Heat builds in my chest and spreads through my arms and legs. My cock stirs, and I take a deep breath to steady my thoughts.
“Did your brother ever offer to teach you any defense?” I ask, distracting myself.
“Mm. No. I never showed any interest, I guess. Otherwise, he might have.”
“I tried to force my sister into it. It should have been a clear sign when she whined till my ears hurt,” I laugh.
“Are you very close with her?” Maria asks.
“Yes, we’re close. She means the world to me. She’s the reason I do a lot of things. To keep her safe. To give her a good life,” I say.
“I’m really close with my brother, too. We’ve always been close. He’s probably going out of his mind with worry,” she sighs, her face softening.
I chew on the inside of my cheek, not wanting to answer because technically, I’m part of the problem.
Maria looks up at me, her eyes glimmering with hope. “Bear, could you send him a message? Just to let him know I’m okay. You don’t even have to say who it’s from. It can be totally anonymous,” she pleads.
“Maria…” I sigh, pushing my hand through my hair. “I…it’s a bad idea,” I stammer. Fuck. I need to change the subject.
“It would mean so much to me if I just knew he wasn’t worried.”
“I know, I get it…but it’s risky. I don’t know…let’s finish the lesson, and then I can think about it.” I know I can’t say anything to her brother.
“How about a deal?” she states hopefully.
“What deal?” I groan.
“If we spar now, and I win, meaning…let’s say if I can get three unblocked shots in, then you have to send my brother a message,” she suggests.
“Three body shots that I don’t manage to block?” I muse. There is no way in hell that’s going to happen. “Sure. I accept your deal,” I chuckle.
She throws me a sideways grin as though she’s got a trick up her sleeve, and for a moment, I panic.
Maria comes flying toward me at full speed. All of her determination is set into this mini sparring match.
She strikes. I block. She hardly knows the techniques. She’s slower than me and she’s a fraction of my size.
I guess this was all about hope for her.
Maria strikes again, and I block.
She pouts, scrunching her nose in frustration.
“I still have one more chance,” she mumbles, narrowing her eyes.
“No, you said you had to get three strikes!” I correct her.
“Mm. No, you misunderstood. I said one out of three tries,” she smirks, knowing she’s messing with the rules mid-game.
I chuckle and motion for her to come at me.
She does, and she comes in really strong. She ducks away when I try to grab her and spins in the opposite direction of what I am expecting. Then she spins back to strike, but I block, grab her by the waist, and drop her to the ground, pinning her beneath me.
Our breathing is heavy, and our bodies are pressed together. She’s on her back, small beneath me, and I have to be careful not to crush her with my weight.
When I look at her face, she’s pouting dramatically and fighting her disappointment.
“Sorry, baby bird, but you knew you didn’t have a chance,” I whisper, my face inches from hers.
