Once Upon a Temptingly Ruinous Kiss - Bree Wolf Page 0,59

toward him.

A small gasp of surprise escaped her, and although her eyes widened in surprise, Drake did not see fear in them. As he pulled her closer, she came almost willingly, curiosity in her eyes.

Drake looked down at her. “You have nothing to fear,” he reminded her, waiting until she nodded in acknowledgment. “Now, try to pull your hand free.”

Drawing upon the lessons he had taught her before, Leonora positioned her feet in a way to give herself leverage. She leaned back and jerked on her arm, trying to free her wrist. Still, his grip remained strong about her. No matter how hard she pulled, she could not free herself. “I can’t,” she said out loud, a fresh spark of curiosity in her eyes as she looked up at him for assistance. “What can I do?”

“You spin around until your back is to me,” he explained slowly, watching her soak up every word. “Then you jab your left elbow into my middle before you drop your weight to break my grip upon your wrist. Once you’re free, you roll out of reach and get back onto your feet.” He looked at her, then raised his brows in question.

Holding his gaze, Leonora nodded in understanding. “And then I run.”

“Precisely.” Drake looked her over, wondering about that strange sensation teasing him. He glanced at his hand still wrapped around her wrist, her skin warm against his. “Ready to begin?”

Leonora breathed in deeply, then nodded. She looked at him for a second longer, then suddenly spun on her heel and into his arms, her back to him.

Now, it was Drake who felt the need to breathe in deeply. She was all but resting in his arms, and he felt a sudden urge to embrace her, to pull her closer and to hold her tight. Her back rested against his chest, and his right arm was almost molded to hers, his hand still wrapped around her wrist. He could feel her every breath, her shoulders rising and falling with each, each a tentative brush of her body against his.

Drake was close to forgetting the world around them, close to forgetting why she was here, why he was teaching her this.

And then Leonora jabbed her left elbow into his middle and immediately dropped her weight.

Drake felt the air forced from his lungs. His hand opened as though he possessed no free will, releasing her arm. He bent over in reflex, his left arm wrapping around his midsection as he saw Leonora roll out of reach and then jump back onto her feet. Within two seconds, she was by the door, her hand on the handle when she stopped and turned back to face him, a broad smile coming to her lips. “It worked!” she exclaimed, a triumphant chuckle drifting from her lips. “It truly worked!”

Slowly breathing in and out, Drake began to straighten, his side feeling a bit tender after her attack. Still, he smiled back at her, all but basking in her triumph, her joy. “You did very well.”

Her gaze darted down to where he clutched his left side, and her eyes immediately darkened. “Oh, no! Did I hurt you?” Quick steps carried her to his side, and she reached out to touch him, brushing his hand aside and feeling his ribs through the fabric of his shirt.

Completely caught off guard, Drake tensed at the sensation of her hands upon him. He all but jerked backwards as the sudden urge to reach for her surged through him, catching him equally off guard. “I’m perfectly fine.” The words left his lips like a bullet fired. Another few steps carried him farther away from her as he cleared his throat and searched almost frantically for something to say.

“Is something wrong?” Leonora asked, a puzzled frown upon her face as she followed in his wake. “You seem…flushed. Are you certain I did not hurt you?”

Drake gritted his teeth, battling contradicting emotions as he struggled to clear his thoughts and find a reasonable reply to her question. “Yes, I am perfectly fine,” he finally ended up repeating himself. “You did remarkably well. I have no doubt that should you ever find yourself in the company of a less than respectful gentleman, you will have no trouble freeing yourself of said company.”

At his words, her face darkened a bit, but she nodded. “I pray you’re right.” She breathed in deeply, and he could see that she was forcing her thoughts into a more reassuring direction. “I must admit I