Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 13

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**Change Begins With You — Jayden Collins**
**Chapter 13**

An hour had passed, and with each tick of the clock, I found myself regretting the decision to agree to this training session.

Caden had knocked me down to the ground more times than I cared to count, and his words were sharp, often laced with a teasing edge that made me grit my teeth.

By the time he threw me to the floor for what felt like the hundredth time, my patience had worn thin.

“I’m done!” I exclaimed, pushing against his chest as he held me firmly against the ground. “This isn’t fair, Caden. You know I’m a complete novice!”

“Exactly,” he replied, his tone matter-of-fact. “I’d bet that Leo, even Tylon for goodness’ sake, would go easier on me.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” he continued, his expression deadpan. “This isn’t about being easy. It’s about being efficient. You think you haven’t learned anything today?”

Frustration bubbled inside me. “I know I haven’t!”

“Oh really?” he teased, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Try to get me off of you, and then we can call it a day.”

“Caden, you weigh like twice what I do. How do you expect me to—”

“You can do it. The right motivation will get you there,” he said, his voice steady and unwavering.

I rolled my eyes, exasperated. “I’m exhausted. I haven’t learned a thing, and I definitely can’t flip you. You have my entire body pinned!”

I let out a groan, the weight of the situation pressing down on me.

“You don’t need brute strength for this. You need to aim,” he instructed, his voice low and focused.

“You do realize I’ve never been less muscular in my life?” I shot back, a hint of sarcasm in my tone.

He almost smiled, a flicker of amusement crossing his features. “Your body knows more than you give it credit for.”

With renewed determination, I tried to shift him off me, but he felt like a solid boulder—unyielding and immovable.

“Focus, Maya,” he urged, his tone firm. “What’s one thing you can do… something you’ve already done, even when pinned?”

The heat radiating from his chest met the coolness of my breath, and for a moment, my mind went blank, the words escaping me.

“Look for your advantage. Your size isn’t a weakness,” he encouraged, his gaze steady. “Look closely.”

I concentrated, but my thoughts felt scattered, as if I was staring at the world through a narrow tunnel. The rhythm of his breathing filled my ears, drowning out everything else.

He pressed down harder, and I instinctively quarter-turned, lifting my forearm to guide his shoulder past me. He attempted to pin me again, but I pressed my elbow to the ground, making it more challenging for him this time.

“There,” he said quietly, a hint of satisfaction in his voice when the movement finally felt like it belonged to me. “You found it.”

“What if someone is bigger?” I asked, my brow furrowing.

He glanced down at his own physique, as if the answer was self-evident. “Few are,” he replied. “We don’t trade force. We steal balance.”

I wasn’t sure how my body managed to find that balance, but it did. I shifted the way he had shown me, rolled through, and within moments, I was able to flip myself from beneath him.