Wild on You (25 page)

They watched two of his rants—yes, the right word for them. Just like Addie had
said, he raged about his rights, and wasn’t this “America and not some Commie country?”

Chase closed his laptop. “That’s what we’re dealing with. He feels justified to protect his rights. And he has the means to do it, which ties in to those rights—bearing arms and hunting.”

“And he has cages to hold animals,” Addie said.

Chase stood. “We need to proceed with caution.”

When they all headed back downstairs, Addie paused as she took in the range. Then she turned to Risk. “Could you teach me to shoot?”

The request startled him for more than one reason. “Absolutely. It’d be a good idea to know how to use a gun. To carry one.”

“Yeah, that’s what Chase said, too. And he’s right. You’re both right.”

Oddly, it wasn’t fear that he saw in her eyes. No, determination gleamed in those blue depths, and hell, he’d give her anything she wanted, looking at him like that.

Well, except
that
. Because he’d promised. He’d told himself that he wouldn’t be alone with her where temptation would beckon. He was sure the boys would join them in the range, because if anyone was shooting, they were in. Practicing for them was probably like grabbing a cigarette for smokers. If one was doing it, the others would, too.

But the bastards headed out with Chase, leaving Addie and Risk alone in the cavernous space. Well, wasn’t that sweet of the boys?
Not
.

Risk went to the cabinet and perused the selection. Chase’s gun cabinets were a wet dream, containing every type of gun, every caliber, even Tasers and a couple of crossbows. “A good gun for you is the .38 Special.” He pulled it off its hook and showed it to her. “This is an LCR, which stands for lightweight compact revolver. That makes it a good gun for a woman’s smaller hands, as well as a good conceal gun. It’s a double-action, which means that pulling the trigger cocks and shoots it. Tell me how it feels.” He held it out to her. “The gun is unloaded.”

“Okay.”

He shook his head. “Never take anyone’s word for it. Check for yourself.” He slid
his thumb over the release button and pushed out the cylinder to show her. She leaned closer and checked the barrel. “Very good,” he said.

“I saw you do it earlier.”

He snapped the cylinder back into the frame. “Always treat it as though it is loaded. Know where the muzzle is pointed at all times.” He tapped the end of the gun to show her. “Unless you intend to shoot, keep it pointed down at a forty-five-degree angle.”

She slid her fingers against his as she took the gun. It was odd to enjoy that bit of contact over the cool metal of a revolver, but there it was.

He waited until he knew she had a good hold on it before releasing her. She was staring at it as though it might turn into a snake, but her grip was solid. All wrong but solid.

“Let me show you the proper way to hold it.” He came up behind her, wrapped his body around hers, and positioned her hands in the correct way. “Always keep your trigger finger straight until you’re ready to pull it. Thumbs on the same side.” Damn, he liked the feel of her plastered against him. “Perfect.” In more ways than one.

When she turned to give him a smile, her cheek brushed his, and her mouth was way too close.
Discipline
. What the hell had happened to his discipline? He stepped back, barely wrangling it under control. “Let’s go into the range, and you can fire a few rounds.” He grabbed the ammo and led her to one of the lanes, then instructed her to squeeze off a few empty rounds to get the feel for it. “Ready for the real thing?”

She nodded. “It feels strange to hold a weapon.”

“Chase likes to remind us not to call it a weapon, though that’s what I call it, too. It’s a tool that can be used as a weapon. Go ahead and load the cylinder.” She inserted one cartridge and looked at him for approval.

“Exactly.”

She continued to load. “It’s almost … sexual, don’t you think?” She held up one cartridge. “They even look phallic.”

He guided her hand to shove that one in. “Let’s not go there.”

“Sorry. After our … experience on the boat, my brain is going there a lot.”

She gave him a smile that was both provocative and innocent at the same damned time. He wasn’t sure how she managed that, or whether she was doing it on purpose, but it had an instantaneous effect on his body. “A lot of me is going there lately, but we have an agreement.” He guided her hand down because she’d turned to him and inadvertently shifted the gun in his direction.

“Sorry. I got distracted.”

