51. Careful, Don't Fall

51. Careful, Don't Fall
DAY THREE

The rhythm of my punches slows down as the glass door opens and she steps in like a hurricane, destroying my concentration.

I watch her as she walks in silently, stealing my focus and just lingering around lazily, wiping the equipments like she has no idea what she is doing.

God! She can’t even clean properly. 

I gather my focal point back to the sandbag and punch again, ignoring the way my every muscle is tightening under her gaze.

I know she is staring at me. 

I can feel her eyes trailing down my back, sweeping over my chest, and that alone, invisible touch of her gaze is releasing chemicals in my brain, causing the heat to surge in my body.

I am getting turned on. What the fuck!

I keep punching, realizing how pathetic I am and how much power I have handed over to her that just her mere presence is affecting my body, when she didn’t even lay a finger on me.

Every time she enters the room, my body reacts before my eyes even catch up. Something shifts in me and everything gets super heightened.

My vision. My senses. My smell. All directed towards her.

Don’t.

Focus.

The bag! Not her.

I hear her soft steps closing on me and I pound the sandbag, harder and faster, blocking her presence. 

I used to love being watched. Hundreds of people watched me fight in the ring, flashing lights, cameras, blood, roars of strangers echoing off the cage never bothered me.

Not a single gaze ever got through my armour. But her eyes.. they make me feel like I am stripped down of my own skin.

A sudden cool spray hits my chest, and I freeze. Every muscle lock in place as I feel her hands on me. Soft and deliberate.

Emara wipes down my torso with a dusty cloth, polishing and sanitizing me like I am a goddamn machine. 

Her surprise touch pushes all the wrong buttons in me as she trails down her fingers in a slow, curious and playful way, causing my body to set on hell’s fire.

“What are you doing?” I snap at her sharply.

“I am cleaning germs.” Emara blinks at me with those too-innocent-to-be-an-angel eyes, while playing the devil in my life.

“You are cleaning germs, huh?” My voice drops lower and darker, “Well, I think there might be a few more germs left that you missed, which I want you to clean with your mouth.”

Emara swallows hard, slowly stepping away from me with her scared face. Good! She should be scared of what she just awakened.

“Maybe I should show you exactly where those germs are.” I grin, stalking towards her with a predatory vibe.

Let’s see how long she can play innocent!

Colour drains from her face as she understands my innuendos, and makes a brave attempt by showing her back to the animal.

“Where do you think you are going now?” I growl, pulling her towards me as the bridge of control breaks in me with the flood of sudden want.

Screw the punching bag, I just found a sexier way to relieve stress!

“I-I wanted-d to brush first before cleaning your spot.” Emara stammers, and I feel blood running excitedly in her wrist, under my clutch.

“I don’t think you need to brush your teeth for this kind of cleaning.” I grit my teeth, feeling my blood run hot too.

“No no-I-” Emara stutters, my foot tangles in the hem of that damn bedsheet and her body jerks back, thrown off balance. 

In that split second as she slips, my heart stops beating.

A terrifying image rips through my mind of her falling, the back of her skull slamming into the floor with a dreadful crack, oozing blood all over the floor as her eyes roll back.. lifeless.

NO!

Before the vision even finishes tearing through me, I move at a fast, primal speed. My arms fire forward, catching her in mid-air and wrapping around her waist like steel before gravity could claim her.

Emara gasps, her chest slams into mine as our bodies collide in a sudden breathless knot. Her nails dig into my shoulder for a desperate support, but I don’t flinch. I don’t even breathe.

Because for a second, I thought I lost her. Forever.

Hazel eyes widen as our noses brush. Her breath dances again my mouth, sweet and shaky, while her heart thuds against my chest, wildly syncing with mine. 

I feel her, every inch pressed against mine, alive and breathing, yet my hands refuse to let her go. 

I am scared. 

I am shit scared that if I loosen my grip even a little, she will trip and die.

Her lifeless body lying, blood pooling on the tiles.

The hallucination slices me like a knife, cutting me deep into my bones.

“Careful.” My voice heavy and trembling with adrenaline, “Don’t fall.”

Emara blinks at me, stunned. I don’t look away, not until I make her stand gently on her feet, making sure she won’t slip again and split open her head.

I step back, but the vision still burns behind my eyes. I shake my head hard, trying to delete that hallucination and focus back on the punching bag.

But the panic still lingers in my bones, nearly consuming me. If anything had happened to Emara.. If I had been just one second too slow..

I would have gone insane.