“Fine. Be a jerk. I tell you all about my stuff…” I spun around preparing for him to attack me from behind. Maybe I’d throw in an extra kick or something this time around. I suppose I couldn’t blame him much for not opening up with me when I’d stayed pretty superficial as well.
He came at me and grabbed my neck from behind. I jabbed my elbow to his gut, stepped on his foot, then rushed my fist toward his face. He ducked and jumped out of my move to punch his groin…like he’d taught me.
He rubbed his gut and said, “I should piss you off more often. Nice job!”
I stuck out my tongue at him, but he was right. I’d executed what he’d taught me better than I had so far. Maybe heshouldpiss me off more often. It seemed to empower me. What I really wanted, though, was for him to tell me about why he wasn’t working. He never talked about himself or his past, and even though he insisted on remaining only friends, I wanted to be closer to him. Learn more about him and what made this walking contradiction tick.
He jammed his fingers through his hair. “I got…well…you remember the black eye a few weeks ago?”
I nodded, hopeful he’d finally tell me something.
“It was a fight at work. I got…a little rough with the ass—er—the guy, and my boss said I needed some time off.” His jaw ticked and his hands fisted. A deep breath expanded his already massively broad chest.
I’d just buried my elbow in his gut, and probably bruised my skin as a result, but he didn’t appear the least bit phased.
“A little rough?” I stepped back from him. He suddenly felt twice as big as he was.
“He was harassing a girl, and I went a little…off on him.”
“What happened?”
“He had a few broken bones.”
“Hunter! You broke his bones?”
“Hell yeah I did. Felt them cracking, heard them, too. That asshole deserved it—but it got—he was hurting that girl, Lina.” He shook his head and with a grunt he turned toward the windows. “Lina, I…I can’t stand it when guys throw their strength around like that. He was hurting that girl.” His shoulders slumped forward. “And I…”
“Snapped,” I whispered.
He stared out the window, but I felt the anger radiating from him. He didn’t need to say anything, the air around him vibrated with emotion. Pent up emotion.
“I pictured you, Lina. Getting taken advantage of. I couldn’t let that happen. Won’t let some stupid prick rob a woman of her life.”
“Like I’ve been robbed.” I stepped toward him, my frustration with him pushing me away melted with every inch I moved. He had such a rough exterior and put up a jagged front, but he was nothing other than a kind, selfless, caring man.
“And Mom.”
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
He stepped out of my reach, shaking his head, and I saw his jaw was tense. His hands were still fisted, his chest heaving.
I finally got it at that moment. He was a walking time bomb; one little trigger away from exploding. He wasn’t much different than me only my bomb wasn’t violence. No, I passed out.
Talk about contrasting reactions.
Maybe that was why I was so comfortable around him. He’d never hurt me, but he’d sure as heck would hurt someone to protect me, and I’d never had that before. I’d not been able to protect myself—nobody had been.
Until now. This guy would, and he would teach me to protect myself, too, so I’d never be vulnerable again. And those women at the gym, he was helping them. It all made sense now.
“Thank you, Hunter, for teaching me self-defense, so I’ll never be robbed again.” His posture relaxed. “You might have anger issues, but you’re dealing. You’re teaching me to defend myself. And those people you teach in your classes. That’s awesome.”
He grunted, and I stepped in front of him.
“Grunt all you want. I think you’re wonderful.” I put my hands on his chest. “You’ve brought me out of my shell. I’m moving around the hotel. I’ve made it down to the end of the block. You’ve been instrumental in that, Hunter. And this…teaching me self-defense. How can I thank you for that?”
“Coming to my class next week would be thanks enough.”
I let out a calm, centering breath, as I contemplated the idea. I’d gotten down to the end of the block this week. Sure, Jenna had to virtually hold my hand during the event, but still. It’d been a big step.