Chapter 17 Marfil #3
Wilson knew how to ride, but just the basics, so I couldn’t run Philippe as fast as I would’ve liked.
Galloping at top speed across the adjoining fields and jumping over the stream had been my favorite pastime when I was little, and I was annoyed that I couldn’t do it now, but I knew I couldn’t make poor Wilson risk breaking his neck.
I wasn’t planning to prove Sebastian right.
Instead, I gave Wilson a tour of my father’s property: We passed the abandoned barn where Gabriella and I played as kids.
The ancient oaks looked beautiful in early spring, and the pink azaleas were in full bloom, a beautiful sight to behold.
We got back to the house just as the sun was setting on the horizon. We hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, so we went directly to the kitchen as soon as we dropped off the horses.
I had enjoyed spending time with Wilson. He was sweet and fun, not at all paranoid like Sebastian. Spending time with him had been like hanging out with a friend. My sister would be lucky to have him as a bodyguard.
When we reached the kitchen, both covered in mud and all varieties of leaves, I saw that Sebastian was there with his laptop open and an unfriendly expression on his face. I was instantly reminded of how unpleasant he could be.
“How was your day?” he asked as he closed his laptop and stood up.
Wilson walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. I stood observing Sebastian, trying to determine what was going on behind his eyes.
“Fun,” I answered dryly.
“I’m glad,” he said, then left without another word.
I barely saw Sebastian the next day. It was as if he was intentionally avoiding me, which irritated me endlessly.
He’d put Wilson on duty as my babysitter so he could take time off and relax.
But Sebastian’s vacation wasn’t going to last long: My sister arrived the next day, and he was going to have to get back to work.
I wondered what the hell he did all day. I imagined him just watching movies, but I saw him going in and out of my father’s office on several occasions. And speaking of my father, I only saw him at dinner, where we made small talk and then each went to our respective rooms. Normal.
That afternoon I decided to go for a swim on my own, without bothering to let either Wilson or Sebastian know, since I wasn’t even leaving the house.
I put on my favorite red bathing suit and disappeared down the long stairs that led to the basement, where the gym and indoor pool were located.
It was still a little cold to swim outside, and the heated pool was a luxury I missed while living in New York.
I connected my phone to the speakers, set my towel on one of the chairs, and jumped into the water. I loved swimming, something that always relaxed me, and I was delighted to be alone for once.
Over an hour had passed when I finally stopped, out of breath, and rested on the edge of the pool. I looked up and was surprised to see Sebastian leaning against the wall of the gym. We hadn’t spoken since the few words we’d exchanged the other night in the kitchen, after I returned from riding.
I pulled myself onto the edge of the pool and walked over to him, dripping wet.
He kept his eyes on me the entire time.
“How long have you been here?” I asked, picking up my towel and wrapping it around myself.
“Wilson has been looking for you for hours,” he said in response.
Was it my imagination, or did he just look at me like he wanted me?
“Two days since we’ve seen each other and you start out by scolding me?”
“You have to tell us where you’re going, Marfil.”
I looked at his track pants, his white sleeveless shirt, and I, too, felt a desire for him. I’d missed him, and I hated how cold he’d been with me ever since we’d arrived at my father’s house.
“I needed to be alone.”
Sebastian pressed his lips together but didn’t say anything else.
“Were you going to work out?” I asked as water dripped from my forehead down to my neck, finally disappearing into my bathing suit’s neckline.
I knew that’d been the exact trajectory, because Sebastian’s gaze traced the water’s path down my body.
“I was going to,” he answered.
“Has my presence caused you to change your mind?”
“I’m back to work,” he answered, looking away, then back at me.
“I realized I couldn’t leave you in someone else’s hands.
” His eyes paused on my right knee. I had fallen off the horse during a jump that didn’t land entirely well.
It was just a scratch, no big deal. The cut was already starting to heal.
“It was my fault, not Wilson’s,” I answered.
“I know,” he said, staring at my mouth. “You haven’t stopped moving since we got here.”
I shrugged. “I like to run wild.”
He didn’t argue, and I suddenly had the desperate urge to feel his hands on my face, my arms, my hair… I needed to feel the way I did when our bodies were in contact.
“You should go back up now,” he said, when the tension between us became too intense to bear.
