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“Move over kid,” Lori said, shoving him out of the way and taking aim. Thomas sulked as he walked over to the truck, grumbling under his breath. He began to search for a signal on his cell again, undoubtedly trying to connect to his “lady.” Lori had a lollipop in her mouth, pausing with the stick poking out as she focused. A second later, she pulled the trigger. Bullseye. My jaw dropped.
“As terrifying as ever,” Thomas grumbled and leant against the truck. “I bet the catering business is a complete cover-up and she works for the government.”
“Then don’t cross me,” she said sternly before hitting another bullseye.
“Wait until I tell Mom,” Thomas said, poking his tongue out. I laughed. Lori squeezed off another four shots before refilling the ammunition and offering the gun to me and Eric.
Suddenly I wasn’t so sure, this wasn’t and had never been my thing. “You’ll be fine,” Eric said, dragging me to the invisible line the other two had shot from. “I’ll be here with you the entire way.”
“Is this going to end up like the wood chopping where you don’t teach me at all?” I sarcastically asked.
His calloused hands grazed along my arms, setting alight a heated fire all the way down as he placed the gun into my hands. “Do you want it to be a repeat of that time?” he growled into my ear. The heat spread through me and blemished my cheeks as I warily glanced behind us to where his siblings stood.
“You shouldn’t say things like that around them,” I reprimanded, embarrassed. His grip tightened on me as he maneuvered my fingers around the gun, my forefinger now resting against the trigger. My heart sped up, distracted by him and the lethal position he was putting me in.
“You’re mine, sweetheart and I’ll say and do whatever I please and you’re going to like it. In fact,” he purred, sending another shiver down my spine. “You’re going to fucking beg for it like a good girl, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I breathlessly and thoughtlessly replied. But yes—one hundred times over. I was completely at his mercy and that thrilled and terrified me all the same.
“Should I teach her?” Lori called from her position against the truck.
“Perhaps you’ve gotten rusty sitting behind that cushy desk of yours on top of your big building,” Thomas quickly followed.
Eric gave them both an effective glare over his shoulder. “Have you forgotten who’s holding the gun?”
“No, we just remembered who was taking aim, and that’s not on you, Cassidy,” Lori teased.
Eric muttered his complaint before gently pressing against me again. “Now line it up and look along the top here. Prepare for the moment you pull that trigger because it’ll kick back and flick up slightly.”
My heart raced. “I’m not sure about this,” I breathed honestly. The realization now that this was a weapon and I was holding it… the two just didn’t seem to go hand in hand. It didn’t seem like fun, it felt like a lot of responsibility.
“Don’t worry, snowflake, I’m here with you,” he said gently with his hands wrapped around mine. “You just need to breathe and go whenever you’re ready. I’ve got you.”
I listened to him, allowing his strength to envelop me, believing every word and intention. I can do this, I thought. Nothing would go wrong, not while Eric was with me.
“On three,” Eric said and began counting down. I exhaled. “Two. One.”
Bang. The gun sprang back, surprising me with its force. What I wasn’t surprised by was the lack of indent in the target board.
“I missed, didn’t I?” I asked.
“No,” Lori called out from behind. “You’re very capable part-time lumberjack did.”
Eric again grumbled his complaint and I laughed. His family were relentless in giving him shit. It reminded me a little of Issobelle. Her humor was so dry and quick witted and no one was an exception to her taunts. I thought about my friends back in Manhattan and grew slightly saddened. Was it bad that I’d been enjoying myself so much that I’d hardly thought about them or how or when I’d return? Guilt filled me again. They still had no idea where I was or the truth as to why I’d actually left. I’d just been so terrified that it’d somehow change our relationship entirely.
“Again,” Eric said. “Don’t worry practice makes perfect. And they’re right, it was my fault.”
I bit my bottom lip; I thought it had more to do with me than him because shortly after, I saw how terrifyingly well Eric’s aim was with a gun. It was almost as good as Lori’s. And I was content with letting him be a master with the gun and the axe and I’d stick to baking cookies—as cliché as that might’ve been.
Chapter 28
Cassidy
I’d realized not soon enough that Eric’s excuse to go for a quick thirty minute “hike” and show me “around” had been code for “don’t follow us.” Shadow bounded in front of us, excited to explore a new area of the mountain. It was cold but it certainly hadn’t been as cold as the weeks when I’d first arrived in Rosefield.
Not accustomed to hiking, I’d almost tripped over a fallen branch. Eric caught me, suspending me by our intertwined hands like a doll.
“Shit,” I’d cursed. And he chuckled. My heart pounded and the thought of having scathing scars all over my face from being so clumsy came to mind.
