He stands back and assesses. “Better. Take a high guard now.”
I do as he says, drawing my sword up and over my right shoulder.
“Chest out,” he says, and my heart races for a moment when I think he might touch methere, but he just demonstrates himself.
And, well, it’s a nice demonstration. His muscles strain against those useless little strings—seriously, who made thisshirt?—and it’s just very nice to look at. Entirely too perfect, but it’s impossible to deny how easy he is on the eyes.
As I puff my chest out, my mind starts turning to what would happen if the leather wasn’t there, and I shut it down immediately.
Absolutely not, body. Calm down.
“Ass—um, rear out too,” he says, for once not meeting my eyes.
“Oh, fuck off,” I say, breaking my stance and lowering my sword.
He laughs and holds up his hands, and I see Soren in the gesture. I’m annoyed enough with him right now that I want to come out and ask him, but he takes the stance once more, puffing out his chest and poking out his ass, and it’s so fucking ridiculous I lose my train of thought.
Is he a child? I’m not putting on a damn show for him, God-King of Selara or not.
“No way. I’m not doing that.”
He’s still laughing. “I promise, this is the stance. I’m not being rude. I’ll close my eyes if you don’t want me to look.”
He covers his stupid perfect face with his hand and peeks through it.
“Asshole.”
“Stella, come here and show her your longsword stance.”
Poor young Stella comes over and draws her sword—her real sword—and she assumes the exact stance Ronan is trying to get me into without so much as a blush on her tan cheeks. Chest out, ass out.
“Ridiculous,” I say. “Why can’t we just fight with rapiers?” The rapier stance is way less provocative.
“Because they’re expensive, and there are one hundred people in the trial of the blade.”
And they probably had a lot of these swords lying around after the war ended.
I pout, but I slowly draw myself back into the longsword stance. I puff my chest out, and then…I stick my ass out too.
I may not be able to feel what Ronan feels, but I can see his sharp intake of breath and the way his eyes linger a bit too long on the curves of my body to just be evaluating my posture before they return to mine.
He likes what he sees. The part of me that stirred when he was bending stirs once more.
“Better,” he says.
He paces back across the floor and mirrors my stance. He really does stand the way I’m standing, and I envy the guards their position, which offers them a much better view of his ass.
Gods, I need to concentrate.If I keep this up, I’m going to getmyasshanded to me.
“Ladies first,” says Ronan.
I don’t hesitate. I’m hoping my sudden movement will catch him off his guard, and it nearly does. I’m going for his hands to disarm him, but he parries my point with the strong part of his blade at the last moment and comes in for a quick riposte to my shoulder.
“That was actually very good,” he says.
And godsdammit, that’s nice to hear, even coming from him.
“Try the same again, but this time, be ready for my riposte.”
