Limitless Love (Lotus House #4)(65)
I went for him fast, trying to impress the teacher. He got a lock on my shoulders, and then I shoved my hands between his, gripped his shoulders, and pressed my thumbs to the area. He let go immediately.
“Yes! Perfect. You’ve got it. The best part about this hold is that it puts you in an awesome position to pull the man down lower than your hips and knee that sucker in the face!”
He shifted forward until I got the hint and pulled him low and then brought up my knee in slow motion.
“Nice, Moe. You attack that the same way you attack the eyes. Thumbs right to the indentation. There’s also the carotid arteries that run on either side of the trachea here.” He grabbed my hand and placed it on his neck, pressing his fingers into the sides of the cylindrical shape of his neck. Just that hold made me uncomfortable, and I was the one touching it. His Adam’s apple bobbed and I let go.
“Take a claw-like approach with thumb and forefingers around the cylindrical shape. Press in and squeeze to your heart’s content. The goal here is to get his hands off you. His goal may change when you attack these sensitive places to getting your hands off him.” He chuckled manically, his slick hair falling forward across his forehead. Nick had thick well-groomed eyebrows that arched beautifully but also had a very sinister appearance when he contorted his face the way he was now.
I squinted at him and snarled dramatically. “Don’t be scary, Nick. It won’t work on me!”
We both laughed and backed up into position. I glanced at the clock. It had already been almost an hour, and I hadn’t even thrown him to the ground the way I’d seen in the movies.
“When do I get to flip you over my shoulder?”
He blinked, smirked, and then shook his head. “Angel, you are not going to throw me over your shoulder. You, sweetheart, are being taught practical defense today. We may get into the crazier moves months down the road when you’re an expert on these.”
I pouted. “Bummer.”
“What I will teach you, though, is how to get out of a hold if your attacker is trying to rape you,” he clarified meaningfully.
Rape.
The thought of rape had never even crossed my mind, which was utterly asinine because, really, any woman was at risk at any given time. I just didn’t believe Kyle had that type of attack in mind when it came to me. No, he’d gone straight for the jugular so he could get to the pocketbook.
“I tell all the folks in my self-defense classes that the ultimate goal is to always stay standing. That way, you can strike your attacker and run away. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. If you’re in the unfortunate situation of being brought to the ground…” Nick swiped my legs out from under me so fast I lost my breath. He hovered over me. His hands went straight for my neck and looped around it loosely. Fire rippled up my sore back where I’d fallen to the mat. Luckily this was practice instruction and I was on thick padding, or I would’ve been in a world of hurt.
“If you’re ever stuck with a man on top of you, I’m going to show you how to get yourself out of it.”
I flashed on Kyle straddling me, pulling my hair, and forcing my head back so that my back arched unnaturally. I had been completely immobilized.
“But what if he has me facing down?”
“Turn around fast. Shove and twist until you can.” I nodded and he smiled. “Now what would you do in this particular position? Don’t think. Use your instincts!” he encouraged.
Squirming around, I shoved my arms up and against his chest. He grinned wickedly and shook his head.
“Nope, angel. Wrong. That would allow him to slam your head into the ground and punch and choke you like so.” He lifted my head and it flopped back onto the mat, and then he pretended to punch me. “Instead, what you want to do is wrap your hands around my neck and bring me down against your chest.”
I frowned. “That’s counterintuitive. I want to bring you close to my lady bits?” I gasped in shock.
He chuckled. “Just go with it.”
“Fine.” I sighed, brought my hands around Nick’s thick neck, and pulled him toward my chest. He rested his forehead between my breasts. “What next?”
“You let his ass go and you have your instructor switch places with your boyfriend.” Clayton’s deep rumble broke through our concentration. “Nick, I see you’ve got yourself in a great position.”
Nick being Nick, as in the epitome of an Italian Stallion, pressed up and onto his fists while still hovering over me. “That I do. My job is awesome. Being on top of a sexy woman… What could be bad about that?”
“Her boyfriend could kick your ass from here to kingdom come?” Clay deadpanned, but Nick wasn’t having any of it.
Nick ruffled the top of my head, messing up my hair for the hell of it the same way a big brother would. Nick had a bunch of sisters, and he was the only boy in the family. That made him keenly overprotective when it came to those he cared about, and his big-brother side came out easily. We had that type of relationship, and it was the same with all of the female teachers at Lotus House and the regulars like me. He and Mila were really good friends too, and because of my relationship with her, he also put me in the friend category.
Nick shifted up and onto one hand before kneeling and standing.
“Come on, Clay. You may be big, but I teach boxers for a living, and you haven’t been in the ring in a long time. I’d wipe the floor with you,” he goaded good-naturedly.