“If you can manage to move me from this spot, I will concede and you would have won today’s challenges. Only if you are able to move me from this position.”
Nora frowned as he took his stand, folding her arms. “Do you think I am a joke?”
“Do you think that would change anything? The fact remains that you must pass this challenge in order to gain my recognition. I have picked the challenge, and it is up to you to excel.” Godric shrugged, looking as though he was already bored.
Nora pursed her lips and marched towards him, the softness of the blankets beneath her feet seemingly fueling her on her quest and as she arrived before him, she did not think anymore. She simply placed her hands on his chest and pushed as hard as she could.
Almost immediately, two things became apparent. The first was the taut, rough feel of his muscles. She had not gotten the chanceto see him without his shirt on, but she knew just by how strong he was and how easily he maneuvered her body like it was his, that he was built like a warrior. Even now, the feel of him beneath her fingers sparked a need within her, one she knew would drive her feral if she gave it too much attention.
The second thing was that he had not moved an inch. With a stubborn huff, she shoved at him again, and again, grunting when he tutted disapprovingly.
“Is this all you are capable of? I must say, I am quite disappointed.”
“Oh, be quiet,” she snapped breathlessly. “It is not as though you could do it so easily –”
The words had scarcely left her lips when she felt her legs slip out from under her as she was cradled against a solid build. It took her a few seconds to realize that he had lifted her into his arms easily, looking as though he had not used up to even an ounce of his strength.
“I did not expect you to do this much – I am not that cruel. But I at least thought that you would have been able to at least get me to move one foot from this position.” Godric said with a chuckle.
“You are quite mean and I hate you. Put me down.” She demanded, her cheeks burning.
“I’ll give you one more chance. This time, I encourage you to do everything in your power to get me to move. Remember, not everyone will approach you on fair, even ground. You must do what is necessary to obtain your own advantage,” Godric told her, settling her down with the utmost care.
She missed the warmth of his body as soon as it was gone and she desperately hoped his scent would linger on her skin for as long as possible.
Godric took his stance again, but this time he seemed slightly more relaxed than he had previously been. Nora thought of the advice he had given her earlier, all of the common weaknesses he had stated, and an idea came to mind.
She approached him much slower than she had earlier, her gaze locked firmly on his. Godric seemed amused, but he stayed silent, waiting for her to strike.
Nora’s gaze dropped, only for a moment to his lips and by the time they were back on his eyes, she could see that he had been distracted. Swiftly, she clenched her hand into a fist and punched him in the stomach, just above his groin. Godric stumbled backwards in surprise, and Nora used the opportunity to knock him over by throwing herself at him, quite literally.
The duke caught her, like she knew he would, but at the cost of his balance and the both of them went down together.
“Are you out of your mind? You could have gotten gravely hurt! Or much worse! What were you –”
Godric’s complaints cut off as her giggles filled the air. For a moment, he stared down at her as though she had grown another head, but seconds later, he shook his head and begun to chuckle.
“You are something else entirely,” he scoffed, pushing back a lock of her hair that had fallen over her face.
“You say it as though it is a cause for concern.” She rolled her eyes, feeling proud of herself.
“It is,” Godric said, deadpan. “But I will admit that you were quite impressive. I will concede this victory to you and will also acknowledge that you were able to handle all these challenges exceptionally well. Good work.”
Even though it was what she had hoped to hear, his words were not as satisfying as she thought they would be. She did not know when an itch had manifested beneath her skin, but now it had run amok and would drive her mad unless it was soothed.
“That… that is not enough. I need more.”
His eyes widened at her admission and his hands slipped down from her back to her hips, and for a moment, she feared he would push her away again.
But his grip remained, grounded and certain.
“What exactly do you need? Tell me, Nora,” he urged, tightening his hold on her slightly.
Nora’s gaze dropped to his lips, knowing that her desire was written all over her face and hoping he would understand what I said without her needing to say a word.
It seemed to work, because just as she had begun to feel as though she had made a grave mistake, being so forward with her desire, one of Godric’s hands came up to her face and pulled her in for a searing kiss.
His lips moved fiercely against hers, his tongue darting out to run along the seam of her lower lip, before it slipped deeper into her mouth to tangle with hers. The sensations made her shiver and she clung to him, her breaths coming out in short pants as she pressed impossibly closer.
