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He made no quick moves, nothing designed to surprise. As his arm lifted, shifting the muscles underneath the cotton of his shirt, it was just a little bit harder to breathe. Ribs squeezed in when the thick column of his throat moved on a heavy swallow. Because I’d just imagined us so clearly, there was a blurring in my head of what was real and what wasn’t.
Just before he touched me, he hesitated. Our gazes held like that, and I wondered what he saw in my face.
When his hand curled around my braid, his fingers brushed against the nape of my neck. It was so light, barely even there, but I shivered all the same.
And he noticed. His eyes narrowed just slightly.
To the side, Casey moved, and I blinked.
I moved my attention to her. “Don’t ever try to yank away or try to pull their hand off your hair.”
She’d wrapped her lips over her teeth, but she nodded. Two bright pink spots dotted her cheeks.
“Watch where I pull down, just by his elbow.”
I took a deep breath and swung the arm that was between us, hooking it around the top of his arm and yanking it forward in a big C shape. Aiden stumbled forward, and I caught sight of Casey’s huge smile.
Aiden quirked an eyebrow at me when he straightened to his full height, and at his expression, I exhaled a laugh.
“Again?” he asked. His tone was warm, and my toes curled in my shoes.
I nodded.
He grabbed my hair again, his grip a bit more firm. I motioned for him to wait. “Watch what I do at the end now. This is only if you feel like you need it.”
“Do I get a warning of what you’re going to do to me?” he asked.
“Nope.”
Casey laughed.
His hand tightened, my skin humming as it did, and I swung my arm around again—harder this time—and when he stumbled forward, I kicked my foot into the back of his already bent knee, and he immediately fell forward.
Casey clapped. “That was awesome.”
With a grin, I gave her a high five. “And I’m not bigger or stronger than him, right?”
She shook her head.
Aiden straightened again, pinning me with a look that almost, almost could’ve looked amused. Something light and bubbling hit my bloodstream, and I desperately wanted to grip his face in my hands and kiss him when he looked like that.
With all the control I was capable of, I pulled my focus away from him.
“It’s not about fighting them off, Casey. Disengage and escape. That’s all you ever need to worry about.”
“Thanks,” I told him.
“I think we’re even now,” he murmured, pointing at the steel beam where Anya had been perched.
I nodded jerkily.
He gave a quick nod to Casey. “Call tomorrow if you want to set up a free training session with either Isabel or Kelly, okay? It’s on me.”
“Thank you,” she said fervently. “You guys are awesome.”
He disappeared off the gym floor and back into his office, and slowly, my heart returned to a normal speed.
Casey set her hand on my arm. “Thank you. Seriously.”
