But he shook his head and led her to the elevator. He pressed the down button, and the elevator door opened to the huge, rectangular pool. Surrounding the heated pool were lounge chairs, tables, and a wet bar. Floor-to-ceiling murals of the ranch house, the horses and cattle, the stables and barn, blue skies and ponderosa pines, Cheyenne Mountain, Pikes Peak, and the Black Forest decorated the walls. He turned to her with that handsome frown, hands on his hips.
“Jade, promise me you won’t go looking for trouble.”
“I promise I won’t if you won’t.”
“Dammit!” His blue eyes narrowed, and the muscles worked in his strong jaw. She held out her hand for him to shake, and begrudgingly, he shook her hand. “Deal.”
Chase pulled her close, and she wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t say another word. He didn’t have to because his embrace told her everything. He loved her. He trusted her. They had a deal. After a moment, he planted a kiss on her forehead, and then since she’d reminded him it was his turn to strip her, he eased her tee shirt over her head. Unbuckling her belt, he tugged her jeans down and plopped her onto a lounge chair to pull them off. She giggled, and when she stood back up, he unsnapped her bra, and she let it drop.
“I need my bikini,” Jade said.
“You need a gun.”
Wearing only panties, Jade cupped her hands to the hard bulge in the crotch of Chase’s jeans. “I have a really big gun,” she said with a suggestive squeeze, then stepped back.
“And lessons on how to handle it.” He unbuckled his belt and undid his fly.
“Isn’t that what you’ve been giving me?”
“No flirting your way out of this. I’m serious,” he said and tugged off his jeans. He yanked his tee shirt over his head and, standing in his boxers, he looked her up and down. Practically naked, she put her hands to her hips and swayed back and forth provocatively. A grin finally eased his frown, and he cocked a brow. “I’m gonna get you a gun.”
“I told you I’m afraid of guns.”
“You won’t be when I’m done teaching you how to shoot.”
“If you can beat me to the other end of this Olympic-sized pool, I promise I will gladly learn to shoot.”
Before he could reply, she jumped into the pool ahead of him and swam several strokes with all her might. A quick glance over her shoulder showed her Chase stripping off his boxers and socks before diving in after her. With a squeal, she put her head down, cupped her hands, kicked her legs, and swam for all she was worth. When Chase passed her, she made a grab for him and missed. Beating her to the end of the pool by several strokes, he turned to her. He combed his fingers through his hair, and she swam into his muscular embrace. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Chase molded her to his body and stripped off her panties.
Making love in his pool was a first and surely raised the water temperature to boiling.
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
“This Ruger Blackhawk .357 is legendary for accuracy,” Chase told Jade. They were wearing electronic earmuffs that he’d brought from home. Their ear protection allowed the shooter to hear everything except the gunshots. “It’ll send man or beast straight to hell.”
At the indoor Ranchers Gun Club and Shooting Range, where Chase was a member, he pressed a button, bringing the target of a man rushing toward the shooting booth. All five of the six rounds he’d fired had hit the mark’s head. He replaced the used target with a new one and sent the retrieval system backward along its ceiling tracks. After demonstrating the proper way to hold the Blackhawk, he carefully handed it to her. As Jade stood in the shooting booth next to his, he helped her adjust her grip on the large, loaded weapon. Then he showed her how to stand with arms straight out, head slightly forward, and feet apart.
“I’ve never held a gun,” she said. “It’s a lot heavier than I thought it would be.”
“There’s just one bullet left,” he said. “Put it in the head or chest.”
“I’ll try.”
Chase watched as his blonde bombshell squeezed her eyes and mouth in trying to pull the trigger. When she finally succeeded, the blast knocked her stumbling backward, but he caught her before she fell flat on her fanny.
“Hell,” he smothered a laugh. He took the empty gun from her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Jade huffed and swatted his arm for chuckling.
“Awright. So this revolver’s too much gun. Let’s try the pistol. It’s more compact,” he said and removed the Kimber Raptor from his holster. He demonstrated how to hold it and shot seven of the eight rounds into the target’s head. “The Raptor’s a powerhouse weapon too.” When Jade looked dubious and maybe a little frightened, he added, “I’ll back you up this time like I did when you caught the flying pancake.”
Bravely, she nodded, and he replaced the target again. After putting the gun in her hands, he helped her get into position. He stood behind her, and she struggled to squeeze the trigger. When she managed to fire the gun, it knocked her back a step, but this time, he caught her against his chest. He showed her how to reload and rack the gun and had her give that a try. But she was unable to pull the slide of the gun back all the way in order to release it properly. She shook her head and placed the .45 on the shelf of the booth next to his.
“I can’t do this, Chase.”
“Yes, you can.” Chase pressed a button, bringing the intact target closer.
“I missed both times,” Jade said. “I’m terrible. Let’s go.”
