Breck stared at him, unable to help it. He’d never seen a man look so masculine yet so refined. Sleek black hair pulled into a tiny ponytail. A sexy line of stubble framing his chiseled jaw. High cheekbones. Perfect nose. Smooth, tan skin. Midnight eyes so dark and mysterious, they sparked a fire in the pit of Breck’s gut. Breck forced his gaze away and refocused on his friends.
Jegs grinned as students kept glancing their way, then puffed out his chest and murmured, “That’s right. The Mighty Three have arrived.” A name he’d coined their trio early on—though it hadn’t taken long for the entire campus to adopt it—because, yup, fame had gone to Jegs’ head, too. Understandable, though. On the court, he was wicked skilled. The fans worshipped him nearly near as much as they worshipped Breck.
Charlie—the other big-head in their threesome—smirked wryly and nodded. “Donchu worry, ladies,” he uttered under his breath. “There’s enough of us to go around.”
Breck coughed a laugh. Though, to be fair, chicks did love Charlie as well. Breck supposed he could see the allure. The big, lanky shooting guard exuded much charm. With his shaggy hair and those puppy dog eyes and that happy-go-lucky swagger? The women called him adorable. To Breck, he just looked doofy. But he liked Charlie. They were tight. Not like Breck was with his besties, but still.
Plus, Charlie could put some serious points on the scoreboard.
“Welcome, class,” a velvet voice resounded.
Breck glanced over his shoulder. The guy in charge was headed toward the mat.
“I’m Kai Nakado, gwanjang-nim of this dojang.” He stepped onto the padded black floor cover, moved to the center, then eyed those present. “You, however, can address me as Grandmaster.”
Students smiled and swapped looks, roughly thirty in total.
“The proper greeting from this point on is a bow at the waist. To myself and my assistants, as well as to each other. Respect is a very big part of martial arts and I’ll expect to see it regularly from each of you.” He demonstrated, waiting expectantly in the respective position, arms at his sides, until those gathered reciprocated in turn.
Charlie grinned, watching Breck stiffly give the gesture a go. “The mighty king bows.”
“Shut up,” Breck muttered.
Jegs snickered.
“Good.” Kai straightened and clasped his hands behind his back, then casually strolled barefoot around the mat. “You’ve come here to learn Taekwondo. But who can tell me what Taekwondo is?”
“The Korean art of unarmed self-defense,” some guy down the way from Breck offered.
Kai inclined his head. “With emphasis on speed and agility. Tae means ‘foot,’ kwon means ‘fist,’ and do means ‘the way.’ So quite literally, Taekwondo means ‘the way of the foot and fist’.”
He rattled off a few more bits of information that Breck couldn’t care less about, then moved on to laying down the rules.
“Number one, be on time. Coming late is disrespectful. Number two, don’t be the guy who stinks. Mind your hygiene. Also, lose the bling. It’s dangerous for everyone. And no one wants your blood on their dobok.”
Breck grinned and cut a look at Jegs’ ears. Homie loved his diamond studs. Jegs shot him a bite-me scowl, then quickly refocused.
“Number three, bring a notebook. Jot down everything you learn. Trust me, it makes a difference. And isn’t an option.”
Wonderful, Breck thought dryly. Because he didn’t take enough notes in college as it was.
“Number four…” Kai continued, making his way toward Breck’s trio.
Breck’s gaze locked on the guy. He moved like a predator. Soundless and fluid, yet lethal.
Kai’s eyes slid to his.
Lingered.
Breck’s whole body tightened.
Couldn’t help it. Good God. His gaze was intense. Dark as midnight. Keen as razors. Yet in its depths, pure alpha male.
Breck’s pulse quickened.
He swallowed.
Kai’s lids hooded imperceptibly. And that’s all it took for Breck’s tenuous attention to completely disappear. Whatever Kai said after that? No comprende. Didn’t compute. The only thing he registered were those mesmerizing eyes.
Charlie muttered something under his breath.
Breck blinked and averted his gaze.
Damn. What the hell.
He didn’t stare at guys so openly in public.
Or at least, he didn’t used to. He shifted his weight.
Kai resumed his spot in the center of the mat and proceeded to discuss the Theory of Power. Evidently, its components were key to Taekwondo. Reaction force, concentration, equilibrium, breath control. Mass, speed, and some principle of strike and relax.
It was a lot to absorb, but Breck had to admit, Kai knew his shit. And his shit sounded pretty badass.
Kai smiled and looked around. “Any questions?”
No one spoke.
“Alright then. Let’s begin by going over the basic forms, starting with joon bi, ready stance.” He lifted both hands to his midsection, palms facing up, then spread his feet. Balling his fists, he jutted them downward. “Joon bi. Now you.”
The class imitated his action.
Breck did, too, but felt stupid. Like a rookie out of his element. It made him uncomfortable. He’d rather play basketball and be king of the court.