“Do you remember the night we were at the movies and those two guys were heckling you?”
Haven nodded.
“What would you have done if they followed you outside? How would you have handled it if they grabbed you?” Anger bubbled in him as he thought about anyone touching Haven.
“I’d have screamed.”
Before she knew what was happening, Brody stepped behind her and wrapped one strong arm around her waist and clamped his hand over her mouth, holding her tightly against him.
“What would you do if they grabbed you like this?”
Haven yanked at the hand across her mouth, but Brody didn’t budge. She tried kicking at him but he somehow locked her legs between his. To prove his point, he tightened his hold around her waist.
She clawed at his hand over her mouth until he grabbed both her hands with his other hand and pinned her arms down, while still holding her tight against him. Unable to move, she started to cry in frustration.
Brody let go, turning her around and giving her a gentle hug. Soothingly, he rubbed his hands across her back, kissed her forehead, and whispered to her.
When she calmed down, he stepped back and used his finger to tilt up her chin. He retrieved a paper towel from the kitchen and handed it to her to dry her tears.
“Haven, I didn’t mean to scare you and I wouldn’t hurt you, but I want you to be aware of how fast someone could take advantage of you. You can’t just open your door like that and you can’t go around not knowing some way to defend yourself. Didn’t your brothers ever teach you?” Brody was surprised Hale hadn’t at least given Haven some basics.
“Kind of, a little, I guess. Hale always said to kick a guy where it would really hurt, but Mom told me not to practice on the boys because she wanted grandkids someday.” Haven mopped at her tear-stained cheeks and blew her nose. She went to the kitchen and threw away the paper towel then rinsed her hands before returning to face Brody. “I’m good with a gun. I could always get a concealed weapon permit.”
“No, you can’t.” Brody couldn’t fathom what she was thinking. “Could you really pull out your gun and shoot someone? Really, Haven?”
“No. I couldn’t do that.”
“All right, then. Show me what you think you know.” He stood with his hands relaxed at his sides, waiting to see what Haven could do to defend herself.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
Brody gave her a cocky grin. “Bring it on, doll. Let’s see what kind of damage you can do.” Haven couldn’t hurt a flea if she tried. She was too sweet.
She came at him and used the flat of her hand to push his chin up then jammed her thumbs into his eyes, just not with enough force to hurt him.
“Okay, that’s a good start. I assume if you were really being attacked you’d put a little muscle into it.” Brody smiled at her.
“You’d have two exploded eyeballs if you were a bad guy,” she said smugly.
“Do you have any other moves, besides kicking me where it will definitely hurt?”
“Not really. My go-to move is pretty much screaming and running.”
“Those are both good things if you think you can outrun your attacker or at least run far enough away to get help.” Brody stepped in front of her and held out his hand so it looked like the letter “L.”
“Hold your hand like this,” he instructed, moving her fingers so they were close together, with her thumb extended at a ninety-degree angle. He moved her hand down so it was level with her arm. “Now make your hand stiff, and tense up your muscles. Take that hand and ram it at my throat. You want to hit me right in the ol’ Adam’s apple. If you can land it, your assailant will probably drop to his knees, unable to breathe.”
Haven tensed her hand and shoved it at Brody, again without the force to inflict any harm.
He made her practice the move a few times then picked up his cell phone and searched on it for a minute before handing it to Haven.
“You ever watch the movie Miss Congeniality?”
“Sure, hasn’t everybody?”
Brody pulled up a scene from the movie online. “You watch that and tell me what you learn from it.”
Haven’s eyes widened. She replayed the clip a few times then handed the phone back to Brody.
“Want to give it a try?” Brody moved so he stood behind Haven.
“Okay, but I’m still not going to hurt you.”
“Fine. Just remember the acronym. Let’s hear you say it while you do it.” He stepped close behind her and wrapped an arm across her throat then placed the other around her waist.
Before he could pin her arm down, she jabbed him in the stomach and said, “Solar plexus.”
Stepping on his foot, she said, “instep,” then turned with a fist and brushed it against his face. “Nose.”
Fiery heat filled her cheeks, but she said, “groin,” and lifted her knee although she purposely failed to make a connection.
“Good.” Brody kissed her cheek. “Try it again. And you can put some strength in it. You aren’t gonna hurt me.”
They went through the routine again with Haven doing it just like she had the first time.
“Again,” Brody said, grabbing her from behind.
He made her practice several more times until he could tell she was getting tired and irritated.
“Haven, if you don’t put some oomph in it, all you’re gonna do is make someone really angry with you.”
“I know that, but I already told you, I’m not going to hurt you.” She glared at him with her hands on her hips.
“Fine, let’s practice something else.” Brody showed her a few more tricks.
Haven bent over, panting from exertion. “I won’t remember half this on a good day. If I ever am in trouble, I’ll probably be scared spitless and forget all of it.”
“Just remember to SING and you’ll be fine.” Brody noticed the way her chest heaved up and down and her curls hung in wild disarray around her face. The hair band fell out a few moves back and her long blond hair called out to him to bury his fingers in it.
