Chapter 26 - Bridget
“It’s out of the question,” Nathan said. He’d set his jaw in that stubborn way that made my blood boil.
I crossed my arms. I wanted to say You’re not the boss of me like a child, but I considered my words for another moment. “Let me remind you, in case you forgot, I am not under anyone’s control.”
I’d broached the subject of contacting my mother again, and the idea had not gained any traction overnight.
“I’m not trying to control you,” he replied tightly. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”
I huffed. “Just calling my mother is not dangerous. She tried to tell me something that day at the clinic. I should at least hear what it is.”
“You’re not getting involved,” Andrew said with a finality that really pissed me off. I rounded on him.
“Don’t you dare start.” I stepped closer. He hesitated, then backed up slightly. “I’ve already shown him,” I jerked my head in Nathan’s direction, “that I don’t respond well to this whole controlling Alpha routine.”
I wouldn’t mention how that argument had ended, with my body pressed against his, feeling his growl reverberate through me like… I pulled my mind away from that particular memory. But based on Andrew’s hungry expression, my scent must have responded to the mental image.
It was my turn to retreat a step. “Neither of you has any right to tell me what to do. You’re not my Alphas.”
Even as I said it, I regretted it. It was true, but it hurt the baby Omega inside me that desperately wanted the opposite.
Andrew inhaled sharply, like I’d slapped him, but he recovered quickly. “You’re right. But that doesn’t mean we don’t… care about you.”
Gabriel stepped in and slipped his hand into the crook of my elbow. “We should go for your lesson. We can speak rationally without all these Alpha pheromones.”
The gym was just down the hallway and reserved for use by the twelve apartments on the top floor.
There were two treadmills, an elliptical, and a set of weights in the main room, and a small room off to the side with mirrored walls that was probably meant for yoga.
That’s where he was teaching me the basics of Krav Maga.
Gabriel pulled the blue gymnastics mat we’d used before from the side of the room and spread it in the middle of the floor.
“Do you remember your stance?” he asked, standing in front of me.
I spread my feet shoulder-distance, scooted my right foot back, and bent my knees slightly. I raised my hands, elbows pointed down. Gabriel gently lifted my elbows until my hands framed my face.
“Shoulders down,” he said, and I tried to bring them away from my ears. “Better. I will push your arms; you try to keep them steady.”
He pushed on my arms, first slowly, then more quickly, and I fought to keep my stance. Pride rushed through me as I withstood his pressure.
“Good,” he said with a grin. “You have a strong core.”
“Pilates,” I said, smiling back. I was already breathing heavily, though. Who knew standing still could exert so much energy?
“We will practice kicks,” he said. “For you, aim for the weak points. The groin is the best. And it is better to use your knee than your foot.”
“I’m not kneeing you in the groin,” I said, horrified.
Gabriel laughed. “Do not worry. We will just practice the position.” He stood in front of me.
“If a man comes at you from the front, push off your back foot and drive your knee into him, as hard as you can.” He nodded at me.
I raised an eyebrow, then slowly raised my knee until it was level with his groin.
“Si. Remember this height, and hit my hands,” he said. “Come, carrissima, you will not hurt me.”
I got back into my stance, then jabbed my knee forward into Gabriel’s hands. “Like that?”
“Harder,” he encouraged.
I tried again, and he absorbed the blow with his hands.
“No. You are holding back. Harder, as if you mean it,” he said.
My next strike was at full strength, and Gabriel grunted on impact. “Yes, Bridget. Very good,” he praised, and my mind conjured up the way he’d murmured “good girl” in my ear as Andrew’s fingers worked me into the hardest orgasm of my life. I shut that thought down as quickly as possible.
“Why shouldn’t I use my foot?” I asked, trying to bring my focus back to the present.
“I will show you. Kick out at me,” he said.
I complied, and he grabbed my foot. I was immediately off balance, but Gabriel didn’t let me fall. He held my leg steady. “See? I can control you now; put you on the ground. That is the last place you want to be.”
“Right. So no feet,” I said with a nod.
We practiced my knees a few more times until I was fully confident with the motion.
“Now, we do it from behind,” he said. My face burned bright red at the unintentional innuendo, and Gabriel grinned at me. “Dirty mind. Focus, carissima.”
“Sorry,” I said.
“If a man grabs you from behind, you will fight like hell to break his grip,” he said. “May I?”
