She kept at it, and by the time she’d gone through a full box of ammunition, more of her shots landed in the black than not. By the end, her arms trembled with fatigue, and that accounted for most of the shots that missed. Still, pride swelled, pushing aside—if only for a moment—the reason she’d needed to learn how to shoot in thefirst place.
After ensuring the safety was engaged and the magazine was empty, KC guided her to a small work area outside the range, near the stairs leading back up to the store.
He dropped her borrowed eye and ear protection into the storage bins before turning back to her. As he showed her how to break down the weapon for cleaning and oiling, he praised her. “See, I knew you were a natural.”
Still a little giddy about her success, she glanced up, about to respond with something witty, when his smile faded. Her brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
He held two pieces of the dismantled gun, his gaze fixed on her. Hard. Assessing. “Where’d you get this? The serial number’s been filed off.”
Fear surged. She tried to swallow, but her mouth had gone dry. The first excuse that came to mind tumbled out. “I… um… stole it from my ex-boyfriend. I swear, I don’t know where he got it, but I took it for protection.”
Her knees shook, and she bit her bottom lip as he continued to stare at her.
Did he know she was lying?
Seconds stretched, tight and suffocating. Then his expression eased, and he gave a short nod. “Okay. I’m not thrilled about that, but I can understand it. Just do me a favor—keep it hidden. And do not, I repeat,do notpoint it at anyone you don’t intend to shoot.”
Her shoulders loosened, some of the tension slipping away. She managed a small smile, trying to lighten the moment. “Like you?”
He huffed out a breath, a hint of a smile returning. “Yeah. Like me.”
Chapter Seven
KC stood on the patio,grilling the two rib-eye steaks he’d picked up on their way home from the range, along with a bottle of merlot and a few other groceries. Two baked potatoes and fresh corn on the cob cooked on the upper rack of the gas grill. He’d offered to make dinner for Maura after her surprisingly good performance at the range.
Ever since they left, he’d wanted to ask about her ex—figure out what kind of man she was dealing with, maybe make sure the bastard stayed gone—but he’d held off. No point ruining a decent meal with something like that.
Still, it sat heavy in his chest.
Whatever the guy had done, it had left its mark.She carried it in the way she watched everything… in how she flinched without meaning to.
KC’s jaw tightened.
Men who hurt women—physically or otherwise—were the lowest kind of trash. And if he ever got his hands on the one who’d put that fear in her eyes…
He dropped his head back and stared at the sky. Where the hell had that idea come from? He barely knew the woman, and already he was prepared to fight her battles for her?
Get a hold of yourself, Malone. Four weeks of self-defense and shooting lessons. Nothing more.
Uh-huh, right.
He told the devil on his shoulder to shut up and flipped the steaks with a little more force than necessary. Giving himself a mental shake, he reminded himself this was temporary, and Maura had given him no indication she wanted anything more than a place to stay for a few weeks.
If he repeated the “self-defense and shooting lessons only” mantra enough times, maybe he could keep himself in check. It wouldn’t be easy, but he'd already decided she was off-limits.
Standing behind her at the range had testedevery ounce of his restraint. Her silky, auburn hair was made for a man to run his hands through, and her body had been created for pure pleasure. Being that close… it had been too easy to forget the situation and focus on everything else.
He exhaled slowly, forcing the thoughts aside.
She didn’t need to be mauled by a guy who’d been without a lover for almost a year. After an abusive relationship, she needed someone gentle, and he knew if he ever got her in his bed, gentle wouldn’t be the first word that came to mind. What he felt around her had the potential to turn intense—fast—and that kind of heat could overwhelm someone like Maura.
KC had been involved with plenty of lovers in his past, but no real relationships. After weeding out the SEAL bunnies looking for a status position, he’d found very few women willing to stay with a man who could be sent on a last-minute, dangerous mission. His tours were long, with the team being incommunicado for weeks or months at a time, and there was always the question of when orifhe would ever be back.
So, he hooked up with women who wanted to have a few days or weeks of mutually gratifying off-the-wall sex, and when they both decided to move on, they’d go their separate ways with no regrets. It always worked for him in the past.
But lately… he’d started to wonder if that was enough. Maybe it was time for something more permanent. Something real.
If he left SEAL Team Six and took an instructor position, he’d be home most nights. That kind of stability could change things. Make a relationship possible.
