Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

My heart was racing and if I pressed myself against the wall any harder, I would have been in the space next to us. As scared as I was, I couldn’t help but take in his extraordinary form. His strong back—his lean arms. He wasn’t in a suit, and had opted for a nice pair of thigh-hugging jeans and a loose shirt.

The platinum watch on his wrist shook with his shots, making my eyes move down his arms, to his broad shoulders. Everything about Sebastian was big and strong. It was then I realized, I really did feel safe with him. Whether he was in love or not, he was a good man who would never let anything bad happen to me or Kyle.

When he was done, he turned and faced me.

“Your turn,” he mouthed.

I stepped up to him on shaky legs and when he held out the small pink gun, my fingers trembled around the coldness of it. I closed my eyes and adjusted it in my hand the way you should.

Sebastian pushed the button on the side wall, switching out the paper for a fresh one. Then he stood behind me, so close I could feel his heartbeat against my shoulder.

“Okay. Right before you’re going to shoot, you’ll want to take the safety off, here.” He clicked a small button on the right side of my gun. “Then, open your legs a little and hold the gun straight.” He ran his hands down my arms holding them out straight and helping me aim the gun. “There’s going to be kickback when you pull the trigger, but nothing you can’t handle. This gun is yours, which means it’s perfect for you.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves before I set my finger on the trigger.

“When you shoot, imagine the person who made you afraid of guns is standing in front of that paper. Aim for their head.”

I closed my eyes and the vision of the man came to me instantly. I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I remembered his outline.

Opening my eyes, I aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. It felt good, so I pulled it again and again, until finally the gun was empty and the power of the bullet leaving the gun stopped pressing against my palm.

I stood there, with an empty clip, staring at the paper full of holes. I lowered my arms, but didn’t let go of the gun. My body was shaking, but I wasn’t entirely sure it was all from fear. Adrenaline was running wild through my system and I had to take a few deep breaths to contain myself.

My eyes dropped to my hands and the death grip on the gun between them. I never expected to feel so much power, so much courage, knowing I could protect myself and Kyle if anything bad every happened again.

It was exhilarating, and I was suddenly happy Sebastian had brought me here. He pushed me to better myself.

Putting the gun down, I turned around and threw my arms around his neck. Using my strength, I pulled myself up so we were face to face and my mouth found his.

I was fierce and hungry as my tongue pushed past his lips, pushing deeper into his mouth. He wasn’t surprised by my reaction and he met my response with everything he had. Lifting my hips, I wrapped my legs around his waist and he turned, slamming us into the wall.

In one swift motion, he ripped my panties from my body and his pants were down around his ankles. He didn’t waste any time as he thrust deep inside of me. He was right; it was so fucking worth it.

Slowly, and without him realizing it, Sebastian was changing my life.

Twenty-Two

Rosslyn

An hour later, we were sitting in the back booth at the Pit Stop, the burger joint where we’d been held up outside. Leave it to Sebastian to take me back to the place where a bad memory existed. Except, I was glad he did. Their burgers were delicious and I felt stronger now that I knew how to protect myself.

I’d done it. I’d shot a gun, and I was good at it. When Sebastian showed me my paper full of holes, there were nine holes it. Not bad for a first timer.

“You did well,” Sebastian stated.

“Thank you.”

“I’m serious, Jessica. I’m proud of you. It takes a lot of guts to face a fear head on the way you did,” he said, swirling his fry in a pile of ketchup.

“You know, I’m proud of me, too. I never thought I’d be able to touch a gun, much less shoot one. Thank you for taking me.”

Something flashed in his eyes, resembling pleasure, although I wasn’t positive because the only time I’d seen him look that way was when he was inside me.

“It was nothing. Plus, I enjoyed it. You looked fucking hot shooting that gun. I enjoyed fucking you in the middle of the shooting range.”

I stopped before taking a bite of my burger and smiled at him.

“Do you ever think about anything besides sex?” I laughed.