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“What do you want to know?” Ull lowered his sunglasses lazily and eyed me with a look that made my insides burn.

“Well.” I paused. “Uh , . . What am I supposed to do if I’m attacked?”

“You mean if this happened?” Ull launched himself off the chaise, wrapping one arm around my waist and dragging me across the beach. He cradled me in his arms and landed in the froth where the ocean met the shore.

“See? I’m totally defenseless.” I gazed up at him, my back pressed firmly against the wet sand. He hovered, supporting his weight on his forearms.

“I am afraid you are.” Piercing blue eyes locked in on mine. Between the depth of his stare and the heat from his abs, I forgot everything else.

“Um . . .” I bit my bottom lip.

Ull tilted his head to one side, a small smile playing on his mouth. “Now what did you want to know?”

“I—”

A wave washed over us. The warm saltwater lapped up to my waist then retreated, leaving a film of sand over my legs.

“You were asking me how to defend yourself?” Dangit, it was hard to focus with Ull’s dripping body pressed against mine. Yes, I wanted whatever it was I’d asked about. Self-defense. Right. But there was something else I wanted more.

I bent my knee and twined my calf around Ull’s. I shifted my hips just an inch and stared into those endless eyes. They sparkled in the sunlight. My arms were trapped beneath his torso, so I turned my palms upward to touch the spot where his chest met his shoulders. It was so smooth, so firm, and so very, very warm.

My eyes never left his as I moved my thumb along the line of his shoulder, over his bicep, and down to the crook of his arm. I drew a slow circle inside his elbow and Ull blinked.

“Kristia,” he whispered.

“Yes?” I tried to reach up to stroke the stubble lining his square chin, but my arms were pinned.

“You are not trying to defend yourself.”

“So?” I raised my head and kissed his jaw. “Maybe I don’t feel like fighting you off.”

“Mmm.” Ull closed his eyes as I kissed my way up to his ear. “So if someone came after you, you would just let them do this?”

He swiftly rolled onto his back, forcing me on top of him. He shoved his fingers in my hair and tugged gently, pulling my head back. He kept the other hand just above the bottom of my bikini, firmly pressing my hips into his. I squirmed against the hold, trying to find a way out of his grip. Though I tactically had the upper hand, I couldn’t move.

“Well, I wouldn’t let just anyone do this.”

“I should hope not,” he growled softly. He raked his teeth along my throat and paused at the hollow of my neck. “Because if I ever caught wind of someone doing this to my girl, it would end very badly for them.” He ran his tongue along my collarbone. I shivered.

In a lightning-quick move, Ull flipped me onto my back and pinned my arms above my head with one hand. I gazed adoringly at the fierce assassin glowering over me. “And this. What would you do if someone did this to you?”

“Uh.” I blinked. If I told Ull what I really wanted to do right now, I’d turn every possible shade of crimson.

“Focus, Kristia.” Ull stared at me. “What would you do if you were trapped?”

“I . . . uh . . . I’d . . .” My cheeks felt hotter than a grizzly in a desert. “You seriously want me to fight you off?”

“If you are so bent on going through with this little exercise, then yes. Give it your best shot. And then, I believe, you promised to pay me for the lesson.”

“Gladly.” I narrowed my eyes and wrenched my arm as hard as I could. It didn’t budge. I tried again but it was futile.

“You are outmaneuvered and I am twice your weight. Try something else,” Ull commanded.

I threw my shoulder into his chest and tried to roll to one side.

“You cannot out-force me. Look at the difference in our masses. Think tactically, Kristia. What can you do that will debilitate me?”

My eyes widened. “You don’t want me to—”

“I want you to find a way to get me off you. Do what you have to do.”

I closed my eyes and raised a knee to his groin. Ull groaned and rolled off me.

“I’m so sorry! You said to—”

He raised a hand and waved at me, turning away.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated.

“That was good.” He rolled back with a grimace. “But if someone is bent on capturing you, they will come back for more. And quickly. Your next step should be to run.”

“If you want I can get some ice for—”

“Run, darling.” It was a threat. “Now.”

I jumped to my feet and took off down the beach. I ran just shy of the shoreline, where I was less likely to be slowed down by soft sand. The water lapped at my heels as I built up speed, pushing off the balls of my feet. A warm breeze caressed my bare skin and every cell in my body buzzed as if someone had turned on a light switch. Movement came so easily now.

Something hot hit me from behind, and I felt Ull’s arms curl protectively around me as he tackled me. We landed just inside the surf again, and this time the wave crashed over our heads. I sputtered as the water covered my face, wishing I’d had time to hold my breath. The saltwater burned my nose.

Ull was on top of me again, and this time he wasn’t hovering. The full weight of his body pressed me into the sand. His legs were tangled up in mine, and his hands cradled the back of my head.

“You did not run fast enough, sweetheart.”

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Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of McVities cookies. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the books of The Elsker Saga. She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day, pastries will be considered a health food.

Find ST on Twitter @stbende, her blog, or send her an e-mail. While you're at it, introduce yourself to @UllMyhr -- when he's not saving the cosmos from dark elves, he loves meeting new friends . . . especially the human kind.