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Constance dropped, fast and straight. To her surprise, she found herself nearly free of Rhett’s arms. They were still around her, but up near her head, and he no longer had a solid hold.
She’d actually gotten herself free.
“Now that she’s out, she can hit me in my vulnerable spots,” Rhett said. “She can turn and nail me in the groin, keep kicking soft targets or run like hell. Watch, we’re going to do it again.”
Rhett demonstrated one more time, and this time, as soon as he had her, she dropped. “Now’s a good time for her to hit.” Rhett took her by the forearm. “She can hit, downward, on my groin as hard as she can.” He pantomimed the move. “Or turn and kick me there. Or aim upward for my throat.” Rhett ran her through all the moves, gently turning and guiding her body to attack his. “You get the idea. Now, I want you to pair up and practice this on your own. I’ll move around the room and take a look.” He put his hands on Constance’s shoulders as everyone broke off into chattering teams.
Constance went to walk away but Rhett held her back. “You stay with me.”
“I did it.” Constance beamed up at him, unashamed of her joy. She wondered why this made her feel so gloriously free. It was like she’d been a bird in a cage all her life but hadn’t even known it until the bars were gone. “I really broke myself free.”
“Sure,” Rhett laughed. “I’m not going to teach you crap moves. I want you to always break free, Stanzi. Do you want to run through this again?”
Constance didn’t have to think about that at all. “Absolutely. And I want you to teach me all the other stuff, too.”
“All right. One rule.” He held up a finger, his face growing serious. He leaned in close to her ear. “No kissing.” When he drew back, the seriousness cracked, like a false wall, and he gave her a deep, genuine smile.
Whatever tension might’ve been left in her body erupted into a laugh. “Right,” she said, looking around at the crowded room of women, all grabbing each other from behind and pretending to kick each other in the family jewels. “No kissing in Combat.”
“No kissing in Combat,” he agreed.
“That reminds me,” Constance said. “I got your reservation back. At my sister’s. For Christmas Eve.”
“Ah.” Rhett’s expression was mixed. “Great. Thank you.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll have fun.”
“I don’t know about fun, but...thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“C’mon, Stanzi,” Rhett said after her giggles had wound down. “Let’s give you a few more chances to escape.”
Then he opened his arms and waited.
