CHAPTER 12

Lola stood there, completely exposed and naked. There was an electric thrill that sizzled through her entire body as she did. She wasn’t sure why she decided to pick now to make her move. All she knew was that she wanted Russel. Wanted him in a way she had never experienced with anyone before. If not now, then when? So she shed her clothes, put on one of the robes hanging from a hook, and drew the bath. She stuck a hand inside and its heat felt exactly perfect. Hot but not so hot that it would melt the skin right off their bodies. Then she went outside and let the robe fall from her in front of Russel. She knew he wanted her, and had seen desire burning in his eyes too. As soon as she told him he could use a bath too, his eyes widened a bit. He was surprised at first but then that desire overwhelmed him. She could see it in his eyes as brightly as the flames of the candles lighting up the room. He moved off the bed and toward her, his body seeming to glide effortlessly across the space between them. When he got to her, he slid one hand into her hair and the other just under her ass. He pressed himself into her and brought his lips down to hers. She pushed into him as well, and they kissed deeply. Passionately. She felt the hardness of him press up against her belly and couldn’t hold herself back anymore. She scooted backward toward the bath, tearing his clothes off at the same time. Their bodies moved flawlessly together. His hands slid over her breasts. Hers slid down to grab that hardness. His lips drifted over toward her neck and his tongue flicked lightly over her skin. Her fingernails dug into his back. They found their way into the bath and Lola climbed on top. She guided him into her, arching her back as she did, and writhed up and down. She was slow at first, wanting to feel every bit of him as he entered her. Then her grinding picked up speed. They moved in time with each other, so naturally, it felt like they were reading each other’s minds. The sex was intense and intoxicatingly powerful. Their bodies tightened and their moans of pleasure became louder and more urgent. Then both of them shuddered at almost the same time, their orgasms sending a release of built-up pressure into them. Lola dropped down onto Russel, kissing him as tingles of pleasure still rippled through her. “You’re incredible,” Russel whispered to her, kissing her. They stayed in the bath for a while longer and then finally got out. They made their way over to the bed and fell asleep in each other’s arms. For the first time since Gloucester burned, she actually felt comfortable and safe. *** The next morning, Lola woke up feeling better than she had in the last few weeks. The horrible pain of watching her family and friends being killed was still there, always lingering inside her head, but the night she shared with Russel eased it just a little bit. His arms were still wrapped around her and their strength was a comfort. She burrowed herself even closer to him, wanting to feel the warmth of his skin more and smell the faint woodsy scent coming off him. He moved a little and his eyes flickered open. “Good morning,” she whispered, looking up at him. He smiled broadly and kissed the top of her head. “I would say waking up to you laying on me is a great morning,” he told her. She laughed at that. “What?” he asked. “That’s one of the cheesiest things I’ve ever heard.” She kissed the warmth of his chest and then rolled away from him, baring her nakedness at him as she got up. Knowing his eyes were scanning her up and down sent another thrill of pleasure through her body. She enjoyed knowing he found her physically attractive. “Come on. We should get dressed.” “Somewhere urgent we have to be?” he asked, raising one eyebrow. “No,” she responded. “But if I don’t get up and start getting ready I’ll just want to stay in that bed with you all day, naked, and then we’ll achieve nothing.” “That doesn’t necessarily sound bad to me,” he replied, grinning at her with that same devilish grin she was growing to love more and more. “Me either,” she remarked. “That’s why I had to get moving.” She went over to some of the bags from their shopping excursion and pulled out a simple t-shirt of pale orange and a pair of loose-fitting gray pants. She found a clean pair of panties to put on first and then slid on the clothes next. “I thought we might be able to find somewhere private, maybe a secluded park, and do some more training. Maybe you can start teaching me how to use the blade too?” She saw his eyes turn serious, then he threw the blanket off himself. Lola blushed, her cheeks going red. She enjoyed seeing him naked just as much as he enjoyed seeing her. She rummaged through the bags and found him some clothes to wear. She threw them at him. “Put these on so you can’t distract me anymore,” she said. “As you wish, my dear.” Russel took a mock bow but he obliged. He took the clothes and put them on. When they were both dressed and ready to go, they left the room and headed down to the inn’s main dining room. Eggs, toast, sausage, and bacon were being served. It was, in Lola’s opinion, heaven. Their meal at The Midnight Oil had also been great, but she was a sucker for breakfast food. Once they had their fill, they left the inn and walked around Wrexon until they came to a small park about thirty minutes away. It was still early in the morning and there was a slight chill in the