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“You should take care of yourself more,” she says softly.
I look up, her gaze meeting mine, and I make a noise of agreement, caught up for a moment in the warmth of her brown eyes, the curve of her smile. Does she have any idea how beautiful she is?
I swallow hard, breaking eye contact with her, and stand. “I think that’s good.”
“But I didn’t get your left hand.”
“I’ll get it later.” If her hands are on me for one second longer, I’m afraid of what I might do.
She puts away her jar in the shoebox. “Sorry I bombarded you with all this.”
“No, you’re fine. Thanks for doing it. I… I guess I don’t have anyone else that would care about stuff like this.”
“What about your sister?”
A huff of laughter escapes me. “She’d probably call me a dumbass for getting hit in the first place.”
Her mouth quirks up on one side. “Well, any time you need help with something, let me know.”
I nod, unsure how to respond. I’m not used to people offering to help me.
She stands and moves out from between the coffee table and couch to the other side of the living room where there’s more space. “So, what are we working on tonight?”
The plan I had last night to take her training to the next level suddenly seems like a bad idea. It would involve… touching.
“I…” I falter, unsure what to say. “What else do you want to learn?” Better to leave it to her.
She scuffs a toe in front of her, looking down at the pattern she makes in the carpet. “Actually, as much as you disagreed with Joel’s comments yesterday, he brought up a good point.”
I raise my brows, now wanting to think about him.
“He said something about an attacker—I don’t remember exactly what—and it got me thinking that everything we’ve gone over assumes they’re coming at me from the front. But what if they get me in a hold from behind?” She gives a self-deprecating smile. “Not that I can do some over the shoulder flips, but how could I get out? At least enough to run away?”
Damn. That’s a valid concern. And unfortunately, will likely involve… touching.
God, I have to get a grip.
“So you want to practice how to get out of holds from behind?”
She nods. “And for the record, Joel apologized to me after you left last night. He said he didn’t realize he was being so negative.”
Yeah, right. Not my problem, though.
I move over to where she’s standing. “Since we don’t have defensive gear, some of this will have to be theoretical. I don’t want you hitting me in the balls.”
“Duly noted.”
“Are you ready?”
She nods, some of her earlier surety gone in the wake of what we’re doing.
I slip behind her, placing my hands on her shoulders. “I’m going to put my arm around you now, okay?”
“Okay.”
Is it my imagination, or is her voice breathier than normal?
There’s no way to do this without being awkward, but I shift my arm forward, bringing it around her neck in a loose imitation of a chokehold. I’m not applying any pressure, but her breathing still picks up anyway, her hands coming up to grip me.
