“No need. We have everything he needs. Diapers, formula, bottles, clothes, all that stuff. We will take the diaper bag just in case we need something between here and home,” Mom says.
“He needs his blue blanket. He likes to snuggle with it when he takes his nighttime bottle. He keeps it up close to his face and falls right to sleep.”
Dad nods. “We’re going to need that then.” He chuckles. “Aren’t we, buddy? You excited to stay with Grandma and Grandpa?” he asks my son. Not that Milo can answer him.
“I’ll be right back.” I rush to Milo’s room and grab his favorite blanket. I stop on my way out the door and turn and look at his empty bed. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time with this. He’s in good hands, and I know that. I just want those hands to be mine. Always.
In the living room, I find my parents, Hollis, and Milo, all laughing. Hollis leans into Milo, who is still in my dad’s arms and says, “Boo,” and the little bugger gives her a toothy grin. “He likes you,” I say, startling her—if the way she whirls around to look at me is any indication.
“He’s a cutie, Colton. You should be proud.”
“I am. Aren’t I, little man? You get your good looks from Daddy, right?” I ask playfully. Not that his mother wasn’t pretty, she was, but I’m not much on talking about the woman who threw her son away. I still have mixed feelings about her. I’m grateful she got him to my family, but still can’t understand how she could just give him up. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
“We should get going so you can be on your way.” Dad hands Milo to me, and I kiss him, all over his tiny little face.
“I’m going to miss you. Don’t be giving Grandma and Grandpa a hard time.” I put him up to my shoulder and give him a gentle squeeze. His baby scent wraps around me, and I feel as though I could cry. In fact, if Hollis were not standing right here with us, I just might have. “Why is this so hard?” I ask, my voice gravelly with emotion.
“Because he’s a part of you,” Mom replies softly. “Just wait until he tells you he wants to join the Army. Wait until he’s gone for months at a time and can’t tell you where he is. This is nothing,” she says, wiping the corner of her eye.
With my hand firmly on Milo’s back, holding him close, I snake the other arm around Mom’s waist and pull her into my chest. “Love you, Mom,” I say, my voice low and just for her. I get it now. The worry, the tears. I get it.
“Enough of that,” she says, pulling away. “Call and check on him anytime, but I assure he’s going to be just fine.”
“Thanks, guys.” I give Milo one more hug before putting his coat on him and strapping him into his car seat. I walk them to the door and watch as they grab the base of the car seat out of my truck to place in the back of Mom’s SUV. And then, just like that, they’re gone.
“You okay?” Hollis asks from behind me.
I close the door, realizing I was just standing there, letting all the cold air inside, and turn to face her. “I’m good. It’s just… hard to know I’m not going to be with him for so long. It’s the longest I’ve gone since I found out he was mine.”
“He’s lucky to have you.” Something passes in her eyes, but she masks it before I can figure it out.
“Are you ready to learn how to kick some ass?” I ask, giving her a wide grin.
“Definitely.” She returns my smile. “Are you nervous?” she asks once we’re in my truck and headed to All Fit.
“About the class? No. This is what I’ve been trained to do.”
“Do you miss it? The Army?” she asks, then quickly adds. “I’m sorry I’m being nosey. It’s none of my business.”
“No. It’s fine. I miss my brothers-in-arms. Their life was in my hands, and mine in theirs. That’s a bond that runs deep.”
“Are they all still enlisted?”
“Yes, some are, some are honorably discharged, some just did it on their own.”
“Maybe you should reach out to them. Introduce them to your son.”
“You know, that’s not a bad idea. I just might do that.”
“That’s my one good idea for the day. I’m all tapped out.”
I glance over in time to see her tap her index finger against her temple as she flashes a grin. “Just one?” I tease. “I think there are more good ideas bouncing around up there.”
“Nope.” She pops the P, making me smile.
