a killing machine. You have to respect it. Never point it at someone or something unless you intend to shoot it. If you’re holding it, point it down.”
She nodded and shifted. “It’s heavy.”
“For you, we should look at a smaller caliber. But this is okay for now.” We lifted the gun together. “You lift it face height and look down the barrel,” I explained. “Keep both eyes open. Aim at the target and take a breath. On the exhale, you squeeze the trigger. Just a nudge.”
“Shouldn’t I cock it or something?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Just point and shoot.”
She nodded and aimed. I let go of her hands and stepped back, watching her as she aimed down sight, the barrel pointed at the log. She exhaled as I’d said and pulled the trigger. The gun popped up with the recoil and Angela yelped.
“What the hell was that?” she yelped.
“It’s the recoil. They all do that to a degree. But that was good. Look, you hit it.”
Angela hurried to the log and inspected the hole. “Oh, my God,” she squealed, looking at me with bright eyes. “I got it!”
I laughed and nodded. “It’s not too complicated. There are a few things you can learn still, and you’ll need practice. But that was good.”
Give a woman a gun and she was a walking orgasm. Unless the gun was aimed at me. I liked that Angela wanted to learn about guns and shooting. Even if she never ended up hunting in her life, it was good that she knew how to use one. If it came down to it, she could protect herself. I wasn’t planning on letting her get into a situation where she needed to shoot a gun, but it never hurt.
Finally, the rain started falling too hard, and daylight disappeared, leaving darkness in its wake.
“Let’s get inside, Malen kiy,” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.
She nodded, handed me the gun sideways, and shivered. “It’s cold.”
“Let’s get you inside and dry.”
We stepped into the cabin together. I dried the gun off, tucking it into its case behind a cabinet by the door, and walked to the little bathroom to get towels.
Angela
Every time I thought I had Viktor somewhat figured out, he surprised me. He was damn hot with a gun in his hands and watching him hunt had been a turn on. But he’d been so excited about teaching me to shoot, and his excitement had been handsome in a whole different way.
The more I got to know him, the more I saw something in him that was light and bright and full of life. When I’d first met him, he’d looked gruff all the time, his brows knit, a scowl on his face. The handsome, rugged, mountain version of a Resting Bitch Face. But the more time we spent together, the more I saw him smile, and he chuckled a lot more. He never really laughed, but the deep rumble in his chest when he found something amusing was becoming something I would miss when I left.
Thinking about leaving made my stomach turn. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to have to say goodbye. I wanted to see more of him. I wanted to see him all the time.
Would that be so hard? Would I be able to date this guy who hid away in the woods while I lived in Grizzly Falls?
Dammit, I was leaving soon. I was going far away. And he wouldn’t be right around the corner.
I couldn’t ask him to come with me, either. He wouldn’t want to live in Chicago. There were no mountains to disappear into there. And I couldn’t imagine him living in the city, wearing a suit, going to an office job.
What did he do for work now, I wondered? I hadn’t thought about that, but he must have money somewhere.
“Here,” Viktor said, coming into the room with towels.
I was soaked to the bone. The rain hadn’t been heavy but spending so much time in even a drizzle was enough to wet anyone through. I had already kicked off my soggy shoes and peeled off my wet jacket.
Viktor passed me a towel, and I started drying my hair. Viktor rubbed the towel through his own hair and then his beard before he pulled off his shirt. His skin was shiny with wetness, accentuating his muscles.
He caught me staring, and I blushed, feeling silly. “Sorry.”
Viktor shook his head and took a step closer. “Don’t be.” He kissed me,