“Never get distracted when you’re holding a loaded gun.” He shifted her toward the target. His hands slid to her hips. “Stand with your legs a little wider than shoulder width apart.”

“See, for example, when you said that, all I can think of is you nudging my legs apart—”

“Addie.” He lowered his head. “Are you trying to drive me crazy? Because it’s working.”

More of that guileless look. “I’m just trying to learn how to shoot.”

He shifted her so that she was facing the target, because it was all he could do not to kiss that look right off her face. Guileless, his ass. “Then shoot.”

She gave her shoulders a little shake. “You don’t have to get testy about it.”

Testy. She was calling
him
testy? Why was she teasing him? It was Addie who’d been adamant about no more physical contact. Now she was wiggling her ass as she got into shooting position. Testing him.

Yes, that’s exactly what she was doing. There was only one reason he could think of for her to do that: She’d changed her mind. He could see the hunger in her eyes, a hunger he recognized down to his bones. So she wanted to goad him into making the overture. No way. He had to live up to his word. It was a matter of honor. Unless she played her wild card. But maybe he could nudge her toward doing just that.

Two can play at that game, sweetheart
. And while it would stretch his resolve thin, he was going to give it right back to her. As her teacher, he had to assess her posture and alignment. Which meant checking out her backside, and oh, what a nice backside it
was. He ran his hands along her upper thigh, pulling her legs apart just another inch. While he’d been doing that, he let the front of his body just barely touch the back of hers. Then he ran his hands down her arms and shifted their angle. He leaned right next to her ear and whispered, “Now you’re perfect.”

He thought she shivered. His hands remained at her wrists. “Do you know if you’re right- or left-eye-dominant?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sight the bull’s-eye with both eyes open. You want the center square between the two notches on the gun’s sight. See it?” He’d left himself plastered against her.

She nodded, which rubbed her cheek against his. Okay, this was as tough on him as it was on her. He had withstood grueling conditions and powered through; he could power through the raging hunger for Addie without giving in.

“Now close your right eye. Is the gun still pointing at the target?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re left-eye-dominant. You want to aim with that eye. Are you ready to pull the trigger, Addie?”

She must have picked up the subtext in his voice, because she turned to him. “Uh … yes.”

“Good. And you’re not scared, right? You should never be afraid to shoot.”

“I’m not scared. I have some trepidation. Nervousness. It’s good to try things that make you uncomfortable. That makes your heart race.”

“Mmm, glad you feel that way.” He backed away from her. “A .38 is strong enough to stop an assailant if you hit him in the right place. Might as well start with a sufficient caliber. When you pull the trigger, you’ll feel some recoil.” He saw her narrow her eyes; she was probably wondering if there was subtext in that, too. Just to make it clear, he arched his eyebrow. “Once you shoot, you’re going to like it. It’s immensely satisfying to send a bullet screaming into the target. You’ll feel a rush of power so compelling, you’ll want to do it again. And again.” He guided her arms back to face the target, since her body had swiveled as he’d talked. “Just remember that you’re dealing
with something powerful. And dangerous.”

“Don’t I know it.” She quickly averted her gaze to the target. She was way out of her league if she thought she was going to tempt him beyond reason.

Except … hadn’t she already? Because he had totally forgotten about ear protection. “Hold your position.” He retrieved muffs from the cabinet and placed one on her head. Then he put on his. “Take a deep breath, exhale, and pull the trigger.” Her first shot nailed the body-shaped target in the lower hip. “At least you hit the guy. You’ve got four more shots in the gun before you have to reload.”

She let out the rest of them in steady succession, set the gun down, and smiled at her handiwork as he brought the target close. “I kept them all on the bad guy,” she said with a huge grin.

“Nice job.”

Her eyes were sparkling with triumph. “You’re right. I do want to shoot more. It feels empowering.”

“Load her up and go for it.”

She went through three more rounds, getting a little more accurate with each one, before setting the gun down. With the muzzle faced in a safe direction, God love her. Her grin was still in place. “I want to do it again.”

His cock twitched.
Whoa, there, buddy, she’s talking about shooting. Or is she?
“You can shoot all you want,” he said.

“I don’t mean at this exact time, but I definitely want to shoot some more. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Come get me whenever you want.” He gave her a pointed look. “Just say the word.”

