“I can walk!”
But again he ignored her and took the steps two at a time, leaving her rather impressed and even more nervous. Whatever he had planned for her, he was eager to get started.
“Look, you’re obviously mad about something and I think that maybe we should sit down and talk this over.
Doesn’t that sound like a good idea?” she asked brightly, hoping it would help convince him.
Still he said nothing. Once they reached their floor he stormed out of the stairwell and carried her to their room. She grabbed the waist of his jeans and raised herself up so that she could look around the hall and hopeful spot someone she could beg to help her. Of course with her luck there was no one.
Her mouth went dry when he slammed their hotel room door shut behind them. This was it, she thought trying to mentally prepare herself for what was about to happen, but couldn’t. How exactly did one prepare for a spanking, she wondered as he dropped her on her feet.
“Take your shoes off,” he said tightly, as he yanked his sneakers off and tossed them to the side.
“Why?” she asked him warily as she discretely tried to back away from him.
“Because I’m going to teach you how to fight. Now move your ass, Munchkin, before I change my mind.”
Chapter 31
“Stop laughing! I’m trying to kick your ass here!” Izzy said, obviously trying not to laugh and sound stern as she tightened her hold around his waist and tried to pull him to the ground.
“Do you want some help?” he asked, enjoying himself more than he ever thought possible, which was actually funny since he’d come close to killing someone not even an hour ago.
He shouldn’t be laughing and enjoying himself. He should still be pissed and needing to take his rage out on someone or something, but his little Munchkin soothed him in a way he never thought possible. If anything he should be really pissed that she was playing around and not taking this seriously, especially since it pissed him off that she couldn’t fight and some f**king human male had put his hands on her, because she’d been helpless to stop him.
Never in his life had he wanted to kill someone more than that son of a bitch who dared to put his hands on his mate, his wife. He wanted to tear the bastard apart and probably would have if he hadn’t felt the need to get Izzy out of there and somewhere safe. It was an urge he couldn’t ignore and one that confused the shit out of him. She was his in every way that mattered and her safety had been his only concern.
After he’d seen her helpless and cornered by that ass**le he knew that he couldn’t depend on those entrusted with her care to be there every second of the day to make sure nothing happened to her. She needed to be trained whether or not her abilities surfaced.
Surprisingly she was learning, quickly. She might be laughing and being playful with him, but she was learning and for the first time in years he was truly enjoying himself.
Working with his father was great. He loved his father, loved spending time with him and sparing with him, but it was always a job to him. Something he had to do to be the best and keep his family safe. It hadn’t always been like that. Back in the beginning when his father started to teach him he’d loved it. He had a great time with Ephraim. They laughed, they joked and he’d enjoyed every minute of it.
Everything changed after he was shot. Workouts became a way to get his body back under his control.
Sparing with his father or anyone for that matter was a way to get his skills up and his job became everything in his world. He’d stopped hanging out with his friends, didn’t watch television, play video games with his brother, or do any of the typical teenage bullshit that Jill and Joshua did. He took every f**king thing in his life seriously.
With his Munchkin he felt alive, carefree and happy.
He knew he was being a selfish bastard by allowing himself to enjoy being with her since he was going to be the one to send her away the first chance that he had, but he couldn’t help himself. He loved the way she smiled, the little growl she made when she was about to “attack” him and the way she was playful even as she did whatever he asked.
“I want to try and flip you over my shoulder again,” she announced, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.
“Okay, but do you want me to show you how to do it again first?” he asked, placing a hand on top of her head to keep her still.
“Yes!” she said, laughing as she moved behind him and climbed onto the small coffee table so that she could wrap her arm around his neck.
He waited until she stopped moving before he started.
“Are you ready, Munchkin?”
“Yes!” she said excitedly and he couldn’t help but smile.
Izzy wasn’t his first student, but she was definitely his favorite. When his father asked him to teach Jill how to fight, because the big pushover couldn’t stomach the idea of hurting his little girl he’d made damn sure that his sister could protect herself in any given situation.
Of course she made damn sure that he knew he was a bastard each and every day that she left the basement limping, bruised and cursing up a storm that often got her in trouble with their grandmother, but by the time he was done with her she knew her shit and he didn’t have to worry about her, much.
The same thing happened when his father asked him to teach Madison how to fight, because the bastard couldn’t hurt his wife, that and every attempt to teach her apparently ended with the two of them tearing their clothes off each other. He’d been more than happy to teach her and she’d been more than happy to go for his throat the few hundred times he’d pissed her off.
Joshua had been his most eager student. For years he’d watched Chris spar with their father and they let him play around a time or two. His brother at fifteen had come into the basement cocky as hell and left bruised, bloodied and trying not to cry as he glared at Chris and their father. When they resisted, didn’t listen or bitched he pushed them harder and harder until he felt they could handle themselves in a fight.
He still made them train with him once a month to make sure that their skills were up to date. If they tried to get out of it, he hunted them down and dragged them to the basement where he wouldn’t allow them to leave until they met his requirements. Needless to say he wasn’t their favorite person for a few days out of every month, but it was his job and he made sure he did it.
At least Marc still loved training with him. Granted, he mostly played around with his little brother, but he made sure the boy had some skills that would help save him on the playground and if some ass**le ever tried to grab him. His brother knew at least two dozen ways to bring a full grown man to his knees and most of those moves consisted of a ball shot, something his little mate had been excited to learn and learned quickly.