The Mafia Boss's Rose

Chapter 8

My breathing comes in heavy pants and his arm around my neck keeps me from moving. He told me to get out of it but I can't. I can't fight, I can't, I can't, I can't.
"Yes you can, I know you can." He whispers into my ear and I slightly shiver. I hadn't said anything but he seems to have read my thoughts. Because I refuse he tightens his hold a little bit, not hurting me at all but it's enough to make me feel trapped. I start to panic, my heart racing and I go wriggle, not fight but panic.
"Breath, in and out," his voice soothes me in a way I didn't know was possible. I do as he says.
"Now get out of it." I do as he says, I stick one foot out, tuck my right shoulder into him, duck and while I'm leaving the choke hold, I throw a hard punch into his lower abdomen. I fix my stance and get ready for his next assault. He smirks and than we begin to really spar. I had put up some sort of barrier, from being attacked when I was with Riccardo. I hadn't even realized I had done it, somehow he knew and he helped me out of it. We sparred for a long time, true to his word he never once hurt me. More than anything, he'd put me into situations I'd have to get out of, teaching me to defend myself. He landed a couple good hits but nothing that would leave a mark, they weren't hard, more of something saying defend this spot better.
After an hour I stopped and just laid on the floor, exhausted.
"I didn't realize I was that out of shape." He walked to the edge of the ring and grabbed a water bottle, handing it to me.
"Thanks," he nods and sits down next me.
"Your not out of shape, we're just fighting hard."
"Not really, my brothers and I use to do that for four hours straight every other day," I move my head on the floor to look up at him.
"You have brothers?" He looks down at me and without thinking tugs at the bottom of my shirt. I swat his hand away,
"Yeah, three of them." I say as I move back to stare up at the ceiling, still winded.
"Than who the hell hurt you?" I flinch, not out of fear but rather dread for that question.
"It doesn't matter," I really don't think he cares enough.
"Does to me." I can still feel him staring at me.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Tell me when your ready too."
"That may be awhile,"
"I'll wait." Somehow that made me smile, deep down it was like there was a warmth in my chest that hadn't ever been there before. I just gently shook my head still smiling. I was drenched in sweat, my shirt soaked through and my tights were extremely uncomfortable but somehow with him sitting next to me, his leg brushing up against mine, it wasn't so bad.
"You want to do this again?" He stands and I smirk up at him,
"Hell yeah." He laughs and reaches down to help me up. I smack his hand away and get up.
I give the water bottle back and he drinks out of it before setting it down. As he's at the edge he takes off his shirt and chucks it next to his water bottle. His back is facing me but a rush of heat reaches up to my face. My stomach flips, and I know I have to look away before he catches me looking at him. He has tattoos covering his back and scars that draw my attention. I try to look away but I can't and soon I'm walking up to him, gently tracing my finger along one of the many long scars running diagonally across his back. I hear him mutter a soft curse but my attention is on the scars covering his back.
"What happened to you?" My voice is a soft whisper, more of a statement to myself then a question for him.
"It doesn't matter." I can hear the annoyance in his tone and the underlaying distrust.
"Does to me." I say mirroring his words he spoke to me earlier.
"Life of being the Dons son."
"He did this to you?!?"
"No, but his way of life did." He turns to face me and I continue to follow the scar that curls around to his chest. He reaches up and grabs my wrist. He has abs but his chest is covered in tattoos, I'm not paying much attention to them but rather all the scars. He has bullet wounds and long knife wounds. Some scars I can't even tell what caused them.
"We're you tortured?" My voice is laced with worry. He brings my wrist up and gently kisses my palm. It's so gentle and soothing it takes me by surprise and I just stand there staring up at him. He looks down at me, a soft smirk playing on his lips.
"A few times." He chuckles into my palm.
"A few times?!?!" I raise my eyebrows at him.
"Yeah, a few people assumed that it would be easy to ransom me. It would have been easier to kidnap the queen but a few managed and they got their ransom, although they didn't get to keep it. They figured out pretty quick that kidnapping me was a way to a long and painful death." My breathing had caught in my throat and I took my wrist out of his grasp. I don't trust him enough to know that he won't change his mind and just kill me.
"H-how, how are you still alive?" I ask rubbing the spot on my palm subconsciously.
"I'm hard to fucking kill that's how." His cocky grin had me shaking my head.
"Challenge excepted." I lift my eyes to his and stand my ground. He smirks at me,
"Come at me then," he uses his index finger to tell me to come closer. I do and go to run at him and knee him but before I can do anything he has me pinned beneath his legs, my arms above my head on the floor. I'm completely helpless like this.
"Ugh!" I say trying to wriggle out of his grasp but I'm laughing. He pretends to make himself comfortable by shifting around just to mess with me. His smirk is almost frustrating, almost. I pretend to look mad and then suddenly he starts tickling me. I burst into fits of giggles as I'm pinned beneath him. I try to wriggle out of his hold but I can't. I'm laughing so hard that their is tears running down my face.
"Let. Me. Go!" I try to say between fits of laughter. His laugh rolls through the room and he genuinely smiles at me. It makes stomach flip. He finally stops and just stares down at me, while he stares at me I look up and lock eyes with him. He leans down, his arms on either side of me, trapping me. His lips are mere inches from mine and I lean in.
Suddenly I put my leg over his bent one and slip a leg up to his hip. I push up with my hips, and using my leg, I throw him off balance so that I'm sitting on top of him. He chuckles and rests his hands on my hips.
"That's more like it," his smirk is messing with my head.
"Jerk!" I say as I playfully hit his arm. Just then I hear the door swing open, him always being extremely calm, just stands up, my legs staying wrapped around him and his attention turns back to me. He stares into my eyes and I let go of him to stand on my own. Just then someone from behind me clears their throat.