Page 29 of Buried Secret 295

He lets me move around him, but then follows me. “Oh, you just keep getting more intriguing, don’t you? You’re lucky I like a good chase. You have this broody, sexy, badass thing going on, and it’s working for me. Even with the wet t-shirt look. Too bad that you wore a bra.” He winks at me, and my teeth grind together.

“How about you fuck off? Is this your attempt at flirting? Because it sucks. Now, if you will kindly step aside, I have to meet my new teacher my dad had to pay for.”

“What kind of teacher did dear ol’ daddy pay for? His pockets run deep.” He lets me lead the way, but still follows. “I got to see this.”

“It wasn’t an invitation to keep following me. Also, you know nothing about my dad or his pockets.” Apparently, all hand-to-hand combat training is on the same field. We get to use the same equipment. I see a man wearing all black in the distance, standing straight with his hand behind his back.

“Is that seriously Samuel Louis? The man is a legend. I am so coming with.” I roll my eyes and ignore the brute.

“Nobody asked you to.” I huff out but feel odd being short with the man again.

I reach someone I presume is Samuel Louis, a man with dark hair cut in a military flat top style. He sizes me up and frowns when he sees me. Okay, Ember is right about him being attractive. While I can appreciate his appearance, he doesn’t do much for me when I look at him. Not even a flutter frombutterflies. While Gage, on the other hand, does something to my system that makes me feel like a switch got flipped. “Salem, I presume?” He looks at the guy following me and frowns. “Salem’s friend?”

“Gage Quill, sir. It’s an honor to meet you.” Gage holds his hand out for him to shake. In return, Samuel holds his hand out, and Gage looks like a puppy who gets attention.

“Your father didn’t mention a plus one, but with the amount I’m being paid, I am fine with it if you are.” My stomach drops at the price part. I hate coming into my father’s life; he has had to drop so many funds.

“Gage is just leaving. Aren’t you, Gage?” I glare at him, and he only smiles back. The asshole has some serious golden retriever vibes going.

“Nah, I will stay and observe. Maybe I can be useful, and the great Marcus Tempest will hear about it.” He trots off to the sidelines where Ember sits and waves like my biggest fan. I growl as the name further pisses me off.

In a low voice close to my ear. “Are you going to correct him? Constantine will not like credit going to the likes of Marcus.”

“Low profile. Even though that already has been blown to shit.” I motion to my shirt. “The welcoming committee has been outstanding.”

He chuckles, and his green eyes sparkle with mischief. “Let them. If they are going to condemn you, nothing you say will matter. You’re a Blackthorne; your lot is ruthless, and revenge is best served cold. Let’s get you trained to be the best, and then maybe we both can prove ourselves to this school.”

I cock my eyebrow up at him and smirk. “And you are the best?”

“Obviously.” He grabs some boxing mitts for training and a body shield for his chest before throwing me some gloves. “Let’s see what you have and work on your cardio and footwork.”

We go around working on different combinations, up high, down low. My footwork is shit, but my defensive work is great. I can tell he is going to work me hard. We stop for a break, and he motions me over. “I got a present from your dad,” Samuel states as he motions me over to a box, and I run over and open it. Inside are two beautiful daggers, a matching cutlass sword, and a set of throwing knives.

They are beautiful, and I pick up one of the throwing knives and spot a wooden target ten feet away. I checked the weight, and it’s perfect. With a spin, I throw the knife, hitting the center of the target perfectly. I look at Samuel and smile. “The man gets me.”

“They are rare and forged in hellfire.” He smiles, and I walk to get the knife. “I wasn’t looking forward to this. You have a lot of talent, more so than almost anyone I have come in contact with. With a little discipline, you can be great. We only have access here on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday mornings, but I want to write out things for you to work on your own.”

“I train every day, anyway. A change up to the routine is always a good thing.” I throw another knife and smile as it lands just off the center of the other one. It’s good to be back.

Chapter twenty

I walk towards thesmall bench area where a redhead sits. Her eyes harden on me before she narrows them on me as she plasters her best resting bitch face perfectly in place. I can’t stop myself from turning back around once more to see Salem’s backside in her spandex black pants. My fist goes to my mouth on reflex, and I have the urge to bite it. Fuck, that woman makes me lose all rational thinking. She had clouded my thoughts all night. Running into her this morning felt almost like fate.

I need to shake her off, along with any thoughts about her. She screams trouble and complications. Salem is someone my parents will not approve of, and I wonder if she would be worth the last nail in the coffin of our relationship. As I look back at her, it might be worth it. A woman is the last complication that my life needs, but that doesn't stop my desire when I look at her.

My focus needs to be on Leo and getting him back. He is apparently back, yet my parents won't let me see him. They told me he wasn't in the right state of mind and needed to be medicated. The school they sent him to has clearly made him worse, and I wish they would let me have him back. I have to figure out a way to get him out of there. My mother and father waited until I came to the Academy before letting him come home. They keep stating that he is chemically and mentally imbalanced. What is the truth, and what is a lie at this point?

All this is heavy on my mind. As soon as I saw Salem, it felt like it all went away. She has me chasing after her like a puppy. I think pushing her buttons is my new favorite hobby. It’s enjoyable to see her sharp tongue in action. I believe that she secretly enjoys it. All of me wants to soften her by breaking down her walls. Pull back her layers while seeing if multiple orgasms could soften her up. She can keep her claws sharp for everyone else.

I try to adjust myself discreetly so I don’t sit beside the redhead sporting a boner. “Why are you here?” The redhead goth says as I sit down on the bench.

“Are there rules saying I can’t?” I tilt my head and study her. Maybe I can get some information from her about my grumpy dark cloud, who is squaring off with my hero. Just like that, I am hard again. Damnit.

She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “No, but she kicked your ass yesterday. So, trying to see why you seem like you're stalking her now?”

“Stalking seems like a pretty extreme word.” I was in the right place at the right time. I got lucky. Yet, I will try to be at the same place at the same time tomorrow on the off chance that she might be there. When I say that, it makes me sound slightly stalkerish.

I look back at her and wonder how I could not be. Salem is like my walking wet dream, from her tattoos to those sexy eyes that seem to look through you. Her dark hair only highlighted her features. While they weren’t something you would think of as a classic beauty, she seemed too dangerous for that. She isn’t about to make any part of me chasing after her easy. Salem will ensure that nothing about her is easy or safe. I believe that I have a danger kink.

---