Page 56 of To Love A Spy
“That remains to be seen.” Valencia whirled in midstep and tried to duck under his guard. Herpunta sopramanoslid wide of its mark. But only barely.
Lynsley flashed a grin as he pivoted away. “I see I must stay on my toes if I am to escape from this match unscathed.”
Had the man any idea how attractive he was when he allowed himself more than a poker face? The hint of raw, animal emotion beneath the skin of refined reserve was devilishly distracting. An unfair advantage, she thought. He was wielding more than one weapon.
As the tempo picked up pace, they both fell silent, their swords cutting quicksilver slashes through the shimmeringsunlight. Sweat glistened on their faces, and dampened their shirts.
Circling to her left, Valencia attacked with another unorthodox combination, but the marquess evaded her strikes with maddening ease. Intent on creating an opening, she let fly with a flurry of thrusts.
Over, under, over under . . .
Her leg buckled slightly as she widened her stance.
Lynsley stopped in his tracks and dropped his blade to offer a steadying hand.
Spinning out of reach, Valencia whipped up her weapon and pressed the blunted tip to his throat. “Don’t be such a damned gentleman, Thomas. Show no mercy—you can be sure that Rochambert won’t.”
“Very well.” His eyes darkened to a slate blue hue and took on a strange glint.
Dangerous?She wasn’t quite sure why the word came to mind.
“We will score the first round for you,”he went on. His sword cut a line in the dirt. “What say you to going two out of three?”
“Fair enough,” she agreed. Their gazes locked as they met in the center of the enclosure and crossed blades. Standing toe to toe, watching the throb of pulse on his sun-bronzed throat, Valencia was acutely aware that the heat prickling along her spine was not entirely due to physical exertion.
“En garde.”From the ready position, Lynsley exploded in a whirl of lightning feints and slashes. She managed to beat off the first few attacks, but an angled thrust, swift and savage as the strike of a snake, knocked the sword from her grip.
He picked it up by the blade and offered her the hilt. “Or would you care to call it a draw?”
“Not a chance,” she replied, trying not to wince as she rubbed at her wrist. “But youaregood.”
“So are you,” he said softly.
Valencia had received many compliments from men but this simple praise from Lynsley set her heart to fluttering against her ribcage. Like a wild bird seeking freedom. From what she did not quite dare to contemplate.
Masking her errant emotions with a shrug, she gave a flick of her swordpoint. “My footwork is not as good as it once was, but swimming helps keep my upper body strong and supple. That, and lifting beer barrels.” A wry twist tugged at her lips. “Not to speak of throwing drunkards out on their arses.”
The marquess repressed a laugh. “I don’t imagine that many make trouble for you.”
She grinned. “Not anymore.”
“I see thatIshall have to take great pains not to land on my arse.” One by one, he wiped his hands on the backside of his breeches. “It would, you know, be very lowering to suffer such a grievous blow to my pride.”
Her mouth went a bit dry watching his palms slide over the skintight leather.Bloody hell.She shouldnotbe staring at his lordly posterior. No matter how magnificent the musculature.
His brow quirked. “Ready?”
“Whenever you are,” she said, fumbling for a moment to get a proper grip on the quillons of her sword.
Lynsley sketched a perfectarrebatarthrough the air before their blades kissed up against each other.
Valencia bit back a gasp, sure she could feel the heat of him sizzle along the steel. She slid sideways, keeping her steps slow and deliberate.
The marquess mirrored her moves.
The previous rounds had been marked by attacking athleticism. This time around, the match turned into a sinuouspas de deux. There was something supremely sensual about the dance of their blades, and the rhythm of their bodies moving inperfect harmony. As they reversed directions, his thigh grazed her. Perhaps it was merely a quirk of light, but she could have sworn he winked as he whirled by.
She nearly laughed aloud. Her heart was racing, her pulse was pounding. The great gulps of air bubbled through her like fine champagne. A challenge seemed to spark a fire in her blood. In her very being.
