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As if he didn’t just have his tongue down my throat yesterday.
I shiver at the memory of his hands all over me, his lips on mine. The guy has turned into a colossal jerk, butdamnis he a good kisser. And while Madd may say he doesn’t care, the heat behind that kiss said otherwise.
“Keep the barrel pointed at the ground until I say,” he instructs further as we scramble to form a line with me in the furthest spot, each of us taking a gun.
It’s lighter than it looks, but it’s still awkward and weighty as I lift it clumsily with both hands. We’re all spaced about ten feet away from each other, but this many guns in one place makes me feel profoundly uncomfortable. My skin crawls, the little hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. The three squad leaders move behind our line, and when Madd barks out his next command, I flinch.
“Alright, let’s see your stance.”
I raise the rifle, sliding my hands along it until my grip feels somewhat comfortable. It still feels awkward and unbalanced, though, and Ares comes up behind me when he notices me struggling with my form.
“Need a hand?” he asks smoothly.
I throw him a grateful smile over my shoulder as the other squad members start firing at the targets. “Please.”
He grins back at me, moving in closer. “Try to relax a little,” he croons, placing his hands on my tense shoulders. Then he wraps his arms around me from behind, bringing his hands up to cover mine and adjust my grip. “Better?”
It actually does feel better. More secure.
Before I can answer him, though, he grunts, the heat of his body leaving my back.
I whip my head around to see that Madd has a hand gripped around the back of his neck, and even though Ares is no slouch, Madd throws him off me like a ragdoll.
“What the hell, bro?!” Ares protests, stumbling back and rubbing the nape of his neck with a wince.
“Go help Avery,” Madd growls, flicking his head in his sister’s direction. “I’ve got this.”
Ares doesn’t argue- he just shoots Madd a glare and moves away, all too willing to go rub up on Avery.
“That was a little dramatic, dontcha think?” I murmur, turning to face the target again and flexing my fingers around the rifle in my hands.
I can feel the weight of Madd’s stare burning into me as I try to relax my shoulders and grip the gun like Ares showed me, but it’s still a little wobbly in my grip.
“You’ve gotta hold the butt of the gun tight to your shoulder,” Madd grumbles.
I adjust it in my hands, hiking the back end of the rifle up higher. “Like this?”
He sighs in annoyance and I feel him move in closer. Then his arms come around me, covering my own and adjusting the rifle in my grip. The hard planes of his chest meet my back, his body heat radiating into me.
“Here,” he grunts. “Now lean in, look down the barrel to take aim…”
I do, but it’s hard to focus with him this close to me.
“Click off the safety,” he continues.
I comply.
His hands leave mine and he retreats a step. “Fire when you’re ready.”
I suck in a harsh breath as I squeeze the trigger, popping off a shot. It misses the target by a good five feet, the round hitting the trunk of another tree, and I lower the barrel of the gun with a frustrated huff.
“You need to hold your arms steady,” Madd says, stepping in close again. I lift the gun, and he covers my hands and arms with his to assist me once more. “Try inhaling when you aim, and exhaling before you pull the trigger.”
This time, he doesn’t step back. He helps me hold the gun steady as I take the shot… and clip the edge of the paper, this time.
“Better,” Madd grunts in approval. “Again.”
I squeeze the trigger, and a hole punches through the paper target.
