Connected by the Sea (Hawaiian Crush #1) by E. L. Todd

Author:E. L. Todd
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: alpha male, love and sex, new adult romance, romantic sex, bestselling romance, new adult sex, contemporary romance

10

“I’m going to train you with weapons,” he said.

“Weapons?” she asked, frightened. “Why?”

“Well, whoever it is you’re afraid of might attack you with a weapon. What would you do then?”

“Run.”

“And what if you can’t?”

She felt her heart accelerate. “I—I don’t know.”

“I thought not.” He walked away and grabbed a bat from the corner. He spun it in his wrist while he looked at her.

She immediately stepped back, her vision blurring. The snap of the wood as it collided against her ribs rang in her ears. The way it thudded against the ground as it landed on the tile flooded her mind. The blood stains were etched into her memory. Sweat dripped from her forehead and formed on her palms. She stared at the bat and felt her stomach jump in her throat.

He stared at her, watching her every move. His jaw was clenched tight and there was anger in his eyes. “You’ve been attacked with a bat before.”

She said nothing.

He looked away and closed his eyes, breathing through the pain in his heart. His arms shook with uncontrollable ferocity. “Who did that to you?”

She ignored him as she stared at the bat. She didn’t want him to know how scared she was, but she couldn’t hide her fear. The weapon represented more than just pain.

“Sydney, you should tell the police.”

“Just stop it, okay?” she snapped.

He sighed. “Let’s begin.”

She stepped back with her hands raised. “No. Stop.”

He froze. “Why?”

“I just—no.”

He gripped the bat. “What if it happens again, Sydney? What will you do?”

“I don’t know.”

He marched to her then stopped before her. She avoided his gaze, staring at his chest. “This will happen. I refuse not to help you.”

“I don’t want to use a bat.”

“Too bad. You will overcome this.”

“I can’t.”

“Be strong, Sydney. I will sleep better knowing that you can defeat me. Do this for me.”

“I’m scared.”

“I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

She started breathing heavily, feeling her chest rise and fall with every breath. “You won’t?”

“Never.”

“Okay.”

He kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you.”

She nodded.

Coen stepped back. “Let’s start.”

Coen chased her while he swung the bat, teaching her to miss his strikes and avoid his blows. He never hit her, always deflecting his blows before they touched her skin. He knew she was frightened by the look in her eyes, but she trusted him more. Whatever happened to her was enough to make her appear weak, something he had never seen before.

The hour went by and he trained her to confiscate the weapon from his hands, hurting him in the process. After she felt more proficient in the task, she started to calm down. At first, she wouldn’t even touch the bat, avoiding it at all costs. When she finally got her hands on it, she held it in her grasp for a long time, saying nothing.

When they were finished, he put the bat into the cupboard. As soon as it was out of sight, she relaxed.

“Are you going to tell me now?” he asked. “Or am I wasting my time?”

She avoided his gaze and said nothing.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.