and bit her lip. “Are you really going to make me load one today?”
Simon laughed. She was an excellent shot, but for some reason balked at the idea of readying the gun for firing. “You must learn to do this or what is the sense of this training. A gun is useless if you can’t fire it.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “I just can’t remember all the steps.”
He looked away from her for a long moment trying to determine another way to approach this. After a minute he said, “Do you make some of your own preparations for medicinal purposes?”
“Of course. My mother and I make several potions.”
“This is no different. Pick up a pistol.” He waited until she had one in her hand. “Now, just like a recipe, there are several steps. Measure out the powder into the small cup and then into the barrel.”
“Very well.” She took the flask of black powder and put a small amount in the cup, then loaded the barrel. “Next?”
He blinked. “You really don’t remember?”
She tilted her head and looked up at him. “Would I have said next if I remembered?”
“I suppose not. Put in the paper and then the ball.” He sighed as she slowly placed the paper and then ball into the barrel. “Now use the ram in the barrel.”
She used the ram several times. “Good?”
“Yes” He proceeded telling her the next few steps of getting the pistol ready to fire. “Now pull the cock.” Damn, that sounded very wrong.
She readied the pistol and then aimed down the field. She pulled the trigger and smoke filled the air. “I hate this,” she said, waving the smoke away from her face.
“Yes, but you did hit the target.”
“But in the amount of time it took me to load the pistol, I could have been abducted, raped, and murdered.”
He tried not to laugh but failed dreadfully. “I’m sorry.”
She carefully placed the pistol on the table and then crossed her arms over her chest. “This is pointless. I need a better way to defend myself.”
She was right about that. Even a small pistol would take her too long to load in an emergency. And carrying a loaded pistol was far too dangerous. “How about we try knives?”
Her eyes widened. “That has promise. How difficult is it?”
“That all depends on your aim. It’s quite different from firing a pistol.”
“I did throw a knife at Davies and hit him in the shoulder. I didn’t manage to stop him, only delay him for a moment while he removed it.”
“Even a delay can help you get away in a situation like that,” Simon said. He hated thinking about what she had gone through that day. It had been almost a week since he’d found her battered. Her bruises were starting to fade but she would carry the internal scars for years.
“Where did you learn about all of this?”
“My father, mostly. My brothers and I taught ourselves how to throw for fun. We would go off into the woods and try to kill a few trees.” He chuckled. “The trees usually lived. I do have a nice scar on my leg from a time where Charlie missed completely.”
“I remember that. My mother was terribly worried about that slash. It was quite deep if I remember.”
“Hurt like h—never mind. Charlie felt awful about the whole thing.”
“You are lucky you didn’t end up with a limp.” She stared at his thigh, which only made his usual lascivious thoughts start.
He had to concentrate on what they were there for... her safety. “Tomorrow we shall try the knives and see if that works better for you. How are your ribs feeling now?”
“Much better, thank you. Hopefully, we can start the other training soon.”
Other training? What other training was she... oh, the physical training of how to ward off a man. That would involve him coming up from behind her, holding her against him. The images in his mind changed from platonic to erotic in a flash. He suddenly could only think about coming up behind her and entering her softness. Feeling her moisture pool around his hard shaft
Simon laughed. She was an excellent shot, but for some reason balked at the idea of readying the gun for firing. “You must learn to do this or what is the sense of this training. A gun is useless if you can’t fire it.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “I just can’t remember all the steps.”
He looked away from her for a long moment trying to determine another way to approach this. After a minute he said, “Do you make some of your own preparations for medicinal purposes?”
“Of course. My mother and I make several potions.”
“This is no different. Pick up a pistol.” He waited until she had one in her hand. “Now, just like a recipe, there are several steps. Measure out the powder into the small cup and then into the barrel.”
“Very well.” She took the flask of black powder and put a small amount in the cup, then loaded the barrel. “Next?”
He blinked. “You really don’t remember?”
She tilted her head and looked up at him. “Would I have said next if I remembered?”
“I suppose not. Put in the paper and then the ball.” He sighed as she slowly placed the paper and then ball into the barrel. “Now use the ram in the barrel.”
She used the ram several times. “Good?”
“Yes” He proceeded telling her the next few steps of getting the pistol ready to fire. “Now pull the cock.” Damn, that sounded very wrong.
She readied the pistol and then aimed down the field. She pulled the trigger and smoke filled the air. “I hate this,” she said, waving the smoke away from her face.
“Yes, but you did hit the target.”
“But in the amount of time it took me to load the pistol, I could have been abducted, raped, and murdered.”
He tried not to laugh but failed dreadfully. “I’m sorry.”
She carefully placed the pistol on the table and then crossed her arms over her chest. “This is pointless. I need a better way to defend myself.”
She was right about that. Even a small pistol would take her too long to load in an emergency. And carrying a loaded pistol was far too dangerous. “How about we try knives?”
Her eyes widened. “That has promise. How difficult is it?”
“That all depends on your aim. It’s quite different from firing a pistol.”
“I did throw a knife at Davies and hit him in the shoulder. I didn’t manage to stop him, only delay him for a moment while he removed it.”
“Even a delay can help you get away in a situation like that,” Simon said. He hated thinking about what she had gone through that day. It had been almost a week since he’d found her battered. Her bruises were starting to fade but she would carry the internal scars for years.
“Where did you learn about all of this?”
“My father, mostly. My brothers and I taught ourselves how to throw for fun. We would go off into the woods and try to kill a few trees.” He chuckled. “The trees usually lived. I do have a nice scar on my leg from a time where Charlie missed completely.”
“I remember that. My mother was terribly worried about that slash. It was quite deep if I remember.”
“Hurt like h—never mind. Charlie felt awful about the whole thing.”
“You are lucky you didn’t end up with a limp.” She stared at his thigh, which only made his usual lascivious thoughts start.
He had to concentrate on what they were there for... her safety. “Tomorrow we shall try the knives and see if that works better for you. How are your ribs feeling now?”
“Much better, thank you. Hopefully, we can start the other training soon.”
Other training? What other training was she... oh, the physical training of how to ward off a man. That would involve him coming up from behind her, holding her against him. The images in his mind changed from platonic to erotic in a flash. He suddenly could only think about coming up behind her and entering her softness. Feeling her moisture pool around his hard shaft
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