Flash Point

by Brooke Blaine

  “And just where might we be going?” he asked.

  She placed both hands on the arms of the chair, giving him an ample view he had to force himself not to stare at. This fucking tease. Katherine was a temptation he didn’t need and a distraction he couldn’t afford.

  Smirking, she said, “We’ve gotta go shopping.”

  “Shopping? Now?”

  “Yes, now.” Moving away, she made a show of putting on her jacket slowly, waiting for him to look her way. He wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction, at least not directly. His peripheral vision, on the other hand…

  Jesus Christ, she’s your client. Client. Not an option.

  “Please?” she asked. “It’s an emergency.”

  That had him moving. No doubt it was for some feminine stuff he didn’t want to ask too much about. After tossing the crossword on the side table, he had them out the door and in his car in a minute flat.

  * * *

  “WAIT—WE’RE STOPPING here?” he asked, halting in his tracks when she headed into a store that was throwing up pink and purple lacy shit. He’d already been skeptical when they’d pulled up to a mall instead of a drugstore, but there was no way he was going in there.

  “Yes, here,” she said, coming back to grab his arm and pull him inside. “You have to go where I go, and this is it.”

  They were greeted by half-naked mannequins in tiny scraps of fabrics, and the store smelled overwhelmingly like the perfumed shampoo Katherine used.

  And why the hell do I even know that? Oh yeah. She doesn’t know how to stay in her own personal space.

  Not that he minded, which annoyed him to no end. But even through his annoyance, he had to admit he loved the heady fucking scent of her. Every time she’d get close, he took in a deep breath, wanting to swallow her whole in the only way he could that would still keep things platonic between them.

  During her first self-defense lesson, it was all he could do not to tackle her to the ground after teasing him by brushing against his cock. And yeah—it had definitely taken notice of Katherine Shaw.

  She went over to a large table in the front and began rifling through piles of panties.

  “What do you think of these?” she asked him, holding up a barely there blue thong.

  Fuuuuuuuuuck, you have to be kidding me.

  Keeping his face impassive, he said, “I think I’ll go wait over there.”

  She stopped him again and looked up with wide, frightened eyes. “I think you should stay with me. After everything, I just feel so…unsafe. I’d feel better if you stayed right…about…here.” She moved him to a spot a foot away from where she was standing. “There. Now I don’t have to worry about getting attacked while I shop.”

  She was smiling to herself as she turned around, and he had to physically stop himself from rolling his eyes. But he didn’t move away. In truth, he was dying to see what she’d pick out.

  “What’s your favorite color, Jason?” she asked, holding up another pair and wrinkling her nose before tossing them back in the pile.

  “And why would that matter?”

  With a roguish grin, she said, “I’m just trying to make conversation, since you look so uncomfortable over there.”

  He wanted to call bullshit on that one, but held his tongue.

  “Black.”

  “Black? Interesting choice. Not that I couldn’t have guessed from your wardrobe.”

  He glanced down at his attire of jeans and a black shirt. “There a problem with that?”

  “No, no, not at all.” She gave him a long once-over. “As a matter of fact, I think it suits you.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yeah, you look all right.”

  Liar.

  “Care to tell me why we just had to come here? You made it sound like an emergency,” he said.

  “Well, I’ve had strangers go through my drawers twice already, so I need to burn my old things. They’re tainted.”

  “Strangers, plural? Anyone else been inside that you wanna tell me about?”

  “Like you wouldn’t already know. Whoever you guys had move my things in the first place. Obviously they had to move my panties.” Her body brushed against his as she moved past him to the other side. Like a jackass, he didn’t bother backing up.

  “Right. It has nothing to do with a compulsive shopping disorder.” Or the need to torture me seven ways to hell.

  The look she gave him then made him wonder if he’d just said that thought out loud, but she just smiled and moved on to the racks lined with bras.

  “What about this one?” Taking a black and purple bra off the hanger, she held it up to her chest and looked at him expectantly.

  “What about it?” he asked, keeping his eyes on her face.

  “Well, you have to look at it first,” she said, wiggling the hanger over her to move his attention there. “And then you have to tell me if you like it. On me.”

  She was fucking daring him, and as much as he shouldn’t take the bait, he wanted to play with her. He was going to hell for this.

  “And I have to do that because…?”

  Pouting her full lips, she said, “Because you’re a guy, and I’d like your opinion. Would this make you want to rip it off or not? If the answer’s no, I’ll move on to the next one.”

  He didn’t hesitate. “Keep that one.”

  A slow smile curved her lips, and she nodded once, adding it to her stack.

  She took her time looking around, always asking his opinion and putting back the ones he didn’t give an okay to. He had to admit, shopping wasn’t his thing, but he didn’t mind watching her here. Not one bit, although he had to push back his conscience every time she held something up so his imagination could run wild with all the ways he’d take it off.

  Once she’d finished going through every section of the store, she said, “All right, I think that’s enough to start with.”

  “Holy shit. You’re getting all of those?”

  “Of course not. I’ve got to try them on first.”

