Page 25 of Keeping My Girl

CHAPTER16

Nicholas

SELINA IS A quick learner. I only have to show her certain moves once or twice, and she masters them on the second or third try. Pretty soon she’ll be kicking ass and taking names, and I couldn’t be prouder.

We started out easy, but now we’re gradually getting into harder moves, like her breaking out of my holds from the front and behind. We’re both sweating and exerting all of our energy on this as if our lives depend on it, and perhaps in a way they do. I don’t want her to ever be in a vulnerable position again in her life.

I can’t protect her twenty-four seven, even though I’d like to. There could come a time when someone could try to take her away from me again, and I want her to be able to fight them off and at least have a chance to escape.

Just the thought of someone trying to steal her from me has me pushing her harder and harder. I want her ready for anything and everything.

“And if I come up behind you and grab you like this?” I ask, grasping her and holding her in a tight grip.

“Elbow,” she says before bringing it down gently into my side. “Slide my arms up. Drop to the ground.”

I watch as she falls to the ground out of my grip. “And then?”

“And then I run.”

“Good. Very good.” I pace the mats in the gym where we’ve been training for what feels like hours. “If you can get a kick or punch to the vulnerable parts of their body, then you do that.” I stop and motion to my face. “Eyes.” And then I point lower. “Balls.”

“Eyes and balls,” she says with an eager nod.

I chuckle, and then Lina smiles sheepishly. While this all seems like fun and games for now, I want her to be serious when someone actually does attack her. And so, when she starts walking away to reach for a bottle of water, I suddenly move up behind her silently…and then I grab her.

At first, she doesn’t do anything, and I’m worried. But then, she suddenly juts her elbow right into my ribs, causing a rush of air to escape my lungs. She drops faster than I can blink, and she’s out of my grip in a second.

“Shit,” I say with a strained grin while grabbing my side.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she asks, stepping closer with a concerned look on her face.

Her hands reach out to gingerly inspect my ribs, and I suck in a breath at the unexpected touch. Fuck, I should let her hit me in the ribs more often, I can’t help but think to myself.

Her fingers suddenly freeze as if she just realized what she’s doing, and she takes a quick step back. “Sorry,” she whispers as a blush creeps up her neck to her cheeks.

I’m not sure if she’s telling me she’s sorry for hitting me or for touching me, but I hope it’s not for the latter, because I want her to do it more. “I’ll be fine,” I reassure her. “You did good today, Lina. We can keep practicing a few times a week if you want to.”

“I want to,” she says in a rush, and I can’t help but smile.

People might underestimate Selina considering all the terrible shit she’s gone through, but I know she’s a fighter. No one can break my girl — not even one of the most powerful men on the planet. She’s fucking indestructible.

* * *

After a nice hot shower, I slip on a white t-shirt and a pair of dark blue sweats and am about ready to crawl into bed when I hear screaming. My first instinct is to check my phone for alarms that I might have missed while I was showering. If the compound was breached, an alert would be on my phone.

But when I find no such evidence on there, I quickly run out of my room and stop in the hall, waiting, listening. My heart is threatening to pound out of my chest as I wait impatiently for any signs of distress.

“No! Help me!” Selina screams from her room.

My bare feet pound against the wooden floors as I race to her. Even though it’s next to impossible, maybe someone slipped in undetected by our security system. Her screams are heart-wrenching, like she’s being murdered, and I expect the worst as I slam open the door to her room.

The lamp on the nightstand by her bed is on, and I quickly search the room for an intruder. No one is here…except for Selina…who is in her bed, sleeping.

She cries out again, and I suddenly realize she’s having a dream. No. A fucking nightmare.

Her face is scrunched in pain, and I can see sweat beads running down her temples as she fights against imaginary demons. I don’t know if she would want me in her bedroom, let alone her bed, but I can’t just let her suffer in the nightmare. I climb onto the mattress beside her and gently shake her shoulder, trying to rouse her out of sleep. Selina recoils from my touch and a muffled sob escapes her lips. “Shit,” I mutter under my breath. I’m only making it worse.

“Lina,” I say softly. Then louder, “Lina, wake up.” She doesn’t open her eyes, and my frustration grows as her breathing picks up faster like she’s going to hyperventilate at any given moment. “Lina!” I yell, shaking her.

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