Page 46 of Allure

“You’re welcome.” Declan stares me down, and I swear he’s staring through me.

Why the fuck do I feel like he still thinks I'm less than? That I'm lacking? Is it because he shared so much about himself but I kept mum? I'm sorry, but I'm not just going to spill personal details with him.

Although I did tell him I was sorry and called him a princess earlier. That was stupid and low of me, and I shouldn’t have done that. Why did I say that? He gets under my skin, sure, but how I react to him and his assholery is on me and no one else.

Not knowing what else to say or do, I nod, and Declan nods back and heads toward the station.

I climb into my car, but it’s not until he closes the door behind him that I drive away.

Declan’s not good for me. He’s an ass and a bully. He said it himself that he’s pretentious. He thinks that everyone should bow down to him.

That’s not how I roll.

He’s not meant for a long-term relationship.

Shit, neither am I. I’m never going to be willing to open up to anyone about my past.

So maybe a romp…

No! What the hell? Did someone slip something into one of my drinks today? What the hell am I smoking? Declan and I would be a disaster. An epic mistake.

But that concern in his eyes… he looked at me almost protectively, and if that’s not fucking alluring, I don’t know what is.

CHAPTER17

Idon’t have much time at all to try to come up with something new for the self-defense class by the time tomorrow night’s class arrives. Declan found me during the day to give me the card, and I dialed up the detective, a Marcus Rivera, but he hasn’t returned my call yet. Watch, he will during class when I can’t answer it, and we’ll play phone tag. Murphy’s Law.

After I head to the locker room, I start to get changed when Jackie pops her head in.

“Hey,” she says softly. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Is something up?”

Jackie enters the locker room. “I just quit.”

“You quit?”

She nods. “My husband’s hours at work just got reduced, which would mean that he can watch the kids more for me to be able to come, right? But they also cut his pay, too, and it’s just too much of a struggle for us right now financially. I would love to come back one day, but for now, it’s just not possible.”

“If it’s just money,” I start.

“No,” Jackie says flatly, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t accept handouts.”

“No, you’re jumping the gun here.” I wince at my choice of words. “I’m trying to put together a class for women for self-defense. If you help out, Sensei will pay you. At least train for another month.”

Jackie’s eyes light up, but then she shakes her head. “Thanks, but I should probably look for a part-time job. Roger is, too, but who knows which one of us would get hired first, so it’s… for now, anyways…”

We hug, and that’s it. She leaves, and I’m left feeling a bit sad. Out of all of the other students who come here, I had grown the closest to her. Guess I should try to open up to more of the students, but there are a bunch of teenagers, and honestly, there aren’t a ton of female students. Maybe after the self-defense class? And I shouldn’t say there aren’t a ton of female students. Female adult students are lacking, but the kids’ classes are much closer to fifty-fifty.

As soon as I exit the locker room, I hear Declan snapping at a teenager for doing something he shouldn’t have. From the tone in his voice, it’s pretty clear that the teenager has been told this before, whatever the specifics are. Understandable to hate being ignored time and again. It’s disrespectful.

But it soon becomes clear that Declan's in a seriously foul mood just in general, and from some of the whispers the other students are having when his back is turned, he's furious because he considered Jackie his shining star. For all of her years of training, he had been there with her. I guess he saw a spark in her that he hadn't seen in me, for whatever reason. I even learned that during the summer, Declan would teach an afternoon class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for the adults. Sometimes, it had just been the two of them, so he really took her under his wing.

I take it from how furious he is that he doesn’t think she’ll ever come back to the mat, and maybe he’s right, but she learned and trained for years. No, she didn’t get her chance to test yet for her black belt, but she still should feel accomplished, and he shouldn’t feel like his time training her was wasted.

Throughout the class, Declan rides everyone hard, yelling at all of us, and when it's time for grappling, he partners me up with a green belt. The guy has to weigh about two hundred and fifty pounds, but it's more muscle than fat.

Oh my God, grappling this dude is a workout. I struggle to do anything at all, so very hard, but this is exactly what I need because if I’m attacked, the assailant isn’t going to be a petite woman.

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