Page 139 of Here and Now
I tried. “All right, show me how not to die.”
Miles grabs me quickly, putting me on the floor and mounting me, his hands going to my neck. Fear fills me instantly. I know he would never hurt me, but I don’t think I can get out of this. His eyes are focused on me. “If someone has you this way, it’s the most dominant and probably likely to hold. I have complete control. All of my weight will push onto your neck, making it a much easier way to choke you. You have six seconds before you’ll pass out, and if they continue, you’ll be dead.”
“Miles, I can’t,” I say, panting, my anxiety the highest it’s been. They killed Edward by choking him to death.
“You can. Look at me, Penelope. Get your elbows in as tight as you can get them against your side.” I follow his instructions. “Now take your right arm and cross it over your chest, hooking my wrist.” Ido that and he shakes his head. “Put your thumb next to your fingers, not wrapped around.”
“Why?”
“Remember how you can break a hold because the thumbs can’t hold body weight? Same applies here.”
Okay, that makes sense. I adjust my grip.
“Like this?”
“Perfect. Keep your elbows tight to the body and move your left arm to hold my tricep. This makes it so I can’t pull my arm out to break your hold. Right now, you have control of this arm completely.” Miles tries to move his arm side to side and out, but he can’t. “Hook your leg over mine. Other foot in the center.” I move that one. “Now keep your arm locked against your side and use your hips to push.”
There’s no way I’m getting him over. He’s got at least fifty pounds of solid muscle on me.
However, I try it. I push up with my hips, keeping my grip as tight as I can, and he rolls. I break the hold and I’m running the way he’s shown me.
“I did it!” I say when I’m at the door. “I rolled you! Did you let me?”
“Did it feel like I let you?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Because you used my hold against me. This isn’t a fight. This is break and escape.”
He walks to me, hands up, indicating he’s not about to push me against the wall to choke me. “Come here,” he says softly.
I eye him suspiciously, because he did this to me before. “Truce?”
He grins. “Truce. I need to kiss you, Penelope. You have red marks on your neck, and I can’t look at it.”
My heart melts when I see the regret filling his beautiful eyes. “You’re teaching me.”
“Still, I don’t like it.”
I go to him and he dips his lips, kissing the angry skin. “You’d never hurt me on purpose,” I say, running my fingers through his hair as he places feather-light kisses on my mouth.
“No, I wouldn’t.”
I dip my head back to look in his eyes. “Again. I want to see if I can do it again.”
He nods once and then grabs my legs, putting me back on the floor, and we keep going until I can do it when he’s at full strength.
It’s a Sunday afternoon and we’re at the Ultimate Frisbee Championship. Who knew there was such a thing?
Miles, Everett, Lachlan, and Killian have been here since seven in the morning, setting up, getting loose or whatever, and preparing for what will surely be an ass kicking.
Their first match is at noon, and I’m in the car with Ainsley, Kai, and Rose.
“This goes all day?” I ask.
“All. Day,” Ainsley says with a huff. “Although, this is the first time they’re competing in a championship in this league, so it actually may go really quickly since they suck so much.”
“Daddy said they’re going to win,” Rose pipes up.
