Chapter 41
Bard swung his leg out, and I dodged, then jumped to the side and came back at him with a left kick. It connected with his hip, and he stumbled.
"That was good." He motioned for a break.
We'd been at this for two weeks, and I was getting better. Ever since the night I kissed him, we'd kept our distance. Or... he did.
I'd always kept a distance, but Bard... His whole attitude changed after that night. He kept things casual, never asked me to do anything with him besides train. Things weren't intense when we did either, unlike the first time. His touches didn't linger. He never got too close. It was platonic, completely professional. He drilled me, pushed me to learn the skills he was teaching and never allowed so much as an inch of leeway.
I hated and loved it all at the same time.
I loved it, because it made things easy.
But I hated it.
His sudden change in behavior confused me. Was it me? Had he finally given up his chase? Finally gotten over whatever infatuation he'd seemed to have? As much as I hated to admit it, the thought bothered me.
"Again," he barked the word like a sergeant, pushing me to keep going.
The same thing every morning. For three hours we'd spar and rest, spar and rest. Then, Bard would declare us done and take off into the woods. He'd stay there, doing god knows what until dinner. Then, he'd shower and go to sleep.
I lifted my fists and got into stance. "Bring it, big guy."
Bard smirked and lunged for me. I dodged, kicked a leg behind his and pushed against his chest, just the way he'd shown me. The move sent him spiraling backwards onto the ground.
"Very good." He smiled and hopped back to his feet. "Another few weeks, and you'll be a regular GI Jane."
I laughed. "I'm not chopping my hair off."
Bard grinned. "Neither am I."
"You talking or fighting."
Bard lunged again, quicker than usual, and sent me gently onto my ass. "Don't get too cocky." He smiled down at me, one eyebrow lifted.
I grabbed his ankle and jerked him down beside me.
He hit the ground and laughed, big and loud. Goosebumps peppered my arms at the sound of it.
"Alright." His chest rumbled. "You win today. Let's call it." He stood and knocked the dirt off his jeans.
I hurried to my feet just as he turned to leave, the same way he did everyday after we trained.
It was so unbelievably boring alone in the cabin. At first, I'd loved the distance, but now, not so much. I'd go crazy soon if he kept this up.
Bard started towards the treeline, and I grabbed his forearm.
He stopped and turned back to me.
I swallowed the solid ball of nerves in my throat and could practically feel them land in the pit of my stomach. "Um... where ya goin'?"
God, I sound so stupid.
Bard continued to stare at me, his face like a graven image, completely unreadable.
It made me feel dumb. Why was I bugging him? I'd made it clear I wasn't interested, and now I was pestering him. "Never mind," I removed my hand from his arm and bit the inside of my cheek.
Bard's eyes cut. "Why?"
I cleared my throat. "I'm bored."
"Do you want me to stay?" He took a step forward and lifted my chin, eyes searching, reading.
I swallowed hard. My heart rate spiked. "Maybe."
Bard's lip twitched. He titled his head. "Alright."
"You don't have to, though." I motioned towards the woods. "You can go do... whatever it is you do."
"I know that." He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the cabin.
Bard didn't slow until we were inside, then gently pushed me down to sit on the sofa.
"What are you doing?"
"Snacks. I'm hungry." He disappeared into the kitchen, and I could hear him rummaging through the cabinets.
I wiped my palms onto my jeans and tried to ignore my thundering heart. Why was I so nervous?
Bard's presence was strange after all the time he'd spent away. I was so used to the house being empty, him suddenly being there made it seem almost too full.
He stepped back out after a long few moments, arms full to the brim. He took the seat beside me, plopped two bags of chips into my lap,a bottle of soda into my hand, then spread the rest of his bounty across his thighs.
"You weren't kidding." I took in the amount of food he'd gotten. Three kinds of chips, two kinds of dip, a can of processed cheese, a package of cookies, and a handful of granola bars.
Bard grinned. "I'm a growing boy, Tequila."
"Growing?" I snorted. "If you grow anymore, someone's going to need to yell timber every time you fall."
"That would get annoying." He shoved a handful of chips into his mouth then chomped them with a boyish grin.
"Why? You fall that much?"
His swallowed. "Every time I look at you." He held out a chip.
I took it, popped it into my mouth, then looked everywhere but him as I chewed. Why'd I do this to myself? Did I want this? Yes. Yes, I did. Did I need it? Absolutely not.
But out in the woods, on a mountain, away from the rest of the world, from life and karma and bad decisions... the line between want and need blurred.
"Can I ask you something?" he said, tone soft.
