Page 6 of King of Ruin

“Now, Onyx.Again.”

“Trigger.” I drop my arms, which are nothing more than meek noodles at this point in our training, and take a small shuffle back. “You’d have me break my knuckles.”

I curse at the slight whimper soiling my voice but it’s too late for recourse because Trigger hears it, and shoves the pads at me harder than necessary, ignoring the way my gaze narrows. “Now. No breaks.”

Every muscle in my body burns from his drills, and the repetition of the same fists hitting against the hard surface has left one hand bleeding. I understand his reasoning, but still, even I can admit when I’m nearing my limits.

With a heavy sigh, I bounce on the balls of my feet, shaking my limbs in hopes of regaining some type of moxy.

“Mind if I join you?” Kane’s husky voice is somehow simultaneously a shot of adrenaline and Xanax–my heart beats wildly while my muscles relax. A conundrum I haven’t figured out if I enjoy or despise.

Trigger, one of the most guarded men I know, looks almost relieved and drops the padding while nodding. “Please. I need to check on something.”

“Soyou’reallowed to take a break?” I hiss, stripping my hands free of the thin gloves, annoyance evident in my scowl.

“Do you see how you didn’t know I was tired until Iletyou see?”

I bite my tongue to keep from sticking it out as he walks toward Kane. He pauses in the doorway and whispers something to him I can’t quite make out before shooting a wide smile over his shoulder. “Promise I’ll be back to whoop your ass in a second.”

When he closes the door behind him, Kane smirks, his dimples making a brief appearance.

He shoves his hands in his jeans’ pockets and takes a step farther inside, his eyes focusing on my hand. “Let me see it.”

My brows furrow together. “See what?”

He takes a bigger step and I find my stomach fluttering with butterflies.

Yesterday, in my office, Kane took everything–my body, control, my first kiss… It sounds juvenile knowing I’m well into my twenties and have yet to let anyone claim my mouth, but the act has always been far too intimate for me to entertain. Reminds me too much of my parents and the thick love that oozed from them anytime their lips touched.

A love that was their downfall.

The familiar ache echoes across my chest as I think of them, but the squishy sound of the mat sinking under Kane’s heavy feet draws my gaze up to his. “Today is your day off. You should be home.”

The curve in his lips expands as he holds out a hand for mine. “Do you want me to leave?”

The wings flapping in my belly become heavy, the sensation moving lower. The feelings he is stirring in me are both foreign and curious. I dare say I’m somewhere between a prepubescent teen who is experiencing a crush for the first time and a woman who is addicted to an orgasm she never thought possible.

Both sides of a candle I’d rather not burn.

“I’m not paying you overtime if that’s what you’re hinting at.”

This produces a deep laugh from him which only worsens the dampness between my thighs. “Iwasleaving but noticed you needed a break.”

I scoff, shoving my uninjured hand on my hip. “I don’t need you to save me.”

“I didn’t say you did.”

“You’re implying it. And just so we are crystal clear, I will never need yo–”

Kane closes the space between us, snatching my sore hand from my side and holds it up to inspect it. He ignores my hiss and turns it over, running his thumb over my knuckles so lightly, I barely even feel him.

My breathing comes out faster than I intend it to, courtesy of my increased heart rate, but I keep my face passive, brows rising in annoyance.

He disregards that too. “I know. Just like I know you don’t need anyone to ever save you. You are the master of this universe. But I want you to understand there will never come a time where I won’t protect you.”

“Even at the expense of yourself?”

His eyes flash to mine. The golds and greens in them are a work of art I don’t think I’ll ever tire of looking at. His gaze darkens as he contemplates his words, and a sincere seriousness takes over his face.

---