Page 196 of His Virgin Romance Series

CHAPTER18

Abby

“Don’t let him get inside your head.”

The words kept repeating over and over again in my head like a mantra. Ryder was right, and that had been my problem from the beginning. Nobody can take power away from you if you refuse to give it up. That refusal was the hard part though, and I had no idea how to go about it.

I had spent the last few days training hard, both with Ryder and with every other member of the Angels who would train with me. The men were suitably impressed with how far I’d come, and even I was proud of myself and struck with a confidence that I had never had through the entirety of my life. It was a new feeling to walk around with confidence. It made a world of difference.

But a part of me also registered how fragile a feeling it was too. Anytime I let myself think about a specific moment with Walter, the same fear that had engulfed me at the moment rushed back to greet me in the present, and I was terrified that my newfound confidence was just surface deep and fleeting.

I was in the kitchen grabbing some lunch when I heard someone walk in behind me. “Just so you know, I’m entering the kitchen, and I mean you no harm. Please don’t break my nose again.”

I turned and smiled at Justin. “Hey you,” I said. “I haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”

“Spent a couple of nights with my girl,” Justin admitted. “She nursed me back to health.”

“Did she ask what happened?”

“Of course.”

“And did you tell her the truth?”

“Are you fucking crazy?” Justin replied, and I laughed. “I told her I was in a fight with three other men.”

“Let me guess?” I asked. “You took them all on single-handed and beat them three to one?”

“Precisely,” Justin nodded. “They ran with their tails between their legs, and I brought home a broken nose like a badge of honor.”

“You are pathetic.”

“Say what you will,” Justin said uncaringly. “I got laid like six times because of this broken nose.”

“Well, in that case,” I said. “You are welcome.”

Justin laughed and gave me a wink.

“Seriously though,” I said, changing my tone a little. “I am sorry about it. I didn’t mean to really hurt you. I mean… I did mean to hurt my attacker. I just wouldn’t have reacted that way had I known it was you.”

“Chill out, Abby,” Justin assured me. “I think you reacted exactly the way you were trained to. Looks like all those weeks in the training ring really paid off. Ryder will be proud.”

“I’m kind of proud too,” I said.

“You should be,” Justin nodded. “And you’ve proven your point. I’m not going to mess with you ever again.”

I smiled. “Made an impression, huh?”

“Next time we go at it, it’ll be in the training ring… and you’ll be aware.”

“You really want to embarrass yourself again?” I asked, with raised eyebrows.

Justin guffawed. “Cocky. You only beat me that time because I wasn’t prepared for that reaction. Otherwise, you never would have been able to beat me.”

“Is that right?” Ryder interrupted, as he walked into the kitchen.

“Fuck yes, that’s right,” Justin said aggressively. “I’m like a wild animal in a fight.”

Ryder smiled and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Yeah, you definitely sounded like a wild animal that day… when it gets shot.”

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