“Eli.” A middle-aged man with a thick Texan accent calls to me from behind the front desk.
All the regulars here know me by name. This guy, in particular, has known me since I was old enough to come in without an adult. He’s looking back and forth between Vaughn and me. I’ve never brought a woman in here. Abe and I...well, she’s the first woman that’s clearly been MINE.
“Hey, Dennis. Got us a couple lanes ready?”
“Ah, yeah. Sixteen and seventeen are ready to go.”
Heads turn as Vaughn’s heels click all the way back to our lanes, and I feel their continued stares on our backs as we pass. I’m tempted to ask them if there’s something I can help them with, but it’s probably best that Vaughn doesn’t see that side of me just yet.
I set the large black gun case on the counter in lane sixteen. This is Vaughn’s lane. We may only need the one, but I reserved two just in case. Her eyes widen slightly as she takes in the small armory I’ve been carrying. Inside the case are four handguns and four clips.
“Are we practicing? Or have we decided to take on city officials in an impromptu hostile takeover?”
My low chuckle reverberates in the small space.
“You can never be too prepared. Choose your weapon.”
Vaughn steps closer, examining the selections. There’s a gleam in her eyes. She’s excited. This is a first for her. A first for us.How many more of these firsts can I squeeze into a lifetime? A lifetime.Or however long I can keep her, anyway. Guys like me don’t get old. I wonder what an older Vaughn will look like.Will she still spit the same venom? Or more? Undoubtedly, more.
“This one.”
The Desert Eagle.Not bad. Not bad at all.
“Pull it out. Get a feel for the grip.”
The next few minutes are spent explaining range etiquette and the qualities of a proper stance. This means I get to touch her.Touching her is my favorite thing.Keeping both hands firmly on her hips, I slide one foot between hers and push her heel-clad feet, shoulder-width apart. Widening her stance. The act of moving her legs open wider does something to me. Everything about this girl does something to me. Placing my hands on her shoulders, I pull them back toward me and square her up with the target. My hands slowly slide down her arms, and I feel her begin to melt into my hold.
“Easy there, Little Devil. Body alignment, remember?”
Suddenly, her body jolts back into the correct form. She hadn’t realized what she was doing. I did.Loved every second of it.It tells me that I’m not the only one fighting to rein it in.
“Like this.” My hands are covering her smaller ones on the gun. “Use this notch here to aim.”
“Eli, I had no idea you were giving private lessons.” The thick Southern twang in octave sugary sweetness comes just before a dainty hand lands on my shoulder, pulling me to turn toward her.
“How do I get myself on the schedule, honey?”
Turning, I come face to face with the owner’s daughter, Gemma.
“Gemma, hi. How are you?” My voice is awkward even to my own ears, but her touch feels...wrong.
“I’m great. Just here helping daddy out with some of the insurance stuff.” Her words are so drawn out, I’m not sure how much of her Southern accent is real and how much of it is put on.
Gemma’s eyes flit to Vaughn and widen the slightest bit. Gemma is a pretty girl. Beautiful, possibly. Still, she’s no Vaughn Webb. There’s only one of those.
I put my hands back on Vaughn’s hips and move her to my front, using her like a shield.
“Gemma, this is Vaughn. Vaughn, Gemma.”
“Nice to meet you, Gemma.” If Vaughn is bothered by Gemma’s close proximity, she doesn’t let on.
Gemma’s eyes narrow, and her smile is faker than her accent when she says “Pleasure. Anywho Eli, how do I get on your training schedule? I’d love to learn from a pro like you. Ever record in here has one Washington or the other listed on top.” Gemma’s flirty tone, hair twirling, and lip biting are so painfully obvious. Her eyes have flitted down to my hands on Vaughn’s hips several times. She knows this isn’t a shooting lesson, and it’s clear that she doesn’t mind disrespecting Vaughn. I just can’t have that.
“Oh. Sorry, Gemma. This isn’t a private lesson. I belong to Vaughn here. All requests on my time have to go through her.”
Vaughn’s body stiffens briefly in my hands before melting fully into me. The back of her head hits my chest, and she says, “Sorry, Emma. I’m afraid I don’t share. Nice meeting you...sugar.”
There’s the venom. I liked it before, but when it’s used in possession of my time and of me...I love it. I lean down and kiss her neck before running my nose up to her ear.
