Page 32 of Bear In A Bookstore
She nodded again.
“Here’s what you do.”
He tapped her sword with his, urging her to hit back. They clacked the swords together, hit for hit, slowly easing into it. Desi came closer, his blows firmer. Kora leaned back, realizing that any strong hit from him could be the end of her elf. She realized what a disadvantage her hero had by being hung up on the tree. But that was part of the appeal, wasn’t it? Being victorious even in the most stringent of adversity.
“Okay, you can either attempt a direct thrust here.” He lowered his weapon and put a hand beside his right armpit where there was a seam in the armor. “Your elf would have to be very precise, or extremely lucky to get that blow. Secondly, even if he did get it, there’s a chance the bad guy can still strike, which means they’re both dead.”
He raised his sword again and came closer. His scent tickled her nose, making her momentarily lose focus.
“You need leverage, and you’re going to use your opponent to do it. Kick me as hard as you can, here.” He patted the middle of his right thigh. “As I come at you, my sword will be raised, which makes my center of gravity a bit off. Thrust your foot with all your strength into my thigh. It will propel me forward, using my gravity and my own body weight to impale myself onto your sword.”
He got into position, raised his sword, and advanced. Kora sucked in a breath. Shit, he really wanted to act it out? On pure instinct, she kicked her left leg out, driving the flat of her foot into his thigh. Desi stumbled and lurched forward. She dropped the broom, double stepping backward as his huge body came at her, the metal armor clanking and creaking. Just when she thought he was going to fall on top of her, he put one arm out, catching himself on the wall behind them, his other arm awkwardly bending around her body and holding her tight. They came to a standstill, her chest heaving, his eyes firmly on hers. Her breasts pressed into the hard, cool armor over his chest.
Adrenaline rushed through her, heating her skin and making her a hundred times more aware of the virile man holding her against his body. His scent, the sound of his breathing, the heat of his bare hand pressed against her spine.
She licked her lips, watching him, hitching a breath as his head dipped . . . doing nothing to stop him as he kissed her.
Sparks ignited from her skin, dancing through her with pleasurable zings and a languid rush of warmth. His mouth was firm, yet gentle, his taste flooding her. It was new, yet intimate as if she’d already tasted him; already knew him this way. His fingers splayed across her back, his palm pressing her more firmly against the armor. She looped a hand around his neck and opened her mouth. He kissed her more deeply, his tongue sweeping along hers. Her brain swirled with sweet kiss-drunk fog, her body melding into him.
Kora, Kora, Kora, what are you doing? You don’t get to do this.
Oh, God. Pulling back, she put a hand on his chest and put some space between them. This had gone too far. She’d asked him for help with the scene, not a hot kiss to remind her of what’s missing from her life.
The scene. He’d fixed it. That was all this was, and she had to get things back on track.
“Kora—”
“That was incredible,” she mumbled.
He made a pleased sound, looking pretty self-satisfied. “As far as kisses go, yeah.”
“No, I meant the fight scene.” She ran a hand over her mouth and retrieved the broom. “That was really helpful.”
Desi worked his jaw to the side. “I said no hits below the belt.”
They looked at each other. Her body longed to be pressed against him again. An image of them lying in bed together, his arms wrapped around her in the illuminated shade of early morning came to mind. His naked skin against hers, the sheets fluttered around their waists. She could feel him breathing against her back, his hard chest and mounds of supple muscle rising and falling against her shoulder blades as he slept, while holding her as if she were the most important thing in the world.
Christ, it felt so real.
“What’s the matter?”
She snapped him a look. “What?”
“You kind of drifted off. Are you okay?”
Why did this keep happening to her? And only when he was around.
“I was . . . I was just, um, thinking about the scene. Sorry.”
He sighed and she was acutely aware of a shift between them. “Can you help me out of this armor, and I’ll get to work?”
“Yeah, sure.”
They removed the armor in silence, the unease between them making her sad and edgy. He smoothed his shirt and buttoned his pants, then turned to get his things. Kora watched him, knowing she needed to say something about the kiss. She’d wounded him by dismissing it and, while it had seemed the best thing to do in the heat of the moment, she didn’t like how it had changed things between them. She didn’t want to hurt him.
She’d never felt sensations like that when kissing anyone, ever. How can he be so familiar and comforting when they’ve only just met? The vision or whatever she about him earlier gave her a nostalgic feeling, like the kind she imagined people get after years of being with someone. Loving them, wanting them, needing them even though the love was now decades’ old instead of days.
He left the house while she settled the armor on the mannequin and returned silently with a toolbox. She tucked a stray hair behind her ears and approached him, arms crossed, not really sure what to say. He gave her a brief glance as she sidled up to him.
