“Not yet.”
“Was it fun traveling around the world and hanging out with Nick Hunter and James Cross? And what were they like?”
“We were wild, crazy, and carefree. We were ‘guys gone wild.’ Totally out of control. It was like one frat party after another. And Nick and James were awesome. They are the best buddies a guy can ever ask for. Always took care of my bills. Always had my back. Loyal to the end. But they’ve both settled down. Nick got married to his publicist and had a baby, and James proposed to his girlfriend, Della.”
“Two of out of three bad boys tamed.”
He laughed, then motioned toward the man standing next to us. “This is Brad. He’ll train you for a bit, and then we’ll have that duel. Be nice to him. Don’t go flipping him to the floor just to show off.”
“I’m not sure that’s possible,” Brad said as if to defend himself.
“Don’t sell this one short,” Charlie said with a laugh. “She’s a lot more dangerous than she looks.”
I smirked as he walked off.
BRAD AND I SPENT A few hours together, and it really did help me brush up on my skills. He was damn good and I could tell by the moves he used, he’d been trained by Charlie. Not that it helped him any. I won the few practice runs we had and he finally raised his hand for a respite when I beat him into a corner again. After a long rest, Brad left, and Charlie came back in.
“Well? Are you ready for a little hand-to-hand combat between old friends?” I asked, muscles loose and ready to go.
He grabbed his sword. “Yep! Mask up, and let’s do this.”
Charlie towered over me, one hundred percent muscle and manpower. He worked out every day and had been for years, even after I gave up on the hobby, and now he was a force to be reckoned with.
Without another word, Charlie came at me, but I used basic blocking maneuvers to defend myself. My footwork was spot on. I threw my whole body into every jab, because I knew if I only used my arms, I’d only tire myself out. I was careful not to give in to the temptation to lean forward for extra thrusting range; that would only throw me off balance and put my face right within range of Charlie’s sword.
I left an inch or two of the sword sticking out behind my hand, in case Charlie tried to pull it from my grip, a move he was infamous for. One advantage I had over him was that he was very predictable, and I knew him well. I protected my whole body and pointed at his shoulder in a threatening manner. I thrust toward him, then returned to my sideways crouch, positioning my spear in a perfect position. I kept my knees bent and shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, just as we’d been taught to do.
He was tough, so I knew he’d win the first few onslaughts, but I also knew he’d tire easily. I, on the other hand, was smaller and more agile, with loads of stamina and endurance. Our swords clanged furiously. My movements were quick and sharp as I blocked and then immediately attacked. I tried every little trick I knew to force him to move around more than I was, trying to wear him out so that when he was out of breath and his muscles were aching, I’d have my chance to strike.
The minutes passed, and we both fought valiantly.
Suddenly, he clumsily and foolishly leaned forward, and I wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass me by. I grabbed him and pulled him off his feet. He came at me with a counterattack, but I moved my sword parallel with lightning speed, right into the path of his attacking blade.
“Impressive!” he said gasped between breaths.
“I can outwit any opponent anytime...and outlast them too!” I said, then rushed him while his attention was diverted.
I decided to rush him while his attention was diverted. He fought back and came at me swinging his sword too fast for me to see. I dropped my sword, then stumbled and fell backward. He took full advantage and held the sword over me, pinning me down.
“You won,” I said in disbelief, stripping off my headgear. “I can’t believe it. After all these years.”
Standing over me, he took off his mask. “Do I win a prize?”
I snorted as he helped me to stand up. “I believe you just won bragging rights. You finally kicked my ass. Sounds like a good enough prize to me.”
He stared into my eyes and my chest heaved, gasping for air for a completely different reason. The same intensity poured out of him as it had that first night when he had me at his mercy and all I could do was reach out and hold onto his shoulders to keep myself from falling. Charlie’s hands found my hips and held me up against his body. He was all hardness and heat and I wanted to curl up against that chest, disappear for hours and let the world, let my problems just disappear.
“Do you feel the spark between us?” he asked in a whisper.
“We’re friends,” I reminded him, more out of fear of what might happen then what I hoped would. “We’re just very good friends, Charlie. The only sparks were coming off our clanging blades.”
“That wasn’t the question,” he grunted annoyed and his grip tightened on me as he ground his hips against mine. My toes curled in my shoes and my nails dug deeper into his shoulders.
“There is definitely a spark,” I admitted.
“Yet, you refuse to act on it.” He rested his forehead against mine, jaw clenched. “I want to kiss you so damn bad.”
I melted against his body. That was the moment to push away, the last time I knew I’d be able to resist him, but instead, I challenged him. “Then kiss me already.”