  “Wait—try them on?” Hunger and desire began to pool inside his gut, and he wondered if she knew how much she was testing his self-control. There was no way in hell he could sit here and watch her put those things on. Not without clearing the fucking store first.

  “Is that a problem?” she asked, handing over her items to a saleswoman, who led them to the dressing room area. Keeping his lips sealed shut as he followed behind them, he noticed the pile the woman carried in her arms was stacked high with predominately black items.

  And why that made his cock fucking pound, he was trying not to think about.

  “You can have a seat right there,” the saleswoman told him, pointing to a seat just outside the room she’d set Katherine up in.

  “Yeah, Jason,” Katherine said. “You should sit there and take a load off.”

  Winking, she shut the curtain, and Jason sighed, running his hand over his face. The other rooms were empty, thank God, so he angled the chair so he could keep an eye out on both Katherine’s room and the rest of the store.

  A few minutes later, the curtain to her dressing room slid open.

  “That was quick,” he said, not letting himself look in her direction. If she was going to come out in anything, he didn’t want to see it.

  “I need help.”

  At the word help, he whipped his head around to see Katherine standing there in a one-piece black lingerie outfit.

  Holy hell. When did she pick that up?

  “I’m stuck,” she said, turning around to reveal her bare back with an unfastened zipper right above her tailbone. Looking over her shoulder, she asked, “Help?”

  He wasn’t buying the act for a second, and narrowed his eyes. Turning back around, she said, “The sooner I try all these on, the sooner we can get out of here.”

  Piece…of…work.

  Standing up, he scanned over the store before motioning for her to turn around. She gave him a small smile and faced away to g
ive him access to the zipper. Her skin was a creamy contrast to the black lace, and his fingers itched to run over the smooth skin. Reaching up, she pulled the rest of her long hair over one shoulder.

  “Is that better?” she asked, turning her face toward him so that it was only inches from his.

  This close, he could see her pupils were dilated, and her breaths were shallow and faster than usual. Trying to ignore the blood rushing to his cock, he held on to her waist while slowly pulling the zipper up with his other hand. When it reached the top, she let go of her hair, letting it fan against her back. He took a step away as she studied her reflection in the mirror before facing him.

  “So,” she said. “What do you think of this one?”

  He pretended to look over her with a critical eye, but really, he just wanted to take in every inch of her. She had the most spectacular legs he’d ever seen, and the way the lingerie cut high on the sides made them look even longer. Those had always been his weakness—long, slender legs wrapped around his waist—and it had him licking his lips.

  She pivoted in a slow circle, allowing him to look at her from every angle, and for that, he was fucking grateful. The outfit stuck to her like a second skin, showing off her small waist and light curves. She was a mouthwatering sight.

  When his eyes flashed to hers, he said, “Keep it,” and then sat his ass back down.

  Thirty-seven minutes later, she’d tried on every item and had narrowed it down to keeping half of them, though he’d been a fan of every damn one. There was nothing she could wear that would look anything other than stunning, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

  She knew, though. She fucking knew.

  When they’d thrown the bags in the trunk and started the drive back to the apartment, he said, “For as much as you bought, you’d think there would be twenty bags.”

  She laughed. “I agree with you there. See, that wasn’t so bad, right?”

  “Define bad.”

  “Oh, stop,” she said, hitting him playfully in the arm. “I think you liked it.”

  “I wouldn’t say like.” Definitely not just like.

  “Well, I enjoyed having you there. I think I’d like you to come more often.”

  He didn’t even blink at her double entendre. She was bold today, he’d give her that. Something in her had changed over the last few days, and as much as he didn’t need the complication, the aggressive side of Katherine was hot as hell.

  “So…I’ve been thinking,” she said, toying with her ring.

  “Always a dangerous pastime.”

  “Ha ha.” She rolled her eyes. “Would you say making it out of a lingerie shop alive would be considered conquering a fear for you?”

  “If I had any, I suppose it would.”

  “You’re not scared of anything?”

  “No.”

  A slow smile crept across her face. “I bet I could figure out something that scares you.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Hmm, a challenge. I’ll think about that. So, like I was saying. You conquered a fear tonight. I think it’s time to tackle one of mine.”

  “Spiders? Clowns? Watching movies that aren’t a romantic comedy?” he teased.

  “I want you to take me to a gun range.”

  Now that he wasn’t expecting. He bit back his first instinct—to say hell no—and went with his second. Curiosity at her request. But before he could respond, she was rambling.

  “I know what you’re gonna say. Hell no, right? It’s unnecessary when I’ve got you, but what about when I don’t have you?”

  An unfamiliar sensation burned in his chest as she turned silent.

  Now why the fuck does that hurt to think about?

  Brushing her hair out of her face as she looked out the window, she said, “Anyway…that’s not the main reason. I don’t want to use one, but I’m tired of panic attacks every time I hear fireworks go off. I’m tired of seeing a weapon on TV or when you’re cleaning them and wanting to crawl in my bed and stay there. Those romantic comedies I make you guys watch? Yeah, no traumatic horror scenes in those.” She slid her ring on and off her finger in an anxious fidget. “I thought maybe it’d be easier facing all of that if you were there. I know you and Kirkpatrick go sometimes, and…well, maybe next time you’d…take me?”

