An hour longer turned out to be easier said than done.
My aim was terrible. West was astounded at how far off the targets I managed to be. Even when he’d pressed himself against me, holding my hands steady and doing everything but pulling the trigger for me, I’d missed.
Although, that time might have been because I’d rubbed my ass back against his groin and distracted us both.
Sue me.
He was insistent I had to hit the target once before we went inside, but I didn’t think that was possible.
“It’s almost been an hour,” I complained. “Learning to hit a target might be a multi-day endeavour. Let’s just head back.”
West ran his hand through his hair, groaning. “Talia, we don’t have multiple days. I’m not expecting you to hit the perfect bullseye. Just hit the target. The edge of it. Graze the edge of the target, and we can leave. Plus, I thought you’d done this before?”
“I’m out of practice. And I was onlyslightlybetter than the average person to begin with.”
“Nico really did go easy on you.”
“And you’re a drill sergeant.”
“Only because I love you and want you to be safe.”
Him saying sweet things like that made me soft.
Maybe I could try again.
“One more magazine,” I declared. “I’ll try my best, but then I’m going inside.”
West took the liberty of reloading my pistol for me and placing it in my hand. “Agreed. Do you want me to help you with positioning?”
That would only lead to me trying to get him hard again. Omega hormones were raging—my mate had given me gifts and wasn’t letting me thank him.
The only way I had a shot in hell of hitting the target was if he was at least five feet away.
“I’ll try on my own. You just watch from a distance.”
I shooed him away with my free hand, then resettled the earmuffs over my ears. Planting my feet and settling into the position he taught me, I gripped the pistol with both hands and stared at the target.
My first shot went off to the right.
I didn’t pause for long before trying again. That one was a hint too high.
Closer, though. It had to be closer.
Closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths, I tried to block out everything from the rest of the world. The guards in my peripheral vision. West watching with his arms crossed over his chest. Every other target taunting me.
I zoned in on my target, the closest one to the shooting line, and pulled the trigger.
Then, I pulled it again just to be safe.
Both shots tore holes in the upper right edge of the target. About where the shoulder would be, if I was shooting a person.
“Fuck yeah!” West shouted when I slid the earmuffs down around my neck. He rushed over to me with a wide grin, barely waiting for me to click on the safety and put down the weapon before lifting me up in a hug.
“Knew you could do it, sweetheart.”
I clung to him, bringing my legs up to wrap around his waist like I’d wanted to earlier. His hands grabbed my ass to hold me up.
“I’ve hit a target before,” I said, blushing.
