The door burst open and a teenage boy rushed out of the apartment with a wild look in his eyes. I pushed MacKenzie farther back, holding out my good arm in case he wanted to attack. His eyes were wild as he glanced around for a way out, but we were in his path.

Fuck, I was going to have to take him down.

“No, Ian!” MacKenzie cried after me as I went to meet him head-on.

“Call the police,” I growled as I grabbed the kid’s hand, twisting it. He flipped immediately, as I knew he would, but he had to be tweaking on something, because he managed to bounce to his feet and pull himself free. “Shit,” I grumbled.

I went at him again, first kicking him in the side to destabilize him, then bringing him down again. This time I held him around the neck so that his airflow was cut off. Still, he continued to kick around frantically like a fish out of water.

“Calm the fuck down,” I said, lifting him up and slamming his butt on the ground for emphasis. He wouldn’t get hurt if he would just stop resisting.

“The police are on their way,” MacKenzie said as she tucked her phone back into her bag.

The guy wouldn’t give up, so I twisted his arm back, forcing him onto his stomach, and sat on him.

When MacKenzie saw I had the kid immobilized, she darted past us into her neighbor’s place.

Shit. “You better be alone,” I growled at the little shit who’d become my new chair. “Are you alone?” I could hold this guy back with only one arm, but if there were more of them, we were in trouble.

“Just me,” he managed to wheeze out. “Please let me go. I promise, you’ll never see me again.”

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I ignored him, letting the stupid kid whine, which he continued to do like a fucking pussy.

As I waited for the police, I started to worry about MacKenzie. There were no noises coming from the apartment at all, which worried the shit out of me. I was about to leave the kid on the ground and go in after her when the police finally showed up, and I was able to run in and check on her.

Sixteen

MacKenzie

At first when Ian said he wanted to give me self-defense lessons, I thought he was kidding. I should have known he wouldn’t joke about that kind of thing. Even after what happened the other night, I maintained that my neighborhood wasn’t that bad. The kid Ian tackled was Soni’s grandson. He came over and asked her for money every once in a while. Admittedly, that night he was worse than usual, but I still knew how to call 911.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for Ian. As far as he was concerned, the situation only illustrated his point. Which was why I was in Ian’s personal gym, about to get my first lesson in self-defense. That, and I told him I’d do it if he agreed to go back to the doctor for his two-week checkup.

“So,” I said. “What do you think you can teach me with only one arm?”

“You saw what I did to that kid in your building the other night, right?” His lips tugged up in a playful smirk.

As much as I didn’t want to be affected by Ian, I loved this side of him. His protective nature made my belly clench. And coupled with his confidence and that spark of boyish charm? I might as well hand over my panties now.

“Or do I need to show you again?” He stepped forward quickly, and I instinctively held my hands up, turning to run. “Good.” He stopped.

“Good, what?” I turned back to him.

“That was your first lesson. Any situation where you feel you’re in danger, if you can, run.”

“Okay.” That I knew how to do. And it seemed pretty obvious.

“Lesson number two. If you can’t run, go for the eyes.”

“I know that one,” I said. “Because they’re always guarding their family jewels first, and won’t expect that.”

“Right. I thought you said you didn’t know any self-defense.”

I shrugged. “This is all just common street knowledge. Ears and nose are good targets too. If you want to teach me something new, teach me how to break out of a hold or disable an attacker.”

“Okay, sure. Lesson number three. How to break out of a hold.” He stepped forward and his cool eyes on mine felt almost predatory, but I didn’t step back, holding my ground. He slid his arm around my waist.

I put my hands up on his chest, pushing him back. “Wait. Maybe we should hold off on these classes until your shoulder’s healed. I don’t want to make it worse.”

Ian didn’t answer, instead sweeping my feet out from under me. He lay me down on the mat and covered me, hovering inches above me between my legs. My heart raced from the thrill of being thrown down so effortlessly and yet so gently.

His lips turned up into a smug grin. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it under control.”

My God, if he could do all that with just one arm, what would it be like to work with him at full strength? The thought aroused me, making me even more aware of how close he was to my center. All he had to do was let gravity take his body down, and I would feel him between my legs. As it was, my body ached to rise up and press against his, just inches away.

“What now?” I asked, my voice coming out softer than I’d intended.

His jaw clenched and he waited a moment, just staring at me. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was about to kiss me.

I scanned his face, noting his chin was rough with stubble, which I imagined would feel rough against my cheeks. Lying there with Ian between my legs, I was so flustered I almost pulled him to me right then.




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