Chapter 13 - Benedikt
Maria walks into the gym with a wide, gorgeous smile on her face.
“You look happy,” I muse, noting the cute gym outfit again. This one is blue and black in the same style as yesterday’s pink one. “And as beautiful as ever,” I add.
She giggles, a delightful sound that spreads my smile wider.
“Thank you, I’m really excited for this lesson.
Thank you so much for doing this for me,” she says, putting her things down on the bench.
When she bends over with her back to me, my eyes trace over her wide hips and the curve of her ass.
It’s fucking sexy. Instantly, I’m thinking about bending her over that bench.
“What are you going to teach me today?” she asks without turning around as she finishes closing her water bottle.
I’ll teach you the pleasure you’ve ever imagined.
“I’m going to start with basic stances. Firm foot placement and targeting weak points.”
“Not boxing?”
“No, I think instead of teaching boxing, we should teach real self-defense. At least to start off with,” I explain.
“We?” she asks, turning to face me. Her eyes fall onto Kaz, who is now standing alongside me.
“We,” Kaz grins, holding out his arms as though he is the presentation.
I chuckle and shake my head. “He wanted to join. I said The more the merrier,” I tell her as I pull my shirt off and toss it aside, away from the training mats.
Kaz does the same and stands nearby, rolling his shoulders, stretching out his back. Maria walks toward us, and her expression is a little bewildered as her eyes trace over both of us.
“Trust me, it’s going to be fun,” I reassure her.
She nods, smiling. “Okay, but don’t be mean when I don’t get it right straight away.”
“Are you kidding?” Kaz blurts out, “I’m throwing you right over my knee and spanking you if you get it wrong.”
Her eyes shoot wide, and her mouth drops open in shock.
I burst out laughing.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that,” I muse.
“Maybe I should get Artur back in here to teach me,” she grins mischievously. “He seems to be the safer option than you lot.”
Kaz’s phone rings just as I’m about to start instructing Maria. He groans and rolls his eyes. “Sorry, this might be the call I was waiting for. Give me a sec. Carry on in the meantime.” He jogs toward his phone and answers.
He’s talking in the background when Maria and I start the lesson.
“Self-defense is a lot about attitude. If someone sees confidence in you, that alone is going to make them question themselves, right?”
“Right, that makes sense,” she nods. Damn, she looks cute in that tight little outfit.
“So if you ever find yourself in a difficult situation, you’re going to strike a strong pose and stare right at your opponent. Eye contact is important for two reasons,” I say.
“To unnerve them?” she asks.
“And so that you pay attention to every detail of what they’re about to do. It’ll always be in the eyes first,” I say.
“Sorry, guys, I have to go. I have serious FOMO about this, but it’s important. I’ll definitely join you next time, though,” Kaz says, groaning and pouting.
“We’ll miss you,” Maria teases.
“You better,” he smirks.
Kaz leaves, and Maria faces me again.
I keep the lesson relaxed and fun so that she stays engaged with me. The more focus I have from her, the more I can teach her, and she’s doing brilliantly.
“No, remember your feet?” I say, pointing at her sneakers. “Where should your left foot be?”
“Oh my goodness, I totally forgot.” She corrects her posture and stands stronger.
“Okay, do it again,” I nod.
Maria practices sequences over and over again without a single complaint. She works hard and pushes herself beyond what I expected her to do.
I guess that was my mistake…to underestimate her. It won’t happen again.
“You’re so patient and calm,” she says, breathless from practicing.
“I don’t see any point in being anything else?” I shrug.
“Not everyone has such good control over their emotions. Even I don’t. I get frustrated and annoyed over plenty of things that don’t matter.”
“Everything matters in its own way. Even if you don’t understand at the time why,” I say thoughtfully.
She goes quiet, focusing on the move again.
When she completes the spin and punch perfectly, she leaps into the air and yelps with excitement. “Did you see that!?” she shouts.
“I did, it was brilliant. You nailed it,” I say, enjoying her happiness.
“You’ve obviously taught people before?” she asks, grinning and breathless.
“I have. I taught my sister.”
“Oh, that’s sweet. Is she a kickass fighting queen now?” Maria asks.
I scoff. “Hardly. She hated it,” I laugh. “The only form of exercise she believes should be legal is surfing, and everything else is basically a form of attempted murder.” I shake my head.
Maria laughs loudly. A carefree, relaxed outburst of genuine amusement.
“I think I might get along with her. I, too, believe that exercise is a form of attempted murder.” Her cheeks are glowing, and her smile is tantalizing.
“But you’re doing so well!” I argue.
“I have a good teacher,” she says, her eyes roaming my body.
Heat builds in my chest and spreads through my arms and legs. My cock stirs, and I take a deep breath to steady my thoughts.
“Did your brother ever offer to teach you any defense?” I ask, distracting myself.
“Mm. No. I never showed any interest, I guess. Otherwise, he might have.”
“I tried to force my sister into it. It should have been a clear sign when she whined till my ears hurt,” I laugh.
“Are you very close with her?” Maria asks.
“Yes, we’re close. She means the world to me. She’s the reason I do a lot of things. To keep her safe. To give her a good life,” I say.
“I’m really close with my brother, too. We’ve always been close. He’s probably going out of his mind with worry,” she sighs, her face softening.
