‘Yeah.You’re unpredictable.It’s fun.’
‘Was it fun in the vents?’
‘I mean, pain like that isn’t especially fun but yeah, it was pretty thrilling to have to think on my feet and find a solution.I was so impressed that you’d been timing my responses.’He looks up at Jules, whose cheeks are more than a little pink.‘Cascading fury.You’re a clever little fox,’ Lachlan says, knows he shouldn’t, but he wants Jules to remember, to let confidence flood the faultlines.‘Chaos should always be your weapon of choice.’
The bag is almost a quarter full.
‘Weapon,’ Jules echoes slowly.‘Like… what you were saying about CQC?’
‘Yeah, pretty much, but your mind is your sharpest knife.’
‘What about my body?’
Lachlan looks up, gives him a wry look.‘What about it?’
‘Like.’Jules swallows.‘Maybe we could give it a try.The stuff you said.Training or whatever.’He glances at the medics, his tone shifting.‘A lot of rich kids do martial arts, don’t they?’
‘They do,’ Lachlan agrees neutrally, hiding his excitement.If Jules would agree to CQC training, that would be fucking amazing.‘You’d take to it well, I think.A lot of room for you to improvise.’
‘We can start that if you want,’ Jules says.‘If you have time.’
Lachlan grins to himself.‘You’re just excited to kick my ass.’
‘Very.So what do you think?’
‘I think it sounds good.We can start next week if you—’
‘Today.Can we start today?’
Lachlan looks at him.
Jules Penhalyx is probably the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen, and the most annoying,andthe most vulnerable.
‘Not today, but we can start tomorrow,’ he tells him, like it won’t be a nightmare to move things around, ‘if you’re not woozy.’
Jules smiles at him.
He actuallysmiles.
God.It hits Lachlan like a gong.
He already loves the kid, he can’t help it, but it’s dangerous for that love to ever be even slightly returned because it wouldn’t be how it is with Mimi.Lachlan doesn’t think it ever will be returned, yet he’s hyper-aware of Jules’ feelings towards him and wary of overstepping.
A good dose of healthy distance is best.
That smile threatens it slightly, but Lachlan is a professional.
The bag is half full.
Lachlan changes the subject.
‘So, what other evil schemes do you have in mind when it comes to fucking with me?’
?
Alistair meets with Jules half an hour before he leaves.
Lachlan is present like always.They meet in his office while it’s pouring rain.Lachlan likes November rain.It’s darker, somehow.Thicker droplets.Varrow City gets more than its share of torrential downpours, but Lachlan just thinks it’s nicer in November.
