Page 32 of Reckless Games

“I want to duel with you!” I clapped my hands excitedly, watching his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “What I mean is, will you teach me all those cool moves?” I made exaggerated ninja hands.

“Absolutely not,” he laughed, shaking his head.

“Come on, don’t be a buzzkill. I mean, if you think about it, I should know basic self-defense, especially since I’m livingwith the most sought-after villain,” I said, looking anywhere but his eyes.

“Well, rest assured, this villain willalwaysprotect you. And he will most definitely burnthe world if he has to. So you don’t have to worry,” Lorenzo replied, his voice firm and reassuring.

“I know, but... please.” I pulled out my best puppy face, my last resort. “What if someone tries to get handsy with me? I should know how to kick his butt, don’t you think? Just in case my villain isn’t there at the time. You know, precaution is better than cure and all that.” I could see the wheels turning in Lorenzo’s mind as I silently prayed for him to agree.

“Fine—”

“Yes!” I punched the air in victory.

“But you’ll do exactly as I say. No trying anything on your own.”

“Yes sir!” I saluted as he lifted me off the desk and pulled me to the center of the ring.

“Okay, what are we doing today? Kicks?” I tried to show him my best kick while keeping my balance. “Punches?” I swiftly punched the air in front of his face before taking a spin. “Flip—ah!” I yelped as my hand was suddenly pulled, and the next moment I was lying on the ground, face-to-face with Lorenzo, who balanced himself above me, his weight supported by his hands on either side of my head.

“Warm-up,” he stated in amusement. “We’re starting with a warm-up.” And just like that, he started doing push-ups with me right beneath him, taking advantage of every dip to peck my lips as I stared at him wide-eyed.

“What the—” I exclaimed, barely able to get a word in between his playful kisses. “That’s.” PECK. “Not.” PECK. “Fair.” PECK. Finally, I pushed him off with all my weight and sat up, pouting. “How am I supposed to learn anything like that?”

He laughed, getting to his feet and pulling me up with him. “Okay, I’ll teach you for real this time. Make a fist.” I smiled and quickly formed what I thought was a perfect fist, but Lorenzo’s jaw dropped. I glanced at my hand, confused. “You call that a fist?” his eyes widened. He took my hand, gently pulling my thumb out from where I had tucked it under my fingers, and placed it correctly on top. “You’ll break your thumb like that.”

“Oh. Got it. What now?”

“Now, punch me.”

“Excuse me?” Did he seriously want me to punch him? “I don’t want to hurt you.” I was genuinely concerned about his pretty face.

“What makes you think you can?” He laughed in amusement. Did he just laugh at me?That arrogant brat!I’ll show him just how much I can hurt him.

I huffed and barreled at him with my fist. Just as I thought I was about to land a punch, he effortlessly blocked it, twisted my arm behind my back, and pinned me to the ground, hovering over me.Again.

“You need to learn some rules, Angel. Rule number one: never run straight at your opponent. Let them make the first move.”

“But you literally told me to punch you.”

“That’s rule number two, Angel: don’t let your enemy know your weakness. Otherwise, they’ll use it against you.”

“Fine. Let’s do it again,” I huffed as we stood up.

“With pleasure, ” he murmured, his lips brushing against my neck as he spoke. “Let’s see if you can handle the next lesson.”

An idea crossed my mind, and I decided to make this more interesting. Stepping back, I noticed Lorenzo watching me with a curious expression. I played my last card. Withouthesitation, I took off my baggy t-shirt, leaving me in only my shorts and workout bra. Lorenzo's eyes widened as he glanced at his men, who were also in the room, busy practicing.

“Out!” Lorenzo barked. “Everyone. Now!” I watched in amusement as they hastily scurried away. Smirking, I faced Lorenzo.

“Let’s see ifyoucan handle the next lesson.”

“Playing dirty now, are we, Angel?” His lips curled into a seductive smile as we circled each other. “Not fair.”

“Everything is fair in love and war. Plus, it’s fair considering you don’t have your shirt on either.”

“Fine then,” he growled in a low voice.

I stepped closer as my eyes locked on his. "Ready for round two?"

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