Chasing His Kickass Luna Back

Abby

I wake up early the next morning, determined to start my training with Karl.

As I make my way to the home gym, a mixture of excitement and nerves courses through me. Karl is already there when I walk in, and the sight of him stretching leaves me momentarily breathless.

His shirt clings to his muscular frame, and the way he moves is both graceful and powerful as he stretches. I try not to stare, but I can't help it. He catches my gaze in the mirror, his eyes meeting mine, and a small smirk plays on his lips.

"What are you waiting for?” he asks, his voice low and inviting. “Come on in and start stretching. We've got work to do.”

I blink, realizing I've been standing there like a deer caught in headlights. Gathering my composure, I step into the gym and begin to stretch over on a mat.

"So," Karl says as he approaches, “are you ready for your first day of training?”

“Sort of," I say with a slight chuckle. “It's been a while. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I trained like this.”

Karl smirks and sits down beside me. Our knees touch as we stretch alongside each other. “I'll only go a little hard on you,” he teases. “Oh, and by the way, you're not gonna stretch your hamstrings properly if you keep doing that.”

I frown as I look down at myself. “What's wrong with the way I'm doing it?”

Karl sighs, and without a word, he gets up and puts his hands on me. “It's like this...”

My heart pounds in my chest as his hands guide me, his touch gentle yet firm. I can't help but wonder if he's playing up our attraction to distract me from the fact that he announced a fake relationship at the party without ever discussing it with me.

It's a thought that lingers in the back of my mind as I try to focus on my training, but I also can't deny the fact that I'm horribly, undeniably attracted to him right now.

When we're finished stretching, Karl stands up, placing his hands on his hips.

"Alright, now that that's done,” he says, “let's do some warmups before we officially get started.”

I nod, grateful for the chance to shift our focus away from the charged atmosphere that has just unwittingly developed between us. “Sounds good,” I reply, trying to sound more confident than I really feel at the moment.

Karl demonstrates the first exercise, a set of burpees. He moves with ease, his body a well-oiled machine. “Start with these,” he says. “It'll get your heart rate up and your muscles warm.”

I follow his lead, but I can't help but feel self-conscious. I always hated burpees. My movements are stiff and awkward compared to his fluid motions. I can see the hint of a smile on his face as he watches me, and it gives me a pang of annoyance.

“Is something funny?” 1 ask, trying to hide my irritation.

Karl shakes his head, his smile widening. “Not at all,” he replies. “I'm just impressed with your dedication, that's all. You're doing great.”

His praise makes me blush, and I start pushing myself to keep up with the exercises a little bit better. We move on to high knees, and I struggle to lift my knees as high as Karl does. He doesn't say anything, but his encouraging nods keep me going.

Next, Karl introduces mountain climbers, and I'm relieved that this exercise allows me to catch my breath. As I follow his lead, I notice the way his muscles ripple with each movement. It's hard not to be distracted by his physique, but I force myself to focus on the task at hand.

Once we finish the warm-up exercises, Karl looks satisfied. “Good job, Abby,” he says. “You're not nearly as out of shape as you seem to think.”

Thanks to our exertion in combination with his compliments, my earlier annoyance is almost forgotten. “Thanks,” I say. “I guess I'm not totally hopeless after all.”

Karl chuckles, and the sound of it sends a warm jolt down my spine. “You're far from hopeless,” he says. “You've got a lot of potential, and with some more training, you might actually be able to take me on in a fight.”

His words make me blush. “Who's to say I can't take you on now?” I tease.

He smirks. “Let's put that to the test, shall we?”

We take off our shoes and step onto the mat.

Over the next half hour, Karl shows me the basics of hand-to-hand combat, and he's a tough instructor. He pushes me hard, making me sweat and pushing me to my limits. At times, I get frustrated with myself for not picking up the techniques quickly enough.

"Come on, Abby,” he says, his voice firm. “You've got to focus. Keep your guard up.”

I nod. I'm determined to do better, to push myself, to get the movements down. But as we continue, I can't help but notice the intensity of our close proximity. Our bodies brush against each other, and I become acutely aware of his presence.

My wolf stirs. The tension between us is palpable.

Thanks to my momentary distraction, Karl manages to pin me to the floor. His weight presses down on me, and I struggle to break free. Our faces are inches apart, and I can feel his breath on my skin. My heart races as I realize how vulnerable I am in this position.

"You left yourself wide open,” he says, his voice low and dangerously seductive. “I could kill you right now if I wanted to.”

I stare up at him, breathless, and our eyes lock. The desire in his gaze mirrors my own, and it's almost unbearable. Our lips are mere inches apart, and I can feel the magnetic pull between us.

But just as our lips are about to touch, I gather every ounce of strength I have left and flip him onto his back, pinning him down. My chest heaves as I catch my breath, and I'm once again made acutely aware of our bodies pressed together.

“Now you're the one who got distracted,” I whisper, my voice a little shaky. “You let your guard down.”

Karl smirks, his eyes still locked on mine. “Huh. I guess you got me,” he admits, his voice low and filled with desire.

The tension in the room is thick, and I can feel the heat between us. But we both know that now isn't the time or place for this. We have training to do, and we can't spend all day rolling around on the floor and playing mind games with each other.

“Alright,” Karl says with a grin, tapping the floor with his hand. “I tap out. You win this round, Abby." With a reluctant sigh, I push myself up off of the floor and offer Karl a hand to help him to his feet. He takes it, and as we stand there, our eyes locked, I can't keep myself from noticing how close our bodies are to one another, and how neither of us lets go of the other's hand right away.

Or maybe it's just me who's reluctant to let go, because Karl's smirk and his teasing voice breaks the silence.

“You gonna let me go, Abby?”