I breathe it in.
“Ready?” he asks when I do nothing.
“Right. Yes.”
I take a breath, exhale, and pull the trigger. This time I actually hit the box. I squeal.
He keeps my arms in position. “Again.”
Bam.
“Again.”
Bam.
“Again.”
Bam.
I hit it with every shot.
He pulls the gun from my shaking hands. “Good shootin’, Vegas.”
I jump up and down, laughing, so excited that I mastered it. Well, mastered may be a strong word, but it feels so good to get it right.
He’s smiling, obviously enjoying my excitement.
“Are you a good shot?” I can’t help the question that bubbles out.
He arcs a brow. “You want a demonstration?”
“I do, actually.”
He pulls his own pistol from a shoulder holster under his vest, tucked low under his armpit and against his ribs. The gun is way bigger than mine. I can only imagine how heavy it is, but he handles it like it weighs nothing.
He aims at the target, holding the gun up for barely a second before he pulls the trigger.
Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.
All perfect bull’s-eyes. I expected him to be good, but wow.
“Impressive,” I say.
He grins. “I’ve had a little more practice than you.”
“You want a beer?” I offer.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“Wait here. I’ll get us both one.” I walk in the kitchen, pull two cold bottles from the fridge, and head back outside. He’s got one hip resting on top of the picnic table, his leg swinging. I hold out the beer. “Thanks for the lesson.”
He takes it and clinks his to mine. “You’re welcome.”
We both drink, our eyes on each other. When he drops the bottle from his lips, he slides his hand around my waist and tugs me to him until our body’s touch. I feel so petite next to him, but as he sits against the table, my head is close to his height. I still have to tip my head to look at him.
“I’m glad you decided to stick around town, Ashlynn.”
“I am, too. I’ve never been in the South before. I like all the yes, ma’am, no, ma’am. Everyone has such good manners.”
“Men don’t open doors for women where you were raised?”
“Not like here.” I push out of his arms, afraid of the questions that might follow about where I’m from. It’s bad enough he knows as much as he does. “So, you ride everywhere you go?”
It’s a stupid question but the first thing that pops out of my mouth as I attempt to change the subject.
“Most places. I’ve got a pickup for when I can’t take the bike. You ever ridden on a motorcycle?”
I shake my head. “Not like yours. Once on Spring Break I rode on the back of one of those… What do you call them, ninja bikes?”
“Really? How’d you like it?”
“It was okay. Not my cup of tea.”
He points toward his bike with the neck of the bottle. “Harley’s a little different than a crotch rocket. The ride is unlike anything else, rumbling down the road. We’ll have to take a ride sometime.”
“That reminds me. I haven’t kept up my end of the deal.” I pull the Porsche fob from my back pocket, and it dangles from the ring on my finger.
He grins, snags it and stands. “You sure?”
I shrug. “I keep my word. Let’s go.”
He chugs his beer, and I can see the excitement of a little boy on Christmas morning in his eyes. We move to my baby and climb in.
He adjusts the seat back as far as he can and then starts the engine. “Goddamn, listen to it purr.”
He backs up, maneuvering around his bike and turns in a circle, heading out the driveway onto the highway. When those wide performance tires grip the pavement, the car zooms forward. He shifts through the gears, quickly getting up to speed.
“Fuck, I want to take this up on the Interstate and see what she can do.”
“Let’s go.”
“This gearbox is slick. It’s got a much lighter clutch than anything I’ve ever driven. Goddamn it’s smooth.” He chuckles. “It’s fucking amazing; you flick the gearlever with a couple of fingers.”
I laugh out loud at his enthusiasm. “You’re such a guy.”
He glances over at me, grinning big. “Fast cars and fast women, gotta love ‘em both.”
What I’m loving right now is how happy he is just driving. He takes us up onto the interstate where he lets it off the leash and opens it up. My baby responds, as I knew she would.
Several miles down, he exits and takes some curvy back roads.
Finally, he heads toward my place and