“Here we are.” I pull my truck into the lot and turn off the engine. “Thanks for coming early. I just wanted to be here when everyone started showing up.” I look through the front window of my truck at the snow that started falling on our way here. “Then again, this looks like it’s sticking. Class might be small.”
“Should you cancel?” She leans forward to look out the window, getting a closer look.
“Nah, it’ll be fine.”
“Can we get home?”
“This machine,” I pat the dash of my truck, “is four-wheel drive. We’ll make it home,” I assure her.
“Okay, then. I guess we have a class to get to.” She reaches for her handle and climbs out of the truck, and I scurry to catch up with her. Luckily my legs are a hell of a lot longer than hers, and I’m by her side in no time.
“Hey, Colton,” Mary, one of the nightshift receptionists, greets me. “I have a few cancelations for tonight.” She hands me a list.
“How many do we have left?” I ask her.
“Four.” She looks up at Hollis. “Are you taking the class?” she asks her.
“Yes.”
“Then, five.” Mary grins.
“Thanks, Mary. Keep me updated. I’m going to go make sure the room is set up.” With a wave, I settle my hand on the small of Hollis’s back and lead her to the room where the class is going to be held. I guide us into the room, and to the back corner where the storage closet is. Punching in the code on the keyless entry, I open the door wide, turn on the light, and step in. “You can put your coat and purse here. This will stay locked so no one will mess with it.”
“Are you sure? I can get a locker.”
“Positive. Just lay it on the desk over there.” I shrug out of my coat and lay it across the desk. “I’m going to start getting the mats out and organized.”
“Need any help?”
“Nah, just chill until class starts. Unless you want to go hit some of the machines or something?”
“Do I need to?” she asks. My eyes peruse her body. Tight long-sleeve T-shirt and skin-tight work out pants. “I mean, am I in the way?” she adds.
“N-No.” I shake my head. “You’re not in the way.” Needing to get busy, to fight off this attraction I have for her, I start dragging mats out and setting them up so that each person will have their own workspace. From the research I’ve done, most women who sign up for self-defense classes are usually too late. It’s usually as a result of some type of violence, often an ex or current lover they are trying to defend themselves from. This also means that most of them are not comfortable with having their personal space invaded. So, I set up six large mats, giving each person coming to class tonight their very own personal space. I want them to feel safe and confident while they’re here and, eventually, leave here with that same confidence and carry it with them every day.
“Colton.” Mary sticks her head in the door. “Everyone has canceled. It’s really starting to get bad out there.”
“Thanks, Mary. Why don’t you go ahead and go home? I’ll be here to close up.”
“Everyone’s gone, and I don’t think anyone is going to be coming in tonight anyway. I’ll just put a note on the door that due to inclement weather, we’re closed. I’ll update all of our social media sites, and then head home.”
“Thanks, Mary.”
“Should we go?” Hollis asks.
“Nah, we can stay a little longer. Besides, I promised you a self-defense class, and we’re already here. Hell, we have the place to ourselves.” That part worries me just a little. No, it will be just lik
e it is at home. I’m going to keep it completely professional.
She nods. “Let’s do it.”
“Perfect. Okay. Take a mat. You can have your pick,” I say with a chuckle.
“Where are you going to be?”
Wherever you are. “I’ll take the one in front so you can see me.” She chooses a mat in the center of the room, and I take the one directly in front of her. “Okay, the first move we’re going to practice is the hammer strike. Anytime you’re walking alone, you should have your keys in your fist like this.” I rush to the storage closet, grab my keys, then back to the mat. “Since I drove, you’re going to need these.” I show her how to hold the keys in her hand.
“Like this?” she asks, taking my keys and doing as I demonstrated.
“Just like that. Now, should someone approach you aggressively, you swing your arm like this as if it were a hammer.” I demonstrate with my hand to show her. She copies me and nails it. Not that this one is complicated, which is why I started with it.
“Do you feel comfortable with me moving in on you so that you can practice?” I ask her.
