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“It’s a once in a lifetime event. Something we’ve talked about since we were kids. I’m not missing my best friend’s wedding.”
“Once in a lifetime? Not with divorce rates these days. Stand up at her second. Or third.”
I might have picked the wrong time to bring it up. I would absolutely leave without his okay and Uber the entire way there if I had to. But there was no point in telling him that right then. Not with that set of handsome jaw or his tense body language.
I grabbed another bottle of beer and took a sip. I wrapped my arms around myself, surprised by the shiver that ran through me. The rain cooled the air just enough to make me chilly. Without saying a word, Blake opened the deck box next to the swing and pulled out a blanket that he wrapped around my shoulders.
“Thanks.” I pulled it tight in front of me. I was prepared to change the subject, but he brought it up again.
“Your friend wouldn’t want you to show up and have something happen. Imagine she has to spend her life thinking that you coming to her wedding caused you to get kidnapped. Or worse.”
“Her guest list is long. I don’t ever have to be alone. Nothing will happen.”
“You don’t know that. There were a lot of people at your father’s gala when that creep found the exact moment you were alone.”
“I wasn’t as careful as I could have been,” I said. “Besides, nothing happened.”
“It could have,” he added quickly.
I took a deep breath and tried another tactic. I leaned closer to benefit from some of his warmth, and after a few seconds, he put an arm around my blanketed shoulders.
“What if Elsie were getting married? Or better yet, had her premier performance with a national dance troupe, and she wanted you to be there more than anything in the world. But someone had threatened you. You can’t honestly say you’d miss that.”
“I wouldn’t,” he said with a scowl. “ButIdon’t need protecting. I can take care of myself.”
“Self-defense classes, remember?” I held up my hand, straightened and stiff like I was ready to chop him.
He rolled his eyes. “You might surprise an attacker with your attempt, but that’s going to wear off in five seconds, and then you’d be done for.”
“I think I could do better than that.”
He scoffed. “Fine. Show me.” Blake stood up. “You think you can protect yourself, let’s see.”
“Seriously?”
“I’m serious. You’ve mentioned those classes twice. I want to see how much you’ve learned.” He gestured for me to get up.
I shrugged the blanket off and stood. “It’s not fair, because I won’t actually try to hurt you.”
He shook his head. “Try. Do exactly what you’d do if I was that creep at the gala coming at you again.”
“Blake, I—”
“Do it, Callie.” He grabbed for me, so I stomped the top of his foot as hard as I could. The boots he wore were hard as hell, so it seemed to hurt my foot a hell of a lot more than it hurt his.
I brought my knee up to hit him in the groin, but he deflected it with ease.
Then before I could pretend to try to claw at his eyes—I wouldn’t have really tried, just in case—he had a hold of my wrist. He spun me and grabbed both my wrists to cross them in front of my stomach, pulling me hard against him.
His chest pressed against my back, and he breathed against my ear.
“Gotcha,” he whispered. “Your self-defense failed. Now what are you gonna do?”
I struggled to free myself, but he held tight to my wrists and bent slightly, as if curling his body over mine. I couldn’t get loose. Not even if I’d wanted to, and the more his body pressed against mine, the less I did.
I swallowed hard. “You’re trained law enforcement. Most people don’t know those moves.”
“More than you probably realize. You think someone who wants to take you isn’t at least a little prepared for you to fight back? Think, Callie.”
