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“I don’t remember you—”
He shrugs and tilts his head to the side. “Or did I dream that?”
The room fills with laughter as we all start passing food around and the conversations go on around me. I’m more than content with sitting here and listening to them all talk as Eli continues to expand on who Vision is, ending with, “He and Scarlet Witch get married.”
I almost choke on my drink but manage to keep it down as Evan’s arm extends behind Eli’s chair and to my shoulder to gain my attention.
I turn toward him, giving him a soft smile and basking in the atmosphere that surrounds us. This right here is a family, a family that has been manmade but you can feel the love and respect that surrounds all of them.
Chatter surrounds the ladies from my Friday self-defense class as they file out of the door. My gaze lingers on the hallway, knowing that Lexi is close by. I haven’t seen her since Tuesday at the family meal. I don’t know if it’s a conscious decision or not. Whether I’m pulling away, afraid that she’ll see me differently after everything that I told her.
I don’t want her to think I’m weak: I’m not that same child who begged to be fed to no avail. I like to think I’m a different person now, but sometimes I feel just as scared as I did back then. Scared that I’ll lose her, that she won’t want to be with me now that she knows how my life started out.
Once they’ve all left out of the main door, I dip down, grabbing one of the mats and rolling it up as I try to quiet the thoughts that are bashing around in my head.
A throat clearing gains my attention, and I whip my head up.
“Hey.” Lexi smiles, leaning on the doorframe to the room and watching me with knowing eyes. She opens her mouth and I prepare for her to call me out for avoiding her, because that’s what I’ve been doing, not wanting to confront the possibility that she won’t look at me the same way she did before. “Teach me.”
I frown, not understanding what she’s saying until she steps toward me, stopping a few feet away.
“What?”
“Teach me some self-defense.”
I tilt my head to the side, studying her. What is she doing?
“Lex, I’m sor—”
Her finger lands on my lips, effectively shutting me up before she shakes her head, her eyes shining with understanding.
“Show me some moves.”
I swallow, placing my hand around her wrist and bringing it up to my lips, planting a soft kiss there and not taking my gaze off hers. I watch as her eyes flutter shut before they open back up.
“Have you ever done any self-defense?” I ask, deciding that if she wants to not bring it up then I won’t either.
She shakes her head, her eyes glazing over as she stares over my head. “No.”
I want to ask her what that look is for but I can see she’s inside her own head, so instead, I place my hands on her shoulders, spinning her around to face the mirrored wall as I stand behind her.
“I teach people the easiest and fastest ways to get away from a possible attacker. Injure them enough to escape and call for help.”
“What if you can’t run away?” she asks, her voice low as she meets my gaze in the mirror. “Never mind, continue.” She waves her hand in the air, cutting me off.
I’m silent for a beat as I study her before I take a breath. “There’s several body parts that are considered the weak points, these are three that I teach first.” I point to her eyes. “The first are the eyes.” I hold my hands out in front of me, thumbs out sideways. “You push your thumbs into them as hard as you can.”
I take her hands in mine, placing them in the correct position before letting go and placing my hand on her stomach under her breasts. I watch as her breath falters, her eyes flicking down to where I’m holding her.
I push closer, letting my front touch her back as I say, “The second is the solar plexus. One hard hit will knock the wind out of someone, giving you time to flee.”
Her eyes come back up to mine, hesitating. “Okay,” she says on a breath. “What’s the third?”
My other hand grips her hip as I step even closer to her, feeling the curve of her ass pressed against me. I hold her still, soaking her in. Her legs shine with a slight tan, the white ripped jean shorts making the color pop. My hand on her stomach fists the pale-yellow flowing top, wanting nothing more than to feel her skin under the palm of my hand.
Her teeth sink into her bottom lip as she watches me, her hand coming to rest behind her on my thigh. I stutter a shaky breath at the contact.
“Groin,” I finally say, my voice deep and gruff. My hand wanders over her shorts, laying my palm flat again
