Page 73 of A Forbidden Arrangement

Despite my skepticism,I listened to Xander’s instructions, following them as closely as possible.

“It’s one thing to know the moves. It’s a whole other thing to execute them. You need to be stable, or you’ll be the one knocked over.”

I square up to him, feet apart, and steady myself.

He clicks his tongue, flat palm shoving against my hip, and I stumble sideways.

“Wider.” His foot taps inside of mine, widening my stance, then pushes the left one back. He pushes my hip again, but this time, I hold my own. “Good, much better.”

Warmth pulls in my stomach with his praise, and I have to look away from him to hide my blush. Surprisingly, Xander has been a fantastic teacher. Patient. Never making me feel bad, no matter how many times I have to repeat it.

Then here I am, an awful student lusting after him. The student-teacher idea fills my brain, and Xander has to snap in front of my face to get my attention.

“What are you thinking about, pretty girl?” He’s scanning my face, then brushes his knuckles over my no doubt red cheeks. The space between us closes, and my breath hitches as I leancloser. Just like that, Xander’s got me flipped over his shoulder and lying flat on my back.

I heave, the air knocked out of me. He’s done this countless times, and I’m positive my entire body is going to feel it in the morning.

“No matter what happens, don’t drop your guard.” I take his extended hand and let him lift me to my feet.

“You did that on purpose.”

A knowing smirk tugs at his mouth. “So what if I did? They’re not going to play fair, Dahlia. They won’t wait for you to be ready.”

His words hit where they’re meant to. I know he’s right, but it still grates. No matter how many times we’ve practiced, I haven’t managed to move him an inch.

“I don’t think I can do this.”

“Yes, you can.”

“You have over fifty pounds on me.”

“So what? Are you going to let that stop you?” he asks, grabbing a water bottle from the floor. He offers it to me first, but I shake my head. He tips it back, drinking deeply, water running down his throat.

Fine. Two can play this game.

I grab the hem of my shirt and pull it over my head, letting it drop to the floor. His gaze hits me hard, lashes low, pupils blown. It drags down my chest, slow and hungry, and I can feel every inch of it.

Wasting no time, I kick his foot out from under him and shove his chest before he can react. He grunts when he hits the mat, the sound echoing through the gym. For a second, he just stares up at me, stunned, and then a slow smile spreads across his face, and he starts to laugh.

“I told you you could do it.”

“I cheated a little.”

He holds out his hand, and I take it to help him up, but he pulls harder than I expect. I stumble forward and end up on top of him, straddling his waist, breath caught in my throat.

He holds me firmly in place, hands planted on my thighs when I try to get off.

Any hint of humor from a second ago has vanished.

“Dahlia, if you’re ever in the position of needing to defend yourself, I want you to use anything you can to get out of there. There’s no such thing as cheating when it comes to this.” His voice, low and controlled, drives across just how serious he is.

Swallowing hard, I nod and grip his fingers to pry his grip from me. It’suseless. He just tightens harder and then slides me back like I weigh nothing. My eyes close, and I barely catch my whimper when his hard length presses up into my core.

Rough hands slide up my sides, wrapped around my waist, and I can’t help myself from rocking against him.

“That’s not fair.”

He hums under his breath. “Did you think there wouldn’t be repercussions for taking your shirt off like this? I told you before, don’t tempt me.”