Chapter 9
Rosalie
“What exactly are we doing?” I ask skeptically as the four of us stand on the mats in the open class space.
“I told you, I want to train you. Now, face the mirrors,” Asher instructs.
The day went by pretty fast. Between the four of us finishing moving the equipment into place and painting the walls, the place was almost done. I was just waiting for the new reception desk and tablet to arrive so I could set up a more welcoming atmosphere for newcomers.
“Leo, stand beside her, same position.” Leo moves to my side, and his fingers graze over mine. I glance at him in the mirror, and he winks at me, making my cheeks heat as I look away. Why did that small movement make me blush? Could I be more obvious in my attraction to him? To all of them?
“Okay, we’re going to work on being grabbed from behind and getting out of it.” Grant steps up behind Leo as Asher moves behind me.
“Shouldn’t Grant be teaching me?” I ask, suddenly having a little déjà vu from my first day here. “Isn’t he the instructor?”
Grant averts my gaze, and Leo laughs as he tells me, “We’ve never actually run any classes before. Grant was just improvising.”
My eyebrows raise in surprise, and I swear I see a slight pink blush Grant’s cheeks. He’s embarrassed.
I turn to look at him as I ask, “You really pretended to teach a class just to keep me from leaving?”
He finally looks at me and shrugs. “You looked like you needed someone to help you. I wanted it to be me.”
I can’t stop the smile from covering my face. “That’s really sweet.”
He smiles back at me, and I feel something spark between us. I was already attracted to him, but the way he’s looking at me now makes my body hum with need.
“Alright,” Asher says, making me jump in surprise, forgetting we weren’t alone. He places his hands on my shoulders and turns me back to the mirror, his eyes meeting mine in our reflections. “I’m going to try to grab you, try to break free, then spin around as if ready to punch me.”
He takes a step back and asks, “Ready?” I nod then he lunges forward, his arms banding around me faster than I can react. My mind flashes to Scott trying to grab me, and I struggle for a few seconds before I give up the fight.
“Okay, let’s watch Leo try, watch how he moves his body.” I take a breath to calm myself as I watch in the mirror as Grant tries to grab him, but Leo ducks and twists, quickly sliding away from his grasp. “Did you see what he did?”
“Yeah, I think so,” I nod and we get back into position. Asher lunges for me again, and I get half out of his grasp before he pulls me back against his chest.
“Gotcha,” he whispers in my ear, making me smile. Somehow he’s making this feel fun instead of scary. I can almost forget that I was actually attacked and that there’s a genuine threat out there looking for me. “Try again,” he tells me.
Grant and Leo keep doing it beside us as I try again and again. On the fifth try, I finally pull away from him, and as I twist my feet catch on his and fall hard on my back. Fire shoots across my bruised ribs, and I hiss in pain.
“Shit,” Asher swears as all three of them drop to their knees around me.
“Are you okay?” Leo asks as Asher watches me clutching my side.
He grips the hem of my t-shirt and tries to pull it up, but my hand’s in the way. He gives me a stern glare as he demands, “Show me.” I hesitate for a second. I’m not sure what he’ll do if he sees the bruises. But from the determined look on his face, I’m not sure he’s giving me much of a choice.
My shoulders drop in defeat, and I lay back on the mat, moving my hand away.
He pulls my shirt up, exposing my bruised side.
“Fuck!”
“Clara, who did this?” Grant asks as Leo swears.
Asher’s angry eyes meet mine, and I swallow nervously.
“Please don’t fire me.”
Asher’s eyebrows furrow as Leo asks, “Why the hell would we fire you?”
“I’m a mess,” I say, my eyes feeling damp as I try to control my emotions.
“But you’re a hot mess,” Leo says, making me look at him.
“That’s not the compliment you think it is,” Grant mumbles. “Seriously though, Clara, who did this?” A tear breaks free as I press my lips together, unwilling to answer. “Are you in danger? Do you live with someone who’s hurting you?”
I shake my head as Asher pulls my shirt back down and helps me stand. “No, they’re old bruises.”
“Not that old,” Asher mumbles as he reaches out to wipe my tears away. He frowns, turning his thumb to look at it, then his eyes move back to my face. “Come with me,” he says, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the back.
My wide eyes meet Leo’s over my shoulder, and he shrugs as he and Grant follow us into the staff room.
Asher grabs my hips and lifts me onto the counter, the same was he did after I cut my hand. “Let me clean you up,” he says, grabbing some paper towels and wetting them as he wipes my face.
I kinda feel like a little kid getting her face cleaned by a parent, but it actually feels really nice to be taken care of for a change. I know my eyes are probably a little red from crying, and the coolness of the water feels nice on my skin.
“Close your eyes,” he commands. I do as he says, and he uses one hand to hold the back of my head still while he carefully wipes down my entire face, my forehead, over my eyes, and even my neck. I take a deep breath as I start to relax.
