Chapter 13
When I offered to show Sophie a few self-defense moves, my brain failed to register that I’d have to touch her, and as Trevor unbandaged my hands, I considered canceling on her.
But when I saw her talking to Lance about God knew what and the way she laughed at something he said, a wave of jealousy rippled through me.
This woman stirred up something inside me I hadn’t expected.
Confused by my feelings toward her, I shoved aside my suspicion, which was ill placed to begin with, and forged ahead with my initial plan.
Her safety outranked everything else at this point.
“Thanks for going easy on me, Jax.” Nico slapped my shoulder before hopping out of the ring. Even though I’d endured a rigorous workout and pain barely ever registered for me, I winced when he smacked me.
“Still bothering you?” Trevor asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t overdo it. We don’t need anything hampering your upcoming fight. It’s too important.”
“I’m aware,” I responded, my teeth gnashing together.
I didn’t need to be reminded what was riding on my future bout with that fucker.
If I lost, my ranking would take a hit, as would my income.
And while I had financial security, anything could happen at any time, and what I had in the bank wasn’t enough to live lavishly on for the rest of my life.
Not while still affording to pay my team.
My trainer shook his head before walking away, mumbling something under his breath I couldn’t quite make out. Which was for the best, as I didn’t need to be put into a foul mood, especially not when I had to interact with Sophie in a few minutes.
An eruption of amusement echoed from across the room. It was her laughter. Again. What the fuck did he say to her to make her face light up like that, and what did I need to do to get the same reaction from her?
Whoa! Where did that thought come from?
Other than tolerating her forced presence, thanks to Lance, and offering to show her how to defend herself with a few simple but effective moves, I had no interest in getting to know the woman.
And I most certainly didn’t have a need or desire to become comfortable enough with her to make her laugh.
Shaking my head, as if the action would rid my mind of unwanted thoughts, I headed toward her and Lance, the grin on her face disappearing when she looked my way.
The muscles of her throat constricted as she swallowed, the square of her shoulders making me think perhaps she didn’t want to take me up on my offer.
“Did you need me?” Lance asked, staring at me as I focused all my attention on the redhead standing next to him.
“No.” I still hadn’t looked at him, my eyes pinned to Sophie’s. “You ready?”
Her lips parted and closed several times before she uttered, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want.”
“It’s no big deal.”
“What’s going on? What are you two doing?” Lance took a single step in my direction, angling his body in front of Sophie. A protective stance, one I didn’t appreciate. One that was unwarranted.
“Jackson said he’d show me a few moves I could use to protect myself. In case anything ever happened.” Her voice softened toward the end, and I couldn’t tell if her statement was a generalized one or if she’d thought of her ex when she said it. Had he abused her in any way? Did she fear him?
“He did, did he?” Lance’s tone was borderline angry.
I refused to look at him because if I did, I had a feeling I’d witness an expression that would cause me to say something I shouldn’t.
“We’ll do it in the back room so we have some privacy.” I swung my arm out to the side, indicating I wanted her to precede me.
Ten seconds of uncomfortable silence swirled around the three of us before Sophie finally took a step forward. As I followed her toward the back of the gym, thoughts of the last time I’d been alone with her in the back room infiltrated.
Me. Naked.
Her. Wide-eyed and shocked.
A gross misunderstanding, one I hadn’t been ashamed of until now.
I snatched one of the folded towels from the bench running along the wall and wiped away the exertion from my workout, throwing on a white tee before advancing toward her. The pull of her brows and the purse of her tempting lips made me question if this was indeed a good idea.
She couldn’t be any taller than five foot three, the crane of her neck when I stood directly in front of her exemplifying our height difference. The quickened rise of her chest stretched the fabric of her shirt, and I bet if I zoned in on her tits, I’d see that her nipples had hardened.
Focus, man.
When she retreated a step, I moved forward, stepping back into her personal space.
“What are you doing?” Her voice faltered; her eyes pinned to mine as I continued to hover over her.
“We’re starting with this position.” The moment I uttered the word position, torrid images of the two of us invaded my brain.
