Chapter 17 Nash
NASH
“Hold it steady. Squeeze slowly and take your time.”
I stood behind Georgie. She was holding a Glock handgun and wearing ear protection.
The range at the Avernus was underground, with dark concrete walls and several lanes. A tablet at each station controlled the targets.
Following my instructions, she fired.
It went wide. She was still anticipating the shots and jerking as she fired.
I wasn’t really worried. We’d get her there. I nodded and she lowered the gun.
As I slipped my earmuffs down around my neck, she did the same. I pressed a button and the paper target whizzed toward us. She’d gotten in a few good shots, but quite a few were at the edge of the paper.
Her nose wrinkled. “I definitely need some more practice.”
“You’ll get better.” I glanced at my watch. We’d been here for a couple of hours, already. I could see she was rapidly beginning to tire.
Fuck, I hated those bruises on her face. There was still some swelling, but her split lip was already scabbing over.
“Let’s head back to my place. We’ll have a light lunch, you can rest a bit, then tonight, I’ll let you pick the movie we watch.”
Her lips curled. “What if I want to watch a romcom?”
“Then a romcom it is.” I’d suffered through worse.
“Lucky for you, I like action movies.” Her smile faded. “I can’t help but feel I should be doing something about Snyder—”
I grabbed her hand. “Heal first. We’ll train and get you ready. He isn’t going anywhere.”
She nibbled the unhurt part of her bottom lip and nodded. “I should do one more round.”
“You’ve done enough for today.”
She stepped closer to me and her breasts brushed against my chest. I felt like I’d been hit by electric shock. I was so aware of her.
“Nash?”
“Yeah.” My voice was croaky.
She reached up and pressed a palm to my cheek. I felt that touch in so many places. Places that had been parched, dried, and cracked for so long.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “For helping me. I know you didn’t want to. That first night, you wanted me to leave.”
I pressed my hand over hers. “It wasn’t that. I just didn’t want this life for you. Darkness, killing. It’s not you.”
“Life doesn’t always give us what we expect. It’s about facing our challenges, making the most of things.”
My gaze fell to her lips. Control, man. Her injuries helped me dig deep and find it.
I cleared my throat. “One more round?”
She smiled and nodded. She slid her hearing protection back on, and I organized the next target.
She reloaded the handgun—she was getting good at that now after I’d drilled her on doing it when we’d first arrived.
She took the correct stance, her face focused.
I couldn’t look away from her pretty face.
She fired.
After she was finished, she eagerly ditched the gun and earmuffs. “That felt better,” she said excitedly. “I was more relaxed.”
More of her shots on target. “Nice work.”
She shot me a beaming smile. Then she did a little victory dance. Now I was staring at her ass as she wiggled it. Those leggings showed the shape of it perfectly.
She spun, her smile still wide. It was so reminiscent of the Georgie I remembered. She threw her arms around my neck.
I stilled. The world spun as her entire body pressed against all of mine.
Her smile faded and different emotions coalesced in her hazel eyes. “Nash,” she murmured.
Then she went up on her toes and pressed her lips to mine.
My brain short-circuited. I couldn’t move. I stood there like a frozen idiot.
She pulled back, heat hitting her cheeks. “God, sorry. I…really wanted to kiss you. I should’ve asked, not just assumed—”
I gripped her arms. “Georgie.”
“Nash, I’m sorry—”
“Georgie, be quiet.”
She stilled and licked her lips. “Okay.”
“I want to kiss you, but I don’t want to hurt you.” My thumb brushed her healing lip.
Her chest rose and fell.
“And I don’t want you to feel that you owe me anything.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that at all.”
I slid a hand into her hair and her lips parted. God, those bruises made me mad. “You have bruises, a sore lip…”
“Can you be gentle, Nash?” she whispered.
My gut tightened. “I never have been before. But for you, I’ll do anything.”
“Then please kiss me.”
I lowered my head and touched my mouth on hers.
I had to fight my instincts, my flaring desire. I gently kissed her, being careful with her lip. If she knew what I really wanted to do to her, she might not be so eager.
She moaned and opened her mouth. I explored. God, she tasted like sunshine.
So much poured through me. Memories of this girl had gotten me through some dark places.
It had always been her.
Her tongue stroked mine and I groaned.
We had to stop. Before I hurt her. That, I wouldn’t allow.
I lifted my head. She blinked, her face dazed and flushed.
I wanted to spend a lot of time putting that look on her face. “Still the prettiest girl in Elk Falls.”
She smiled. “I’m not a girl anymore.”
No, she wasn’t.
I tucked a strand of her starlight hair behind her ear. “Come on. Lunch time.”