She swallows hard but nods her agreement. “Okay, so I’m going to go walk around the room. You keep your head pointed forward. I’m not going to hurt you, or grab you, but I want you to be on alert for when I present in front of you.”
“Got it.” She looks at her hand, makes sure the key is still positioned correctly and lowers her hand to her side.
I walk away from her, keeping my steps light as they carry me around the room. Then I’m coming at her. I’m in her face, and she doesn’t hesitate to lift her arm and strike. I barely miss getting stabbed with my own key as I jump out of the way.
“Oh my God.” The keys fall from her hands as they move to cover her mouth. Her eyes are wide and filled with worry.
“It’s fine, Hollis. You did exactly as you were supposed to do.”
“No.” She drops her hands and shakes her head. “I wasn’t supposed to attack you. You could have been hurt.”
“Trust me, I’m perfectly fine. This is all a part of your training. It has to be as real as possible so you can imitate being in that exact situation. You did great,” I praise.
“This was a bad idea.”
“No, it wasn’t.” I step in close to her. Bending my knees so we’re eye to eye, I try to capture her attention, but her gaze is glued to our feet. With a gentle hand, I place my index finger under her chin and gently lift until I have her eyes. “This is what’s supposed to happen. I promise. You did perfectly.” I stand back to my full height and clap my hands together. “Now, you ready for another move?”
“You sure?” She’s hesitant, and her beautiful green eyes are shining with uncertainty.
“Positive. This next move is escaping from a bear hug attack.” I usually go over the easier moves, but this one is the most common for attacks. Women getting assaulted from behind before they even realize what’s going on. My gut tells me I need her to be prepared to be safe. She might have just come into my life, but I know I need that much. I need to know I’ve given her the skills to protect herself. Sure, it’s not going to all happen tonight, but this move, knowing it’s the most common attack, it will help to ease my mind that I’ve taught her this one.
“Okay.” Her agreement is weak, but she stands tall, well as tall as she can at five foot three and gives me all of her focus and attention.
“This one is better if I demonstrate so you know what I’m talking about. In order to do that, I need you to step behind me and wrap your arms around my waist, clasping your hands together. I’ll talk you through the process, we’ll go through the motions, and then switch places.”
“Got it.” She moves to step behind me, and I’m assaulted with her scent, something lavender, as her arms wrap around my waist just as I’ve instructed.
I can’t help but run my hands over hers. I tell myself it’s to make sure her grip is good and tight when the reality is that I just want to touch her. Her skin is so damn soft, and this is just her hands. I can only imagine how it would be if my hands got to roam all over her body. “Good,” I croak. I cough to clear my throat. “Now, when in this situation, you want to shift your weight forward. You do that by bending forward at the waist. This makes it more difficult for your attacker to lift you from the ground, and it gives you a better angle to throw an elbow or two.” I bend over at the waist and turn with my elbow poised to demonstrate. “You want to switch from arm to arm counter-attacking to throw the attacker off. This should lead to you being able to turn fully and getting a good groin shot or heel palm strike, which we haven’t gone over yet. However, from a man’s perspective, always go for the groin. That pain, when delivered precisely, will drop him to his knees.” I turn to face her and then step back. Her arms drop to her sides, and her eyes stay locked with mine. “You ready to try it?”
“What if I hurt you?”
“First of all, I’m a big guy, I can take it. Don’t use all of your power, just walk through the steps. If you make contact, you make contact. It’s not the roughest thing I’ve been through. Trust me on that.” My mind flashes to being in the trenches in the desert. An elbow is nothing compared to the things I’ve been through.
“Okay.” She nods, and I can see a little of her hesitation start to drift away.
“Turn around.” My voice is gruff. I move in behind her, clasping my arms around her waist. My cock is nestled next to her ass and twitches. I don’t even fight it because there is no use. No way can I hide what she does to me. As I feel myself harden from being this close to her, she gasps.
