Page 43 of Keeping Knight

“That was great,” I tell her. “I could tell you didn’t pull your strike that time.”

Her cheeks flush with pleasure. “I almost did. But I trust you. So I concentrated on that instead of being nervous.”

A surge of warmth fills my chest. Most of the time, I think Ruby trusts me. The things she does—staying at my condo, allowing me to protect her—make it seem like she does. Still, hearing it from her is different. Better.

“If you’d done that to an average aggressor,” I reply, “instead of someone who’s not just trained, but expecting it, they definitely would have been hurting.”

“Really?” Ruby smiles. “You’re not just saying that?”

“Really. I wouldn’t tell you something unless I meant it.”

As Ruby keeps looking at me, her smile fades. Her expression turns worried. “Is it bad? That I’m happy about being able to hurt someone?”

“It’s not bad.” Taking her hands in mine, I hold her gaze. “You’re not happy about being able to hurt someone. You’re happy because you’re learning how to defend yourself. They’re two completely different things. You wouldn’t want to just go up to some random person on the street and knee them in the groin, would you?”

She shakes her head quickly. “Of course not.”

“Right. You would only do something like that if you’re threatened. And in that case, you should be glad you can defend yourself. Okay?”

The worry in Ruby’s eyes fades. Then she hugs me. “Thank you, Micah. You always know the right thing to say.”

I hug her back, cuddling her to me and pressing a kiss to her hair. “I don’t know about always knowing the right thing to say. I’m just telling you the truth. That’s all.”

“Well, it always helps.”

“Good.” As I push the little escapee curl back from her forehead, I ask, “Do you want to try again? Or take a break?”

“Hmm. Maybe a couple more times? And then we can stop for dinner?”

“Sure.” I release her and get back into position. “Knee strike again. I want you to put all your strength into it.” With a teasing smile, I add, “Show me what a badass you are.”

Ruby laughs. “Badass? I’m not sure about that.”

“Yes, you are.” I give her ponytail a little tug. “Trust me.”

And she proves it as she does the knee strike several more times, becoming more confident in the move as she goes. By the last one, my hand stings where she hits it, and her face is glowing with pride. “I didn’t hold back at all,” she says proudly.

“No, you didn’t,” I agree. “You did a fantastic job.”

Her hand comes to my arm. Heat sizzles across my skin where she touches it. “Because I have a great teacher.”

“Or I could say it’s because I have a great student.” I brush my mouth across hers. “Although a bit of a distracting one, I have to admit.”

“Distracting?” Ruby’s brows jump up. “How so?”

My gaze drags down her body, past her tight black tank top and shorts to her cute little pink sneakers and back again. “It’s hard to concentrate when you’re right in front of me, looking like this.”

She blinks. Then she gives a pointed look at my chest. “I could say the same thing about you.”

“Oh?” My recalcitrant dick jumps. “How so?”

“Micah.” Ruby smiles. Her tone is lightly scolding. “Look at you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many muscles on someone.” Tentatively, she lifts the hem of my shirt, her gaze checking in with mine as she does it. “I didn’t think people actually had eight-packs before. I thought it was just something made up for books.”

My stomach muscles quiver when she touches them. Desire surges. “I told you, I work out a lot. For my job.”

“I know.” Her cheeks flush a deeper pink. “And I’m not complaining about it.” After a beat, a slightly flustered expression moves across her features. “I mean, I like you even without all the muscles. I don’t want you to think that’s all that matters to me. I like everything about you. Your biceps and eight-pack are just a little extra perk.”

A laugh rolls out of me. There’s just something about how she says it. “An extra perk?”