Page 67 of Noble Scoundrel

She hesitated, her spine stiffening. “You want me to throw a punch at you?”

He shrugged. “A punch, a kick, a full-on charge. Whatever feels right.”

Her gaze swept over him, swiftly assessing his large form—lingering a bit on the thickness of his thighs, the bulging muscles of his arms, and the span of his shoulders—before returning to his face with a flash of irritation. “Nothing feels right. You’re nearly twice my size and famously undefeated in the ring. What on earth could feel right about attacking you?”

Mason chuckled. “Smart girl.”

The comment earned him a swift glare. “Is this an attempt at discouraging me?”

“In any fight, you’ve gotta be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent. And yourself. A straight-on attack wouldn’t be an effective strategy for someone of your stature and lesser strength against someone larger and more skilled. Anyone you’re likely to come up against will undoubtedly outweigh you, have a greater reach, and more experience in physical contests.”

“Exactly why I’m here, Mr. Hale. To gain experience.”

“Right,” he noted as he walked a slow circle around her, intentionally stalking, forcing her to home in on him with her full awareness. “You’ve identified your disadvantages. What are your advantages?”

Her gaze narrowed as she followed his movements from the corner of her eye, as though she suspected some sort of trickery in his question. When he slipped out of her line of sight for a moment while crossing behind her, she made a soft sound of exasperation before turning her head to catch sight of him again on her other side.

He arched a brow, awaiting her answer.

“If I’m smaller than my opponent, won’t I be quicker as well? More agile?”

He gave a short nod. “In many cases, but not always.”

His response seemed to frustrate her. Good.

“I’m clever,” she said in a clipped voice.

Mason laughed. “D’you think a person can’t possess both brawn and brains?” He passed behind her again, noting the way she fisted her hands at her sides.

“The men we’re up against are mercenaries, hired thugs who care for nothing but coin.” Her tone was growing heated. “Whereas I have a passionate cause to protect against them.”

“You do. Avid personal motivation will certainly get you into the fight. It can also make you reckless and impetuous. I wanna know what’ll keep you standing to the end.”

She planted her fists on her hips as he stepped in front of her. “Again, isn’t that what you’re here to teach me?”

He smirked. “Why would I bother teaching a pampered young lady from Mayfair? A soft gentlewoman who’s likely never experienced anything more physically challenging than a polite little trot through the park? Someone who’s grown up in luxury with no reason to develop skills suitable to take on men honed in violence?”

As he spoke, he watched as his words steadily infuriated her, until the moment when comprehension dawned and a smile of anticipation widened her mouth. Mason actually flinched as his chest squeezed tight at the sight of her even teeth and the flash of knowledge in her eyes.

“I’ll be underestimated,” she answered. “My greatest advantage will be that of surprise.”

“Smart girl,” he said again.

And this time, she grinned back.

#

AN HOUR LATER, KATHERINE ground her back teeth against a groan as she pushed off from the floor and rolled back to her feet. Her muscles ached from head to toe; bruises had formed on her knees, elbows, and backside. Sweat curled the hair at her temples and dripped down the back of her neck and between her breasts.

“Again.”

Hale, of course, didn’t appear the slightest bit winded. He was relentless. And though she wished she could tell him where to go, she took a deep breath, tossed her braid back over her shoulder and squared off against him once again.

Gratefully, her injured shoulder was giving her very little trouble beyond a few twinges here and there and a frustrating weakness. It helped that Hale very carefully avoided putting her in situations where she had to use the arm in any way that required a great deal of force or swift movement. His awareness of her injury was impressive. Still, she wished he didn’t feel like he had to take it easy on her even that little bit.

Aside from her initial suspicion that he was just playing with her, once the training had started in earnest, it became clear he took the lesson as seriously as she did. He taught her how to position her body in a way that provided a smaller target and improved her balance and grounding, how to throw a proper punch and where to aim, what part of her foot should make contact in various kicks, and then how to dodge and evade. They had recently moved on to techniques for breaking a hold.

He’d already shown her how to free herself from a few frontal holds, including one where he wrapped his hands around her throat. Feeling his large hands against her rapid pulse as he stood close towering over her had been a singular experience.

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