“Clara…” Grant says, sounding as if he’s in pain. I open my eyes and see them all staring at me with varying degrees of pain and anger.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my fingers flying to my cheeks as if I’ll feel something there. I glance down at the paper towel Asher is holding and see it’s covered in a light brown color. That’s when it clicks, my concealer.
I gasp, my hands shooting up to cover my face entirely as I wait for their reaction.
Fingers gently curl around mine as someone pulls my hands away from my face.
Grant’s forefinger and thumb move to my chin as he tilts my head to get a better look at my eye. “Sweetheart, who did this to you?”
I clench my jaw, still clinging to this fake reality where my name isn’t Rosalie, and the man who was supposed to love me did not abuse me.
“Please tell us. I need to know you’re not in any danger.”
I swallow heavily. “My ex.”
His eyes narrow in anger, but it’s Leo who asks, “Does he live in Silent Pines?” I shake my head.
“Do you live alone?” Asher asks, and I nod.
“Come live with us,” Grant says, making my eyes widen in surprise.
“What?”
He drops his hand to my thigh as he speaks. “We have a spare room at our house. You’d be safe there.”
“I can’t,” I shake my head.
“Why not?” Leo asks, crossing his arms over his chest in agitation.
“You’re my bosses, and I barely know you. It’d be weird.”
“We won’t take advantage of the situation, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Grant says with a frown.
I jump down off the counter and shake my head.
“Thank you for the offer. I appreciate it, but I can’t.
” I move to my locker to find my concealer then lock myself in the bathroom to reapply it.
The bruises don’t look that bad anymore, but they are clearly visible, especially when you’re looking up close.
I think about their offer to live with them.
It honestly sounds like a dream come true.
Living with three ex-military men as I try to stay hidden from my crazy ex?
But I wasn’t lying; living with my bosses would be strange.
Not to mention my attraction to all three of them was growing off the charts, and I worry about being near them all, twenty-four seven.
It was hard enough to keep my hormones in check when we were working together. Seeing them sprawled out on a couch in grey sweats and tight t-shirts would be too tempting.
When I come out of the washroom, Asher’s waiting for me. “Here’s your pay for today,” he says, handing me an envelope, which I take and shove in my bag. “You ready to go? It’s after five.”
I’m thankful he’s not mentioning anything about my bruises or my ex, and I nod, throwing on my denim jacket and shouldering my bag as he does the same.
When we reach the parking lot, he puts his helmet on me, just like last time, then climbs on his bike and motions for me to climb on behind him.
The ride is even more enjoyable than the first time now that I know what to expect. But the vibrations of the bike between my legs don’t help my trying to dial back my attraction to this man. Several times I have to physically stop my hands from wandering down his body.
When he finally pulls over in front of my building, I jump off as fast as I can, before I do something embarrassing like hump him or caress his abs.
He steps off and stares at me intently. “You want me to come up with you? Make sure it’s safe?”
I shake my head quickly. I would be mortified if he saw my room. It’s bad enough that he knows I live here.
He sighs heavily and nods. “I’ll pick you up at 8:40 tomorrow.”
“Oh, you don’t have to drive me to work.”
“Yes, I do,” he says firmly as he steps closer, his eyes boring into mine as he pulls his helmet from my grasp. “What floor are you on?”
“The first,” I whisper, feeling some crazy tension settle between us.
“Do you have a phone?”
I shake my head.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell. He grabs my hand and places his phone in my palm, curling my fingers around it and pressing it against my chest. “The password is eight six four two. If anything scares you or someone tries to break in, you call Grant or Leo.”
“Asher, I can’t take your phone!” I try to give it back but he presses it back towards me.
“Just for tonight. I’ll pick one up for you tonight.”
“No, you really don’t have to—”
“Clara…” he says in warning, making me stop my protests. “Let me do this. It’s the very least I can do. Unless you’ll reconsider and come home with me?”
I know he’s referring to the offer of a room that Grant mentioned earlier, but the way he words it makes it sound intimate, and my mouth goes dry, so I shake my head, feeling like I've lost the ability to speak. He’s still standing far too close, and the smell of his jacket leather mixes with something slightly citrus as I try to break the spell between us.
“Now, be a good girl and go straight to your room and lock the door,” he says before quickly kissing my forehead and stepping back.
“Text one of them you’re okay before you fall asleep.
” I feel my cheeks heat, and he smirks, then pulls the helmet down over his head, blocking his tempting face from me.
I quickly spin and run to the front door, pulling it open and stepping inside. I see he’s still looking in my direction, and I quickly make my way down the hall to my room, securing the chair tight under the door handle before I flop down on my bed.
“Dear Lord, that man’s trying to kill me.”