“Show me.”
A laugh bubbled out of his throat, and he quickly attempted to disguise it as a cough, but she had already heard it.
“Did you just –”
“Focus, Nora. You might need to displace your attacker if they come at you from behind. I will do what I can to give you numerous situations and scenarios that will help you recognize that you need to be on guard at all times, but there is only somuch I can do. Men are cunning, plotting creatures that will stop at nothing to get what they want.” Godric told her seriously.
There was a warning in there, somewhere, but Nora had barely heard a thing he said as he drew closer and closer to her, his voice growing softer until she was standing barely a feet away from him.
“Does that include you? Are you the sort of man who would employ all sorts of means and methods to get what you want?” she asked softly.
Godric paused, his eyes flickering over her face for a moment before he replied,
“Only when I have deemed it worth my time. Turn around and close your eyes.”
Nora realized, not for the first time, that she had begun to immensely trust Godric. She did not know when it happened exactly, but she had stopped employing any notion of caution around him for a long time now. It was odd and she did not know what about him made him so trustworthy to her.
Enough that she could look past all of his offenses and be here with him, willing to act as though there was never anything wrong to begin with.
Obediently, Nora turned around, slipping her eyes shut. Moments later, an arm wrapped around her waist loosely andwarm breath hit her ear as he whispered, sending shivers down her spine.
“A man could approach you and touch you inappropriately. If you ever find yourself in this situation, what you need to do is strike backwards with your elbow. Aim high, for his torso and low for his groin. Now… try it. I won’t stop you this time. Do your best to make it hurt.”
Nora tried to keep her breathing even as she tried to gauge how efficient it would be to strike either of the points he had mentioned, but she was distracted by the warmth of his body and the light brush of his nose along the shell of her ear. In a feat of exasperation, she raised her left atm and swung her elbow at an angle, surprised when it came in contact with his side.
In a fit of panic, she whirled around and reached for him,
“What – why didn’t you avoid it?” Nora asked in concern.
“I said I wouldn’t,” he grinned, then winced the next moment. “You are much stronger than I gave you credit for. I am quite impressed.”
“Are you all right?” she questioned, still lingering uncertainly around the room.
He gave her a look of surprise then chuckled. “I promise, you are too frail a thing to do any lasting damage. I am fine.”
With a roll of her eyes, Nora took a step back.
“I managed to hit you, yet you refused to admit that I might not be as weak as you let on. You think basic compliments will suffice. Absolutely not. I want to hear you say that you are very impressed by the promise I have shown today.”
“What promise?” He asked with an air of incredulousness. “You only managed to hit me when in made myself a stationary target. If I attempted to be more of a challenge, you would not be able to do anything.”
Feeling bold, Nora pointed at him indignantly.
“Put me to the test then. Give me a challenge and if I am able to prevail, I deserve appropriate acknowledgement.”
It was almost easy, how Godric’s lips stretched into a grin.
“Are you absolutely certain? And what do I win when I emerge as the victor of this wager?” he queried, his voice so low, it sounded like a purr.
“If you win, I will do anything you ask.” Nora pledged.
The duke’s grin took a dangerous edge and leaned forward slightly, “Are you certain you want to play this game, Nora?”
The way he said her name was almost reverent, like he was worried he would wear it out and all she could think of was to hear him call for her over and over again.
“Absolutely,” she nodded.
Godric studied her for a moment, then he took three steps back, away from her.
