Chapter 5

Summary: Lara gets her first adventure and Hillary is becoming increasingly elusive. Will they ever stop skirting around their feelings? Well, not for one more chapter, at least!

Three quarters of an hour later, Lara was disappointed that, when there was a knock at her drawing room door, it wasn't Hillary on the other side, but instead it was the kindly cook, Mrs Bainbridge.

"Mr Hillary apologises, ma'am, for being unable to attend you this evening, but some urgent matters have arisen to which he must attend." Mrs Bainbridge smiled consolingly. "However, he did say that I must ensure that you eat all of your dinner." She placed the delicious dish of chicken chasseur onto Lara's small dining table and busied herself laying out the proper cutlery.

Lara sighed. "Thank you Mrs Bainbridge," she replied. "Did Hillary say what these matters were that he had to sort out?"

Mrs Bainbridge looked uncomfortable for a moment. "No, my Lady, merely that I should ensure that you had everything you needed for tonight." She exited the room hurriedly and Lara settled down to dinner. There was nothing else she could do for the moment, and, even if she could have spent more time with Hillary, would she be any the wiser?

The next morning, having received a letter from Jacqueline Natla, Lara was distracted enough to forget her confusion over Hillary for a time. Natla Technologies, of which Jacqueline Natla was CEO, had offered her quite a substantial sum of money to trace a mysterious Peruvian artefact. Lara was so intrigued she'd have done the job for free, but it did mean that she needed to get into shape, and fast. She would be shipping out to Peru in a fortnight, and she would need Hillary's help to shed the few pounds she'd put on since university.

Thankfully, Lara had spent time in the Marines during her gap year and so she had mastered the art of maximising her strength and energy. She just needed some intensive training to get back into peak condition before she took up Natla's commission. Two weeks of non-stop cardio and muscular exercise should see her back at peak fitness once more. It was going to be a tough fortnight, but Lara knew that she could rise to the challenge.

Hillary, aside from being Lara's butler, was also chief physical trainer. He'd developed the role when Lara had been home from university and, during her holidays he had helped keep her practically at Marine-level fitness. Ostensibly this was just in case she decided that a career in the military was the path to take, and now that it looked as though Lara was going to take up what some would refer to as "extreme archaeology", the training was going to pay off.

For the next ten days, from the moment Lara got up to the time the sun set, she was training and reading up on the task ahead. Hillary was a relentless trainer, well versed as he was in kendo stick fighting, fencing and tai chi. He was also an excellent marksman and counted archery and rifle shooting among his talents. It wasn't long before Lara was almost back to her Marine fitness levels.

With two days to go before she left for Peru, Lara and Hillary were fencing in the larger training room. They'd discarded their protective headgear and they were evenly matched as they fought and parried in the fading light. Any darker and the setting sun would introduce a new hazard to the game, but for the moment they were safe.

"Has Natla said what she wants the artefact for?" Hillary asked as they fought. Beads of sweat were forming on his brow, as they had been parrying for around twenty minutes.

"Not a thing-and I doubt that she will," Lara replied, blocking his attack easily. "I don't think she's in the habit of telling employees her motives." She shook her head impatiently as a stray lock of dark hair got into her eyes. Cursing inwardly, she winced as Hillary took the advantage and struck a blow to her upper body. It wasn't intended to hurt, but Lara's pride was wounded.

"You will be careful, won't you Lara?" Hillary said as Lara surged forward with renewed energy.

"Aren't I always?" Lara smiled, sensing her advantage. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "One thing worries me, though."

"Oh yes?" Hillary looked concerned. "What's that?"

"Why you've been so distant with me for the past few days." Lara parried, then struck.

Hillary's gaze flickered. "You've spent every day training with me. I hardly think you can accuse me of that."

"You know what I mean, Hilly," Lara thrust again. "Since that night in the drawing room, you've only spoken to me when absolutely necessary."

"I am merely performing the same duties as I always have, my Lady." Hillary replied, a touch defensively. Aware that he was being beaten back, he made the error of stepping backwards as Lara came for him once more. Before they both knew it, she had knocked him to the floor.

Straddling Hillary, sweating from the exertion of their training session and propelled with a mixture of frustration and aggression, Lara panted. "Are you going to tell me now what's been bothering you for the past few days?"

Hillary tried to shift out of her grip, but Lara's thighs merely tightened around his own as she felt him move. She began to realise that it wasn't just her question that made him want to escape from her; the sensation of her heated body pressing against his so intimately was having an interesting effect on him, and she felt herself become increasingly aroused by his evident excitement.

"Lara, this is not the time or the place…" Hillary began, but judging from the look on his face, he knew it was useless.

"It seems to me that this is the perfect time and place," Lara replied, her voice husky with newly awakened desire.

Then, without warning, Hillary heaved himself up from underneath her and grabbed her by the arms. Surprised by his sudden show of strength, Lara found herself thrown over onto her back, arms pushed behind her head. The glimmer of satisfaction infused with arousal was evident in his eyes as he looked down at her.

"Alright," Hillary conceded, now that Lara was at his mercy. "I'll tell you what's been on my mind, but I don't think you're going to like it much." He pinned her more firmly and she felt his muscular legs straddling hers in a highly charged inversion of their previous position. Lara struggled for a moment against the iron grip of his thighs and hands, but, weakened by a sudden, hopeless desire, she was forced to stay put.

"Well?" Lara breathed, taking in the heady, aroused scent of the man who held her, feeling her lips begin to tingle and her body respond to his closeness. Just a few inches closer and their lips would be touching…

Hillary took a deep breath. "I think you're too far off your game to go to Peru." He stated. "You've been eating too much chocolate and drinking too much sherry. It's about time you sharpened up your skills." Giving her wrists a final squeeze, Hillary leapt off her and held out his hand to help her up.

Lara was outraged. "Off my game? You're off your bloody head, more like it!" She brushed his hand aside and stood up. "How dare you criticise me like that? If I am a little slow, which I am not, then it's down to your fussing and nothing more." Furiously, she grabbed her foil and launched another attack, which had Hillary up against the wall in a manner of seconds. "Does this look like I'm off my game to you?" Frustration made her more aggressive and she pinned him with more force than was absolutely necessary.

"Lara," Hillary panted. "If you get any closer to the wall, then I'll be through the other side of it."

Grudgingly she released him. "This isn't over." She said flatly.

"It looks that way to me," Hillary replied, trying to be flippant but only half succeeding. "Now, what would you like for dinner?"

As Hillary left the room, Lara screamed and threw her fencing foil after him.

Chapter 6 coming soon! Return to Fayza's Fanfic page