That was also when Gage knew Mackenzie Stone had gotten to him.
“Okay,” he said loud enough for her to hear over the sound of the pistol. “Stop for a minute. I know what you’re doing wrong.” He reached around and put his hands under hers, supporting the lightweight weapon. “First of all, you’re not breathing like I told you to. Take a deep breath and let it half out. Pause. Then shoot.”
Mackenzie practiced breathing deep like that a few times, which made for an enjoyable view of her expanding T-shirt. He barely stifled the groan this time. God save him.
“This next part is critical.” He moved his mouth closer to her muff-covered ears so he wouldn’t have to shout. “You’re jerking too hard.”
She turned her head to give him a teasing smile. “Jerking too hard? Is that even possible?”
Okay, maybe picking a word that had such a sexual connotation hadn’t been the best idea. “Oh yeah, it’s possible. And you’re doing it.”
“Huh. So, can you show me the proper way I should be jerking it?”
Gage groaned. Thank God none of the guys were close enough to hear this little exchange. He’d never live it down.
He repositioned her fingers around the grip, then moved her left hand into a better position to support the weapon. “Remember to squeeze it firmly, but not hard. You want your grip to be tight enough that it won’t pop out when it bucks, but not so tight that your fingers get tired.”
“Wouldn’t want my fingers to get tired,” she agreed. “Okay, now what? Just shoot?”
“No, not yet. You’ve got the breathing and the grip down. Now I have to make sure you know how to stroke the trigger.”
That flirty smile of hers was back. “You’re making this up, right?”
“Absolutely not. These are time-honored shooting tips that everyone in SWAT learns.”
“Uh-uh.” She looked down the barrel of the .22 again. “So, are you going to share these tips or do I just have to guess?”
“You can’t rush these things.” He pressed himself more tightly against her and put his mouth close to her ear. He was about to tell her to tighten her grip on the pistol when he felt her bottom moving slightly side to side, like she was shifting her weight from foot to foot. It might have been a completely subconscious effort to get more comfortable, but it sure as hell seemed like she was purposely rubbing her ass against his hard-on.
He immediately went from really frigging hard to painfully stiff in the span of a few heartbeats, which only seemed to encourage Mackenzie more. Damn, it was all he could do to not drop his hands down to her hips and pull her ass tightly against him.
Then he realized that Mackenzie’s breath was coming faster. For a moment he wondered if she was going to start panting.
It was the tips of his fangs pressing into his tongue that jerked him out of his trance and forced him to get control of himself and the situation. Yeah, Mackenzie was amazing, but he had to remember what was at stake here. His pack was depending on him to deal with this woman.
He backed off an inch or two, enough to break the contact between her butt and his groin. That also broke the almost hypnotic hold she seemed to have on him. He ignored what could have been a moan of disappointment and leaned his mouth close to her ear again, ready to get back to the task they were supposed to be here for. It was tough, but controlling emotions was part of being a werewolf.
“Get a firm grip on the weapon, then take a breath and let it out halfway.” He waited until he felt her breath hitch. “Now, slowly caress the trigger. Don’t squeeze it. You should be completely surprised when it goes off.”
The gun still jumped in her hand, but she had a better grip this time, so it didn’t move nearly as much as before.
Mackenzie laughed. “I hit the target dead center.”
He couldn’t help but smile with her. “Yes, you did. Now do it again.”
She breathed deep, took her time, and put every shot through the nine ring. When she’d emptied the magazine, she set the pistol down on the counter and spun around in his arms, hugging him with a breathless laugh.
“I did it!”
Even though he knew he shouldn’t, Gage found himself automatically wrapping his arms around her. Her breasts were soft against his chest, her hips enticing. And her lips… The way they were parted, it was like they were begging to be kissed. God, he could almost taste them. Something told him one kiss wouldn’t be enough. But he was willing to take the risk. He might have done it too, but luckily she pulled away.
“I want to do it again,” she said excitedly.
“Okay,” he laughed. “Unless you want to…”
“Unless I want to…?”
The way she was looking at him almost made him forget again that she was here looking for a story that could destroy his life and the lives of his pack members. And just like that Gage felt the stirrings of a foolish emotion he shouldn’t be feeling right now—definitely not this fast, and definitely not for this woman.
He reached around her, picking up the 9mm he’d brought. “Or we could try something a little bigger?”
Her lips curved. “You think I can handle something bigger?”
He turned her around so that her ass was pressed snugly against him, then placed the 9mm in her hands and aimed it at the
