Page 81 of Ruthless God

Matteo came at me. With a scream, I ran over to Massimo and hid behind him.

No one said anything for a while.

I could practically hear the way all three men were thinking the same thing about me. That I was a coward.

Massimo turned until he was facing me. “Luna.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to do this. I won’t be able to face off with Matteo.”

He frowned. “But you have to learn.”

My frustration grew. “Why?”

“I told you. Things could happen.”

“Like what? I hardly ever leave the house as it is.”

“And do you think the house would be safe?”

“It’s not?” I asked.

Massimo let out a soft curse and looked away from me briefly. It never even crossed my mind that the house couldn’t be safe.

“Of course it is,” Massimo said. “I made sure of it, but there could be times when it’s not. And even if that’s not the case, do you want to spend the rest of your life holed up in that house like a prisoner?”

“I—”

I shook my head.

“Let’s try it again. And remember what I said. You want to go for Matteo’s weak points. His nose, his throat, and his groin.”

I blushed just thinking about going anywhere near Massimo’s brother’s… groin.

“Baby?”

I nodded and soon found myself facing off with Matteo. I tried hard not to run for Massimo when Matteo started coming toward me. He wrapped his arms around me, his grip firm and unmovable. I tried hard to get free, but I…

I panicked.

“Let go of me!” I yelled.

Matteo cursed as his arms fell away.

“This isn’t working. She’s too scared of him,” Elio said. “Maybe?—”

“She’ll be scared of whoever comes at her, no matter what,” Massimo interrupted.

“She needs to learn how to not panic from the fear.”

Anger bubbled inside me. I was sick and tired of this. Of this entire day, of how stupidly excited I had been earlier when Massimo had come home early and I would get to spend some time with him, and with how he had been since the moment we stepped foot in the boxing ring.

I turned away from them and moved to the ropes.

“Luna?” Massimo called out.

I felt his hand on my shoulder, and I did something I never thought I would do in a million years. I slapped his chest.

He pulled back from me, not in pain but in shock.