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After our first lesson, I had myself convinced I wouldn’t be coming back here again. But finding Paige running through that shitty neighborhood started up this nagging in the back of my brain. A need to check up on her.
For some reason this girl thinks she’s invincible.
How can I convince her that what she did was stupid?
I’m not leaving here until I get her promise to stay in the safer areas of NOLA. Places she belongs.
Not on the rough edges of society that I call home.
“This is working so well! Hopefully we do as well out on the street.” Paige and Pumpkin come to a stop in front of me. “Oh, and watch!” The girl turns to her dog, and without a word, she makes a firm downward movement with her hand stretched flat.
Pumpkin sits.
“We’ve been practicing!” Paige grins up at me, and all I want to do is step in closer to absorb every ounce of her joy.
Instead, I stuff my hands in my pockets and give her a stiff nod.
Some of the happiness drifts away from her eyes, but she keeps on smiling. “I think, once we get better at walking together, I’d like to take her on a run with me. Do you think that’s something she’d do well at?”
“Probably. And at least that way you wouldn’t be so vulnerable wandering through those shitty neighborhoods.”
Paige’s mouth twists as she returns her gaze to me. “I told you. I can take care of myself.”
I snort.
That was a mistake, because the next moment I’m tilting to the side, my right leg having been swiped out from under me. The only thing that helps me keep me balanced and upright is Paige’s surprisingly strong arm wrapped around my waist.
Pumpkin dances around us, yapping and excited at the new game her owner is playing.
“You would be on your ass right now if I wanted you to be.” Paige gives me a smug smile from her place at my side. I’m torn between chagrin, curiosity, and excitement.
“Surprise attack. That was just a lucky shot.”
“You’re probably right.” The last word is barely out of her mouth before her hip hits the outside of my thigh hard.
Only this time I’m ready for her. When she tries to pull me backward, I roll with the movement, catching her around the waist and carrying her with me to the ground. We land side by side. I expect us to share a laugh.
But Paige isn’t done.
She launches on top of me, pinning my arms to the ground with her knees. For a moment it seems like she’s won. But I buck my body, enough to free one arm and shove off the ground, flipping us until I’m on top.
As we pant, our chests brush against each other. I brace for her next attack, but it doesn’t come. Instead, Paige wraps one hand lightly around my neck, her thumb trailing over my pounding pulse.
Blood roars through my ears as I stare down at the blonde-haired goddess beneath me. What started as a grappling match has now ended with her legs wrapped tightly around my torso and our faces hovering only inches apart. The smell of coffee mixes with the light salty scent of sweat.
Her hazel eyes seem to flicker green as she gazes up at me.
Then she raises her head off the ground, closing the distance between us. I hold my breath, unwilling to stop what is no doubt going to be a heavenly experience.
In my fantasies, I’ve imagined I might be able to catch a taste of Paige. But here she is, preparing to kiss me.
At least, that’s what I thought she was planning on doing, until a gentle bite presses on my nose. For a second, she pinches the appendage between her teeth before releasing me, letting her head fall back into the grass. Paige gazes up at me, wearing a silly grin.
“If this were a real fight, you wouldn’t have a nose anymore. Point to me.”
My mouth bobs open and closed for a moment, comprehending her attack. “You would bite my nose off?” I sputter, lifting my head farther away from her dangerous teeth in case she decides on a more literal demonstration.
Paige’s goofy smile fades away, and I miss it immediately. Then with a powerful wrench of her thighs, I find myself in the bottom position again.
