Page 42 of Gumiho Kiss
She huffed but did as instructed.Fine.He could have it his way.
Mr.Park came at her again, but this time, she sidestepped into a twirl and pressed her blade to his back.“Who needs to watch their footing?”
He turned around with a bright smile.“Nicely done.”
“Coming from someone with your skill, that’s high praise indeed.”She beamed.
The grin fell off Mr.Park’s face, and he looked away, almost as if he’d seen something unnerving.Chin Sun glanced behind her, but there was nothing there.
“Mr.Park?Are you all right?”
He slipped his sword back into its scabbard.“Let’s stop here for today.”
Chin Sun blinked in confusion but didn’t argue.It probably was best that they get back.Sang Mi would be wondering what was keeping her.Maybe she could orchestrate another “accident” at their next training session, one that would actually be successful.
“Thank you for letting me use this.”She held out the sword she’d borrowed, but the bodyguard didn’t take it.“Mr.Park?”
“Promise not to slip again?”His tone was light, teasing.
Chin Sun’s face heated with embarrassment, but she boldly met his eye.“Why?Afraid you won’t be able to catch me this time?”
He grabbed the sword, expression turning somber.“I’ll always catch you.”
Before she could process what he’d said, he lumbered off in the direction of the city.She hastened after him, wondering if she’d misheard.
And why her stomach wouldn’t stop doing somersaults.
Chapter15
The Portrait
Hyun Soo shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth, but he barely tasted it, his head pounding like the ground under a stallion’s hooves.He’d left Lady Lee at her chambers an hour ago, but every time he blinked, it was like she was still there, sitting across from him with those haunting honey-brown eyes and pale pink lips he’d almost made the mistake of kissing.
His grip tightened on his spoon.He needed to calm down.It had been one moment of weakness.One.
“I’ll always catch you.”
He shut his eyes.Make that two.He hadn’t had any business making a promise like that.Not when he couldn’t possibly back it up.Not when she belonged to someone else.
So, why had he said it in the first place?
Hyun Soo had seen his fair share of beautiful women.There had been pretty yangban girls in Hanyang where he’d grown up, many who had flirted with him until they’d realized he had no interest in anything beyond his studies.Then, when he’d worked as a royal guard, he’d gotten glimpses of the queen as well as the king’s concubines.All stunning enough to make a man’s heart stop with a single glance.
Yet none of them had made him feel the way Lady Lee did.
A flush spread up his neck, his mind yanking him back to the moment when he’d caught her in the clearing.At first, he’d thought she was frightened, her face as still as a mountain, but then something had changed in her eyes, beckoning him nearer.And those lips ...
“Are you a man or an infant?”asked a nasally voice.
Hyun Soo scowled at the cook Na Ri standing in the kitchen entrance.No family name, which was common among lowborns, but that didn’t stop the talented ajumma from commanding the rest of the household’s respect, from the skittish Pyung Ho all the way up to Lord Lee himself.Na Ri was cantankerous to a fault, but she adored everyone in the house and knew all their favorite foods.She reminded him very much of his grandmother—ornery but loyal.
The only person she didn’t care for was Hyun Soo himself.
“I’m not sure what I did to cause offense this time, ajumma, but I’ll gladly remedy it if you let me know.”
She rolled her eyes before gesturing to his food.He peered down, grimacing when he realized what a mess he’d made.Half his kimchi lay on the floor, and he’d spilled quite a bit of soup onto his tray.
How had he not noticed any of this?
