My eyes flashed open, my cheeks warming. Holding the gun. Holding the gun felt good, nothing else.
This wasn’t real. He was following orders. Just following orders.
Everett dipped his head down until his lips grazed the shell of my ear, my lips parting, a breath leaving my lungs. “It’s not a skull, but don’t worry, we’ll get there.” He pressed my fingerdown before I registered his words, the sound ripping through the trees as the blast reverberated through me, forcing my arm up and my shoulder back, only for Everett to tighten his hold, bringing my arm back down as his left hand gripped my hip, his body forcing me to remain standing.
A rush of adrenaline slammed through me, a smile breaking out across my face as the ringing in my ears slowly faded. I laughed, looking at the gun and then the target. “Holy shit,” I breathed out, readjusting myself, his hands tightening around me.
“Again,” he ordered, his own voice slightly breathless.
I aimed, my body trembling in excitement, my confidence growing. Yeah, that was a shock, but it felt so damn good. His finger rested over mine and we pulled the trigger again, the shock vibrating through me, the rush causing my pussy to throb and my hair to stand on end.
I was more braced for it that time, but the feeling of his solid form behind me felt so good. Like I wouldn’t fall. Like I would never fall again.
“Again,” he instructed.
This time it was me pulling the trigger, his finger lifting, leaving me to make the choice completely on my own.
The holes in the distance were far from perfect, but at least I was hitting the target. It would take a lot of practice, but this was the second best high I had ever felt.
I was panting now, my breathing labored as I pulled the trigger again, getting used to the way it felt in my hand, the sound of his breathing filling my soul, his hand tightening around my left hip as the other fell down to my right hip, my stomach, his fingers spreading.
“Tighten your core,” he instructed hoarsely.
I did as I was instructed, feeling his hands digging into me as I pulled the trigger again.
He pressed his hand into my core, my body pressing fully against his, our hearts racing, my thighs clenching, stomach warming, and then I felt it. His cock hardening against me. I kept pulling the trigger until the mag was empty, my ears ringing, my heart racing.
Laughing, and high on the feeling of shooting a gun, I pulled out of his grip and took a few steps towards the target, taking in the eight rounds I had put in the paper. None of them close to the center, but a few of them made the second inner circle.
My smile was painful as I spun around, finding his shining eyes, ready to tell him how exciting that was only to slow when I realized that it wasn’tthatexciting. Not to him anyway. He was probably born with a gun in his hand. This was pathetic to him, I was sure. Not one of my bullets hit center. Not a single one.
“You’re pathetic, Liv,”Steven whispered through me, my smile falling.
I swallowed, rolled my shoulders, and tossed another look back to the target, my shoulders falling. It was okay. I did okay, but I could improve. I turned back to him and flipped the gun around in my hand, straightened my spine, and holding it out to him. “I’ll get better,” I promised him.
His eyes had hardened and chilled, filling with anger. He took the gun from me and released the mag.
I turned back towards the target while he loaded eight more rounds into the gun, my heart still beating irregularly. I could still feel his body pressed against mine, the way he had tensed around me with each pull of the trigger, the way his right hand had started drifting down towards the top of my leggings as if he couldn’t control himself.
He had been correcting my stance, I rationalized, nothing more. Everett didn’t have the capability to care about anything other than the debts he was owed. I knew that, it was my body that needed convincing of the same thing. I had to make thecorrection, not him.
But his cock hardening, that hadn’t been a lie. That had been real. Maybe he would take another payment today. Was I allowed to ask that? I’d beg if he wanted.
I bit my lip and turned back to him just as something whizzed by my face, a sharp pain slicing through my cheek.
I hissed, slamming my hand over my cheek and pulling it back, finding a streak of blood lining the palm of my hand.
Everett was at my side in a second, grabbing my chin.
My heart slammed as my eyes widened. “Was that a bullet?” I breathed out. “What the fuck, your guy needs to move these areas further apart,” I snapped, slamming my bloodied hand into his chest.
But his eyes were on the woods, trained, his body as still as a statue.
My brows furrowed at the shift in his demeanor, and I followed his eyes to the trees, seeing nothing but darkness beyond. It didn’t take me more than a few seconds to realize that it wasn’t an accident. Someone had just tried, and failed, to kill me.
Everett turned back to me, his eyes hard, unwavering. “Run.”
My eyes widened, panic slamming through me. “I’ll get lost.”
