how you load it.” He popped bullets into the magazine. “This is how you take off the safety.”
Didn’t look too complicated. And just because she wanted to learn how to use a gun, since she might need that skill in the very near future, didn’t mean that she was getting drawn into his kind of life.
He handed her the loaded gun and stood. “Let’s see if you can hit anything.”
They went behind the cabin. He picked up a stone and put it on top of a woodpile. Then he came and stood next to her as she lifted the weapon.
“Line up the sight. Lock your knees, lock your elbows. Don’t wait too long. The longer you wait, the more your arms will shake. Lift, aim, shoot.”
She lowered her arms, then lifted the gun again, looked at the stone and imagined the masked man who’d grabbed her babies while the other was tying her up. She squeezed the trigger. The stone flew up in the air.
Reid capped her on the shoulder. “Pretty impressive. You’re a natural.” He grinned at her with genuine admiration.
She grinned back, feeling better, feeling as if she might have some sort of control for the first time. She could and would fight for her sons. She was pretty sure Reid wouldn’t ask her to stay behind this time.
She liked the small surge of confidence that came from her newfound competency. Although, part of her wouldn’t have minded some learning curve. He didn’t even have a chance to put his arms around her to show how to properly line up the sight.
Surprise at the thought made her blink hard. Since when had she wanted Reid Graham to put his arms around her? “I better shoot a few more rounds,” she said to yank her thoughts back from that track.
He lined up a dozen stones this time.
She missed the first, got the next four right, missed another one, then finished the row.
“You have seriously good aim.”
“Exactly why I still have ten fingers. You can’t have bad aim and wield a cleaver for a living.”
“I didn’t think about that,” he admitted, then smiled even wider, revealing strong, white teeth. “Hand-eye coordination is a beautiful thing.” He lifted a hand and brushed his thumb across her jaw.
Their gazes locked. She couldn’t move as he lowered his head to hers.
“And so is lip-to-lip coordination,” he said before he kissed her. Deeply. With military thoroughness.
Her brain was as foggy as a Scottish Highland meadow on a cold fall morning. “Oh,” she stammered when he pulled away. “But why?”
“You don’t know what it does to a guy when he sees a hot woman shoot like Dirty Harry.”
The only word that registered with her was dirty.
She drew a shaky breath, gathered her thoughts. Okay, so there was some leftover attraction, but they didn’t need to act on it. Falling back in lust with him again would be the stupidest thing she could do.
“Pretty reckless, aren’t you?” She shot a pointed glance at the gun in her hand. “What if I didn’t like it?”
“I counted the bullets, just in case,” he said.
And kissed her again.
Damn the man, he had an answer for everything.
S HE’D LET HIM KISS HER. More than once, so neither could claim that it had been an accident. Damn if he knew what that meant.
What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he have to kiss her?
Lara had asked him that same question, more politely worded. Reid had given her a glib answer, one that disguised how much the kiss had shaken him. He’d written off that one runaway kiss at the safe house to surprise. After Hopeville, he hadn’t expected to ever see her again. She’d taken him off guard by being even more beautiful than he remembered, having turned into an amazing woman.
One small judgment error. That was supposed to be the end of it.
He wasn’t supposed to be kissing her again. He was going to walk away when this was over. He tried to remind himself of that as he went through the latest file Carly had sent him, while Lara warmed up the food Cade had left for them.
“You have
Didn’t look too complicated. And just because she wanted to learn how to use a gun, since she might need that skill in the very near future, didn’t mean that she was getting drawn into his kind of life.
He handed her the loaded gun and stood. “Let’s see if you can hit anything.”
They went behind the cabin. He picked up a stone and put it on top of a woodpile. Then he came and stood next to her as she lifted the weapon.
“Line up the sight. Lock your knees, lock your elbows. Don’t wait too long. The longer you wait, the more your arms will shake. Lift, aim, shoot.”
She lowered her arms, then lifted the gun again, looked at the stone and imagined the masked man who’d grabbed her babies while the other was tying her up. She squeezed the trigger. The stone flew up in the air.
Reid capped her on the shoulder. “Pretty impressive. You’re a natural.” He grinned at her with genuine admiration.
She grinned back, feeling better, feeling as if she might have some sort of control for the first time. She could and would fight for her sons. She was pretty sure Reid wouldn’t ask her to stay behind this time.
She liked the small surge of confidence that came from her newfound competency. Although, part of her wouldn’t have minded some learning curve. He didn’t even have a chance to put his arms around her to show how to properly line up the sight.
Surprise at the thought made her blink hard. Since when had she wanted Reid Graham to put his arms around her? “I better shoot a few more rounds,” she said to yank her thoughts back from that track.
He lined up a dozen stones this time.
She missed the first, got the next four right, missed another one, then finished the row.
“You have seriously good aim.”
“Exactly why I still have ten fingers. You can’t have bad aim and wield a cleaver for a living.”
“I didn’t think about that,” he admitted, then smiled even wider, revealing strong, white teeth. “Hand-eye coordination is a beautiful thing.” He lifted a hand and brushed his thumb across her jaw.
Their gazes locked. She couldn’t move as he lowered his head to hers.
“And so is lip-to-lip coordination,” he said before he kissed her. Deeply. With military thoroughness.
Her brain was as foggy as a Scottish Highland meadow on a cold fall morning. “Oh,” she stammered when he pulled away. “But why?”
“You don’t know what it does to a guy when he sees a hot woman shoot like Dirty Harry.”
The only word that registered with her was dirty.
She drew a shaky breath, gathered her thoughts. Okay, so there was some leftover attraction, but they didn’t need to act on it. Falling back in lust with him again would be the stupidest thing she could do.
“Pretty reckless, aren’t you?” She shot a pointed glance at the gun in her hand. “What if I didn’t like it?”
“I counted the bullets, just in case,” he said.
And kissed her again.
Damn the man, he had an answer for everything.
S HE’D LET HIM KISS HER. More than once, so neither could claim that it had been an accident. Damn if he knew what that meant.
What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he have to kiss her?
Lara had asked him that same question, more politely worded. Reid had given her a glib answer, one that disguised how much the kiss had shaken him. He’d written off that one runaway kiss at the safe house to surprise. After Hopeville, he hadn’t expected to ever see her again. She’d taken him off guard by being even more beautiful than he remembered, having turned into an amazing woman.
One small judgment error. That was supposed to be the end of it.
He wasn’t supposed to be kissing her again. He was going to walk away when this was over. He tried to remind himself of that as he went through the latest file Carly had sent him, while Lara warmed up the food Cade had left for them.
“You have
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