The Panther's Second Chance (Book 10 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 20

She was back on her game today and happy about that. Dominic had brought her down to the gym and kissed her, then walked over to the weights. She'd had to center herself and not focus on him or the fact that he was lifting.

It wasn't easy though. Images of him half asleep this morning floated through her mind, along with him sitting at his laptop completely naked. That had been a bit of a shock, but very sexy. Apparently, Dominic was perfectly at ease being naked. Though most shifters were, she supposed.

She'd liked it too. His body was no longer a mystery to her, though she still wanted to look at him. He was quite beautiful, and a bit intimidating, but he was also sweet and patient with her, something she appreciated.

She remembered his words from earlier. We'll play later.  What had he meant by that? She knew something along the lines of sex, but she was intrigued.

This morning, to her surprise, she was sparring against Caleb, her great grandfather. Caleb was over eight hundred years old, and in excellent shape. He looked to be in his twenties, like the rest of the men in her pack. Like all of the Remingtons, he too had brown hair and blue eyes.

She'd never sparred against him before, though she had watched him quite a bit. He wasn't down there every day, but he was there frequently. He was probably going to kick her ass too.

"I heard what happened to you yesterday," Caleb said before they started.

She grimaced. Yesterday had been stupid. She'd been stupid. And if she wasn't immortal, she'd be dead now. She looked away from him, embarrassed at herself.

He tipped her chin up, concern on his handsome face. "Was it that bad?"

"Nala said I'd be dead," she said softly.

Caleb looked at her for a long moment, then glanced across the gym. "Dominic."

She sighed and nodded. She knew he'd figure it out very easily.

He smiled. "It's amazing how they can distract you. But you'll learn to focus because I know it didn't feel good."

"No," she agreed. She'd been miserable, and had a whole new appreciation for her body's fast healing. Hurting like that for days on end was not at all thrilling.

"Well, you better focus today because I'm not going easy on you," Caleb told her.

"I will."

"If I see an opening, I'm taking it," he warned.

"I'll keep my focus," she promised.

She had so far, pulling her full attention away from Dominic, which wasn't easy to do. Her thoughts kept drifting to him. She forced him out of her mind as Caleb's fist came her way and she ducked.

The fight continued for several long moments, and she held her own until Dominic walked over and stopped near Ragnar. He stood with his legs spread and his corded arms crossed over his muscled chest.

She caught a glance at him and her heart stopped. Caleb's fist slammed into her side, making her grunt as pain shot through her. She wanted to scream in frustration with herself. Why was she so distracted by him?

Ragnar finally called the match and Natalia breathed a small sigh of relief. She could feel Dominic's eyes on her and wondered what he was thinking. She looked down at the mat and sighed.

"Better today. You don't let him distract you nearly as much," Ragnar said. "Tomorrow you're sparring with him."

"What?" He wanted her to spar with her mate? She looked at Dominic, who didn't seem fazed then to her trainer.