“Wh-what?” I ask Lyall.
He grins and beckons to me. “I saidagain. Give me all you’ve got.” He shifts into a battle-ready stance, and I mirror him without even having to think about it. Idon’t know what’s going on with me, but I don’t care. My blood’s heating up, heart racing.
I swing and I don’t hold back. Lyall deflects, and as soon as he smacks the blade aside, he lunges in for a counterattack. I sweep his attack aside without a second thought, and a thrill makes my hair stand on end. Lyall curses under his breath, then goes charging back in. The room blurs around us as we move, parrying, swinging, dodging.
It’s like a fierce dance, one we’ve practiced together many times. Lyall is big but graceful and fluid as water. Sometimes he hits my shoulder while I manage to catch him a few times, but he just laughs and keeps going. My own face hurts from smiling, chest heaving with exertion.
Our swords cross, and he leans into my space. He’s panting, breath hot against my face, eyes wild and dancing with exhilaration. Locks of blond hair cling to his sweaty forehead. I push back against his sword, bringing us closer. Those emerald eyes darken, lids lowering as he glances down at my mouth.
I toss him a smirk, drawing my tongue over my bottom lip to tease him. “What’s wrong? Need to take a break?”
He laughs, low and gravelly, then leans in. “Oh, no. I was just going to tell you that you should watch your footwork.”
“Huh—”
He sweeps my feet out from under me in a move that’s somehow familiar. I grab hold of his shirt and haul himdown with me and roll. Our bodies slam together as I pin him beneath me, my knee on his wrist, my other leg sprawled across his hip. With a grunt, he drops his sword and glares defiantly up at me. We pant together, foreheads almost touching, sharing the same breath.
I’ve never felt such a rush before. Something about what we just did feels so familiar, so intimate, in a way nothing else ever has.
“You win,” he says breathlessly and shifts his hips against me. “Now what?”
I buck against him, keeping him pinned in place, and bite my lip so I don’t groan as our groins come into contact. He’s getting hard, and me? I could pound nails.
“Think I deserve a prize…”
A shiver goes through him. “Whatever you want.”
“Wow, that was amazing!” The class erupts into applause, making us both jump.
Mortified, I roll off him, making sure I stay on my stomach so nobody sees just how worked up I really am.
Briana claps for us. “You guys should be the ones teaching the class! Bravo!”
As the adrenaline fades, all I’m left with is confusion.
What the hell just came over me? I’ve never held a sword before in my life. All that action got me thirsty, so I escape into the hall and find a water fountain by the restroom. I take a long drink, then lean on the fountain for support.
“Are you well?” Lyall regards me with a concerned tilt of his head.
“Fine, just… I feel like I’ve done that before,” I say, pushing my sweaty hair out of my face.
Something odd brightens Lyall’s face. “What makes you say that?” For some reason, his whole body has tensed, and he’s looking at me with such intensity, it unsettles me.
“I don’t know. I’ve really never done this before. So I don’t understand why that came so naturally.”
Lyall’s eyes widen. “Tell me what you remember.” There’s an odd urgency in his voice.
“What do you mean? I don’t remember anything.”
Lyall’s shoulders slump. “Nothing?” He sounds almost disappointed.
I don’t understand. “No. Why should I?”
But Lyall just shakes his head. “It’s nothing. Never mind.” He turns away before I can ask more questions. “We should get back to class.”
And as he walks away, it’s only then that I understand what that desperate look in his eyes was. It was hope that had brightened his eyes, and something about what I said took that hope and crushed it beneath my boot.
Chapter 5
