It was a hard push to the end.
Henry had a working lunch doing voice work, which was a sign that the end of production was nearing. This suits you just fine, meaning that you can wait for Stella to finish lunch and be done for the day.
You take her to the spot where you work out with Brock, who you would be meeting there later on anyway.
"Beautiful, but you work out here?" Stella asks, looking around. "It looks romantic."
"I guess, when I'm not climbing trees and swinging from them."
Her eyes went wide. "No!"
You start laughing at her. "Yes!"
"But why?" She asks. "Don't get me wrong, he's got a Greystoke look about him, but—"
"He just believes in using what is around, I think," you shrug at her.
"How's Henry doing with all this?"
"Henry..." you moaned softly as you knelt on the couch, your hands on the armrest. Your body was still tingling and catching small chills from the paths his tongue had licked on your skin, the tension pooling at your core and pulsing with need. You arched as he ran his hands over your body in gentle but firm glides. Your breath quickened as he firmly grasped your hip and plunged deep. "Henry!" you cried out, only for him to withdraw and thrust harder. You moaned as he rotated his hips, and then arched with a gasp as he slapped your backside. He began a piston-like steady rhythm, the collision of your bodies sounding magnified to your ears. And just like that, he stripped away your control, just like that he had you moaning and trembling. He milked moans and cries from you as your thighs became wet with surrender, helpless as you rocked back and forth on him, his hand on your shoulder, the other still on your hip. "Uuhhnn...."
"That's it, love," he growled, pounding you steadily as you arched, your hips shuddering in his grasp and sex quivering around his thickening rod. "Ohh I love it when you do that!"
"I think he is okay," you sigh, blinking yourself out of the memory. Since discovering your training with Brock, he'd become more passionate and possessive of late. He surprised you with these intense half hour quickies that left you a gasping and trembling mass of nerves. And he always spooned and kissed you after, his hold firm, his broad chest warm against your back, his hips cradling yours. On nights like that you slept when he did and didn't work after his early bedtime. You tried to figure out a pattern for it, when he does it and why, but there doesn't seem to be one that you can see.
"Be careful," Stella said softly. "I mean, those are two guys...hot guys...kinda fighting in their own way for your attention."
"Not Brock," you chuckle. "I am so not on that guy's radar."
"Then why did he offer to train you?"
"We're from the same country?" you guessed. "We both have down time? We both believe in exercising and working out?"
"So why not pursue a different woman?"
"Maybe he has someone back home, I dunno," you shrug. "Maybe his nights aren't so lonely, Stella."
"Hmmm," she lifts her eyebrow at me. "or maybe he likes seeing Henry squirm a little?"
"Ha! Henry is not squirming." You grab your bottle. "Thanks for the refill." You rise to go.
"No problem," she shrugs, giving you the don't say I didn't warn you look.
You frown at her, and shake your head, then laugh, "Everything is fine."
"Famous last words," Stella wags her finger.
You walk in the woods toward your spot, and find it quiet...too quiet. "Shit." You slow your steps, and start taking in whatever information around you that you can: No birds. Someone's here or someplace that you shouldn't be. Most small animals in the wood ignore you now. You turn just in time to see Brock come from behind a tree. "Brock-!"
He puts a single finger to his lips and he waves you on. You follow him quietly, still in awe of how light-footed he can be. You come to your usual clearing to see something you've only seen once before in life:
"Ohmigod!" you whisper, you both crouching behind the log you usually train on.
"Should we just..." He shrugs.
"No!" you whisper. "It-"
"Was here first?" you both say.
"Yeah," Brock smiles at you, and covers your hand with his own.
You feel a wave of warmth flow over you, having shared this with someone, and then a tinge of sadness wishing it was Henry.
"Bella?" You gasp at the sound of Henry's voice. He is still in Witcher gear.
He comes into view with a leash. "Ah, Gale is going out of his mind looking for you. I had a feeling you would find this spot." He eased closer as the deer looked up at him. He crouches near her and lets her keep drinking. "Someone else should be here, Bella. Have you seen a long-haired chap with a terribly cute girl?"
You watch him reach for the deer and gently lasso it, and your heart melts at his gentleness, the softness of his features even though he is in Witcher makeup.
You rise from your hiding place. "Hey."
"Hey, I was wondering where you were," he smiles, and you suddenly feel as if you hadn't lost this moment. "This is Bella."
"We saw the deer and didn't want to disturb it," Brock says, rising also. You were three feet apart.
Henry's eyebrow quirks but then he breaks into a boyish grin. "Thanks for that. If you would have spooked her, she might have run further off." After formally introducing us to the doe, he said, "I'll get her back to Gale now. See you soon." He nods to us both and leaves.
You and Brock start stretching right away. You're a bit behind schedule. There was no water workout today, you both decided to stick to land. Brock brought a tire. You'd done tire workouts before. Ugh.
After flipping it, rolling that thing back and forth, pushing it and doing full body extensions in the process, Brock smiles and says you're warmed up. You're sweating, but felt relieved that you were back to the tree, which was something you didn't look forward to at one time.
Just as you jump up on the tree, you hear steps. You look at Brock. He hears them too.
"Mind-" Henry smiles. "mind if I join you?"
You are surprised, but Brock looks unaffected. "Hey, the more, the better."
He launches Henry into a tire workout, but he stays with you on the tree. You are doing your usual routine and Henry is slowing and watching you. He always seemed to like watching you work out.
Henry finally gets on the tree with you and does the workout relatively well. His balance could be better, but he would have to raise his center, you realize.
"Can you squat?" Brock asks. "On the tree?"
He plants his legs firmly and squats. "Wanna try?" He pauses. "Babe?"
You watch him. "What?"
"Trust me?"
Oh, he's got to be kidding! He—
"Darling?"
You walk to him with ease and you climb him slowly. His hold is sure and tight as he spreads you across his hips and squats.
"Dayum!" Brock's eyes go wide. "Very smooth!"
He squats with you and you look in his eyes. He is concentrating, he is balancing, you feel his muscles flex and syncopate, his arms holding you as you hold on to him. He is determined not to let you fall. You trust him so deeply. You love him so deeply. You will trust him, you tell yourself. You have to.
It's too late.
He holds your heart anyway.