I chew on the inside of my cheek, not wanting to answer because technically, I’m part of the problem.
Maria looks up at me, her eyes glimmering with hope. “Bear, could you send him a message? Just to let him know I’m okay. You don’t even have to say who it’s from. It can be totally anonymous,” she pleads.
“Maria…” I sigh, pushing my hand through my hair. “I…it’s a bad idea,” I stammer. Fuck. I need to change the subject.
“It would mean so much to me if I just knew he wasn’t worried.”
“I know, I get it…but it’s risky. I don’t know…let’s finish the lesson, and then I can think about it.” I know I can’t say anything to her brother.
“How about a deal?” she states hopefully.
“What deal?” I groan.
“If we spar now, and I win, meaning…let’s say if I can get three unblocked shots in, then you have to send my brother a message,” she suggests.
“Three body shots that I don’t manage to block?” I muse. There is no way in hell that’s going to happen. “Sure. I accept your deal,” I chuckle.
She throws me a sideways grin as though she’s got a trick up her sleeve, and for a moment, I panic.
Maria comes flying toward me at full speed. All of her determination is set into this mini sparring match.
She strikes. I block. She hardly knows the techniques. She’s slower than me and she’s a fraction of my size.
I guess this was all about hope for her.
Maria strikes again, and I block.
She pouts, scrunching her nose in frustration.
“I still have one more chance,” she mumbles, narrowing her eyes.
“No, you said you had to get three strikes!” I correct her.
“Mm. No, you misunderstood. I said one out of three tries,” she smirks, knowing she’s messing with the rules mid-game.
I chuckle and motion for her to come at me.
She does, and she comes in really strong. She ducks away when I try to grab her and spins in the opposite direction of what I am expecting. Then she spins back to strike, but I block, grab her by the waist, and drop her to the ground, pinning her beneath me.
Our breathing is heavy, and our bodies are pressed together. She’s on her back, small beneath me, and I have to be careful not to crush her with my weight.
When I look at her face, she’s pouting dramatically and fighting her disappointment.
“Sorry, baby bird, but you knew you didn’t have a chance,” I whisper, my face inches from hers.
She sighs softly, a breath, her lips parting as her eyes glimmer with misery. She really did think she had a chance. She really had genuine hope.
Her broken spirit tugs me, makes me want to take away her pain.
“You won,” she whispers softly.
“I did,” I answer, barely a whisper because all I can focus on is her beautiful lips.
“What do you want?” she asks, a husky purr.
“I want…” I narrow my eyes and knit my brows.
“You won, Bear. What do I have to give you?” she asks again.
Instead of answering her, I press my lips over hers and kiss her.
She gasps and hesitates, but as our mouths lock, her body relaxes beneath mine.
I slip my arm around her back and lift her so that her waist is arched upward. I move over her, spread her legs with my hips, and she moans softly as my engorged cock presses against her.
Her hands run over my sides, leaving a current of electric heat on my skin.
Her lips are so sweet, so soft, and inviting.
Maria digs her fingers into my bare skin. I can smell the salted perspiration from her workout. Everything about her is intoxicating. Everything is turning me on.
I grab a handful of her hair and pull softly so that she’s forced to tilt her head back. Trailing kisses over her neck, I work my way down her body, flicking my tongue against the thin fabric of her sports top until her nipples harden through it.
Shifting my body, I run my hand down her stomach and over her thigh, squeezing her soft, ample flesh. Savoring her curves.
When I brush my fingers between her legs, across her pussy, she squeals and lifts her hips up toward my touch.
“Mm, you like that, baby bird?” I growl.
She nods, biting her lower lip. Her face is flushed with desire.
Her eyes are flooded with need.
I kneel and grab the waist of her pants and pull them off her. She wiggles to help me remove the tight fabric.
Then she’s beneath me again, and all that’s covering her sweet little pussy is a thin layer of lace.
“Black,” I muse. “I pictured you in red or pink,” I tease her.
She blushes. “I…I can…”
“It’s gorgeous, baby bird. Anything would look incredible on you,” I tell her, slipping my finger beneath the lace panties and pulling them to the side.
Her eyes roll when I slowly slide my finger inside her. She shivers and gasps and reaches out to grab my arm as she panics for a second.
“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” I ask, concerned.
She shakes her head.
“I’ve…um…I’ve never done this before,” she murmurs, blushing deeply.
“You’re a virgin?” I whisper, shocked.
She nods, biting her lip. The level of desire I have for her as just rocketed through the roof. My cock is throbbing painfully, begging to be thrust into her little virgin pussy.
“I should stop,” I mutter, reluctantly withdrawing my hand.
“Oh…” she gasps, disappointed.
“I don’t think you should stop,” Kaz says, giving us both a fright.
“Kaz,” I blurt out, realizing he’s been watching for a while.
“Keep going,” he growls, rubbing his hand over his bulging cock.
Maria wiggles beneath me, and I assume she’s trying to free herself. But when I look down at her, she’s breathing heavily, and her eyes are even darker with need.
She’s fucking turned on.
“Do you want me to keep going?” I ask, husky and dangerous.
She nods eagerly.
I push her legs further apart with my hands on the inside of her thighs, and I lower myself down, pressing my mouth over her sweet, pink little pussy.