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because he looked up at Landon with a faint smile that didn t extend to his
eyes.
Let s spar.
Landon was quiet and subdued as he readied himself for their workout.
The itchy feeling of trouble would not go away, even though Kirith seemed
cool and calm, seemed to have shed whatever had happened earlier.
Something in Landon, knowing Kirith now as he did, didn t believe the
outer signs. Something in him knew the other man too well, could now pick
nuances that Kirith himself might not even recognize.
That phone call had definitely brought trouble to paradise, even if it
wasn t readily apparent yet.
Landon also knew that it was no use pressing the other man. Kirith
would simply go deeper within himself if he were pushed. There wasn t a
thing to be done but to wait and watch and hope that this wasn t anything
that could harm either of them.
They warmed up slowly and then moved through the forms with
controlled precision. As their muscles loosened, their minds opening to the
focus required, they sped up, moving with a synchronicity that showed how
much they trained together. Landon watched for Kirith s signal to step it up a
notch, but it never came. Instead, Kirith stepped to one side, leaning against
the wall with arms folded over his chest, his eyes half-lidded.
Show me your progress, was all he said. Imagine an enemy.
Landon stared at him a moment, then moved to the center of the mats
with determination evident in every line of his body.
He would show his mentor that he wasn t a waste of time. He would show
him that Landon had listened, had absorbed what he d been taught. He
wanted Kirith to be proud, for him to maybe see Landon as more than the
foolish young man he had been upon his arrival here.
He wanted Kirith to see him as a potential equal, a potential lover who
would be worthy to remain at Kirith s side.
Drawing a deep breath, he imagined Nate facing him, mocking him,
trying to dominate him as he always had.
It took little enough imagination after that.
His body followed his mind smoothly, without true thought, so well had
Kirith trained him. There was no hesitation, no need to search for the right
move. It all came to him.
He took every last bit of his hatred for his brother and poured it into his
moves, not with anger, for that would have worked against him, but with iron
determination. His speed increased as he became more and more immersed
in his inner visions. Blows, his blocks, his strikes clean and precise. For the
first time, he felt the power run through him, realized his own abilities were
far, far beyond what his brothers and team could have matched.
A smile played over his lips. He would never fear Nate again.
When he stopped, sweat flowed copiously over his form, but his breath
wasn t ragged, his body not weak with exhaustion.
He gathered himself, let the energy flow out of him, allowing himself to
calm, then he bowed to whatever entity or power had gifted him the inner
grace to achieve this.
He straightened, lifting his eyes to meet blue-green ones, waiting for the
only opinion that mattered.
Kirith was silent for a long moment, but something flickered in his eyes,
pride perhaps, a certain admiration& and a deep sadness.
The first of those Landon held to, glad he had proven himself in some
fashion, but the sadness he could not understand.
At last Kirith moved and came forward. He stroked long fingers down
Landon s cheek and smiled at last, though it held shadows.
You are ready.
They entered the shower room in companionable silence, and Landon
stripped off his clothes without real attention, still feeling a certain euphoria
over his performance for Kirith. He had done it, and Kirith seemed amazed
that he had accomplished so much in so short a time.
Landon wasn t. He had been waiting for such a thing for a long time,
waiting for an opportunity to become more than he had been under his
brother s domination. It had only needed a spark to become a fire within him.
It was Kirith who had lit that fire, and Landon would be forever grateful.
He felt a touch upon his naked back, then a kiss to the tender skin. He
froze, afraid to either reciprocate or turn, unsure what had prompted Kirith
to be so distant before. He didn t want to drive the older man away; he
wanted his touch desperately. The few days that they had not made love
seemed an eternity.
The hand was joined by another, and they ghosted over his sweaty skin,
leaving goose bumps in their wake. Landon tilted his head back and moaned
softly, trying to encourage further touches. The smallest contact, and Landon
was mush under Kirith s fingers. He liked it that way.
The fingers pressed deeper, massaging slightly, and Landon sighed a
little, pushing into the pressure, whimpering a little when a knot was
encountered, signaling his need.
The pressure increased, working out the points of pain, and Landon
groaned his approval, one of his own hands reaching back to touch Kirith s
thigh, smoothing down its length as much as he could in his current position.
The touches eased, and lips fell on Landon s neck, gentle and sure.
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