Now or Never

cartridge with bullets. Grayson gave him a look and grabbed an empty casing and helped out.
    Derrick shook his head and smiled. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any sexier.”
    “Is that so?” Grayson took a step forward, and Derrick put up his hand.
    “Don’t try to distract me. I’m starting to think I might actually have some competition.”
    “You should know better than to underestimate your opponent. I think we need to put a wager on the table.”
    “So what are the stakes of this so-called wager of yours?”
    “If I win, you have to take me to the movies.”
    Derrick raised an eyebrow. “And if I win?”
    “That’s up to you,” Grayson said as she hefted the familiar weight of the gun. She slammed the cartridge into the bottom and pulled back the slide putting a round in the chamber.
    “I’ll have to think it over,” Derrick said as he walked out to the target and counted paces back toward her. “We’ll start at nine meters.”
    “OK,” Grayson said as she rolled her eyes. She was actually a little nervous, because it had been awhile since she’d gone shooting. And her brother always reminded her it was a perishable skill.
    “Two to the chest one to the head,” Derrick said.
    Grayson nodded, and put on her ear and eye protection before walking up to the line Derrick had etched on the ground. She placed her right foot forward and leaned her body in holding her arms tight, lined up the sites and squeezed the trigger in rapid succession. Blocking everything around her the way her brother drilled into her head. She loved the sound of the ‘ping’ against the metal. It made her feel powerful and untouchable. Of course, that wasn’t really true. She’d been able to shoot just as well when she was with Josh and look how that turned out.
    Derrick whistled under his breath. “Ok, so you were telling the truth. Obviously, we’re going to have to up the ante.”
    Grayson watched Derrick he had his hands at his sides and the gun in his holder. When the buzzer went off he grabbed the gun, emptied the bullets, dropped the magazine and replaced it with another in the blink of an eye. Grayson was impressed, and more than slightly turned on.
    “I’m going to get some paper targets,” Derrick uttered as he turned and hurried back to the barn.
    They spent the next couple of hours going through drills and competitions. Derrick always won, but it was the most fun Grayson could remember having in a long time. She felt relaxed around him. There was no need for any false pretense, she could be herself.
    After they packed up, Derrick grabbed her around the waist. “Not bad for a girl,” he said playfully.
    “You’re not sexist are you?”
    “Of course not, I’m just teasing. Anyone can learn to shoot accurately with enough time and practice.”
    “This was fun. Can we do it again—soon?”
    “Yeah. I’d like that.”
    “So what are you going to claim for your victory?”
    “I thought that was obvious.” He pulled her tighter to him. As always her pulse went into overdrive.
    Grayson stared up at him innocently, her eyes wide.
    “Not a clue,” she said secretly hoping that his claim was something sexual.
    Derrick took the gun out of her hand, removed the cartridge and made sure it was clear before he set it on the table.
    He unzipped her sweatshirt, and pulled off one sleeve and then the other.
    “What if someone comes out here?” Grayson said as she looked around.
    “Then I guess they’ll get an eye full,” he said with a sexy grin.
    “It’s really cold out.”
    “You don’t look very cold to me,” Derrick said his voice barely above a whisper. He framed her face with his warm hands, and her arms slipped under his shirt. It was preposterous the way she trusted him blindly. Any caution was thrown to the wind when he was around.
    “Is this normal?” She asked in a hushed voice.
    “Is what normal?”
    “This. Us.”
    His lips trailed up her throat. He drew her earlobe gently between his teeth making her weak in the knees. “I guess that depends on what your definition of normal is.”

CHAPTER 25

    Time was passing quickly. She had been involved with Derrick for over three months. Three months of crazy hot and heavy sex. Where had the time gone? Fall had turned into winter, and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. She picked up her phone and gave him a call.
    “Hey do you want to hang out tonight?”
    “Sorry, I can’t.”
    “Big plans?” She was