"What the hell!" I shout, standing back up and turning to face him with a fierce glare.
He shrugs. "What?"
"You told me that move would help take someone down, not that it'd backfire on me and allow them to get me on my arse."
"It would work on other people. Most likely anyway," he says, grabbing his top from the floor and putting it back on. "Difference is, I expected it because I taught you how to do it, and I know how to get out of it. Plus, you're distracted, so you weren't focused. I didn't even need much momentum to flip you over."
I huff and shake my head, walking to the mini fridge beside the treadmills lined against the wall of windows that look out over London, grabbing a bottle of water and guzzling it down.
"You did good, though," he adds, sitting down on the padded floor and lifting the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat dripping from his dark hair onto his face. "Anyone else probably would've been winded and curled in on themselves to protect their body from your attack, and then you could've swiped out their legs and taken them down."
"Isn't this the shit you're meant to be teaching me?" I grunt.
"I am teaching you," he retorts, standing up and grabbing the bottle of water from beside him that I didn't realise he had. "Go back to a couple of months ago, and you would've still been sprawled on the floor choking on air in the elevator from just one punch. At least now you know you can hold your own and fight back."
"I could fight back before," I tell him, watching as he walks over to one of the weight benches across the room.
A snort from across the room has both of our heads whipping towards the elevator where I see my cousin, Jaylen, watching us with amusement.
"If you could fight before, you wouldn't have asked Leo to help train you these last few months," he says, walking over to us and clapping his hand on my shoulder. "You are getting better, though."
"How long have you been stood there watching?"
"He walked in just before you got me in a headlock. I told you, you were distracted," Leo adds as he lies back on the bench and lifts the bar from above him, huffing as he begins his workout.
I shake my head and turn back to Jaylen, frowning.
"Why are you here anyway?"
"Well, your mum spoke to Sophia about how things went down at the restaurant and mentioned how much of a firecracker your bride-to-be is, and then Sophia obviously facetimed me and Aurora to tell us about it."
"Obviously," I scoff, shaking my head again. I thought it was bad when Jaylen was living under their roof, but it seems like, even though he lives with Rory now, word still travels fast. "My life isn't some sort of reality show you can all gossip about."
He shrugs. "We gossip about everything, not just you. Honestly, up until now, you've never been interesting enough to be a topic of conversation."
"You're such a dick," I mutter, pushing past him and walking towards the elevator, wanting to go back to my apartment and have a shower.
Jaylen follows behind me, muttering something to Leo about being back soon, before rushing into the elevator before the doors close.
Chapter Five
Dominic
"So, what are your thoughts on Alicia?" he asks as the doors close in front of us.
I roll my eyes and lean back against the cool metal as I cross my arms and turn to glare at him.
He runs his hand through his blond hair as he watches me, waiting for a reply.
When the doors open up to my apartment, I huff and walk down the hall towards the kitchen, grinding my teeth at the sound of his footsteps following behind.
"Didn't you get all the intel you needed from my sister?"
He chuckles and walks over to my fridge, opening the door and pulling out an assortment of meats and cheese, placing them on the marble countertop of the island between us.
"They were gushing about how badass she seems because Auntie Lou said you got your arse handed to you. Apparently, she mentioned shooting you. That's when I decided to leave and come over here. Thought I'd check on you and get your side of things," he says, grabbing a can of drink from the fridge as well before moving over to my cupboard and pulling out a plate.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
