Page 140 of Overcast

He chuckles. “No shit.” Tucking the gun away in his back pocket, he makes his way to me, each stride confident, surefooted, and a hellion to take over the world. “Before you leave me, I want you to be able to protect yourself. Unless you plan on stealing my knife and stabbing everyone in the shoulder with it.”

I tsk. “You did the same thing.”

“I wasn’t paying attention. I just stuck it where—” He shakes his head. —doesn’t matter. What does, is your safety, so straighten your spine." I do, and he mocks my action, towering over me to beam down more of his dangerous characteristics. “You’re not weak. You’ve been through shit men can’t even deal with—trust me, I know.”

Guiding me over to where he was previously standing, his hands position me in front of him.

“This is a Glock G19,” he states, displaying the gun within my view. “Might be a little big for your hands, but I’ll make up the difference. Now, you’re right-handed, right?”

“Yes.”

He reaches for said hand and wraps it around the handle first. “Now, wrap the left around your right.” I do, but not before a small tremble shakes my frame. “And breathe, Stormi. I promise this isn’t going to hurt you.”

I nod, inhaling a deep breath and squeezing the gun with more force than is probably necessary.

“Relax your body, sink into me, and I’ll take the recoil.”

“The what?”

He chuckles again, the rumbling from his chest hitting my back. “The kick of the gun.”

“Oh.” I squeeze the pistol tightly and wait for further instruction.

“Loosen the hands,” he gently chides. “Now, imagine Hollis’s head at the end of that target.”

“Emric,” I warn. “I can’t do—”

“Then mine.” I begin to drop the gun to pivot around and face him, but he grabs my hips, keeping me straight. “Lighten up, sweetheart, I know you’ve pictured killing me a few times in your head.”

“Actually, no—” I start to twirl. “I haven’t—”

“Woman, if you don’t stop moving around.” He centers me again, this time splaying his hands over my stomach, the pads of his fingers on my waistband.

That, along with last night, my body hums and eases again while hitting his hard chest.

“Now, just remember,” he mutters, leaning into my ear. “Aim down the sight, breath, and I got you.”

I nod. “Okay.”

He straightens. “And whenever you’re ready.”

The rustling of leaves in the trees around us is the only sound left behind. Emric’s chest stands sturdy against my quickening heartbeat because I never thought I’d touch a gun in my life.

Closing my left eye, I align the gun to the target ahead and hesitate before pulling the trigger.

Emric’s hand lands on my stomach. “Breathe, baby.”

I do, raising the weapon a tad higher and pull the lever. The sound is loud, but it’s the adrenaline that sweeps through my veins that makes me jolt a little.

“Nice job,” Emric beams. “Do another one.”

The simple action sets me more at ease, but when Emric slowly begins to step away, I push back into him, wanting his self-confidence to seep through to me.

“What’s the matter?” His words brush along the top of my head, but I want him to know why instead of voicing it out loud.

It makes it too real.

It implies that last night meant something more than just a fling.

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