“I can’t apologize for that. That’s what you do to me,” I whisper in her ear. It’s bold, and I’m so far out of line. However, when I’m holding her close like this, I can’t seem to find it in me to care. No, in fact, I pull her a little closer. I want her to feel my body's reaction to hers.
“W-What next?” she asks.
My lips are still next to her ear, so I keep my voice low. “Bend over, push your weight forward at the waist.” She bends over, and on instinct, my hands go to her hips, holding her to me. “Fuck,” I murmur. There are so many wildly inappropriate things running through my head right now.
“Colton?” She says my name, and it sounds like a plea.
“Elbows,” I grind out. “Alternate elbows.” I try to focus on what this is supposed to be about. Her safety. Hollis learning how to defend herself should the need arise.
Lifting her right arm, she turns to mimic elbowing me, but turns all the way around and her hands land on my shoulders. My hands still on her hips, pull her close. Looking down at her, her gaze is focused on my lips. I lick them, the anticipation of what I think is about to happen overwhelms me. When her tongue peeks out, and she wets her own, I know I’m about to cross another invisible line.
“Hollis,” I murmur, and her eyes dart to mine. I lean in just a little. “Tell me to stop. Tell me I’m not allowed to kiss you.”
“I-I can’t do that, Colt.”
Colt. The familiarity in the way she shortens my name only fuels my desire for her. I want that with her. Not just so I can learn every inch of her. I want to know what makes her who she is. I can’t explain it, and frankly, I’m done trying. I just want her. I can’t fight it, and honestly, I don’t want to.
She rises up on her tiptoes, and I meet her halfway. At first, it’s just a soft press of my lips against hers. It’s delicate as we both take the time to savor one another. Needing more of her, I nip at her bottom lip, and she opens for me. My tongue lazily strokes her bottom lip soothing the ache, before I slide between her lips, and get my first real taste of her. She whimpers, a sound that’s released from the back of her throat, and it fuels me. Needing a better angle, needing to be closer to her, I bend and lift her into my arms. We never break our kiss as she locks her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, holding on while I devour her mouth.
My hands grip her ass as I deepen the kiss. My feet carry us to the
far wall, and I’m just about to push her into it when my phone rings from the storage closet. Fuck. I peel my lips away, resting my forehead against hers while I catch my breath. “I’m sorry. It could be my parents about Milo.”
She nods. Her chest is rapidly rising as she struggles for breath. I’m glad the kiss had the same effect on her as it did on me. Changing directions, I head for the closet.
“You can put me down.” Her voice is winded, and it makes me want to beat on my chest, screaming to the world that I did that. I made Hollis Taylor breathless.
“I’m not ready to let you go,” I murmur as we enter the small room. I move to the front of the small desk and set her on top of our coats. Reaching for my phone, I see that I missed a call from Chase. With one arm around her, holding her close, I hit his contact to call him back.
“Hey. You still at the gym?” he asks.
“Yes. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just know you can’t see outside. It’s really starting to get bad. You should send everyone home and head out yourself.”
“Already ahead of you. It’s just me and Hollis left.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, you two should get going. Wait, did Hollis take the class?”
“Yep.”
Chase laughs a deep throaty laugh. “That’s a story I can’t wait to hear, brother.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.” I end the call, not waiting for a reply. Sliding my phone in my back pocket, I place my hands on either side of her face and press my lips to hers once more. “That was Chase,” I say, forcing myself to pull away. “He said it’s really getting bad out. We should head home.” She nods her agreement, and I lean in to kiss her again. “I don’t know if I can stop,” I say softly.
“Maybe… maybe we can pick up when we get home? I mean—”
I cut her off with another kiss. “Best fucking idea ever.” She giggles when I pull away. “Let me go start the truck.” I rush out of the room, pick my keys up off the floor, and race outside to start my truck. Good thing Chase called when he did; it’s really getting bad. I clean off the front windshield, cursing that I didn’t grab my coat, before hurrying back inside. “It’s nasty out there.”
Fair Lakes Series Box Set Page 62