Page 67 of The Outpost (Jamison Valley 4)
And I was. Being with him last night, sleeping safely in his arms, had done wonders to reassure me that I was safe in the outpost. I wasn’t going to let Dylan take this place from me.
Beau dropped his head and sighed. “I’m sorry, Shortcake. If I could, I’d send Michael back and hang with you for the week.”
“I know you would.”
He reached out and cupped my jaw, stroking my cheek with his thumb. “We need to talk.”
“We do but it can wait.”
As much as I’d like to hash things out and talk about our kiss, a week to myself might be best. I needed the peace and quiet of my little forest house to reflect on just how much my heart could take.
“Okay.” He dropped his hand. “You know I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t think you were safe.”
I smiled. “I know, I’m safe. No one knows I’m here. I’ve got my bear spray and Boone. The outhouse is my backup.”
He grinned. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Do you want anything in particular from town?”
“Hmm. A pint or five of Ben & Jerry’s wouldn’t go uneaten.”
He chuckled. “Ice cream. Anything else?”
“Nope. Just don’t worry about me and rush. Take the time to do what you need to do.”
“You’re the toughest woman I’ve ever met, Sabrina MacKenzie.” He grabbed the hair I’d been twirling out of my fingers. “But I think I’ll always worry about you.”
Just like I’d always worry about him when we were apart.
The next week dragged on until finally Friday came and Beau was back at the outpost.
Back, and torturing me.
“Again,” he ordered.
“It’s not going to work. You’re too big!”
“I’m not too big. Try again.”
I huffed and assumed my stance. With one swift move, Beau lunged for me, his arms reaching right for my throat.
I sidestepped and grabbed for his extended wrist and forearm like he’d shown me, locking his elbow straight. Then I brought my knee up hard to his groin, only pulling power at the last second so I wouldn’t damage his man parts. I did the takedown he’d taught me, leveraging his forward momentum and his locked arm to get him on the ground with his shoulder at an odd and painful angle in the air while I twisted his wrist in a direction it wasn’t meant to go.
“Can you get out?” I asked. He tried to roll but I pushed harder on his wrist.
“No. I’m stuck. Now you kick me in the gut with all your might. If you’ve got the right angle, you can always do another shot to the groin. A hard stomp on the lower back would work too. The goal is to inflict pain fast and hard so you can let go and run like hell.”
“Okay.” I nodded, releasing his wrist.
Beau jumped to his feet and brushed the dirt off the front of his gray T-shirt and jeans. “See? I told you that you could do it. Even though your attacker might be bigger, use what you’ve got to your advantage. You’re quick on your feet. Use the weaker joints to inflict pain. And remember, big bodies fall hard when they miss their target. You did awesome.”
I smiled as my chest swelled with pride. “Thanks.”
Beau had come to the outpost for the weekend and our first activity was this self-defense class. He insisted that after Dylan’s attack, I needed to be better prepared for the future. We’d been at it for hours and I’d only learned three techniques, but I had successfully completed each one. This last had been the most difficult, but with continued practice, I hoped to get more comfortable with the movements.
“Where’d you learn all this?” I asked as we each took a drink from our water bottles.
“I’ve got a black belt in karate.”
“Really? That’s awesome. I’m tempted to change your nickname from Goliath to Badass Beau.”