She bit her lower lip, and her eyes reflected all kinds of conflict. Because she wasn’t talking about shooting anymore. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She had made him promise not to give in, even if she begged. He hoped she didn’t beg. He wasn’t sure he could resist, despite the fact that she had clothes on.

They put the gun and ammo away and walked out into the warm night air.

“Who are you waving at?” she asked when he closed the door behind them.

“Security camera.” Risk pointed up at where it was discreetly mounted. “Let’s go send Elrod’s ex-wife a message.”

They walked down the softly lit path toward the guesthouse. He felt the absurd urge to take her hand. Addie was clearly at war with herself, wanting the thrill and knowing she shouldn’t have it. He knew that battle because it raged inside him, too. Addie needed to be very sure she wanted to go there, because she’d drown in guilt over taking something for herself. He couldn’t push, pull, or cajole her. It had to be her decision, one hundred percent, so
he
wouldn’t feel bad about it.

He followed her into her bedroom, where she surveyed the ceilings. “There are no cameras in here, I hope.”

“No. Just outside the front door.”

“Not that I think Chase is a perv or anything.”

Risk chuckled. “No, he seems like a good guy.”

“He suspects there’s something between us, by the way. Not that he came out and said so, but when I was talking about seeing the sweet little thing, he thought I meant you. I was talking about the cub.”

Risk laughed. “Crafty son of a bitch. He knew exactly what you were talking about, but he was testing you. Did you pass?”

She set her laptop on the bed, plugged it in, and fired it up. “I pretended I had no idea.”

“Yeah, you do guileless very well.”

She continued looking guileless. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mmm-hm. Well, the boys are on to us, too. They were poking fun at me earlier. And
I
don’t do guileless well. Hell, your father called me on the way I was looking at your picture on your Facebook page. That was when he warned me away, said we’d be a dangerous combo. He was right.”

“How were you looking at my picture? And which one?”

“It was you in that dark pink bikini, washing cars. And I was thinking that I could
do this.” He wrapped his hands around her waist. “Wondering if my fingers could touch. Not quite. Then I thought your boobs were the perfect size, just a little more than a handful.” He held out his hands an inch in front of those perfect mounds. “And I was right.”

Her cheeks went all pink. “So you noticed my waist before my boobs?”

He let his hands drop before he gave in to temptation. “Actually I noticed your smile first, then your amazing eyes. In all fairness to my mindless male libido, that was before the bikini picture. I can’t honestly say I would have noticed your eyes before your boobs. But you looked amazing in that bikini. And you looked damned good in the not-quite-bikini today, too.”

Her gaze was locked to his. “Thanks.”

If they stayed like that for one more second, he was going to give in. He cleared his throat and held on to his honor. “You were going to send the ex-wife an e-mail.”

She blinked and seemed to force herself to look at the laptop. He sat behind her as she logged on to her Facebook page and then went to the e-mail. She had to scroll through about a thousand e-mails before getting to the old one from Ursula. Addie dashed off a quick
Hope you’re doing well. Do you have a way to find out if your ex has a tiger cub available for hunting? He may have stolen the cub when he assaulted me
.

She set the laptop on the nightstand and scooted off the bed. He forced himself to the door. “I’d better go.”
Before I do something I shouldn’t
.

Except she was coming closer. “Risk, you’ve introduced me to a few firsts.”

He should just nod and open the door. His fingers closed over the knob. “Such as?”

“Having an orgasm in a roomful of people, for one. Shooting a firearm.”

“And you did very well. At the shooting, I mean. Both, really.”

“Experiencing an internal orgasm. On a boat. All firsts. Eating meat was a first in a long time, anyway.”

Whew, she was back on a safer subject. “And you liked it.”

She nodded. “I have to admit, I enjoyed eating that steak. But I don’t want to eat
meat again.”

“Duly noted.”

“But I liked the other things. And I want to do them again.” She slid her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “It felt so good with your body around mine, you inside me. I never imagined that feeling so … right. So I’m skipping past the begging and using my wild card.” A shadow of doubt crossed her face. “Unless you don’t want to.”