Page 65 of Obsession

She pushed to her feet and donned the gloves back on. He wore his own pair of gloves and moved to the training mats on the side.

“Fight me,” he ordered when she was near. “Imagine I am the guy who stabbed you. Think of him, and hit me. As hard as you can.”

“What?” She frowned. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“We are fighting your demons today, Anna. So, hit me.”

“I really don’t know how this will help.” She circled him. “But fine. If you insist.”

She threw a punch. He simply shifted to the side, easily deflecting it. She shot another punch, and he shifted to the other side.

He glared at her. “Is that all you’ve got?”

She tried coming at him again, but he deflected all her blows. She was flagging, her attempts to get to him lacking conviction. Not good at all.

“That fucking man attacked you in broad daylight,” he said, his tone harsh. “Youmade it so easy for him becauseyouweren’t paying attention,da?”

She threw her fist out in anger; he caught it in his hand.

“Plokhoy. Bad. You’re very bad at this,” he taunted. “Do you want to get killed? I could kill you easily, right here, right now. You want me to show you how?”

He twisted around her and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. “See, I stabbed you here. So easy.” He pumped a fist out and bumped her on her waist. “Stabbed you here. Anyone can kill you like this. Is that what you want? Do you want to die, Anna?Da?”

“NO!” she screamed, frustrated.

“Then do better,” he said. “Where has that fire of yours gone? Have you allowed him to steal it? Are you going to let that vile man dictate the rest of your life? Do you want to live in fear and angst?”

“I’m trying…” she huffed.

“Not hard enough. Commit to your moves. Don’t think so hard. Put your whole body in the strike.”

She yelled and let out a flurry of angry punches. Jab, cross, hook, uppercut. Mihir’s words had flipped a switch. One minute she was struggling, and in the next, she swung a leg out, catching him in the stomach. He staggered a step behind, grinning. This ferocity was what he wanted.

She spun, and her fist met his cheek with a loud thwack. His eyes rounded, and he stumbled back.

She angled her head. “Good enough for you?”

“It wasn’t strong enough,” he replied. “If that’s all you got, then it’s a pity. Show me your fire, Anna. Show me what you’ve got.”

Rage erupted in her eyes. Before he could comprehend what was happening, she was on him. Jab, cross, hook, another hook, her movements fast and swift. He deflected her barrage, but it wasn’t so easy this time. She unleashed her fury upon him, relentlessly attacking him. He felt a sharp jolt in his forearm as her punch connected. She rammed her fist into his jaw, followed by a swinging kick to his abs, catching him off-guard. Then she tripped him with her foot. He stumbled backward, landing hard on the floor.

A slow grin spread on her face. “Looks like I do have a lot of fire.”

“You do.” Still sprawled on the mat, he removed his gloves and tossed them aside.

Chucking her gloves off as well, Anna offered him her hand. He yanked her toward him. Before she could fall on him, he caught her waist and twisted them so she fell on the mat, with him on top of her. Shock flared on her face.

“Never lose sight of your opponent,” he said. “Always be on guard.”

She rolled her eyes. “We were done sparring. Stop being a know-it-all.”

His lips curved. “Actually, Idoknow it all.”

“You’re so bloody annoying.” Her eyes met his and then they turned serious. “How did you know I was having a panic attack?”

He shifted a strand of hair from her forehead. “I will always know everything about you.”

She wet her lips, drawing his attention to her mouth. That very pretty pink mouth that had captured his attention from the beginning. He suddenly realized how intimately entangled they were. How absolutely alone the two of them were. How perfectly her soft curves fit against his hardening body.

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