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Jade threw the punches at him again, which he blocked with his palms.
“Again. Chin down. Keep your arms level with your shoulders. Your shoulder automatically rises when you punch straight and it will protect your chin. Wrists straight. Jab, then detonate your cross. Roll your hips when you swing.”
She did as he instructed again, which he blocked.
“Better. Remember, always go for body shots. The face is all bone and if you strike wrong you could break your hand. Plus, the famous ‘knockouts’ you see on TV are rare lucky shots. You want to get an attacker to stumble, shake his head, cause him pain — whatever you can do to break his concentration so you can get away. Take shots to his chest, his ribs, his stomach, or his throat if you get the opportunity. Those will be more effective against an untrained attacker than a face shot because they will severely disrupt his breathing — especially a shot to the side of his neck or throat.”
“Got it.”
Since Ryker took over as her personal security, they practiced self-defense techniques and kick-boxed daily. It was 10 a.m. and they practiced between the buses parked in the gated parking area of the latest venue, this time in Nashville.
“You’ve almost got it. Let me show you.”
He circled behind her and pressed his body against her back, sliding his hands up her arms to her wrists.
Her breathing quickened as she felt his warm breath against her ear.
“Keep your wrists like this,” he said and demonstrated how she should hold them. Then he guided her body through the movements in slow motion to let her get the feel for them.
She tried to concentrate on the defense techniques he was showing her, but she found his warm, hard body pressed against hers to be very distracting.
“Does that make sense?” he asked.
“Uh-huh,” she said without even registering the question. She leaned back against him.
He paused for a moment. His hands trailed up her arms. Then he said, “Ah, fuck it,” and tugged her close against him. He pressed his nose to her hair and drew a deep breath.
“Strawberries,” he murmured.
“My shampoo.”
“Smells wonderful.”
“Thank you.”
He breathed in again, pressed a kiss to her hair, then released his grip on her.
He cleared his throat and stepped in front of her like nothing unusual had happened. “Okay, let’s practice.”
She shook it off and took the defensive stance he’d taught her. She began the jab-cross technique again.
“Good. That’s much better,” he said as he blocked her swings. “Keep at it.”
They practiced for another half hour until the sweat dripped off Jade and her muscles ached. Ryker barely broke a sweat, much to her annoyance.
“What are your plans for the day?” Ryker asked as they walked around the bus toward the door.
“Soundcheck is at 3:00. I don’t have any plans besides taking a shower. Maybe play some video games or something. Why?”
“How would you feel about a tour of downtown Nashville?”
“Really? Do we have time for that?”
“Sure. Soundcheck is at 3:00. We have four and a half hours until then. I thought maybe a Segway tour of downtown would be fun.”
“Ooooh, is this security approved?”
A few hours riding a Segway as a tourist sounded fantastic. She hadn’t played tourist in a long time because people always recognized her.
