Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“I think it’d just terrify me,” she murmurs.
Stop, stop, but the voice in my head is way too quiet. I’m supposed to be the mature one, making the right choices. Instead, I lean forward and let my gaze sink into Mary, her knees tucked up, the blanket hiding the goodness beneath.
“Maybe I should teach you some,” I say. “Jiujitsu. No striking,” I add quickly.
“Like that?” she asks, pointing at the screen.
A grappling match can look odd to an untrained eye. Right now, the competitors are sprawled on their sides, intertwined, as they each compete to rip the other person’s foot off.
“It seems…” she trails off, biting her lip in that hot-as-fuck way. I don’t know if she knows how captivating she’s being.
“What, Mary?” I ask, silently praying for her to tell me to back off, to leave her alone, hoping she’ll do the right thing so I don’t have to.
CHAPTER
SIX
MARY
“Unless you are married to a man, do not do anything intimate with him. Men will find many ways to trick a woman, especially young ones, but you can’t fall for them. You’re better than that. You’re cleaner than that.”
Mom’s voice is in my head as usual, but then I think about rolling around on the floor with Rust again. I wish I were better at reading him. Is this an innocent offer? Is he going to freak if I start getting steamy with him? Outside, there’s another lightning strike, like the atmosphere is determined to heighten the tension.
I was going to say that it seems intimate, but that would be taking it too far.
“It seems difficult,” I mutter.
He shrugs, and I feel my chance passing me by, but it isn’t a chance. I shouldn’t care. I don’t. Oh, God, all I’m doing is lying to myself. My entire body is buzzing all over just being close to him.
“It’s difficult for a woman,” he says.
“Okay, sexist,” I reply in a teasing note.
He shrugs again, expression impassive, but his fists are clenched. It’s like he’s trying to contain something. What? A sense of boredom? Is he frustrated? Give me something, Rust. “It’s the truth, at least in my experience. But if you’re attacked and end up on the ground, a few simple things could help you.”
I swallow. “On the… ground?”
“The last place you want to be. Rule one is to run, but if some creep gets a hold of you, it’s liable to end on the ground.”
My heart is pumping so fast. I wonder if he knows what he’s doing. I’ve never seen Rust with a girlfriend or heard of him having one through Brad. Maybe he keeps that part of his life a secret, or perhaps he’s just not the dating type.
“Um…” No, no, no. “Okay.”
Now, he visibly swallows, his thick neck shifting. He stands and then grabs the coffee table, handling the heavy wooden table like it’s nothing. He moves it to the edge of the room and then walks over to my chair, looming over me. He’s wearing gray sweatpants. Am I going nuts? He’s hard. Or is that just his normal bulge? It sure is a thick outline. I wish I had more experience. It’s like I can’t trust myself.
“I’ll put the blanket on the floor,” he says.
I hand it to him, my body buzzing with lust, my heart hammering as our fingertips brush. He lays the blanket out and then nods to the floor. “Your main concern is not to let the attacker pass your guard. If he rushes you and you end up on the ground, stand up and run away if you can. If not, you’ll need to wrap your legs around him and break his posture.”
“Break his posture?”
“I’ll show you.”
He lies on his back, moving so fluidly for a man his size. I’m almost sure that his big bulge is hard. My sex is aching so much, my folds sending tickles deep inside of me, teasing my core.
“Pretend you’re the attacker.”
“Uh, okay.”
I kneel awkwardly. Rust smoothly moves his legs forward, wrapping them around me. Then he reaches up and glides his hand over the back of my neck. I’m already panting, his warm touch and burning fingertips moving over my neck. He pulls me toward him.
“This is tricky in a real fight because he’s close to you. If you can get him here, you can attack his eyes.” His breath tickles warmly over my skin as he speaks. His body is burning up, just like mine. Brad and Mom seem very far away, as though the storm has closed us off. Mom’s memory somehow fades. “You need to be shockingly violent to stun the person, then get up and run. I can show you how to get up properly, too. Do you want to try?”
He lets me go. I lean forward, my body so close to his groin, his hardness. My underwear is getting uncomfortable. It feels like it’s all wet, sticking to me.