Hero by Julia Sykes

snorted. “Do you really think a few self-defense classes would have saved you from three members of the Russian Mafia?”
    “I would have been able to get out of there. You seem to think I’m a damsel in distress. I’m not.”
    “Prove it,” I demanded.
    “What?”
    “You think you can fight? Show me.”
    She frowned. “I’m not going to attack you in Kennedy’s office. You’re being ridiculous.”
    “Go to the training room with Dex,” Kennedy ordered, jerking her attention back to him. “I’m tired of this squabbling. If you manage to take him down, you can shadow Sharon. If not, you will go in the field with him and obey his orders. Am I clear?”
    She eyed me, her features twitching with uncertainty as her gaze roved over my much larger body. After a moment, she squared her shoulders.
    “Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s do this.”
    I shook my head. This was ridiculous. I was a trained FBI agent, for god’s sake. She was a civilian, and a tiny one at that.
    “Dexter,” Kennedy said, his low tone warning me not to argue further. “You are dismissed. Both of you.”
    Chloe tossed her hair over her shoulder in an irritated motion and turned on her heel, stalking out of the office. I allowed her to get a few steps ahead before she was forced to pause and look back at me. She wasn’t familiar with our building, and she didn’t know where to go.
    I took back control. “Follow me.”
    Her full lips pressed together in a pout. It might have been cute if I weren’t so frustrated with her. I couldn’t believe Kennedy was keeping her in the field, and that he’d forced me to take responsibility for her. The woman clearly had a problem with me. Why was Ken pushing us together when he should be sending her home?
    Carina, I realized. This was all her doing. She’d evidently convinced Kennedy to keep Chloe with the FBI for her story, and I suspected his order for her to shadow me was part of Carina’s insane attempt to push Chloe and me together.
    Well, it wouldn’t work. Carina couldn’t force her friend to like me, even if my boss could force me to spend time with her.
    It only took a few minutes for us to make our way through the cubicles and back to the gym. We didn’t go to the locker room to get changed into more appropriate clothes; Chloe didn’t have anything stored here for working out.
    Sighing, I shrugged out of my suit jacket and toed off my shoes before removing my tie and rolling up my sleeves. Sparring in my work clothes wasn’t ideal, but Chloe didn’t have any option but to remain in her jeans and blouse, so I’d keep things as fair as possible.
    Fair. Right. Chloe might be five foot eight, but she was slender. I appreciated that her arms were lightly toned, so she probably worked out. When she’d been chained up before me last night, half-naked, I’d appreciated her physique. I loved a woman with curves, but I also respected one who took care of her fitness. Chloe was healthy, strong.
    But not nearly as strong as me.
    The reminder of her body strung up for me, vulnerable and small in my shadow, made remembered lust coil in my gut.
    But there was nothing vulnerable about her countenance now. The determined, defiant woman was back. Maybe her submission had been a fluke, something that went against her true nature. Hell, I’d gotten high off endorphins from being on the receiving end of impact play before. It had been a one-time thing, a mistake, but it had happened. I wasn’t a sub, but body chemistry was undeniable.
    Had the same thing happened to Chloe? Had it been a primal response rather than true submission?
    Something about the idea bothered me. Before I could contemplate if it was more than simply my damaged ego, she kicked off her shoes and stepped onto the mat.
    “Let’s get this over with,” she grumbled.
    I nodded. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.”
    She tossed her glossy hair back off her face. “I’ll try not to hurt you, either, but I won’t make any