air which meant it was mostly empty. They found an area out of the way of any footpaths or seating. “Ready?” he asked. She nodded. “Good. Let’s get started then.” They spent the first hour of their training doing the conditioning exercises she had grown so used to now. She practically breezed through them and when that part was over, she hardly felt the need to breathe heavily. In fact, the exercises, combined with the events of the night prior, made her feel invigorated and energized. Russel smiled, happy to see her in such great spirits. She had come a long way from the frightened girl underneath a fallen tree. He couldn’t help but feel pulled even more to her. Just being around her, soaking in her presence, uplifted him. “Start running through the different forms I taught you. Remember to control your breathing.” Lola nodded and did what he instructed. Her body moved gracefully through the complex, martial arts forms that he’d been drilling into her since the training started, the same ones that had been drilled into him since he was a kid. She flowed from one to the next like a dancer. There were fifteen in total and she had spent a lot of time mastering each one. In fact, Russel had noted on more than one occasion, she did them almost better than he did. Once that part was over, they began a sparring session. The point was for Lola to try and take Russel down to the ground. Russel would do whatever he could to stop her from achieving her goal. He didn’t want them to actually fight, at least not yet. She wasn’t ready for him to really try but she was getting closer. “Ready?” he asked, keeping his stance loose and fluid. “I’m going to get you this time,” she said with abundant confidence. “I feel it.” “Give it your best try,” he told her, beckoning her to come at him with his hand. Lola darted forward, her movements quick and sure. She wanted to keep him guarded, maybe push him back. Russel, however, avoided her outstretched hands easily. His body moved effortlessly around each of her attempts to grapple with him. At one point, he even whirled around her and gave her a slight nudge in the back that sent her reeling across the grass. She almost fell face first but managed to catch her balance at the last second. When she turned to face him again, her eyes were narrow and angry. They went on like that for almost two hours, Lola trying to throw Russel to the ground while he, in turn, dodged or evaded her. Her hair had flown free of the tie she used to pull it up into a ponytail and now whirled around her head each time she moved. Sweat beaded up on her forehead and threatened to drip into her eyes. The fact that Russel wasn’t sweating at all, not even a little bit, offended her. He wasn’t even trying. Her earlier confidence started to waver and she wondered how she was ever supposed to beat him when their difference in skill was so drastic. Would it be the same when she finally got the chance to fight Drake again? After another failed attempt to take down Russel, she backed away and took stock of the situation. She would never beat him if she just kept doing the same thing over and over again. She needed to strategize. Fights were won not just with skill but with how best to utilize those skills. She just needed to apply hers in a new way. A way he wouldn’t expect. She pressed forward. This would be her final attempt. She made sure to keep eye contact with him and then used up most of her remaining speed and energy to keep him on the defensive. The whole time, he never once engaged her offensively. It was knowledge she had picked up and filed away for later use at the beginning of the match. Now, as she sought a way to win, that knowledge would come in handy. If she kept coming at him directly, he would start to back up. She also happened to spot a slight dip in the grassy lawn. Once she saw it, her strategy became cemented and she spent the next few minutes implementing it. She kept up her attacks, coming at him faster and faster in order to keep him focused on her and not what was behind him. All the while, she kept making him step steadily back…right toward that dip. Russel was impressed by her tenacity and the effectiveness of her attacks. She didn’t land anything but her skills had clearly grown tremendously. Even more so than he had thought. Then, as he dodged her latest attempt to get hold of him, he felt it. His back right foot landed squarely in a dip he hadn’t known was there. His balance abruptly shifted and he tilted awkwardly to one side. The next thing he knew, Lola was there, both hands on his chest. With a wicked grin, she pushed him and he toppled backward. His ass hit painfully on the ground and all he could do was stare at her in shock. “Finally!” Lola said, bending over to catch her breath. “I didn’t think your foot would ever hit that spot.” Russel got over his surprise and laughed heartily. “Well done,” he said, clapping. “Very well done. Using the surrounding environment against your attacker is always a clever strategy.” Lola gave him a bow, pleased with herself. The enjoyment of her victory was shattered just a few moments later. More applause filled the air but it wasn’t coming from Russel this time. It was coming from somewhere behind her. Russel looked past her, saw who it was, and his face changed immediately into one of cautiousness and anger. Lola turned around and found Sir Thomas coming toward them. In full armor.