Page 55 of The Fury She Holds
Faron held his hands up in surrender, and his lips twitched on her hand.
Tal became all too aware of their proximity and the feel of his skin under her palm. She stepped away, clenching her fist. She ignored him and focused on a new target.
Faron changed the topic of conversation to Tal’s training. “Rainier and his sister taught you? Are they not much older than you?”
“They’re from the southern kingdom. Their father was a master warrior of sorts.”
“He must have been an excellent tutor for them to then trainyouso well.”
Tal rolled forward and threw her axe in one motion, hitting her mark and affirming his statement further. “We learned out of necessity; something your expensive tutors could never teach.”
Faron nodded in concession, but didn’t give any details of his own training. Tal knew most noble families hired experts of all skill sets for their young lords and ladies. He likely learned to fight in the privacy of his estate. The near perfect way that he moved in a duel, almost like a dance, hinted that he rehearsed each move until it became second nature.
The more they talked, the more distracted Tal found herself. Her companion still lounged on the fallen tree, and Tal’s mind wandered to thoughts of his training. She thought of the way he would run his hands through his hair in frustration, how the muscles on his back would flex in the midday sun, having taken off his shirt because of the summer heat. Sweat would drip down his muscled chest. She took a steadying breath when her throw went wide. A sideways glance indicated Faron still watched her. He smirked and raised his brow suggestively as if he knew where her thoughts were. The answering flush in her cheeks made it more difficult to hide her thoughts, and she bit her lip in a futile attempt to regain focus.
When her next throw slipped out of her hands and disappeared in the surrounding trees, Tal swore. Faron laughed and teased her about taking back his earlier compliment. She responded with a rude gesture, earning her more boisterous laughter from the nobleman, and went searching for the lost axe.
She cursed herself while she stomped through the foliage.Why did I think about him like that?Despite Faron’s suggestive smirks and flirtatious manner, it was foolish to entertain any ideas involving a noble and a commoner. Some would say she shouldn’t be alone with the man to begin with, but a ruined reputation meant nothing to Tal, who had given up any expectation of finding a husband many years ago. Someone of his status wouldn’t normally seek out her company, but she brushed off her curiosity when rustling leaves to her right demanded her attention.
Not a moment later, a piercing squeal broke the silence in the woods, and Tal realized too late that a large boar barreled toward her.
“Look out!”
Tal was knocked to the ground just as the beast lunged at her. She only had enough time to see Faron kneeling over her, his bow in hand, and an arrow already released. It embedded itself in the boar’s rump, earning a guttural screech. The animal turned for a second attack, but before its next breath, another arrow hit home, and the boar slid to the ground a few paces from them. Tal turned her shock from the dead boar to the man above her. She’d been so distracted, she hadn’t noticed either of them following her.
Faron released a deep sigh and dropped his bow. His hands fell to his sides. “Some hunter you are.” His nervous smile failed to conceal the worry Tal heard in his voice.
Rather than admit he’d saved her from the boar, Tal grabbed his right wrist, locked his leg with her foot, bucked her hips andpivoted to her left. Faron was so caught off guard, he let out a small yelp when he landed on his back. With her right hand on his chest and her left still locked on his wrist, Tal smirked triumphantly at the shock on Faron’s face.
Silence hung between them. Tal felt his quickening heartbeat against her palm. His eyes dipped to her lips. The distracting thoughts from before invaded her mind, and suddenly the position of her hips over his revealed his thoughts as well. Their eyes locked again. Heat filled her cheeks. She twisted off him with a jerk and stood, using the freshly killed boar as a distraction.
Faron remained silent while she inspected his kill, attempting to distract her racing thoughts. The animal must have stalked her through the trees.She blinked at an image of Faron picking through foliage, a predatory smirk on his lips.She knelt beside the animal’s head, eyeing the angle at which the arrow impaled its chest.She’d spent the better part of the day forcing her gaze away from Faron’s own muscled chest barely concealed beneath his open shirt.Her eyes traveled along the beast’s massive body to the arrow protruding from its rump.The night she met him, her eyes once roamed down Faron’s own body, appreciating the way his leather suit clung to his muscles, until she reached—She exhaled in frustration and stood, facing the subject of her thoughts.
His lack of comment only allowed Tal’s mind and her eyes to wander further. She caught herself surveying his attire, imagining how she would remove it, and cleared her throat to stop the thoughts. She composed herself only to find that infuriating smirk returned. He knew exactly what she was thinking.
“I’ll get my axe.” Tal turned and walked farther into the woods, doing her best to ignore the laughter following her all the way. She found her axe another thirty paces later despite her intrusivethoughts. She returned to the little cottage to see Faron hooking Hazel up to a cart behind the shed. He lifted the boar into the cart, his muscles straining under the weight.
“It’s probably best we return.” He faced away from her while fixing the reins. “Jens will be missing the horses, and I suspect the butcher would prefer we deliver our kill before the meat spoils.” He turned toward her, and his eyes traveled the length of her body.
Tal knew that wasn’t the reason they ended their little adventure, but she didn’t push the issue. They should return before she lost all sense. Her lack of self-control seemed to be growing, probably due to the little sleep she received on the pier.
“Will you be okay to ride back?” Faron spoke in a gruff voice as if he too was tormented with inappropriate thoughts.
She nodded. “If you ride, I’ll ride.”
16
Faron appeared several times in the following week, often joined by Eddard or Waylon. Tonight, the three of them joined her crew for an ale at the tavern. Eddard and Egan were deep in conversation about fresh water in the mountains while Waylon failed miserably at making Sybil blush. Faron sat across from Tal, matching sip for sip until their cups were both empty. Without a word, he followed her to the bar, smirking as she turned to catch his gaze.
“Don’t you have crime to fight somewhere? Or maybe some court banquet to attend?” she teased.
“I’m not dressed for any adventures tonight.” Faron gestured to his handmade trousers and white shirt. Indeed, he didn’t even have his rapier or smallsword with him, though she doubted he’d arrived completely unarmed. He dropped a few coins on the bar top and ordered a round of drinks for their table.
“Keep paying for our drinks, and the night might get adventurous either way.” Tal immediately regretted her words. Her cheeks heated and she avoided the suggestive grinon Faron’s face, allowing herself to become distracted by conversations around her.
“That’s what I’m saying! Two men came in buying drinks and left this here gold coin.” The bartender stopped filling their drinks in order to slap the coin on the wooden counter.
A rough-looking man squinted at it. “The king’s seal?” He met the bartender’s prideful expression. “Where they get a coin like that?”
