Page 59 of The Interns

“I know.”

“I should probably stay the night in Atlanta, but maybe I can come back out tomorrow afternoon? You still owe me dinner and that lesson you promised.”

“You’re welcome here anytime. No invitation needed.”

She smiled back at him. “Then I’ll definitely be seeing you tomorrow.”

28

Maya

After an hour-long lecture on proper gun handling and safety, Maya stood between the partitions of their private lane, headphones on, arms crossed over her chest, and one hand propped under her chin. She watched her instructor ever so carefully because, if nothing else, she was serious about her studies. She made sure to really observe the proper form he demonstrated. The way his lean hands gripped what she now knew was a revolver thanks to his earlier lesson, the deep grooves and lines of his toned forearms as he extended his arms in front of him, the squint and laser focus of his blue eyes on the target, and the wide stance and slight lean forward that almost created the illusion of a backside on him. Yes, she was absolutely paying attention and taking notes.

Pow. Pow. Pow.

Just like that, he fired off three quick shots into the dead center of the target. The hand that was resting under her chin crept up to cover her slightly parted lips. “Oh,” she whispered through her fingers. That definitely did something for her. It wasn’t the guns at all. Brute alpha males and action movies had never done it for her. It was seeing how knowledgeable and skilled he was while doing it that turned her on.

He took a moment to appreciate his work then slid the headphones off and turned to her. She slipped hers off, as well, so that she could listen in on the next part of the lesson.

“Looks easy,” he started, all business like she was a cadet in training, “but it’s not the first few times, so don’t beat yourself up if you miss because you definitely will.” A smug little lopsided smirk formed on his lips.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Nothin’ personal,” he assured her, his southern drawl coming on thick with his defense.

“No, of course not,” she said with a roll of her eyes which caused him to chuckle.

“Come ‘ere.”

He nodded toward the space right in front of him and she sauntered over giving him the eye as she stepped in. He handed her his gun and placed his now empty hands on her hips as she turned to face the target ahead of them.

“Now you want to face the target squarely,” he explained, his chin grazing her shoulder as he used the hands on her hips to guide her into place. One hand stayed on her hip while the other slid down the side of her thigh.

“Feet shoulder width…toes lined up with the target.”

She turned her feet slightly to square off then felt his hand travel over and up the front of her thigh where he patted it.

“Bend your knees just a little…”

She unlocked her knees slightly and then felt his hand trail up to the spot on her belly just below the button of her jeans.

“Now lean towards the target.”

He applied gentle pressure to bring her backside into him as she leaned forward at her waist. It had all started innocently enough, or not, but she could no longer ignore the mounting effect of his touch and nearness to her. It definitely did something to her, but she took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind.

“Arms straight out and eye level,” he continued as he put his hand on the underside of her arm to guide it into place as her free hand and the gun met in the middle. “You good?”

“Yep,” she let out in a clipped tone.

This was a rare occasion where she wanted his hands off of her as quickly as possible so that she could regain her concentration because she had every intention of acing this test.

29

Reed

He stepped away and off to the side then slipped his headphones back on before crossing his arms over his chest and propping his fist under his chin. He took a moment to check her form. She looked killer. Her sharp stance, deadly curves, and intensity made her look like a pro even if she didn’t end up shooting like one. Once he was set, he gave her a nod.

Pow…Pow…Pow.

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