Page 57 of The Scars of Us

Need?Needing someone was way different than just wanting someone—did he really need me? I wasn’t ready to go into that, and I doubted he was either, but I couldn’t ignore the joy that fluttered within me at the thought.

We had reached the locker rooms, and Ryker stopped and faced me. “Are you going to stop fighting me now, Warrior? Or do I have to keep chasing you?”

I held his gaze with mine. “I don’t want to keep running, but it’s hard to let go of my ways. If we do this, it’s not going to be easy.”

“Easy is boring—you know I like a challenge.”

My lips curved up in a smile. “Well, good luck because I’m definitely a challenge. I’ll probably try to run again—will you keep chasing me?”

“Until you don’t let me catch you anymore,” he softly grinned, sending a tingle through my body.

I wasn’t really afraid of Ryker hurting me any longer—I didn’t think anything could hurt me as much as Kaleb had. I was more scared of myself, of what my emotions could do to him if I let him in. I might not have been ready to let him in completely, but I wanted to try to make things between us work.

“You’ll stop chasing me before that happens,” I teased, placing my hand on his chest as I dipped my face to hide the blush that touched my cheeks..

His finger tilted my chin up. “I don’t think I’d be able to stop chasing you—you’re like an addiction.”

“That’s really what I want to be compared to, thanks,” I replied sarcastically as I moved away from him.

He pulled me back to him, not letting me get away. “That was a compliment.” I raised an eyebrow and pursed my lips in doubt. He cocked his head to the side and tightened his arms around me. “Addictions give you a high unlike anything else, make you crave whatever it is you’re addicted to. And, Warrior, I crave you.”

His lips found mine, fueling the flames his words had started inside me. The kiss was greedy and hungry, filled with passion and longing. It spoke volumes without needing words. It was the kind that made your stomach knot while igniting your soul.

When we finally broke apart, I was breathless and flushed. The feelings that kiss evoked within me confirmed that it would be almost impossible for me to walk away from Ryker. I’d never be the same after him, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing yet.

After finally fixing things with Kaiya, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I was the happiest I’d been in weeks. It kind of fucked with my head how much she got to me, but she made me feel things I hadn’t felt in a long time. The thought of being with her didn’t give me the urge to run like it had with every other chick since that stupid bitch.

After working on the bags at Sunday’s class, I decided to have the students work on techniques for what to do if they fell down during an attack.

“Today, we’re going to work on ground defense. You can easily fall during an attack, whether it’s because you were knocked down or because you tripped. What you don’t want is for your attacker to get on top of you if that happens. The moves we are going to show you will prevent the attack from escalating, and can also disable your attacker if executed correctly.”

Kaiya and I found a spot on the mat as everyone broke into their pairs. She smiled at me shyly when we locked eyes, and her face started to flush.

“Still nervous around me, baby?”

“No, things are just different now that we… that we’re you know,” she softly stammered.

“Having sex?” I blurted.

Her eyes looked around then glared at me. “Yes! We probably shouldn’t be hooking up since I’m your student.”

“It’s frowned upon, but it’s not forbidden. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“What if the other students find out?”

“Who cares?” I shrugged. “It’s none of their business.”

Her lips twitched as she fought a smile, but it broke through after a few seconds. “So, what’s the first technique?” she asked, changing the subject.

I laid down on the mat. “If you ever get knocked down, the first thing that you need to do is turn on your side and pick your leg up to defend yourself. Most attackers will try to pin you from here.” I shifted my body demonstrating what I was doing. “Your only concern is to avoid him from climbing on top of you and getting knocked out.” I made sure to keep my eyes on hers. “Come toward me.”

I stopped her when she got about a foot away from my legs. A few strands from her ponytail fell across her face and she quickly tucked them behind her ear. “Once your attacker is this close, you can kick them in the stomach or the groin. Hook your bottom foot here.” I moved my foot to the back of her ankle. “Use all your force to kick them in the knee with your top leg.”

We continued the technique until she got it. I’d go over it again and again just to make sure that nobody would ever hurt her again. Now that we were together or dating or whatever it was we were doing, I felt more protective over her. I didn’t even want to think about the possibility of her being attacked, and just the thought of it laced my veins with rage.I wished she’d known how to defend herself when she was a little girl.What kind of sick motherfucker would hurt her?I shook away those thoughts and focused on her face.

Once class was finished, I closed up the gym and walked Kaiya to her car. “You wanna come back to my place?” I asked as I framed her against the driver’s side door.

“I wish I could,” she answered, her voice full of disappointment. “Mondays are hell for me. I have to wake up earlier.” She placed her hands on my chest and traced over the tattoos showing with her fingertips. “If I go home with you, I won’t get any sleep.”

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