“Not bad, but you need to throw your weight behind it. Turn your hips as you strike,” he advised.
Heat crept up her neck as she raised her fists again. Grunting, she swung her arm, making sure to twist her hips.
Christian grabbed her fist and spun her around. He grabbed her in a gentle chokehold, drawing her back against his toned chest. The feeling of his strong arm around her neck sent butterflies into her toes.Stars, help me.
“All right,” he said, his voice rumbling against her back. “Someone comes up from behind you the way Imara did. What’s your first instinct?”
“Scream,” she joked.
His deep chuckle made her knees tremble. “Okay, that would work in most situations, but what if you’re alone? Then what?”
Gemma’s heart rate was one thousand beats per minute. “Grab your arm.”
“Good. Go ahead.”
Her fingers wrapped around his forearm, and she tried not to notice how firm it was beneath her hands. But when he drew his arm a little tighter around her neck, the ripple his muscles made forced a tingle to roll down her spine.
“Now,” Christian continued, “what I want you to do is tuck your chin to your chest, pull on my arm with both hands, and turn toward my elbow. Drive your shoulder into my chest.”
Gemma took a deep breath and tried, but he didn’t budge.
“Pop your hips back more. Drop your center of gravity. Try to push me away as you turn.”
Gemma shivered.Just don’t think about it, okay? Pretend he’s an ugly, old man.
Grinding her teeth, Gemma bent her knees and rammed her butt into Christian’s hips, tugging on his arm as hard as she could. He grunted as she turned toward his elbow, thrusting her shoulder into his stomach.
Christian loosened his grasp and took a step back, his eyes bright. “Good. Now what?”
“Kick you between your legs and run away.”
He grinned from ear to ear before laughter ripped from deep in his chest, his eyes creasing in the corners. “That was good, Proctor. That would definitely do the trick.”
She couldn’t stop the smile that grew across her face, and when a loud, high-pitched whistle filled the room, signaling their training session was over, Gemma was left with a surprising—and unwelcome—feeling:
She didn’t want her time with him to end.
A moment later, she stared at the inside of her sleep chamber, her heart pounding against her sternum. Gemma forced the lid open and climbed out once her uniform was securely zipped.
Imara growled the moment her feet touched the floor. “Hey, I almost won that match!”
“You didn’t even come close,” Hawk replied, and she shoved him into the wall.
“I apologize for the abrupt termination of your training. I have been instructed to allow you to return to your dormitory to rest for the remainder of the evening,” the android said. “Enjoy your relaxation.”
Gemma placed a hand on her stomach, releasing a slow sigh of relief through her nose. She could now go back to not looking Christian in the eye, to not having to stand within inches of him and the musky sent of his aftershave. He’d gotten way,waytoo close to cracking the wall she’d spent years building around her heart. From now on, she needed to pretend he didn’t exist.
But her eyes betrayed her when she turned to exit the room. Christian stared at her, his light brown hair falling onto his forehead, and his kind eyes full of deep admiration.
Gemma’s stomach somersaulted.Blast you, stupid eyeballs.
The group of five weren’t far from their dormitory when the Kaizen halted them, a pair of her red-dressed lieutenants at her flanks. Next to the Kaizen stood a girl, her dark eyes so wide that they were almost perfect circles. Her frizzy blond hair enveloped her head like a halo, and the numbersone-seven-eightwere imprinted on the left shoulder of her jumpsuit.
Gemma cocked her head.What in the blazes is going on?
The Kaizen pointed at Gemma. “You.One-three-four. Come with me.”
It felt as if all the blood left Gemma’s body.