“Sure.” Suddenly he wrapped himself around me, his arms enclosing mine and pinning them to my chest. He was shorter than Andrew and Nathan, more compact, but he radiated strength.
I tried not to, but the posture was so similar to the other night that I couldn’t help remembering that last time his arms were around me.
Was he remembering it too? Of course he wasn’t.
“You try to break free,” he said in my ear. His breath against my hair made my whole body shiver.
I struggled against him, but his grip was like a vise. I couldn’t get any leverage. Why was that… exciting?
“Bene. Now, spread your legs and drop to push your hips back. It will change your center of gravity,” he said.
I hesitated for just a moment before complying.
His grip loosened, and I wriggled my arms. “Si. Now you would move your hips to the left,” he waited until I did so, “and then strike down at the groin with the heel of your hand.”
We moved through the motions slowly, then more quickly. “Very good, Bridget. It is all about breaking the man’s posture, and then running away as fast as you can.”
He held me for one more moment, then stepped away. I met his gaze in the mirror. We were both breathing heavily now. “I need some water,” I said, and he followed me to the side of the room.
“That is probably enough for today,” he said.
“Okay,” I said, trying to mask my disappointment.
Gabriel sat down next to me, our backs against the wall, and drank from his own water bottle. I tried not to watch the movement of his swallow.
“Why are you so determined to put yourself in danger, carissima?” Gabriel asked after a moment.
“Why are you all so determined to keep me from helping? Especially when it’s my family causing all this. My mother knows something. Isn’t it worth trying? I’m not saying I want to go traipsing into my old house. I just want to call her.”
He shook his head slowly. “It is not worth the risk.”
“What risk?” I cried, spreading my arms. “We’ll call from the burner phone, right? Domenic works during the day — she’ll be alone.”
“My friends will find another way,” he said, and my temper boiled over.
“I am so sick of being coddled,” I said through gritted teeth.
Gabriel pressed his palms together. “It is not coddling. It is protecting.”
“I am not yours to protect!” My voice rang out too loudly in the small room. I caught my breath in the silence that followed, my eyes on the water bottle in my hands. “Sorry. I know I’m being ungrateful… I just can’t stand sitting around doing nothing when I can help.”
Gabriel heaved a dramatic sigh. “Okay, carissima. You win.”
“I do?” His brown eyes were glittering with amusement again.
“Si. You are right. We are being like hens with a little chick, and it is not fair,” he said. “But you can not blame us for wanting to keep you safe when you are so… preziosa.”
“Thank you,” I said, gripping his hand.
He rolled his eyes. “And I will talk to the two dragons.”
I couldn’t help smiling. My anger simmered down, but left behind a lingering heat.
Gabriel grunted as he stood to wipe down the mat. I felt emboldened by my success.
“Earlier, you said the worst thing is going on the ground,” I said. “Why? Just because it’s harder to get away?”
He paused. “If you are on the ground, there are some things you can do to escape. But it is a dangerous place to be. You are very vulnerable.”
I swallowed. Something dark, something I didn’t want to examine too closely, was rising inside. “Can you show me?”
He hesitated again. He had broken a slight sweat during our lesson, and his cedar scent was stronger than usual, sharp and resinous. “Come here and lie down.”
My heart pounded as I crossed the room. I lay on my back next to where he sat on his knees.
“Are you sure about this, carissima?” he asked, his voice low, and another drop of dark excitement slipped into my stomach.
“Yes. I want to know,” I said, somehow keeping my voice steady.
“I will… straddle you.” He didn’t, though, not for a moment. I held my breath, suddenly terrified that he would change his mind, but in one fluid movement, he was on top of me.
He was still on his knees, one on each side of my hips. His weight rested on the tops of my thighs as he leaned back. “Do you see? I could do anything to you here. Strike you, choke you. It is the worst position to be in.”
“I get it.” My pulse was pounding. “So, what do I do?”
“Bend your knees, get your feet flat on the floor,” he said. When I did, his weight rested more heavily on me. I was holding my breath again, and I forced myself to exhale.
“From here, you can… buck your hips,” he said. Was his breath coming faster, too? “And keep going until you get me off-balance. Try.”
I dug my heels into the ground and thrust my hips up. Gabriel lurched forward and fell to his hands, one on each side of my face. He was suddenly so close. “No, do not stop. Keep going.”
I continued to buck my hips until I felt his weight shift to one side. I instinctively rolled with him until I was kneeling between his legs. My head was light, my breath too fast. I froze, looking down at his heaving chest.