The train stops in the middle of the tunnel. I don’t even blink when the announcement that we’re being held momentarily by a train ahead of us crackles over our heads, but Lyall gasps, one hand rubbing his ear like the noise hurt him.
Shit. I don’t want him to have a panic attack. What do I do?
“Lyall, everything’s okay. We’re safe.” I reach out to touch his arm. Instead, he grabs my hand and holds on tight. His hand is unsteady in mine, skin clammy. Damn. He’s really unsettled. He’s been through a lot of changes. Anyone would be overwhelmed. Heat warms my neck, but I don’t pull away. I squeeze his fingers, rubbing my thumb over his knuckles. Lyall inhales softly, his gaze capturing mine.
“I… I won’t let anything happen to you.” Even though his voice shakes, he grips my hand and never breaks my gaze. The promise in every word makes my heart skip.
A soft laugh escapes me. “Okay.”
I don’t know why, but I believe every word.
“Welcome, everyone!” our instructor says, a muscular woman with box braids and a bright smile. “Y’all here for the sword fighting class?”
“Yup,” I say, setting my bag down by the door.
“Good, because I’ve had a few folks askin’ for Pilates and thisdefinitelyisn’t Pilates.” She coaxes a laugh out of the crowd and then introduces herself as Briana. After encouraging us to introduce ourselves, she goes over a brief history of medieval sword fighting. Briana calls up another instructor for a demonstration of a few beginner moves we can try. There are quite a few oohs and aahs, and I’m impressed by the skillful parrying and counter-attacks the instructors show off.
Then finally we’re allowed to get our hands on some swords. The swords themselves are metal but blunt and fitted with rubber at the tip for extra safety measures. Lyall inspects his blade, a longsword. “Blunt. Good. Nochildren will get hurt. Decent weight too. It beats the wooden sword I trained with…”
“How often did you train?” I ask, intrigued. Lyall’s an interesting guy.
“My father made sure I practiced every day.”
“Sounds like a cool guy.” A smile tilts my mouth. “Was he a professional fighter?” It sounds like he wanted his sons to follow in his footsteps.
“All right, everyone, let’s pair up and do some sword fighting!” Briana says before Lyall can reply.
He tugs on my arm, bringing me close to him. Heat flushes my cheeks. “We’re together,” he declares.
She laughs. “You two can go stand on the mat over there, okay?”
We face each other, longswords at the ready. “Do you remember how they did the parry and the counterattack?” I ask, trying not to think about how warm and sturdy he’d felt against my side.
“Let’s try it,” he says. “But first…” Setting down his sword, he walks into my space. My breath catches when he touches my wrists. “Hold the sword like this.” He adjusts my grip, his hands warm and his fingertips rough with calluses.
Something about the weight of the sword in my hand feels familiar. Right.
“Spread your legs,” he murmurs low in my ear. “Like this.”
He kneels before me. All my blood rushes past my hips when he touches my ankle, guiding my foot to where it should be. He’d look good on his knees in other scenarios, too…
No, think unsexy thoughts. Cockroaches. Rats. Bags of garbage.
“There we go, perfect!” Lyall says cheerfully, patting my shoulder. He picks up his sword and faces me. “I’ll swing at you. You push my blade away, then counter.”
“Just like that?” A nervous laugh escapes me.
“I’ll take it easy on you, don’t worry. Ready?” When I nod, though I feel far from ready, he swings.
As the blade comes toward me, something inside me… wakes up. I had braced myself to dodge or jump back. Instead, I throw myself into my swing, deflect his attack, and knock his sword right out of his hand.
Lyall’s mouth falls open. Heads turn and the chatter in the room falls quiet as the sword clangs loudly to the floor.
What the hell just happened? Somehow that came as naturally as breathing to me.
“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” I hope I didn’t hurt him.
Wide, unreadable green eyes find mine. Then Lyall spins on his heel and picks up the sword. “Again,” he says.
