Page 76 of Ruthless

I find I’m becoming quite comfortable with the color.

Those afternoons become one of my favorite times of day. Marco, Angela, and I sit around the velvet damask chairs, chatting about everything and nothing. Gregor’s there, too, but he’s on duty, still very much on Dante’s shit list after the attack.

One night, Marco, who may very well be a professional drinker, invites us all to cocktails, but I call it quits after my first rum and Coke. Feeling bold, I wander over to Gregor while the other two raid Dante’s liquor cabinet and pat his shoulder. “You should try relaxing sometimes.” I point to Marco across the room, who’s waving two bottles of bourbon in the air to keep them from Angela’s reach. “You see that guy? He’s thepictureof laid-back.”

Gregor glances at me before poking his tongue in his cheek. “You think so?” His eyes slip back to Marco, and I swear he flinches. “Because I’ve heard stories. I mean, there’s a reason the boss trusts him with you, and it doesn’t have anything to do with them being brothers.” I almost dismiss his words until I peer at Marco and recognize a familiar darkness in his eyes as he studies Angela, who’s pouring amber liquid into two crystal highballs.

When Marco notices my gaze, the darkness disappears beneath his signature lazy grin. Not before I spot a glimpse of something else, though…a soul hardened by tragedy and cruelty. Strangely enough, I feel safer for it.

When I’m able to catch Dante in passing one night, I confess how helpless I felt during the break-in, and he agrees to lessons in self-defense and basic gun safety. In fact, he seemed pissed and even a little guilty that he didn’t think of it sooner. At some point, our captor-prisoner dynamic shifted, though neither of us has mentioned the change aloud.

Unfortunately, between the Ghost and the mole, his time is precious, so I don’t know who to expect when I walk into the gym a few days later. Since I’m the first to arrive, I start stretching, casting a wary eye toward my old cell block before I tear my gaze away. I’m not the same girl I was when I came here, which I’m eager to prove.

My new workout set, a pair of fitted yoga pants that sits high on my waist and a cropped tank that fits more like a sports bra, lifts my mood, though. I’ve never owned anything this high-quality before, and it’s nice being able to hop around without worrying about one of the girls going skydiving.

The shuffle of approaching feet draws my attention, and when I glance up, my lips hitch into a wide smile. “You’re here.”

Dante’s shirtless and wearing black athletic shorts that showcase his toned thighs. Once I drag my eyes away from the corded muscles, I note the dark circles under his eyes. The strain from late nights deepens the lines on his face, yet he still manages a cocky retort. “Don’t look so happy to see me.”

I roll my eyes, gathering my hair up in a ponytail so the honey blond strands stay out of my face. Dante tracks the movement like a predator stalking prey. Even now, with the world falling down around our ears, he regards me like he could devour me whole.

My lower belly tightens. Raising a brow, I slide my tongue over my bottom lip and enjoy the way his body tenses in response.

“Focus.” The warning is as much for me as it is for him.

“That’s what I’m doing.” He rakes his eyes up and down my body with excruciating leisure.

“Pig! You know that’s not what I meant.” I toss one of the towels they keep by the edge of the ring at him, and he catches it with ease, flashing me a devious smile. It reminds me so much of Marco’s easy grin that I snort.

“You’re a privilege to look at,tesoro.” His seductive purr is laced with something more serious. I chuckle, determined to keep the mood light, as he joins me in the ring and leads us through a series of stretches.

As we get into it, he’s all business, though his touch lingers on my thighs and hips.

Given recent events, days have passed since we’ve been intimate, and each graze of his skin against mine heightens my growing arousal. The touches conjure delicious memories of all the ways we’ve fucked before, and for the sake of the lessons, I pray he doesn’t notice the direction of my thoughts.

Once we finish warming up, he helps me to my feet, and we practice a simple jab, hook, step that seems painfully repetitive.

I thrust my fist forward, and he easily captures my wrist. “Always keep your guard up, and when you throw your hook, make sure you pivot this back foot. Good.”

With the light sheen of sweat that starts to coat his bare upper half, it’s hard to concentrate on the drills. When I falter, Dante moves behind me, his body lining up with mine while he grips my wrists from behind.

Perfect.

“Step forward, jab, hook.” He urges me to follow his commands, his presence a wall of flames along my spine and his breath fanning across the shell of my ear. We flow through the sets until sweat beads on my skin and Dante’s every touch shockwaves straight to my center.

Everything feels surprisingly intense. Not only due to my raging hormones, but because for the first time in ages, Dante handles me with the old gentleness instead of destructiveness. But as much as I’d like to linger in this miracle, I retreat. I want to take this seriously and focusing while in his arms is futile. “Let’s run through it again.”

After a brief hesitation, Dante nods. He raises his palms, presenting them as targets. He can’t treat me like porcelain. Not here. I’ll never get any stronger that way, and I refuse to be a burden again. My goal is to prevent anyone from using me as leverage against Dante or Jeremy, and neither Gregor nor Marco can babysit me twenty-four seven.

I’ll have to be my own line of defense, but that only works if I learn how to protect myself.

I lunge, jab, and hook. The motions are almost second nature now, and I throw in an extra jab for good measure. Dante deflects my next punch and hooks his foot around my ankle. He shifts his weight, the room spinning as he flips me onto the mat.

“What are you thinking about,bella?”

He settles over me, and I groan, rocking against him, hungrily, my body all too eager for his brand of pleasure. “Why are you bothering to teach me any of this?” My arms go around his neck so that I can toy with the hair curling at the nape of his neck. “I thought you only wanted me for one thing.”

Dante’s expression softens as he bends forward and kisses me, tracing his tongue along the seam of my lips. “I want to keep you safe. And I wantyouto know how to keep yourself safe.”