Page 46 of Read Between The Lines

I shrugged as casually as I could manage. Was he deliberately trying to provoke me?

‘I seem to recall you have a particular fondness for Mr Darcy, using him in your SO Ox password as you do,’ he added.

Yes, yes, he was.

‘Sure. If that’s what you’re happy shouting when I get the better of you, then we’ll go for that,’ I said, pretending to be all sweetness and light.

‘Don’t worry, I’m certainly not underestimating you,’ he said, in a relaxed tone which gave away that he was doing exactly that.

‘I’m really not sure this is necessary,’ I reiterated, giving him one last chance to back out.

‘I know you think I’m overreacting, but if you’d seen some of the cases I’ve dealt with, you’d understand why I think it’s so important,’ said Leo. His relaxed, easy demeanour changed, his gaze becoming troubled. I could tell that the surroundings of the gym had faded and he was seeing something completely different.

I fought the urge to soften myself against him and transform this martial arts hold into a hug, sensing that he’d prefer a slap in the face to accepting any gesture that acknowledged he was in need of comfort.

‘I’m sorry you’ve experienced things that have made you feel like this,’ I said.

‘The point is that I didn’t experience them.’ He paused, and I waited to see if he’d trust me with more. ‘I had to deal with the aftermath, which is a special sort of helplessness,’ he added eventually. ‘I never want to see anyone goingthrough that kind of pain again, especially not someone Ic—know.’ He cleared his throat.

I wondered what he’d been going to say before he changed his mind.

‘I can understand that.’

‘Which is why I want to teach you the basics of self-defence,’ he said, his voice growing stronger again.

I nodded. Perhaps it was time to respond to his honesty with some of my own. I suspected that some of what I was about to say wouldn’t come as a surprise to him, but it still felt important to mention.

‘I appreciate the kind thought, Leo, but I promise, you don’t have to worry about me. I know you think that I’m a bit of a softy, but I can handle myself. It’s a sad fact that this kind of stuff is ingrained into most women’s sensibilities. Walking home with your keys between your knuckles, texting friends to let them know you’re back safely, avoiding going out by yourself after dark, otherwise known as the unofficial female curfew. I hate that it’s this way, but we don’t even think twice about doing that kind of stuff. I realised a while ago that I’ve been following the basics of self-defence since I was capable of independent thought.’

He nodded. ‘All sensible precautions, and I acknowledge how frustrating it must be. And I appreciate that “frustrating” doesn’t even do justice to something so wrong. But sometimes you need to up your game. Also, let’s be clear that I don’t think you’re a softy at all. Actually, I think you’re an incredibly strong woman who people misjudge at their peril.’

The internal glow I experienced at his words was almost strong enough to light up the room. But then he carried on speaking and completely undermined the compliment he’d just bestowed on me.

‘But what about situations like in the bar when that dreadful bloke wouldn’t let you go? What would have happened if I hadn’t stepped in?’

I would have shrugged, but was mindful that I was still in what was essentially an embrace with Leo and figured the minimum amount of movement I made, the better.

‘As we’ve already discussed, I was handling it fine. And you did step in, so there was nothing to worry about.’

Leo’s hold tightened. I wasn’t even sure if he was aware that he’d done it. I could feel his chest rising and falling with his breath.

‘I won’t always be there to step in,’ he said. ‘You say you were handling it, but what you were really doing was the classic thing of being polite and not wanting to make a fuss, hoping that he’d grow bored before things got even worse. Please promise me this– in the future, make a fuss. Don’t give a damn about who’s staring at you. The more people the better, in truth. Make a scene, raise your voice, and if it’s still not working, get physical and defend yourself.’

I braced my hands against his torso and tried to push myself back so I could get a better look at his expression.

‘If this is another version of the lecture about how we need to change our behaviour, rather than the perpetrator altering theirs, I’m not listening.’

Leo looked horrified. ‘Absolutely not. I would never, ever accuse anyone of provoking an attack, or suggest that they’d not done enough to fight back against one. The offender holds all responsibility for the crime.’

‘Good. Then we’re in agreement. Yes, Marc was becoming a tad handsy, and I didn’t like it. But I decided it was a price I was willing to pay because I thought I was getting somewhere.’

‘So did he,’ said Leo. ‘That was part of the problem.’

‘You’re deliberately misunderstanding me. Look, I’m touched by your concern, and I know all this is coming from a place of good intentions. But I am a grown woman, and I am more capable physically than you give me credit for.’

‘Just because you’ve read about how to defend yourself in a book, doesn’t mean you can do it in real life,’ he hit back. ‘Let me help you arm yourself with some basic skills. You enlisted me for this ridiculous scheme because you wanted my professional guidance. This is one of the times where you should be taking it.’

I frowned. This was clearly a situation where I had to show rather than just tell.

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