Page 66 of Hiding Secrets

“Wow, how articulate.”

“I need to be able to stop someone.”

“And you’ll learn.”

“What if I don’t learn fast enough?” My pants become erratic as thoughts of being dragged back to Everton overwhelm me.

“What do you mean, fast enough?”

“I don’t want them to drag me back there.”

“Who?”

“Samuel’s men. Everton. Divine members.” I shrug, panic rising in my chest.

“They won’t find you here.”

“Here, but what happens when I leave?”

His eyes soften as he lets my arms go and I sit up again.

“I get it.” He almost whispers to himself. “I can’t train you faster, you need time to learn. But your worries are going to cloud your decisions on the mat.” He slaps his palms on the surface we’re sitting on. “If you don’t get them down to a tee here, they won’t be worth shit if someone actually attacks. You have the time to learn here. You are safe.”

“One more time?”

He rolls his eyes, “Ugh, one more time then get the fuck out of here to your boy toys. This training took way longer than expected.”

I stand in the position again and try to clear my mind but to my surprise, it doesn’t help. I land on my ass with Marcus on top of me again.

He gives me anI told you solook.

I can’t help the laugh that makes its way out. I don’t know if it's from the boiling frustration or the fact that I believed that if I relaxed, it would magically make me master this move.

Marcus watches me with a curious look on his face, my body bouncing from the laughter. I close my eyes and laugh even harder at the way he’s looking at me.

He one-hundred percent thinks I'm a fucking weirdo right now. But if I don’t laugh, I’ll spiral.

Tears of laughter start to leak out of the corner of my eye and I can't help but suck in a breath when I feel Marcus’s thumb wipe one away.

I open my eyes, coming down from my giggle attack and see him watching me, a hint of smile on his lips. It takes my fucking breath away. “You are strange, princess.” My heart skips a beat and his hand lingers on the side of my face. Just as I let myself acknowledge it, he whips away and hops to his feet. “Tomorrow, same time.” He rushes the words out as he speed walks out of the gym.

Fuck.

47

Hunter

I’m just finishing up a call when I see Elliott hustling out of the hallway exiting the gym.

“Hey, how did it go?”

She jumps, clenching her chest not noticing me in the doorway of my study, “ Geez!”

“Sorry,” I raise my hands, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay. Training was also…okay.” She smiles weakly at me, looking around like a deer in headlights. “I was just gonna shower.”

“Kameron’s using his.” She looks deflated and her shoulders sag, she lets out a sigh. “You can use mine.” I gesture into the study.

---