I looked over, but he'd busied himself with the wrapper on a granola bar. He didn't look up, and I could tell he was taking longer than was needed.
"What?"
"How'd you..." He paused. "How'd you get mixed up with him?" His eyes met mine, wrapper forgotten.
I stared at him. It wasn't something I liked to think about, let alone discuss with someone else. But something had changed between us. Training every day, being so natural, almost like... a team.
I chewed my lip. No. It would be a good thing. It could help him understand why he was so dangerous. Why I couldn't...
"He showed up one day and promised a better life." I gaged his reaction but found none. Just a blank expression, and his total attention. I sunk back into the cushion and snatched the granola bar from his hand. "The foster home I was in was pretty bad. They had ten kids. One theirs and the rest temporary." I pulled the wrapper apart, took a large bite, then chewed slow as my mind wandered off into another time. "We all slept on twin mattresses lined across the floor of their basement. Except for their son. He had a room upstairs."
I didn't look at him. If I had, it would have made it too hard. "Their son was older, almost out of high school. He kept coming at me."
"Did he hurt you?" Bard's voice was tight.
I shook my head. "He didn't get a chance. I met Drake, and... he was a lifeline."
"You ran away?"
I nodded. "I did. I was only fourteen, but they didn't really care about kids like me. We disappeared all the time." I paused. "Drake was twenty-two..."
"Twenty-two?" He bit the number out. "And you were fourteen?"
I looked at him.
His jaw was tight, brow furrowed. "That's..." His lips pursed.
"He's not a good guy, Bard. He didn't care."
He looked away and nodded stiffly, eyes cast to the far wall, fists clenched at his sides.
He's not a good guy. I'd never bothered to make the statement before, and I suddenly realized why.
There were no good guys before. To say that Drake wasn't good would have been redundant. He was a man. A man I knew. It was only to be assumed. But now...
I let my gaze roam over the profile of the man beside me, and I ran through everything I'd come to know about him.
Bard was a good guy.
I looked down at his fisted hand and placed mine over top of it.
His gaze shifted over to the contact, then he heaved a breath, flipped his hand and intertwined our fingers.
We sat like that for a long moment, neither speaking, neither daring to draw attention and risk breaking the fragile moment.
"Are you promising a better life, Bard?"
He looked at me, eyes not sharp but open. Honest. He shook his head. "No, Tequila. I can't promise something I won't always control." His fingers tightened around mine. "But I'd offer you mine, if you wanted it. I'd give it to you in a second."
My heart gave an extra beat, as if answering him for me.
I pushed the chips to the spot beside me and leaned closer. "Are you sure? I've done a shit job with my own."
His gaze shifted to my lips and lingered. "Let's trade, and I'll take care of it for you."
My chest rose and fell heavily. My mouth dried. I swallowed hard and wet my lips.
Bard's eyes sharpened.
"Why should I trust you?" It wasn't spoken with the same tone I'd used before. It was a genuine question, laced with the fear that kept me from closing the small gap between us.
"Because I'll earn it."
"I don't know why you'd want to. I'm not sweet. I'm scarred and damaged."
"You're like these mountains, Jessie. You're wild, but dammit you're beautiful. You could bring grown men to disaster if you wanted to." He lifted his free hand and touched the loose hair hanging beside my face. "But I know these mountains. They're home to me, and when I'm with you, that's how I feel. At home."
I chewed my lip. Narrowed my eyes. "You talk way too good."
"I do more than talk, Jessie."
"Yeah." I heaved a breath and met his gaze. "You do."
I was tired of fighting. I didn't care about wrong or right choices. Karma had a way of biting me no matter which direction I went, and I wanted this. I wanted him. "I don't want to fight this anymore."
Bard pushed the snacks from his lap and shifted his body closer. It put him sideways, face lower than mine.
I looked down at his open expression. Not pushing. Not demanding. I wasn't aware that men possessed the ability to be patient, but Bard did.
I'd been wasting time thinking I could deny this. I was no match, not from the very beginning. I wet my lips, stared at his mouth, then before my bravery could falter, I closed the gap and pressed my lips to his.
He welcomed me, soft and warm and inviting. No pressure. No demands. An offering. A begging for acceptance. And I did. I accepted him. All that he'd proven to be. The kiss deepened, and my heart lightened. It felt right. It felt like so much more.
Then, someone pounded on the door.
Y'all have been so lovely, I wanted to get this done sooner 🤗❤️ But work got in the way. Regardless, I'm three days early! Just for you! Next upload Sunday, sooner if the love is just as good for this one ❤️