Make It Right by Megan Erickson

did. When she spoke, her tone went into “teacher mode,” slightly stern and very articulate. He imagined it was the one she planned to use in the classroom when she graduated.
    Lea pointed to the side of her neck and tilted her head so he could see the thick cord under her skin. “The carotid artery runs here. Go ahead and feel it.”
    Max shifted his weight and looked around the room. Jackie was focused on two women in the back, so she wasn’t watching them. He turned back to Lea. The heat rolled off of her body and her chest rose and fell with deep breaths. A steady pulse beat at the base of her neck and that beautiful stretch of skin begged him to latch on, kiss and suck until he’d marked it.
    “Max,” she prodded and he licked his lips and ran his fingers lightly down the side of her neck where she had indicated. Goose bumps trailed in the wake of his touch and he met her eyes. Her pupils were dilated, her pulse and breaths fast.
    They held gazes for seconds, minutes, hours. Max didn’t know. He was lost in those knowing eyes and didn’t come to until Jackie clapped her hands near their heads.
    “Next position!” she hollered.
    So he’d been out of it for a minute tops. But if the flush in Lea’s face, neck and upper chest was any indication, he hadn’t been the only one.
    “Hey, can you two walk around and make sure everyone is working on these correctly and show them if they aren’t?”
    Max nodded, unable to find his tongue or voice. Lea cleared her throat. “Sure, no problem.”
    Max followed Lea as she circulated the room. When she saw a mistake, she was kind but firm, never ridiculing the student or acting above them.
    They reached two girls who were practicing defending themselves if an attacker tried to grab them by the throat. Jackie had instructed them not to try to break the attacker’s arms or hands, but instead hit the attacker in the face. The tall blonde simulated smacking her partner, a petite redhead, on the cheeks.
    Max stepped in. “Hey, umm . . .”
    “Casey,” The blonde said breathlessly, catching her breath from the exercise.
    “Right, Casey. You want to focus on the most sensitive areas of the face, okay? Remember, Jackie said, ‘eyes, ears, mouth, nose’?”
    Casey nodded and looked uncertainly at her partner.
    “Hey, it’s okay, but I noticed your hands were on her cheeks. The most effective would be to use the heels of your hands and thrust into your attacker’s eyes.”
    He gestured to Lea. “Here, she’ll show you. She’ll probably like blinding me again.” He played off a joke, because Casey had begun to look a little embarrassed at being called out.
    Lea smiled easily and they simulated an attack. He took a shot to the eyes for it, because Lea didn’t do so well “simulating,” but it was worth it to see the light dawning over Casey’s face.
    “Oh, I get it! So, like this.” And when her partner grabbed her throat, Casey’s palms connected softly with her friend’s eyes.
    Both came away smiling and Max returned it. “Perfect, you got it.”
    “Thanks, Max,” Casey said, turning back to her partner to continue the exercises.
    Max moved on, scanning the room, eager to help out another student. He wasn’t an expert like Lea, but he’d paid attention, despite Lea’s ass as a distraction, so he felt justified in helping everyone out.
    The hair on his neck prickled and he turned around. Lea was watching him, leaning a shoulder up against the wall and rubbing her bad leg. He jerked his chin toward it. “You need something?”
    Her jaw clenched, then released. “Nah, I’m okay. You were pretty good with Casey.”
    He stepped toward Lea. “Thanks. I liked helping her out. It’s really cool to see when that switch flips in their head, you know? When they just ‘get it.’ And that I helped them.”
    Lea smiled, a brilliant one, with all her teeth. “Oh, I totally get that feeling. Why do you think I want to teach?”
    “You want your summers