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She nodded, absorbing his warmth and strength. He was right; she needed to focus on the positive. When he finally drew away, she missed the contact.
“If you’re satisfied that your father is okay for a couple of hours, there’s something I want to do with you this afternoon,” he said carefully.
Her imagination immediately filled with erotic images of the two of them. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the previous night and acknowledged that she desperately wanted to be alone with Jason again. To make love to him again.
“What is it?” Her voice came out a little breathless.
“I want to take you to a shooting range.”
Whatever Caroline had expected, it wasn’t that. She gave a bark of disbelieving laughter. “Why? If you think I’m going to even touch a gun, never mind shoot it, you’re wrong.”
“I’d feel better if you knew how to handle a weapon,” he said seriously.
Caroline stared at him. “You’re not kidding.”
“There’s a range not far from here. We’ll spend three hours or so there today, and again tomorrow.”
Something in his expression caused a frisson of uneasiness to feather its way along her spine. “Do you really think I’m in danger?”
“As I said before, the likelihood that anyone is going to target you is slim, but I’m not taking any chances. I want you familiar with how to handle a gun.”
Caroline drew in a deep breath and then nodded. “Okay, fine. But I didn’t really dress for a shooting range. Am I okay in what I’m wearing?”
What she was wearing was a sleeveless top in a clingy material that left her arms and shoulders bare. She’d paired it with skinny jeans and a pair of flat shoes. The outfit wasn’t anything that anyone could call sexy, but when she looked at Jason, his eyes reflected masculine appreciation.
“Yeah,” he finally said. “What you’re wearing is great.”
Feeling pleased and a little flushed by his obvious admiration, Caroline scooped up her handbag, then returned briefly to her father’s bedside. “Since he’s heavily sedated, the doctors said he won’t regain consciousness again for a while. So I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
The indoor shooting range was less than a thirty-minute drive from the hospital, and, although Caroline felt completely out of her element, Jason clearly knew what he was doing. Inside, he registered them both and procured three different handguns and enough ammunition to take down a small army. Her eyes widened when she saw the small arsenal that he carried.
“Three guns?” she asked in disbelief. “I can only shoot one at a time.”
“Each one is a little different,” he explained. “I want to see which one you’re most comfortable handling, and that’s the one I’ll get for you to keep.”
Then he led Caroline to a small room, where they watched an instruction video about guns and the safe handling of them.
“Those are the basics,” Jason said when the video ended. “Now we’ll go to the range, and you can test your skills.”
The range consisted of a series of cubicles that overlooked long, enclosed alleys. At the end of each alley was a target. From where she stood, the target looked ridiculously far away. She’d never be able to hit it.
She stood quietly while Jason fitted her with a pair of ear protectors and safety glasses.
“Safety first,” he said, after he donned his own protective gear. He laid the guns and the ammunition out in front of her. “Let’s start with the smallest gun.”
He demonstrated how the gun worked, letting her handle it and having her load and unload the rounds from the chamber until he was satisfied she could do it without fumbling.
“When you pick up your gun,” he cautioned, “always keep your finger on the outside of the trigger guard, here. Always keep your gun angled downward, and never point it at anyone unless you mean business.”
Caroline did as he instructed, unprepared when he came to stand directly behind her. He was so close that her back was pressed against his brawny chest. “Okay,” he said, his face close to hers. “Hold your weapon in the firing-ready position, like this.”
His arms came around her, and his hands closed over hers, showing her how to curl her fingers securely around the grip.
“Good,” he approved. “Now, hold the gun tightly. When your hand begins to shake, relax your grip just a bit.”
Caroline bit her lip, focusing on his instructions. “Like this?”
“Perfect. Take your other hand and hold it like this.” He adjusted her left hand around the other side of the gun, aligning her thumbs to point downrange. “Your left hand is used to keep the gun steady. Don’t grip the gun with it.”
