Page 252 of When We Fall: Part One

Matteo De Santis wasn’t a small man. He was easily the same size as Anson and may have even more muscle. He clearly worked out, meaning he probably knew what the hell he was doing. I was a complete noob who tried to log away all the words and moves Alessio and Klaus had shown me.

“Ready?” He turned back to me.

“No,” I called out, my voice trembling.

He let out a soft laugh and charged at me.

Good god, the man could move. He was on me within moments. I dipped and dodged him, making him grin widely. I even blocked one of his hits before kicking him in the shin. He winced and backed away, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Good,” he said. “But faster. More power. More meaning behind the kick. You won’t hurt me,bel fiore.”

I nodded, and he charged back at me. We went around on the mat for a long time. I was doing everything I could to hold him off. Maybe tire him out, even.

But he was a damn machine. Nothing seemed to tire him out. Not my hits. Kicks. Dodging out of his reach. I knew he was frustrated that he couldn’t catch me. At least I had that going for me.

I managed to dart away from his latest strike. He reached out lightning fast, grabbed my ponytail, and yanked hard. I let out a shriek as I fell to my knees.

That was it. He was on me within seconds. He had me pinned on my back in the same position Alessio had me in earlier.

“Don’t you dare cry,” he warned as my throat tightened with the impending tears. “You fight,bel fiore, and you don’t fucking stop. Do you hear me? FIGHT. Do you want to go home? Knock me off you.”

I wanted to go home so bad.

I focused on remembering what Alessio and Klaus had taught me. It wasn’t easy because Matteo was relentless in pinning me down.

He made the mistake of releasing my arm when I brought my left leg up to bend it. He tried to grab my leg, but I tore my other arm free from his hold and pushed at his waist with my hands. My hands brushed against his bare, muscular torso, damp with sweat. It took me all of a moment to grab onto his pants at his hips and push as hard as I could downward, all while I twisted beneath him quickly.

The moment I had some space, I brought my right foot back and kicked him full-on in the face, knocking him backward and off me. Quickly, I scooted away from him and got to my feet.

“Nice!” Klaus shouted, clapping his hands. He’d apparently finished his popcorn.

I sucked in breath after breath as Matteo got to his feet, his face bloody from my kick.

“Are you OK?” I went to him, worried I’d hurt him. I hadn’t pulled the kick either. Remorse flooded through my veins as I took in the mess his face was.

He wiped at the blood from his nose and busted lips before grabbing me and tugging me against his bare torso.

“Good job,” he praised, his lips at my ear as he hugged me. “I’m proud of you. I knew you could do it.”

It took me a moment to gather my wits, but I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back once I did.

“We will work more on this.” He pulled away and gave me a fond smile. “For now, your reward.”

I grinned and hugged him again, making him chuckle softly.

Once I pulled away, he led me to his office, where Alessio and Klaus were in tow.

“Get her something to drink,” Matteo said, stepping into the attached bathroom to his office.

Klaus grabbed a bottle of water as I sat on the leather couch.

“You did well, hummingbird,” Klaus said. “I, too, am proud of you.”

“As am I,” Alessio said. “No one has ever gotten the upper hand on Matteo. Most impressive.”

“You don’t think he let me?” I asked.

Klaus shook his head. “No. Matteo doesn’t let anyone win. Ever. It was a good move on your part.”