  She took his silence for refusal and backtracked. “I mean, I can ask Kirkpatrick if you don’t want to, I was just hoping that—”

  “Katherine?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’ll do it.”

  She looked at him in surprise, her eyes bright in the darkened interior. The crackling tension between them was back, and he gripped the steering wheel tighter to keep from reaching over and putting his hand on top of hers.

  It was going too far. No longer in denial about the attraction they both felt, he should’ve stopped it then. Told her no, shut her off, kept the lines clearly marked.

  But as she sat there next to him, she looked so…content. And the oddest thing was, in that moment, he felt that way too.

  KATHERINE LOOKED NERVOUS. Beyond nervous, actually. She had beads of sweat on her brow, and she kept wiping her hands on her jeans. When her knee continued to bounce up and down, he finally asked, “Do you want me to turn around?”

  Biting her lip, she shook her head. “No,” she said in a small voice. “No, I need to do this.”

  He’d given her twenty-four hours to change her mind, but she’d been adamant. And although he admired her for wanting to face her fear, he wasn’t sure how she’d fare once she set foot inside their destination.

  After turning off the main road into a small parking lot, he shut off the engine and looked over at her.

  “We can leave anytime, okay? Just tell me it’s too much, and we’ll go.”

  Nodding, she swallowed and opened the car door. He’d called ahead to make sure it was a slow night, and, judging by the small handful of cars in the lot, it was a good night to bring her. Too much activity inside, and she’d probably have a panic attack. A hospital visit wasn’t high on either of their to-do lists.

  He held the door open for her and followed inside, where a glass display counter stretched across the room. The man behind it nodded in greeting.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “I called earlier. Reservation for Garrett.”

  “Oh yeah, man, y’all come on in. Now, you said you wanted a beginner revolver for her, right?”

  “I was thinking a .22 caliber. Less recoil,” he said.

  “Right, right. Well, let me show you what we’ve got.” The man took a set of keys off his belt loop and unlocked one of the cases.

  Katherine stood rooted to the entrance, and he gently nudged her to move forward. She inched closer to him and stopped a foot away from the display.

  “This here’s a good choice, it’s a Ruger Single-Six. Minimal recoil, and not as loud as some of the others. Perfect for a newbie.”

  Picking up the gun, Jason turned it over and ran his fingers over the barrel. “Not bad,” he said. Turning to Katherine, he asked, “Wanna see how this feels in your hands?”

  Her eyes were wide as she stared at the gun, and he could see the debate warring inside her. Holding her shaking hand out, she lightly grazed the handle first before letting him hand it to her. It was awkward in her hands, and she held it stiffly, away from her body.

  “How does that feel?” the man behind the counter asked. “Good weight for ya?”

  “Um.” She wiped the sweat off her upper lip. “I-I think it’s a…good weight. I’m not sure.” Her expression as she looked up at Jason was one of uncertainty.

  Giving her a smile, he asked, “It’s not too heavy to hold for a while, right?” When she shook her head, he took the gun out of her hands and set it on the counter. Her shoulders sagged in relief.

  “This one’ll be great to start with,” he told the clerk. “We’ll need just one target and ammunition. I’ll use my own.”

  As the man got thei
r supplies together and took the cash and IDs Jason handed him, he held Katherine’s shoulders and bent down to catch her gaze.

  “Still good?” he asked.

  She nodded and forced a tight-lipped smile. “Good.”

  * * *

  KATHERINE WATCHED HIM intently, her eyes wide behind her safety glasses, as he showed her how to grip the gun, load, and unload the ammo. The fact that she hadn’t already bolted from the stall they were in was progress in itself. He handed her the gun and watched as she unloaded the gun and then reloaded it.

  “Good,” he told her, projecting his voice so she could hear him through the protective headphones. “Now, see the target out there? I’m going to tell you where to aim, and I want you to hit that spot. Stand here.” He moved her into an isosceles position and stood just behind her. “Put your weight on the balls of your feet. You don’t want to fall over, and even though this has less of a kickback than most of the others, it’ll still surprise you when you shoot. So nice and firm stance.”

  As she positioned her legs in the correct stance, he nodded in approval.

  “Now, to hold it,” he said, lifting her arms, his body pressing firmly against her backside, “keep your arms straight and lock your elbows. Make sure you’ve got a good grip on the handle with your right.” He wrapped his hand around hers on the handle. “And then your left needs to wrap around and stabilize your right. Like this.” When he moved her hands into the right spots, he felt her tremble against him.

  “Use your dominant eye and line it up.” Leaning over her shoulder, so they were cheek to cheek, he moved her into position. “I’ll take this first shot with you. You okay to do that?”

  He felt her nod against him, and he said, “On three. One…two…three.”

  They fired the shot, the recoil of the gun jerking her back into him.