Page 26 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

The first blow was easy to dodge, Aidan ducking around it with a soft snort.

The next came, and Aidan weaved again and then around the follow-up blow.

Sean was testing the waters, not going as hard as he could but trying to read Aidan’s reaction time and how he moved.

When the next attack came, Aidan weaved around it again, expecting the third blow as the fist came for his middle.

“Are we warming up first?” Aidan asked with a cock of his head.

He was almost taken off-guard by the flurry of blows. Sean had apparently decided he’d tested the waters enough and came at Aidan with fists flying. Careful to avoid several blows aimed at him, Aidan dodged around those he could and swept the rest aside before Sean’s fists could touch him.

“I don’t know. Are you done ‘dancing’ yet?” Sean growled.

Frustration again, but was it because he had yet to come close to hitting Aidan or because Aidan hadn’t struck back?

Sean was a big man, admittedly only a few inches taller than Aidan, but he had more bulk, and all of it was muscle.

Aidan wasn’t so blind as to miss the fact that one solid punch from Sean could spell disaster, and he wasn’t keen on getting his head knocked off by the stronger man.

“I’ve been waiting till you decided to start the fight,” Aidan threw back.

With a speed Aidan hadn’t been expecting, Sean threw himself forward, slamming his shoulder into him.

Aidan pivoted on one heel, trying to get away before the blow landed, but was caught by the arm Sean shoved toward him.

It was a glancing blow, but enough to take Aidan off-balance, forcing him to twist to catch himself before he was sent flying.

Sean twisted with startling speed and lashed out with one foot, using his body’s momentum to drive his foot forward with extra force.

Aidan caught it, a jolt running up his arms as the boot drove into his palms, but it was far better than taking the blow to its intended place in his gut.

He knew better than to hold onto Sean’s foot, though, letting it go and using the momentum of the blow to gain distance between them as he stumbled back.

It was becoming rapidly apparent that Sean’s entire strategy during a one-on-one fight was to go at his opponent as hard and fast as possible.

He wasted no time advancing on Aidan, lashing out with another series of blows.

Aidan dodged again, unable to help his laugh, as the final blow sailed half an inch from his jaw.

Sean’s knuckles nearly brushed his cheek as his fist flew by.

Sean growled. “You have a good sense of humor for someone who hasn’t even tried to land a punch yet.”

Adrenaline pumping, Aidan’s shoulders shook with another laugh. “Yeah? I don’t know about you, but I’m having a good time like this.”

It was the truth. It had been ages since he’d sparred with someone in earnest. Sean was trying to hit him and hit him hard.

So far, none of the blows would have done more than stun Aidan and probably hurt like hell, but there was a thrill in their safe combat.

Even as Sean growled and lunged forward once more, driving Aidan to duck, weave, and make a hasty retreat on a few of his blows, Aidan couldn’t help his good mood.

That was until the next set of blows. Aidan managed the first two hooks well enough, still privately impressed by Sean’s speed.

It was the follow-up of Sean’s elbow, which Aidan barely managed to avoid in his surprise, that shot Aidan’s rising good mood in the foot before he could hold tight to it.

Elbows and knees were meant for doing damage, not just causing a bruise and a bit of pain.

Heat flaring in his chest, Aidan twisted away from the next punch, diverted the one that followed and prepared himself. Sure enough, another attempted blow from Sean’s elbow came flying, this time from below, as Sean brought his elbow up toward Aidan’s stomach.

Patience breaking, Aidan didn’t bother to divert the blow, twisting and bringing his arm down, so he took the elbow to the meaty part of his arm.

Ignoring the flare of pain, Aidan jabbed out, hooking his fist into Sean’s jaw.

It hurt like hell, and Sean knew how unconsciously to prepare his body for the attack so he wasn’t knocked out, but it was worth it.

“About fucking time,” Sean grunted.

“Figured if you weren’t going to hit me, someone might as well do it,” Aidan shot back, anger replacing his almost playful good mood.

The blow to Sean’s pride was as bad as the blow to his jaw, and he launched into the next attack.

Aidan was careful to make sure Sean’s blows landed on parts of him that wouldn’t be hurt too badly or injured severely, but that didn’t make them hurt any less.

His own punches and jabs were far more precise, carefully aimed where they would hurt the most, and despite wanting to return the favor, he made sure not to go too far.

And then Sean tackled him, hard.

The air whooshed out of Aidan’s lungs as his back slammed into the ground, and he fought the radiating pain from the back of his head as it smacked against the dirt.

Another blow, this one against his head, came from Sean, and Aidan had to shake himself quickly out of his stunned daze.

With an angry grunt, he smacked at the next attack and shoved Sean’s follow-up away.

He wasn’t in the best position to keep up the fight, but he could buy himself time.

Sean cocked his head, smirking. “You look good on your back, Sergeant. You should keep it up.”

Aidan almost laughed. Was Sean finally loosening up and talking shit?

Aidan grunted, knocking the next couple of blows away again. “What can I say? Not often I get a big, strong man like you on top of me. Make it hurt, Daddy.”

Sean’s eyes widened, and Aidan took advantage of the hesitation to shove his palms into Sean’s chest. The startled expression on Sean’s face disappeared, and Aidan used the man’s hips to push himself away and yank his legs free from beneath him.

Sean tried to catch Aidan before he could make good his escape. Shoving his chest against Aidan’s feet, he bent Aidan’s legs back toward his chest and used his weight to hold him down. Considering their last few comments, Aidan couldn’t help but laugh at their position.

Aidan twisted his body, repositioning. “Staff Sergeant, I’m going to have to ask you to take me to dinner first.”

“Christ, shut up!” Sean snarled.

“Fine, then get off me ,” Aidan shot back, placing his feet into Sean’s chest and, using the ground beneath him as leverage, gave a huge shove.

Sean flew back, arms flailing as he tried to catch himself before he was the one who ended up on his back. Not content to let the other man get his balance, Aidan quickly scrambled up. Shoving against the ground, he kept his eyes on Sean and leaped forward.

That was when a thick arm wrapped around his chest and yanked him back.

“That’s enough,” Ricardo said, his voice rumbling with a warning.

Aidan looked up, having forgotten the rest of the team was even there. The quiet man wasn’t looking at him, though, even as he kept his grip on Aidan. Instead, Ricardo looked at Sean, his lips thin as he watched him.

Sean pushed himself up with a grunt. “I didn’t say we were done.”

“And our rules say anyone can end it to keep it from going too far,” Ricardo said, holding Sean’s gaze.

“It wasn’t going too far.”

“That was...a little rough,” Matt said from behind Aidan.

“Yeah, man,” Nick agreed.

Sean jerked his eyes away from Ricardo, glaring at Aidan as though it were his fault. “Fine. I guess I’ve seen enough.”

There was no assessment given, but Aidan hadn’t expected one. If he’d done badly, Aidan had no doubt Sean would have been more than happy to point it out. That he kept his silence and said nothing told Aidan he’d done just fine and had probably made an impression.

Though if the looks on the faces of the rest of the team as Sean stomped off were any indication, it might not have been the best impression to make.

Sean turned to face them before disappearing. “Be back here tomorrow. I need to see you all in action as a team.”

Somehow, Aidan thought he wasn’t talking about the team but him.