I shot him an evil glare, and he just chuckled in response.
“You think this is funny, don’t you? Watching me suffer,” I staggered out.
He grinned. “I can’t deny that watching you all hot and sweaty is rather enjoyable.”
I curled my lip, and without a second thought, I punched him in the arm.
He looked at his arm, then back at me, wicked amusement in his eyes.
“Yeah, we definitely need to build your strength. That was pitiful.”
I huffed, then continued my run, having to constantly stop to catch my breath until the fourth lap was complete.
After completing my run, he led me through various core exercises, all of which I failed miserably. After a beat, he ceased his mocking after most likely noticing my evident frustration with myself. Instead, he was direct and short, as if he knew that coddling would have bothered me even more than mocking.
“So…” I huffed while doing sit-ups, Quill kneeling in front of me and holding my feet to the ground. “Did you see the Queen a few days ago?”
“Hm?”
“When she came to the Outer Ring,” I breathed, attempting to ignore the curling of my toes at his pine and citrus scent. Was it a fragrance, or did he naturally smell that fucking good? “Did you happen to get a glance?”
“Oh. No. My home isn’t close to the stairs. But I did hear about it,” he said plainly. I groaned as I continued the sit-ups. “Did you?” he asked.
I paused at the top. “Yes. She bought out our entire stock. She’s very generous,” I said after a moment of contemplating. “I think the kingdom would be better if she had the final say on things, not Ulric. I don’t care much for him.”
“Don’t stop,” Quill snapped.
I quickly resumed. “Yes, sir,” I muttered while rolling my eyes. That made his lip curve upward. “So…what’s your story? You’ve been to my home, know where we work, and have seen me in a ridiculous bun.” I jokingly gestured at my horrendous hairdo, struggling with my breathing as I hurled my body up and back down. “I don’t know anything about you.”
“I like to be a mystery,” he purred.
I let out a breathy laugh. “Of course you do.” I wanted to keep talking, but my workout demanded I stop.
By the end, sweat dripped down my body, and the curled baby hairs surrounding my hairline were stuck to my face. I pressed my fingertips to my cheek, and my skin felt hot to the touch.
I probably look like a mess.
I struggled to raise my body for the final time after completing a hundred sit-ups.
“Excellent, Lena,” he praised.
“Don’t lie,” I panted, my forearms now resting on my knees. “This was all pathetic.”
“No, all this showed me was how determined you are.” He held out a hand and lifted me to my feet, then checked his watch. “Time’s up. I’ll walk you home.”
I was regaining my breath when he smirked at me again. “You know, if your mother doesn’t know we’re training together, she’s going to think other activities took place when she sees you like this.”
I could feel my face heating further.
“You’re insufferable. You know that?” I said in defeat.
He laughed, then started walking towards the kingdom.
Cocky bastard.
We made it back to my home, and I hoped my deep breathing, along with the cool breeze during the walk, corrected my flushed face.
When I reached the doorway, I turned to Quill.
