Chapter 74: Close Contact

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Lucian didn't answer her question.. At least, not directly.

For one suspended second, Elowen thought he might say something.

Thought he might finally give voice to whatever strange, dangerous shift had been unfolding between them these past weeks.

Instead, his jaw tightened and his gaze flickered briefly to her mouth before he stepped back just enough to reestablish distance.

“Your footwork was sloppy yesterday,” he said, his voice maddeningly even. “Try not to abuse your authority as my trainer just because you’re emotionally compromised.”

The abrupt pivot was so ridiculous that it stunned a laugh out of her.. A real one.

Lucian’s mouth curved faintly and just like that, the unbearable tension dissolved into something quieter and softer but the question still lingered.. Unanswered.

And it was now heavy in the back of her mind. By the time the next afternoon’s session began, that unresolved moment had settled beneath Elowen’s skin like static.. She could still feel it.

Every glance Lucian gave her seemed weighted with everything he had not said and somehow, that made being near him weirdly, more dangerous.

The gym was unusually empty as most of the team had been pulled into media prep for an upcoming athletic fundraiser, leaving the private training section silent except for the dull hum of overhead lights and the occasional distant echo of voices from the main court.

It should have felt ordinary.. Instead, the atmosphere vibrated with a strange, restless energy.

Elowen set down her clipboard and crossed her arms. “Today we’re working on close-range defense.”

Lucian leaned against the ring ropes, watching her. “Trying to beat me up again?”

“Always.”

A wave of amusement touched his face.

“Good. I was worried all this emotional vulnerability was making you soft.”

She rolled her eyes. “Get in the ring.”

He obeyed and the familiarity of routine should have grounded her. It usually did but today, every movement felt sharpened by awareness.

By the memory of his voice.

I’d rather you hate me than drown silently.

By the question he still hadn’t answered.

And by the increasingly impossible reality that somewhere along the way, Lucian Langford had become someone whose presence unsettled her in ways she no longer understood.

She climbed into the ring after him. “Guard up.”

Lucian raised his hands immediately and Elowen circled him once, studying his stance.

“Your center of gravity is still too high.”

He frowned. “It’s not.”

“It is.”

“It isn’t.”

She sighed dramatically. “Do you enjoy being wrong this often?”

“I’m gifted at many things.”

“Humility clearly isn’t one of them.”

“Neither is losing.”

His smirk was brief but seeing it loosened some of the tightness in her chest and for a moment, things almost felt normal.

Then training began.. Pad work first.. Fast combinations.. Close-contact corrections.. Nothing unusual.

At least, that was what Elowen kept telling herself until she stepped behind him to adjust his posture and her hands settled on his shoulders.

“Relax here,” she instructed quietly.

Lucian went instantly still, at first, she assumed he was focusing then she noticed the subtle tension that rippled through his frame and the way his breathing shifted.

Her brow furrowed. “Lucian?”

“I’m fine.”

The answer came too quickly and Elowen narrowed her eyes. Slowly, she slid one hand lower, adjusting the angle of his spine.

“Your back is locking up.”

His entire body tensed and then she saw it… Goosebumps, it was a visible shiver racing beneath the skin exposed above the collar of his training shirt.

Her fingers froze and just as heat flooded her face she stepped back immediately then Lucian cleared his throat and stared fixedly ahead.

Neither acknowledged what had just happened, neither mentioned the very obvious reaction but the air between them shifted.

Elowen forced herself back into instruction mode. “Again.”

Lucian obeyed though his movements had lost some of their usual fluid precision, his punches landed half a second late, his footing slightly off and every time she stepped close enough to correct him, his entire body seemed to sharpen with tension.

As if her proximity alone was enough to rattle him and that realization was deeply unsettling because she understood it far too well as her own pulse betrayed her every time he brushed past, every time his arm skimmed hers and every time his low voice cut through the silence between them.

They moved into grappling drills next with defensive takedowns.. Body positioning.. Controlled recovery.

Which was, Elowen realized too late, a spectacularly terrible idea.

“Again,” she said tightly as Lucian advanced, she pivoted and redirected his momentum.

Their bodies collided briefly before separating.

His hand closed around her wrist and her stomach flipped.

She twisted free and reset. “Focus.”

The command came out sharper than intended and Lucian’s eyes flicked to hers.

“You first.”

The quiet challenge sent heat rushing to her face as she glared.

“Try not to flatter yourself.”

His mouth twitched then they moved again this time faster and closer.

The physicality of the drill demanded constant contact.. Hands gripping forearms.. Bodies colliding.. Quick corrections and sharper recoveries.

Each touch lasted only seconds and yet every one felt amplified.

Elowen could now feel her own composure beginning to fray.

Lucian seemed no better as his breathing had grown uneven, his usual effortless confidence replaced by visible restraint.

It should have comforted her to know she wasn’t imagining this instead, it only made everything worse.

“Again,” she snapped.

Lucian lunged and she shifted to redirect him but her footing slipped against the canvas.. Just slightly.

Everything happened too fast and his momentum collided with hers, instinctively, he caught her.

His arm hooked around her waist and suddenly they were falling.

The impact knocked the breath from her lungs and Lucian twisted mid-descent, taking the brunt of it.. They hit the mat hard.

Elowen sprawled half across him, one palm braced against his chest with his arm still locked securely around her waist.

For a moment, neither moved.. Neither breathed as their faces were inches apart.

So close that she could feel the warmth of his breath against her mouth, see every fleck of gray in his eyes and notice the way his pupils had blown wide.

Elowen’s pulse slammed violently against her ribs as the world around them seemed to disappear except the unbearable heat of his body beneath hers, the solid strength of the arm around her waist and the electric awareness humming through every inch of space between them.

Lucian’s gaze dropped to her lips then lifted to her eyes again.

The movement was tiny, barely noticeable yet it shattered whatever fragile composure remained making her breath hitch and her heartbeat frantically beat.

And still.. neither moved.