LAW OF ATTRACTION

BONUS CHAPTER: ALEX'S POV - UPPER HAND

Maybe Elena is a too good student because I find myself caught in my own game, the little kitten making the beast at ease and taming him, and one hour has passed before I can notice it.

It's only when my gaze follows a drop of sweat disappearing in her cleavage that I remember to take a break.

"Let's grab some water," I suggest, my lips drier than I'd imagined, and even if it quenches only one thirst, the fresh water is really welcome.

For Elena too, apparently, as she takes long sips from her bottle, my attention once more caught by a drop of water trickling down her smooth skin, and it makes it harder for my next words to come out.

"We can stop for today if you want to. You've already learned a lot, and I know it can be exhausting for beginners."

As much as I've been looking forward to some other parts of the 'lesson', I don't want to tire her. It's easy to forget for me because I'm used to it, but we've already done a lot for her tiny body, and–

"No, I'm fine! I can keep going. I'm not tired yet!" she contradicts me with a large smile and a glimpse of that badass she is inside, even though it quickly disappears as she stutters, "I mean... unless you want to stop... if you need to..."

"No, I'm not tired either!"

Baby, you've just given the beast an opening, and there's no way I'm letting go now. It's time for the interesting part, and I don't let her slip away as I hold her gaze in challenge.

"I will teach you self-defense, and how to get away from a hold and turn the tables. That way next time you'll be able to defend yourself!"

I slowly finish my bottle, leaving her time to recover, and after a few more minutes, and once I'm sure the red on her cheeks is only because of my attentive eyes on her, I lead her back to the center of the room to grab her in a hold, but this time, with a warning before.

My arms are positioned exactly the same as last Sunday, one around her neck and the other gripping her arms behind her back, yet it feels nothing like it. My grip is unconsciously less harsh, and mostly, my blood doesn't freeze, so I can take in each part of our bodies grazing each other until I'm slowly burning.

"What would you do to free yourself?" I ask, waiting patiently through her cute 'er' for her answer.

She can take her time. I'm good here, and I take advantage of our closeness to observe her carefully: the nice shade of pink on her cheeks, the way she's nibbling her lips without even being aware of it as I can almost hear the reels spinning in her head, and the goosebumps forming under my breaths when I lean just an inch closer.

"Maybe... stomp on your feet?"

I jump at her answer, my muscles tightening just slightly around her small frame making me realize my hold has been leaning more towards a shielding embrace than an attack position, and I could have forgotten why we're here.

"Yeah! Really good! And then?" I refocus, though my hold stays the same.

"Er... I can try to move one of my arms a little bit and try to punch you in the stomach... I don't know..."

She doesn't see me as she's too busy looking down and biting her lips, but I smile at her smart, and almost perfect, answer.

"Yeah, it depends on the hold you're in, but you gotta try to punch the stomach or the face." I take her arm to guide it in the movements, her body once more easing under my touch, so much that the slow-motion doesn't even resemble fighting, at least until I announce,

"And now you try." I go back to our original position, keeping her tightly in place, even if she's wriggling in my arms and trying to glance to me, and the only thing she can do is stutter.