Page 46 of 1 Last Shot

When he gets too close for comfort, but before he can touch me, I put my hand up and say firmly, "Stop."

He doesn't stop. He keeps coming, his slow pacescreaming'predator.'

"I said stop," I repeat. "Don't come any closer."

Still, he ignores me. When his chest hits my outstretched hand, he continues to plow forward, forcing my elbow to bend and completely overwhelming me with his presence.

And that's even before his arms come around me to grip me firmly by the arms, effectively pinning them to my sides.

Then the flashback comes.

Crazy eyes, unshaven face, spittle flying from his lips as he barks at me to give him everything I have…

I don't think, I just do.

My knee comes up and slams into his groin. And the second he doubles over, I aim a vicious slap at his face.

Immediately, I feel a sense of triumph. Before the flashback fully fades, I experiencevictory, of the accomplishment that taking down my attacker comes with.

But after a moment, it does fade. And instead of the mugger, I see Kane on his knees, hunched over as he cups between his legs.

"Oh my God," I breathe in horror. "Oh my God,Kane." I drop to the mat in front of him, my hands lifting up toward him but never landing anywhere because I don't know how to help. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea I was going to do that, I didn't want to hurt you—"

I'm cut off by the sound of his laughter. His head tips back, and now that his dark hair isn't hiding his face from me, I see the look of pure glee on it.

"That was amazing," he laughs. "If I wasn't prepared to catch that knee to my thigh, you definitely would have smashed the fuck out of my nuts."

For a moment, all I can do is gawk at him. But when he finally meets my eyes, letting me experience the full force of his amusement—and that he's being honest—I huff a nervous laugh.

But that, too, only lasts for a moment. Because then I notice the red welt fading on his cheek.

I gasp and lightly touch it with my fingers. "I hit you," I whisper in disbelief.

Kane's laugh has faded. He holds my gaze and says, "Yes you did."

The air between us sparks. Suddenly, I'm all too aware of the tension between us, of the fact that we're close and that I'm still touching him. That he's unflinchingly holding my gaze.

I pull my hand back as if burned. Ripping my gaze from his, I stand to my feet and dart a look at the door to the front of the gym.

"I should get going," I hear myself babble. "I have dance class tonight."

Kane unfolds his big body as he, too, gets to his feet. He's sobered and is back to his usual intense aura. And yet, I hear him ask, "Want me to walk you over?"

The underlying question goes unspoken.

Are you still scared? Did the lesson help the anxiety?

I force myself to consider his question. I know with absolute certainty that he's not offering just to be polite, that he would absolutely walk me to the end of the block if I admitted I was still scared.

I feel… a little nervous to walk in the city by myself, but it's been downgraded from anxious. And nerves feel like they're a healthy reaction to a tiny girl walking in a big city alone, so that's probably not even a result of the mugging. In fact, I probably should've been nervousbeforethe mugging.

"I'm okay," I finally answer. A tentative smile stretches across my face, the memory of Kane’s gift chasing away any leftover gloom. “And I have my pepper spray.”

And as I leave the gym with a glance back at Kane, I think that maybe facing my fears really was worth it.

16

KANE

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