“I think I better show you one more move.” Brody instructed Haven to stand behind him. When she was in position, he reached back, flipped her over his shoulder and gently tossed her to the floor. Quickly coming down on top of her, he held her hands in one of his above her head and grinned into her smiling eyes.
“I think I might like this one.” The look she gave him made his blood zing through his veins. “What happens next?”
“Something like this.” Brody lowered his lips to hers, rolled over until she rested on top of him, then sank his hands into her hair. “I wanted to do that for the last hour,” he growled.
“I’ve been wanting you to since I opened my door.”
“Haven…” he said in the gravel-laced voice she loved.
“Hmm?” She kissed her way along his jaw.
“You’re just about to push me beyond the ability to think straight.” He closed his eyes as her teeth nipped playfully at his ear. “Baby, you’re killing me.”
Before she could do anything else to seduce him, he sat up and started tickling her to ease the tension.
When she begged for mercy, he stopped and helped her to her feet.
“Let’s get you home. I know you’ll want to clean up before we meet Hale and Abby for dinner.” Brody watched as she put on her glasses and picked up her phone and keys.
“I can walk myself home. You don’t need to.” Haven opened Brody’s door then turned back to kiss his cheek.
“Right. After all that, you think I’m letting you walk home alone?” He grabbed his keys and shut the door behind him. “March it out, doll.”
Instead, Haven jogged down the steps and took off running in the direction of her apartment. Brody chuckled and followed, pacing himself to run just behind her, assuming she’d stop before she made it two blocks. He was surprised when she ran all the way back to her apartment without slowing down.
“Hey, speedy, th
at was pretty good.” He grinned as she unlocked her door.
“You never asked me what I do to keep in shape.” Haven walked inside and took water bottles out of her fridge, handing one to Brody.
“You mean to tell me that knockout figure isn’t a natural phenomenon?”
“Hardly,” Haven said. Men were so clueless about the amount of work women went to just to look like they put no effort into their appearance. “I get up before five every morning and run.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Brody stared at her in disbelief. “You mean to tell me you go running alone, most of the year in the dark, without the ability to defend yourself?”
“Allie usually goes with me and I run at the gym most of the time.”
“That makes me feel marginally better.” Brody kissed her cheek on his way out the door. “I’ll see you in an hour.”
Haven was trying to decide what shoes to wear when she heard a knock at her door. Wielding one of the heels like a weapon, she opened the door, catching Brody off guard. He reflexively raised his arm to defend himself and she dropped the shoe, laughing.
“How’s that for defending myself, big, bossy football man?” she asked as he stepped inside, glaring at her.
“If you scare the perpetrator to death, you’ll be just fine.”
Haven slipped on two different styles of shoes and turned to Brody. She held out one foot, then the other. “Which should I wear?”
“That one.” Brody pointed to a pair of ballet flats she kept by the door to slip on if she needed to run outside.
“No. Come on, pick one.” Under the assumption he was teasing, she held her foot out again, waiting for him to share his opinion.
Brody gawked at her legs. “I’m serious. Both of those make your legs look long and way too… too… anyway, I don’t want to spend half the night fighting off other guys.”
Haven wore a black knee-length skirt with a silky blouse in a soft shade of blue that just made him want to rub his hands up and down the length of it. She tried on two black high heels and either one of them might push him beyond distraction before the evening was through.
“Fine,” she said, shaking her head. After wobbling back to her bedroom, she reappeared in a pair of heels that weren’t quite as high as the others. Although stylish, they looked a little more sensible.
Quickly gathering her keys and phone, she shoved them in a little evening bag and opened the door.
“Ready to go?” She looked back at Brody. He hadn’t moved from his spot near the couch.
“Not quite.” He moved close enough to gently brush his knuckles down the smooth line of her jaw. Bending down, he kissed the dimples in her cheeks then pressed a soft, tender kiss to her mouth.
“What was that for?” she asked in a breathy voice as he walked her outside and shut the door behind him.
He kept a hand at her back as they took the few steps to his waiting pickup and grinned down at her. “Because I like you.” Brody opened his truck door then picked her up and set her inside.
“I like you, too.” Haven wanted to tell him she loved him, but was afraid if she said the words he wouldn’t want to see her again. She knew her time with him was limited and that loving him was going to end in heartbreak, but she couldn’t stop herself anymore than she could keep from breathing.
“So, where are we meeting Hale and Abby?” Brody asked as he drove out of the parking lot.
“At that new place not far from the mall.” Haven looked forward to an evening with two of her favorite guys. “Isn’t it a steakhouse?”
“Yep. We had a team lunch there before the last home game and it was really good.” Brody switched lanes as he neared an intersection.
“Team lunch?”
“On game days, we pick one of our sponsor restaurants, if possible, and go out to lunch together. It’s nice.” Brody pulled into the restaurant parking lot and located a space on the end of a row. Hale and Abby waited by the door.
Haven waved after Brody helped her out of his truck and they hurried across the parking lot.
“Hey, it’s great to see you guys,” Abby said, giving Haven a warm hug. “Are you excited about the concert tonight?”
“Totally.” Haven walked inside as Hale held the door for them.
