Chapter 2

Jocelyn

Tristan lunged first.

I was expecting him to make the first move, which made everything so much easier. It was like playing a game of chess. I latched onto his forearm and did a small maneuver I learned in ju-jitsu and had him tripping over his own two feet before falling ass first into the mud. His gaze snapped up to mine in shock as I grinned down at him, hands on hips.

"Doesn't count," he growled, pushing himself up onto his feet. "You didn't pin me," he smirked, as if he had me dead to rights. He rushed me again, not giving me time to process anything. Yet, again, it didn't matter. With my time in ju-jitsu, I learned to respond to threats by reflex. With some fancy feet and deliberate movements, we fell together into the mud where I ended up on top of him, pinning him to the ground. It was a bit of an awkward position, where I straddled him high on his chest so I could easily pin his arms.

"Like this?" I purred only for him to hear. It was a damn power trip doing this to a grown-ass marine. I wasn't sure how I was holding my own, to be fair. Honestly, he had probably severely underestimated my capabilities and could be drunk to boot. Vince had said most here were several drinks in already. I wasn't sure I could win against Tristan in a fair fight.

He tried to roll me, but I had anticipated it and easily moved my weight to counteract his maneuver. I saw the growing terror in his gaze. Something about being pinned... Before he could do anything else, I was back up on my feet, not wanting to give him an opportunity to uno reverse and get me pinned or lose his sh*t. In his gaze, I saw instant relief.

"Alright miss fancy feet," he snarled, green eyes flashing in ... was that excitement? He had recovered quickly and wasn't upset at all, even if his tone suggested otherwise. "You proved you can outsmart the brawn, but can you really wrestle with the big boys?"

"Will your ego survive if I can?" I snapped back, loving the tension and the power I had over this man. Not to mention the thrill of this whole encounter being a turn on for him as well.

He slammed into me this time, striking faster, not giving me a chance to counterattack like I had the last two times. However, I had learned a few tricks back in my high school days from the football team. While he was bigger than I was, I knew how to stand my ground and learned how to use my body to stop someone else's forward momentum. When he hit me, it was like he was hitting a wall. I did slide back a bit in the mud as I fought for purchase to stay upright. When he tried to grapple me, I dropped like a lead weight, throwing him off balance. As I was held in a bit of an awkward position, his arms around my waist as I was bent over, one leg firmly planted, I reached down and caught the back of his knee. Using everything I could, I toppled him over. We scuffled in the mud momentarily, but I knew how to be a slippery viper. He couldn't get purchase on me anywhere and I finally got him pinned.

Again.

This time, he looked shocked as he stared back up at me.

It was then I realized the entire yard was silent. All eyes were on us. Slowly, I released his hands, knowing there was something about him being pinned that was a trigger. Though, I stayed partially sat on his chest as I took in all the eyes staring at us.

Right as the nerves were starting to set in, he started chuckling.

The knot in my stomach eased a bit. I had been momentarily worried he wouldn't take the loss well. There were a lot of men that wouldn't have. Most, in my opinion, were sore loser's. Especially when it came to losing to women.

"Damn shorty, you're good," he complimented, tapping my thigh in surrender.

As I pushed myself off of him, he knelt before me and roared in the silence, "She's a superstar!"

Cheers erupted around us and a fleeting moment of happiness crashed through me. I was genuinely having fun. My smile landed on Vincent as he beamed at me with pride, applauding me.

Tristan's large form rose from the mud and effectively blocked my view. "I'm Tristan, by the way." He introduced himself, holding out his giant hand. I took it, wholly expecting him to just crush my hand. However, while his grip was firm, he was rather gentle. A gentle giant, I mused to myself.

"Jocelyn," I replied.

As Tristan was about to say something else, there was a bit of a commotion as someone broke through the line and stomped their way into the mud pit. The moment I laid eyes on him, a lead weight settled in my stomach. Tristan noticed the instant shift and stepped between Riley and I.

"My turn with the woman," Riley fairly snarled, his deep blue gaze cutting me like a knife. His red-orange hair was in a buzz cut. The freckles he sported back in his youth were nearly gone. A few were speckled across his nose. In high school he had been strong and cut for his age. Now, though, he had filled out in all the good ways. He sported a five-o-clock shadow around the scowl he threw my way.

"No. We are done with the shenanigans for the evening," Tristan stated firmly, no room for argument in his tone.

Riley's eyes flared as he turned his gaze to Tristan, a snarl splitting his face. "I'll fight you first for the damn right to have a go at her."

"You know you'll lose."

"You're three sheets to the wind, Lark. You'll fall like a damn leaf--

Before Riley could finish his sentence, Tristan struck and both men fell into the mud. It was a different kind of scuffle. It wasn't the jovial, teasing I had witnessed earlier. These two were throwing full-on punches and trying to tear each other limb from limb. Vince was suddenly there, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the spectacle. "Shouldn't we help him?" I asked.

"Tristan has it under control." Vince replied a bit tensely as he led me to the other side of his house where it was quieter and there was a hose. We helped rinse each other off. Hands helped wipe away the more stubborn spots of mud. It was sensual in nature and I couldn't help my body's response. I could see the way it was affecting Vincent too. Before we knew it, Vince had chucked the hose to the side and he struck. One arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his body, as the other rested above my head against the house. Our mouths melded as my hands first landed on his firm chest before caressing down his body. I felt him shiver under my touch.

"F*ck, you taste better than I ever imagined," he panted against my lips as fire raced through our veins.

"You do too," I breathed on a whisper.

Vince jerked back and stared down at me with a thoughtful look in his gaze and I had to wonder what it was he was thinking. "You were the prize back in the day, Jo," he started softly, the backs of his fingers tracing down my jawbone. "It made sense when you and Caleb got together. He was the all-star athlete and the heartthrob of the school." I knew he wanted to ask when I had ever thought about him in such an intimate way. I could tell he was hesitant to ask. Possibly because he was worried he would cross some unspeakable line that was still between him and his best friend growing up. I had been off limits the instant Caleb was interested in me. The brotherhood code him and Caleb had was damn near impenetrable. Perhaps, he would think I had overstepped some boundary and mentally cheated on Caleb by thinking about him. Or, it could be as simple as him not believing he was worthy of obtaining such a prestigious prize such as myself.

"I... Had a girlish crush on you once upon a time," I admitted, shrugging and dropping my gaze in insecurity. "It wasn't anything too serious. More a curiosity, which I think is usual for teenagers," I added. "Especially since Caleb was my first and only partner." I wasn't sure if I had said that last part loud enough for him to hear or not. Honestly, it didn't matter. "It was just a simple crush. Something I hadn't dwelt upon further until..."

"Until when?" He pressed, his voice gruff. The hand at my waist ever so slightly tightened as he awaited my answer.

"Until tonight," I told him honestly, my gaze clashing with his.

I could see the cogs whirring in his mind as he churned everything over. Analyzing it. Possibly even debating with himself if this was really okay, making moves on his late friend's wife.

As I awaited his judgment call, someone approached us. "I'm sorry to interrupt," the man said. "But Tris sent me to get you. Riley's causing a scene. It's making the others nervous."

"I'll be right there, Kyle," Vince dismissed, his gaze never leaving mine. I saw a wall slam into place and I had to wonder if it was just him mentally preparing to become the soldier or if he was creating distance between us. "Go inside, go to my room and close the door," he started giving me orders as he disengaged from me. "Take a shower, get cleaned up and wait for me in my room." And with that, he spun on his heel and stomped off towards the other side of his yard where the drama was unfolding.