I looked toward the gym. “I think I’m going to stay down here and do some exercise.”
“You’ve been swimming for an hour.”
“And you finally answered my first question,” I replied as I let the towel fall, standing in front of him in nothing but my bathing suit.
His eyes paused on my legs for a fleeting second.
I leaned over to pick up the sweatpants I’d worn over my swimsuit, and I pulled them on with excessive slowness.
“I think I’ll do some kickboxing,” I said, walking around him and entering the gym. It was stocked with every type of equipment you could imagine: treadmills, ellipticals, all kinds of weights, stationary bicycles, punching bags… I had no idea how to box, but I wanted more time with Sebastian.
He followed me, just like I was certain he would, and watched in silence as I picked out some gloves that I knew would end up being huge on me. I put the first one on and immediately realized I couldn’t put on the second one, since my right hand was rendered useless by the glove.
Sebastian stepped in front of me. “Why did you put on those gloves?”
I blinked twice before answering. “Because I’ll hurt my hands without them, won’t I?”
Sebastian held out his hand. “Give them to me,” he said.
“If you’re ever attacked, you won’t be wearing gloves.
” He pulled them off my hands. “Effective punching and kicking requires a lot of training, and most of all, a lot of strength.” Sebastian threw the gloves down and walked to the black exercise mat in the center of the room. “Come here,” he said.
I walked over to him, excited to be resuming our self-defense lessons.
“When do you think a woman is most vulnerable during an attack?” he asked.
I thought about it for a few seconds. “When there’s a man on top of her.”
Sebastian nodded silently. “Lie down.”
My heart stopped. I lay down on my back as he stood over me. From that position, he looked even more enormous.
“You’re right; a woman is at her most vulnerable when a man has her pinned to the ground. But that doesn’t mean she can’t get away or turn things around to create a dangerous situation for her attacker.” He crouched down and rested his hand on my knees. “Open your legs,” he ordered.
I did as he asked, and he placed himself between my thighs.
Okay, yes, I was in a vulnerable position, but that didn’t change the fact that I had him between my legs, which was hot as fuck.
He looked me in the eye for a second and lifted my legs.
“I’m going to show you what you should do if someone tries to rape you.
” He said it so seriously that any sexual or romantic thoughts vanished from my mind, and I gave him my full attention.
“Your legs are your greatest asset. When someone has you pinned underneath them, they might think the battle is won. It’s true they have a lot of points in their favor, like gravity, for one.
From this spot, I could easily kill you. ”
A shiver ran down my spine.
“So, this is the first thing you should do: Cross your ankles around my back, tight, to get a firm grip,” he said, demonstrating with my legs. “The next thing you should do is grab me by the back of the neck and pull my head to your throat.”
Did he understand that what he was asking me to do caused a whole series of reactions in my body? Reactions I couldn’t control?
“Do it, Marfil.”
I raised my hand to the back of his neck and was immediately reminded we hadn’t been this close since the time we’d kissed. I pulled him to me, as if offering him my neck, waiting for him to kiss it until I moaned with pleasure.
“You have to hold me tightly in place so that you’ll be able to do the next move.
” He lifted his head to look at me. “You have to act quickly, without hesitating,” he said, his eyes fixed on mine.
“Use your left hand to lift my shirt up to the back of my neck. Hold it there tight. Then use the fingers of your right hand to grip my neck and push your legs into my hips. Lastly, you can cross your other arm and choke me. In six seconds, you’ll have cut off my breathing. ”
I stared at him as if he’d just spoken to me in another language.
“I stopped listening at the part about lifting up your shirt.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes and sat up. “We’ll do it the other way around so you can see how it works. Come on,” he said, taking my hand to help me up as he looked around for something. “Weren’t you wearing a shirt?”
I shook my head. I’d slipped pants on over my swimsuit but hadn’t brought anything else except for the towel. There was no need to try to hide my tattoo down here; my father had never liked swimming.
“I’ll give you mine to show you the move, and then you can try it on me.”
Hold on. You’re going to take off your shirt?
Of course he was going to take off his shirt! He slipped it over his head in a single movement, revealing his chiseled muscles underneath.
Fuck, I became very aware I had only ever caught a glimpse of his body before.
He tossed his shirt to me, but I couldn’t stop gawking at him.
“Concentrate, Marfil.”