I focused on her face, noticing the small scar resting beneath the thinner part of her eyebrow.
Before I peppered her with questions about it, I focused on the task at hand.
“If someone is this close to you and attacks you like this,” I said, gently wrapping my fingers around her delicate throat, “your first inclination is to panic. But don’t. ”
“Easier said than done.” The vibration of her response had me loosening my grip—not that it was tight to begin with.
“You’re right. It’s not easy to remain calm. But once we practice these moves several times, I think you’ll feel more confident.”
“What should I do?” she asked, her tongue sneaking out to wet her bottom lip. All I could think about was kissing her, an inopportune daydream given the circumstance.
Summoning all my reserve, I replied, “If someone has you by the throat, your first inclination is to either grab at his hands or try to hit him in the face. But if he’s someone of my size or bigger, your efforts will be useless.
And if you try to kick him in the balls, chances are, he’ll either block your attack by turning to the side, or he’ll be so hopped up on adrenaline or drugs or what have you that the pain will barely register.
Granted, a swift kick to the nuts when you feel threatened is mostly enough for you to get out of that situation, but for this instance, we’re going to pretend it’s not.
“So, what I want you to do instead is to take a step back with your right leg, bow down quickly, and move under my arms. You’ll be using the force of your entire body against the weakest parts of my hold, which are my thumbs.”
Her eyes narrowed but she didn’t make a move.
“Go ahead.”
Sophie did as I asked, stepping back, and swinging herself under my arms, breaking the hold I had on her.
“Very good. Now I’m going to tighten my grip a bit.” I placed my hands around her throat once again, chasing away the image of pushing her against the nearest wall and kissing the daylights out of her. “Okay. Do it again. This time quicker and more forceful.”
Again, she escaped.
“Good job.”
My praise prompted the corner of her lips to curve, and a lightness flowed through me I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
I dismissed my reaction and focused on getting through the rest of our training, regretting offering to show her these moves because some of the upcoming ones would put us in intimate positions.
Okay, regret might not be the correct word, but my hesitation was on high alert.
“What else can you show me?” Her ponytail swung behind her as she bounced from one foot to the other, her black leggings accentuating her shapely thighs.
When I took my position behind her, I stole a glance at her ass. Not that I hadn’t seen it before, both clothed in the attire she wore to work and in skimpy pajama bottoms. With her back to me, she turned her head to the side. Our eyes met, and that half smile appeared on her face once more.
“If someone walks up behind you, you won’t see it coming.
You’ll be less prepared than if he approached you head-on.
And because of this, you need to always be aware of your surroundings.
But in case this type of attack does happen, here is what you’ll do.
” I stepped closer. She continued to look at me.
“Face forward.” Sophie complied, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d follow my directions so easily in the bedroom.
Silently chastising myself, I released my breath before raising my right arm and swinging it around her neck, placing her in a chokehold.
I swore every muscle in her body stiffened, and because of the height difference and how tiny she was compared to me, I was able to lock my arm tightly in place.
“Breathe,” I said softly, giving her a moment.
“If you find yourself in this position, what I want you to do is step forward with your left leg and swing under my hold, moving to your left. If you move to the right, you’re only going to allow me to strengthen my hold because you’ll be moving into the crook of my arm. Go ahead and try that.”
She moved to the right, and I tightened my hold.
“See?” A gentle nod was her response. “When you’re almost free, I want you to use both of your hands to push off me so you can step farther back.” She didn’t make a move, waiting for me to give the command. “Go ahead.”
Sophie stepped forward and twisted beneath my arms, slipping her shoulder out from underneath and toward the small opening of my hold.
“If your attacker uses his other arm to restrain you, move the opposite way. Always move toward the opening of the hold, not toward the elbow.”
“Got it.”
“Wanna try it again?”
She repositioned herself back in front of me. “Can you hold me tighter?”
I refused to summon the images I wanted as I wrapped my arm around her neck once more.
“Am I hurting you?” I asked.
“No.” A pregnant pause ensued. “Tighter.”
“Try it now,” I demanded.