Chapter 24 #2
We mock spar for a while, Ariki correcting my position and offering constant advice.
Even though my body hurts from a full day of movement, working with him almost makes me enjoy combat.
Almost. He’s patient and gentle with his corrections.
His ample praise lights me up, like how a freshly brewed cup of coffee warms your body from the inside out.
That’s what Ariki reminds me of—a warm coffee and a morning snuggle.
He’s teaching me how to get out of someone’s hold when they have me in a position to flip me over.
A situation I find myself in quite frequently.
He puts me in a hold, his chest pressed to my back.
His rich, smoky scent swirling around us.
Like sandalwood and black pepper, intoxicating and comforting.
Every time he repositions my body, I can’t help but imagine what those dexterous hands would feel like in other more intimate repositionings.
He pulls me closer, his fingers firm on my arm and waist, guiding me out of the precarious hold.
Suddenly, we’re chest to chest—or rather, chest to face, given our height difference.
I tilt my head back, my breath catching as I get lost in the gold flecks swimming in his hazel eyes.
His thumb brushes against my waist, tracing slow, mindless circles, sending shivers up my spine, making it impossible to focus on anything but the feel of his warm touch.
“Lena…” His husky voice whispers my name with more reverence than I know what to do with.
“Sorry I’m late,” Callum shouts, as they round the building. Teariki and I both startle back a step. “My Earth and Metals course ran over. What did I miss?”
“Oh, um, nothing much.” Ariki runs his hands through his long dark hair sheepishly.
“He was helping me with defensive moves,” I explain, trying to ignore the palpable tension in the air—thick like resin and just as combustible.
Callum looks between us, narrowing their eyes. Then they throw an arm around both our shoulders. “Perfect, your defensive strategies need a great deal of improvement.” They smile down at me.
“Hey!” I scowl. “I’m not that bad.” I attempt to swat at their arm, but they catch my hand before I can land the slap.
Our eyes catch over our interlocked fingers.
I’m suddenly aware of all the places our bodies meet—their one arm wrapped round me, our sides flushed, and our hands clasped.
They squeeze my palm lightly before letting it drop.
I instantly miss the weight of their hand and the way their thumb subtly grazed the sensitive skin of my palm, leaving little tingles marking its passage.
Callum laughs and boops my nose. “Yes, you are. I watched you with Katri today. Ouch.” And just like that, all the tension between the three of us dissolves into playful banter.
“Did you just boop my nose?” My eyes widen incredulously.
“Yeah, when you scrunch it up like that you remind me of a little rabbit.” They smirk, and I can’t tell if it’s a compliment or an insult.
There’s something unnerving about being the object of Callum’s undivided attention.
It’s odd. They’re usually a bit standoffish with me.
Callum is an observer. Teariki, on the other hand, has been kind and a little flirtatious since we met, so when he offered to help me with combat, it came as little surprise.
But I’ve noticed when Callum is with Teariki, they are a bit more touchy, more talkative, more unfiltered maybe… just more.
Callum and I spar together, with Ariki interrupting with corrections and instructions for me. “Keep your elbows close to your body,” Teariki advises as I try to throw a punch. “You don’t want to open yourself up.”
I adjust my stance, keeping my elbows in tight.
Callum throws another punch, and this time I manage to deflect it.
It’s not perfect, but it’s progress. We continue practicing, each block becoming a bit smoother and more confident.
Callum slows down their smooth liquid movements, teaching me the practiced way fighters’ bodies flow and how to respond.
Their lean arms and long fingers are hypnotizing.
After several rounds of blocking, Teariki and Callum demonstrate how to engage in evasion and sidestepping.
Even though Ariki has over six inches and a likely hundred pounds on Callum, they hold their own.
Watching them move together is like viewing an expertly choreographed performance.
I’d think someone as large as Ariki would be slow and clumsy, but he’s just as graceful as Callum.
A stalking wolf to Callum’s careful cobra. Effortlessly perfect.
I partner with Callum again, and we began practicing side steps.
It’s tricky, trying to time the movement just right.
The key seems to be staying light on my feet to anticipate the attack.
Once we begin actively sparring, I end up on my back more often than standing.
Each time, they help me off the ground quickly, and we begin again.
Callum swings and I sidestep. “Here.” They adjust my hips. Ariki reaches between us from behind me to readjust my position. Both sets of their hands are scorching hot on my waist.
“Ready?” Callum asks, and I nod in a daze, trying to focus on the task at hand as they both step back. Lena, get it together!
Callum throws a punch, and I block it. They attempt to grab my arm, and I sidestep. I kick out with my right leg, but they grab it, turning my body and pinning me to the ground.
We freeze, our faces just inches apart, the air between us charged with an electric tension.
The soft swells of my body succumbing to the hard plains of theirs.
We share a breath, warm and shaky, sending a shiver through both of us.
Callum’s gemstone eyes search mine. They linger a moment longer than necessary before they quickly climb off me, hand extended in a silent offer.
“Sorry.” I breathe deep. “I think I’m tired—been training all day.”
Callum’s face is painted in a subtle blush that matches my own.
I’m tired, but in truth, it’s difficult to focus on anything but their hands directing me and the force of their bodies pressed up against mine.
I shake my head. What has gotten into me?
I feel this low buzz of heated tension between Teariki and me.
And this slow flowing honeyed attraction with Callum.
And maybe I’m imagining it, or maybe it’s just that my vibrator is still in Portland, but I think I sense a needy passion between Callum and Teariki as well.
The tension between the three of us hangs in the air like a humid southern night—our bodies tingling for the atmospheric relief of a rain break.
“You did great today.” Ariki clears his throat, and I swear I get lost in his forest-colored eyes. “We can call it.”
“I agree.” Callum smiles empathetically. “You look like you’re about to be hard on yourself. There’s no need for that.” They rub a small circle on the spot between my shoulder blades, and the sensation travels straight to my core.
I nod slowly in agreement, even though it’s not me I’m thinking about being hard. I bite my lip at the thought, and I track both their eyes as they dip to focus on my lips. “Same time every week?”
“For the next four weeks, yes.” Ariki lets out a low annoyed growl. “But I can’t once we get closer to the opening ceremony for my challenge. I’ll be pretty swamped.” He smiles down on me with light shining through his eyes. “But we’ll see you there, right?”
“Oh, no. I figured you knew?” Heat rises in my cheeks.
“Um…I’ve been uninvited. I guess…I thought that was your decision.
” I don’t know why I’m so uncomfortable with the idea of not being included.
I mean, I love a fancy party as much as the next girl, but I shouldn’t care, right?
I’m only here for answers and because the alternative was a potential kidnapping.
I have my own agenda. I don’t need to fit in, right?
“What, no!” Ariki frowns in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I want you there?”
I shrug shyly. It isn’t like me to feel so self-conscious.
“Nik got an email from the Transformare Events Committee informing him that Lena was no longer permitted to attend.” Callum exchanges a serious expression with Ariki that I don’t fully understand.
“Well, I overrule that committee.” Ariki squares his shoulders, and somehow his 6’8” frame looks even larger. “You’re coming as my guest.” His voice rings with authority. I can see the future king in him.