They didn’t have to wait long for a table and soon sat enjoying their dinner. Their waitress recognized Brody and continued to cast inviting glances his direction. When she refilled their water glasses, she placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned across him provocatively.
Abby raised an eyebrow Haven’s direction, but no one said anything. When the woman brought their bill, she slid a piece of paper to Brody and winked at him.
Haven took a sip of water and pretended not to notice. She wished she could practice some of her newly learned defense moves on the brazen female. Disgusted by the way the waitress practically threw herself at Brody, Haven thought the woman lacked even an ounce of class.
Her building anger melted away when Brody reached beneath the table and took her hand in his, rubbing her palm with his thumb. His leg bumped against hers. When she turned to look at him, he gave her the smirk that let her know everything was right in the world.
Brody crumpled the paper with the woman’s phone number into a tiny wad then worked it into the leftover ketchup on his plate. Abby smiled approvingly.
As they split the bill, Hale and Brody silently agreed the waitress didn’t deserve a tip, but each plunked down a dollar. Maybe she’d learn not to come on to her customers, especially when they weren’t interested and already had a date.
The four of them left the restaurant and drove to the concert venue. The group performing was one they all liked.
Hale mentioned something about Tom being there with a group of his friends, but Haven didn’t see him.
Excited after the concert ended, they decided to go out for dessert at the diner not far from Haven’s place.
“Why don’t you girls wait here and we’ll get the trucks,” Hale offered. The only parking spaces they could find were a long way from the door and it seemed like a nice thing to do since the girls were both dressed up, wearing heels.
While they were walking toward their pickups, Brody told Hale about teaching Haven some self-defense moves that afternoon.
“What?” Hale asked, stopping on the sidewalk and staring at Brody.
“She said you guys didn’t really teach her anything, so I showed her a few basic moves,” Brody said.
Hale started to laugh, looked at Brody, and laughed even harder. When he could finally talk again, he wiped his watering eyes and took a deep breath.
“She got you good, then,” Hale said, slapping Brody on the back. “She used to wrestle with us all the time. Once she pinned Tom and wouldn’t let him up. He finally started to cry and Mom told her not to hurt us anymore. We did, of course, discourage her from kicking vital body parts in defense, but she knows how to take care of herself.”
“Really?” Brody asked, wondering if what Hale said was true. “She acted like she had no clue and refused to do anything that might hurt me. Seriously, though, I worry about her taking care of herself. That girl couldn’t hurt someone even if she tried.”
“Let’s put your theory to the test.” Hale pulled out his phone and placed a call to his younger brother, who hadn’t yet left the concert. He suggested it would be funny for Tom to sneak up on Haven while she waited for Brody. He gave his brother detailed directions on where to find the girls, he motioned for Brody to follow him back in the direction they came.
They hid around the corner where they had a great view of Haven and Abby. The two girls stood talking, looking out at the parking lot when Tom and a group of his friends snuck up behind them.
Tom put his arms around Haven, as if he was going to attack her. In a matter of seconds, he was on his knees on the pavement, looking like he might cry or be ill. Haven had elbowed him in the stomach, stomped his foot, punched his nose and delivered a vicious blow to his groin before
she realized it was her brother.
Not only did she remember the four steps of self-defense Brody taught her, she executed them flawlessly.
Brody slapped Hale on the back, grinning broadly. “That’s my girl. Did you see that?”
“That was wicked. Did you teach her those moves?” Hale asked, impressed. “She’s got some good ones, but I haven’t seen that particular sequence before.”
“Yeah, we worked on that this afternoon, but I couldn’t get her to put any muscle in it. Either she learned more than I thought, or she knew more than she indicated.” Brody watched Haven pat Tom on the back while lecturing his friends about sneaking up on people.
“Let’s go get the vehicles,” Hale suggested, backing around the corner before anyone saw them.
“Good idea,” Brody agreed, still grinning. “You might have to tell your mom the likelihood of Tom producing grandkids just decreased dramatically.”
Hale laughed again. “Tom will be too embarrassed to admit Haven got the best of him, especially when it happened in front of his friends. I’m not admitting to any knowledge of her newfound skills, but I told you she can take care of herself.”
“You were definitely right.” Brody unlocked his truck and slid behind the wheel.
After picking up the girls, they drove to a diner where they enjoyed dessert. Haven and Abby replayed what happened with Tom as they walked out the door to leave. The two men feigned surprise as the girls related the story then Brody drove Haven home.
“Will Tom hold a grudge?” Brody asked as he parked his truck.
“Probably. I feel kind of bad about hurting him,” Haven said as Brody helped her out of his truck and walked with her to her apartment door. Mrs. Humphrey watched them, so Haven tugged Brody inside and closed the door behind her. “At least he won’t sneak up behind me again. Or any of his idiot friends, either.”
“No. I don’t see him trying that again.”
Haven kicked off her shoes, removed her glasses, and sat down on the couch. The look she sent Brody’s direction held a sizzling invitation. He sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her before he even realized what he was doing. She snuggled against him, with her back against his chest.
Love at the 20-Yard Line Page 15