Lucanis couldn't keep from chuckling now. His own hands shifted forward, gently pressing against his shoulder where she had hit him earlier. "It's all right. We do want to make this realistic, don't we? I can handle a few bruises."

He glanced down the length of her frame, then back up (maybe a little slower than necessary. Maker she was gorgeous—).

"Hidden in your boot, perhaps? Not ideal if you happened to be, say, surprised from behind by a man with a blade to your throat?"