He blinks in surprise, then glances down at the gun like he’s caught off guard to still be holding it. “Uh, yeah. You want to?”

“I figure it would probably help our situation.”

“Okay.” He’s nodding hard. “You can practice with mine.”

I cross dirt and crunchy leaves and tufty grass before I’m standing next to him. Perry hands over the gun. Heavier than I was expecting it to be and … wrong. I don’t know if the fit is wrong for my hand or if I can sense the danger I’m holding, but I don’t like it.

“Hold it up,” Perry tells me, so I do.

I’m definitely not holding it correctly, but it feels awkward.

“Both hands.”

I adjust so the gun is in front of me and not held out to the side. It feels a fraction more controllable like this, but then Perry steps up close behind me, arms wrapping over mine and mouth right by my good ear.

“So you sort of … aim. Like this. And then you need to expect the power rush when the bullet releases. I try to, like, channel it through my arms.”

“Through your arms?”

“Yeah. Release the safety, and then give it a try.”

His large hands rest over my wrists and the back of my hands, like he’s trying to hold me all in one piece. His voice is doing the opposite though. The way his smooth tone is breaking my strength apart needs to be studied. The skin by my ear, along my neck, it’s reacting to him in a big way, desperate to feel his touch. Aching for a brush of his scruffy jaw against it. To feel the scrape, the gentle press of lips …

“You okay?” he murmurs.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Your breathing went funny.”

Fuck. Concentrate. I’m desperately trying not to get hard, but it’s almost impossible with him pressed tightly against me, surrounding me with his warmth and his scent. Perry is too much of a temptation.

I remind myself to release the safety, then brace. One quick breath. Then squeeze.

The bang is loud and sharp, and I jump at the force of it. I definitely do not hit anything, and I’m not even sure which direction the bullet went in, and if Perry wasn’t holding on to me, I probably would have dropped the gun too.

His laughter tickles my throat. “At least you didn’t scream. I screamed the first time. And probably a few times after that.”

“You screamed?”

“Yep. Try again.”

This time, I know a bit more about what to expect, and I manage to shut Perry out for long enough to try. I don’t hit the tree they’ve been aiming for, but at least I think I come close.

“Better.”

I huff. “How am I supposed to concentrate at all right now?”