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He carried the tray out, and I changed into shorts and a tank top, wondering if I could just walk out of the room. He’d left the door wide open, and when I stuck my head out, he waved me down the hall to one of the bedrooms he’d converted to a well-equipped gym. At first, he kind of messed around, helping me get the gloves on and showing me some dodging maneuvers.
It was more fun than I wanted to admit, and every time I tried to take a swing at him, he easily dodged me.
“How am I supposed to learn to hit if you keep moving like that?” I asked, winded after chasing him around the makeshift ring.
He laughed, catching me unawares and lightly cuffing the top of my head, doing little more than sending my hair into my eyes. “I’ll let you hit me when I’m sure you’re not still pissed off.”
“I think you owe me one,” I said, crossing my arms.
He held out his arms with a good-natured roll of his eyes. “Do your worst.”
He closed his eyes and tipped back his chin, probably expecting me to take him up on his offer. His shirt clung to his pecs, and his muscular arms glistened with a light sheen of sweat. If he hadn’t reminded me I was supposed to be mad, I wouldn’t have given it another thought, at least while we were having such a good time working out.
But it slowly trickled back and I decided I might as well get it out since he was offering so sweetly. I swung for his exposed chin, but right before my glove connected with his face, his hand shot out and he stopped the blow.
His eyes were as cold as ice as he gripped my wrist. “It’s not as easy as you think, Jenna. Now it’s time for the real lesson.”
I was shocked at the ease he’d made me feel completely helpless, but in the next half hour, he was serious about showing me how to defend myself. So serious, I began to really fear I was in danger and stepped away from him before he could demonstrate another hold.
He noticed me shaking and put his hand on my shoulder. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. Not while I’m around. You’re mine now. That means I’ll die to protect you.”
He pulled me into a hug, then helped me get the padded gloves off, handing me a bottle of water as we settled onto a weight bench to catch our breath.
“I’m going to need a lot more lessons,” I said.
“As many as you want,” he promised.
“Can I ask one more thing?”
He nodded, searing me with a look that told me he’d do anything for me. I had to look away, kicking at the free weights stacked nearby. “Just tell me. I’ll make it happen.”
“I’d like to actually be your personal assistant,” I said, bracing myself for him to retract his offer. “And keep the course credit. Finishing school is important to me. I worked hard to get in. Dropping out is non-negotiable.”
“Then you won’t drop out. I can always use more help, but what’s not negotiable to me is your safety. We’ll stick to my legal businesses for your new internship.”
“Well, that’s fine with me,” I said. “Better than fine, actually.”
“Good. I’m going to love having you around all the time.” His grin almost melted me as he put his arm around me and pulled me close.
With him being so agreeable, and in his embrace like that, I was torn. A part of me wanted to lean in, get back to the honeymoon we should be on. The shortest honeymoon of all time. The war in my head made me go stiff against him, and he pulled back, sensing I wasn’t all there, or quite ready for a full reconciliation yet.
I appreciated the space, but at the same time, I wished he’d push a little bit. It wouldn’t have taken much, and I already missed the feel of his arm around me.
Ugh, I should have stayed locked in the bedroom. It was safer there, especially when it was my own feelings that were turning dangerous.
Chapter 15 - Lev
Since things with Jenna were looking up again, of course, something had to go wrong somewhere else. Even though she’d acted like everything was fine, I sensed she was still holding back and slept in the guest room again. It was another restless night, my body straining to seek her out and my mind going over every second of our sparring lesson.
She was adorably determined to get a swing on me, and I still didn’t know if it was because of her desire to do well or the simple wish to knock me out for locking her in the bedroom. When she acted mildly disappointed that I wasn’t joining her last night, I decided to try my luck and leave her door unlocked. After all, I had guards stationed outside at all times if she did plan on lulling me into complacency and then running.
I was nothing but complacent. Every nerve was on high alert around her. It took everything in me not to pull her close and lick the salty sweat from her neck after our workout. Dinner was light and chatty, and nothing of real consequence was asked or shared, but we were both outwardly relaxed, at least. I didn’t dare show her how much I craved her, and when I left her with only a small peck on the lips, my muscles nearly cramped when I made myself walk away.
So it was a complete surprise when Jenna woke me up with a breakfast tray and a smile. She was dressed as if she was going to work, her long hair twisted into a tight knot.
“What’s this?” I asked, lifting the same covered tray I’d used the day before.
She smirked at the slightly burnt toast. “The meal isn’t representative of my feelings, I swear.”
