can’t this place afford teachers?”

He shakes his head and whispers back, “Colt graduated last year He is the instructor.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” I hiss.

Logan’s eyes scrutinize me. “Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Colt’s charms already.”

I’m taken aback for a moment, and tune everything out as I try to recover. Colt is a teacher here? He looks our age. But even as I think it, I realize it’s not entirely true. He’s taller than all the other guys in the class, and more filled out through the chest and shoulders. And he carries himself with just enough confidence and edge to make him stand out.

But regardless, he’s an instructor here and he definitely has something going on with Bria, who I know for certain is a student. Isn’t that against the rules? But then I remember Colt specifically saying he didn’t date first years. That’s messed up. Shouldn’t he have said, ‘I don’t date students?’

I blink the thought away and try to pay attention. It’s none of my business. Colt’s giving instructions and demonstrating a few blocking moves with an eager female volunteer. When he’s done explaining it, Logan turns to me. “Be my partner?”

I nod.

Logan and I each stake a defensive stance, with our hands up, guarding our faces, like Colt demonstrated. A second later, Logan’s holding my wrists firmly, then in a quick movement sweeps my legs out from under me. But instead of hitting the mat hard, like I expect, he eases me down gently. I’m lying on the mat, flat on my back wondering what the hell just happened.

“Sorry.” He grins and offers me a hand. I let him pull me back up to standing.

We spend the next few minutes with Logan helping me to learn how to take him down. At first I don’t think I’ll be strong enough, but then he shows me it isn’t about strength, but technique. Element of surprise and a few carefully placed body parts, like my foot behind his ankle and an elbow to the stomach. It sends him off balance and he’s on his knees in front of me. I use my foot to press his chest to the floor.

Colt walks by just as Logan is getting back up to his feet. “Nicely done, Taylor,” he says as he passes by. His eyes don’t linger anywhere for long as he scans the class. He points out bad form, adjusting limbs and nods when he sees something he likes. Logan catches me watching Colt and looks at me quizzically.

I snap my gaze away and focus on Logan, who’s brushing off his shorts.

“So what’s his story?” I nod toward Colt’s retreating back.

“What do you mean?” Logan asks as he demonstrates the next move, a soft knee into my stomach. I fold into it and he uses my hunched position to get me on the ground again.

I lay there for a second, catching my breath. “He’s really an instructor? He’s so young.”

Logan bites his bottom lip and shakes his head at me. “Oh shit. Not you too. Another Colt Palmer devotee.”  He frowns disapprovingly, then pulls me to my feet. “He’s nineteen. He graduated from here last year and instead of doing field work, he became an instructor.”

“Don’t worry,” I say. “I’m not a fan. He seems pretty sure of himself.”

“I would be too if I got that much ass.”

I don’t know if Logan’s kidding, but something tells me he’s serious. “This place is crazy. I would think a teacher dating students is against policy, not to mention moral standards.”

Logan huffs. “Since he doesn’t mess with girls under eighteen, or date anyone in his class, no one really cares. Though no other morals seem to be in place, apparently that’s one rule he abides by.”