Page 112 of Captive Omega

“And that reason was?”

“Uh, he won’t appreciate me telling you. While we’re here, I could show you how to stop someone taking a knife off you if you want?”

What I want is to know why Blaine took off like that.

“Uh…”

Vaughn is across the room and riffling through a black basket before I’ve told him I want to extend this lesson. He pulls out a knife. A dagger really, almost a matching pair to my knife.

He’s back seconds later, offering it to me. “Here.”

Because I will never turn down an opportunity to learn how to defend myself, I take the knife.

“You always want to hold it low, close by your side,” he explains, showing me. “No one should be able to knock it out of your hand, and you have the benefit of keeping it hidden until it’s time to use it. Keep your body turned a little to the side… good. Shield it.”

I hold it low as he studies me, then changes my grip on the hilt. “Perfect.” His eyes flick up. “Now, I’m going to try to take it off you, and you’re going to stop me. No rules.”

“Okay.” I tighten my grip on the hilt as he steps in close.

I back up half a step, angling my body away from him when he tries to knock it out of my hand.

A smile lurks in his eyes. “Good.”

He reaches for the knife again. I use my left shoulder to force him away.

The smile in his eyes grows. “Better.”

Vaughn grabs for the knife. I trip him. He laughs as he stumbles, bumping into me. He’s bigger, heavier than I am, but before I can do much more than wobble, he clasps my hips with both hands, stopping me from falling.

His hands are warm, and I’m wearing Lycra so his touch sears through fabric to the skin beneath.

And he’s still holding me, even though I’m no longer falling.

His smile fades. When his eyes flick to my lips, I realize why doing this without Blaine isn’t a good idea. I have a life I need to get back to, and Vaughn is very good at making me forget it. I can’t let him.

Pulling away, I offer him the knife. “Here. Thanks. I appreciate the lesson.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he takes it. “If you ever want another one. I’m here.”

“Sure.”

But I won’t make this mistake again. Self-defense lessons when it’s just me and Vaughn are a bad idea. There is way too much attraction on both sides for them to end well.

Chapter 32

Blaine

Istand in the shower, head down, breathing fast as freezing cold water streams over me. I’m shivering, teeth chattering, skin like ice, but the one part of me I walked into this spray to handle is staying resolutely, determinedly hard.

Ten minutes later and I’m coming to terms that this isn’t working.

The offer of self-defense classes was a bad idea for so many reasons. Mainly, how do you teach someone a physical skill without touching them? The answer? Not easily. And the second?

Why had it been so arousing to see Resa and Vaughn struggling like that?

Sex hasn’t been a priority in years. Going out, finding a woman I was attracted to and then sleeping with her would require more from me than I’m willing to give.

So I’ve spent the last five years celibate. The first of those two years, sex wasn’t high on my agenda. Violet was dead and burns and scar tissue covered half my body. I wasn’t thinking about intimacy. I was thinking about survival. About whether it was something I wanted at all after I couldn’t save Violet.

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