Crush

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Hunter-

"Be careful. You've got to handle it just right. Wrap your hands around it like this and slip your finger right here." I gave a satisfied grunt as she did so, and I wound my arms around her tighter. "You're a natural, I can tell already. Feels good, doesn't it?"

"I guess. It's heavier than I thought it would be, but it's not too bad." She shifted, like she was trying to get a little more comfortable.

"That's good, right there," I whispered in her ear. "Now aim and carefully squeeze the trigger."

She closed her eyes and fired, the shot going wide.

"No, no, no!" I said with a laugh. "You can't close your eyes when you're shooting. It isn't a game of chance—see your target, visualize hitting it. Try again."

I was rewarded with a very exaggerated eye roll.

"Visualize the target—whatever!"

"What if some poor guy ran in front of you at the last minute? You'd shoot him because your eyes were closed. That would be a bad, bad thing, Goody."

"I don't really think there's any danger since you've dragged me out into the middle of nowhere. Who's around to run in front of me?"

"Me, and I don't particularly relish the idea of getting shot."

"Not even by me?" She grinned. "I'd be gentle, I promise."

I let my eyes drift over her and sighed, shaking my head. "I don't think anything you do to me is gentle."

She laughed, bumping her hip against me before she lifted the gun again and pointed at the soda can several yards in front of us.

"Relax your stance. You're too . . . Charlie's Angels . . . or something."

She snorted. "Quit making me laugh or I'll never hit it."

"But I like making you laugh." I slipped my hands down her waist onto her hips, grabbing them firmly. "Center yourself here, but relax everywhere else, and use your gun sight to focus on the target."

She took a deep breath and held it, squeezing the trigger. The bullet hit the dirt right in front of the can, causing it to fall over.

"It moved! Did you see that?" She cheered, all smiles as she jumped around, and I reached to still her, pointing the gun away from both of us.

"This is still a loaded weapon, honey. Let's try not to kill ourselves with it, shall we?" I couldn't help my smile. She was hilarious. "Do you want to try again?"

She nodded and quickly resumed her earlier stance. Her face was a mask of concentration, and I watched her zero in on her target. She pulled the trigger, and the can jumped as she hit it.

"There you go!" I said, quickly taking the weapon before her next victory dance got one of us shot. "That was much better."

"You do it now," she urged. "I want to see how good you are."

I shrugged. "I'm not too bad, I guess. I just like shooting."

"Show me."

I lifted the gun—my eye zeroing in on the target instantly—and fired the rest of the clip into the can in rapid succession, hitting it every time, even as it bounced around.

Cami's mouth hung open in disbelief. "You're a liar. You're amazing! What are you—some gun-toting drug dealer, and you haven't told me?"

I laughed loudly, enjoying showing off for her. "Yes, that's exactly what I am. You've figured me out." I put the safety on and popped the empty clip out. "I just really like shooting, and I happen to think one can never be too prepared when it comes to safety. You want to try a rifle now?" I hoped she was having a good time. She wanted to know what I liked to do, so I figured this would be a fun thing. I loved being able to share something real about myself with her, although her comment hit uncomfortably closer to the truth than I'd like.