Page 94 of If Our Hearts Collide

She takes a step closer. I can smell the strawberries radiating off her. Did she bathe herself in their essence?

“You wouldn’t know what to do with me if you had me.”

Without warning, I grab hold of Penny’s wrist, tightening my grasp to provide the restraint but gentle enough not to hurt her.

“Hey!” she yells, trying to tug her arm away.

“This is your first lesson on how to get out of wrist grabs.”

“That’s why we’re here?” she scoffs. “I thought it was going to be something fun.”

“Would you have come willingly if you knew the details?”

“No.”

“Precisely. So this is why we’re here.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m looking forward to the day you have the confidence to defend yourself and take back all that you think you lost over the last year.”

Penny’s jaw unhinges. The snarky words that typically teeter on the end of her tongue get swallowed back inside her mouth as it slams shut.

She pulls on her wrists, trying to wiggle free. Her high ponytail of hair flings into her face, and she swings her head the opposite way to get it to cooperate.

“So how do I get out?” she growls.

“Are you in the right mindset to learn?”

Her face softens. “Yes.”

“Then ask nicely.”

Penny wedges her knee between my legs, bending it to the side. I twist her around, my fingers still able to restrain her wrist, while I secure her other one behind her back.

“Use your good girl words, Penelope. Ask nicely.”

Her hair blows out from the side of her face as she lets out an exaggerated exhale. She feels good in my arms—too good.

Our eyes connect in the wall of mirrors along the perimeter of the room.

“Please teach me, Master. I want to learn.”

“Hmmm… You still sound pretty defiant. And defiance will get you hurt. Try again.”

Her spine softens against my core and her breathing levels. “I would like you to teach me, Collins. Please.”

As a test, I release Penny from my hold and wait to see if she attacks.

Good.

“The first step to defending yourself is trusting your instincts.”

“How do I do that?” Her tone is of genuine curiosity.

“You use your senses and a lifetime of pattern development to assess situations and listen to the inner voice inside that may be alerting you to danger. Too often people ignore that inner monologue of self-preservation by falling to the trap of the bystander effect.”

“What’s that?”

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