Meaning to continue the lesson, I rolled her off of me, but Raewyn clung on, using my own momentum and body weight to leverage me all the way over her and onto the ground on the other side.
Once again, she climbed on top, a triumphant smile on her face.
She was breathing hard, sitting astride my body like a conquering hero… completely unaware, I assumed, of her provocative position.
With one leg on either side of my hips, Raewyn and I were perfectly aligned, and my body was all too happy to make the shift from combat tootherphysical activities.
“Did I win?” she asked between breaths.
Clearly she had no idea what she was doing to me.
“Did you?” I asked, my voice sounding strained. “You’re on top… but what are you going to donow, Wildcat? Your opponent is still alive, and you’re unarmed.”
In one swift move, I flipped our positions, pinning Raewyn beneath me. And now I had to ask myself the same question.
What wasIgoing to do?
Our bodies were still aligned, my much larger and heavier one pressing hers into the grass. And though I knew I should move, I seemed to be paralyzed.
Our sparring had apparently taken the lid off the simmering tension that was always present between us—at least on my part.
The charged energy was flowing freely now, threatening to overthrow my famous self-control.
For long moments we just lay there, breathing hard, face to face. Raewyn’s cheeks were flushed, and her pupils were dilated, making her rich brown eyes appear even deeper in color.
My skin tingled all over, while other parts of me that had been too long neglected rejoiced.
Stand down big fella, I tried to tell myself.There is nothing happening here.
My body didn’t listen, preparing itself to make good on the salacious thoughts I regularly had about Raewyn.
Some of them hadn’t been too far from this, me on top of her, Raewyn looking up at me with that expression that was halfway between shock and desire.
Her mouth was slightly open. Those lips I noticed far too often were a darker pink than her cheeks, and it was a physical strain not to lower my head and crush my own mouth to them.
I should move. Ihaveto get up.
And still I stayed, locked in a trance of some sort as we held each other’s gazes and I soaked up the kind of closeness we only shared in my frequent dreams of Raewyn.
That was all they could ever be—dreams. I knew that, and yet…
She loves your brother, idiot. You’re going to be leaving her soon.
Get. Up.
Finally summoning the strength, I pressed my palms into the ground and began to raise myself, but Raewyn’s hands came to my sides and held me in place.
“Wait,” she said in a breathless voice that almost broke me.
Beneath me, I felt her move, felt her lift her pelvis to rub—
“Look,” a little voice cried in glee. “Raewyn and Pharis are wrestling!”
Shaded stars—I’d forgotten all about the children nearby.
Spurred into instant action, I rolled off of Raewyn and several feet away.
“Raewyn, you losed,” Turi said, running up to her.
