Page 36 of My Solemn Vow (The Mafia Arrangement #1)

Valor hands me the earplugs first, and I take them. He might only be falling in lust with me, but if he means everything he says, I’ll be in love with him before the end of the week. My heart warms at the prospect of having someone who respects me in my life.

After we take our time putting on safety gear, Valor offers to let me take the line first. He stands close to me as I line up to take my first shot. I look at him over my shoulder, but he doesn’t step away. Not even when I raise my gun.

With calm and even breaths, I pull the trigger for three shots on an exhale before lowering the weapon. Valor reaches forward and pushes my arms up again. It’s evident he wants me to keep shooting.

Did I miss? I don’t think so.

I fire off another set of three, but Valor again stops me before I can lower my arms. I empty all thirteen out of the magazine before trying to lower the gun one last time.

For obvious reasons, Valor lets me. He pats my shoulder and then must press a button because the target comes down the range toward us on the overhead track.

It’s fancy as fuck, but this man converted a whole room of his house for the sake of a tortoise.

Valor takes off his earmuffs and pulls out one of his earplugs, so I do the same.

With the target hanging before us, we get a good look at my shots.

Of the thirteen shots, all but one are in the nine and narrower portion of the targets.

One is in the upper right quadrant in the eight section. It would still kill if it hit someone.

“Not bad at all.” He approves, but his blank expression irks me. “But I want you to try something with a little more firepower. It’s better for more powerful assailants.”

“Big dudes. Big bullets.” I try cracking a joke, but it’s apparently over Valor’s head, or I’m back to square one in ‘bonding’ with him again.

“Something like that.” Valor pulls the gun out of his holster. “This is the civilian version. There’s a military grade one that’s a little sleeker, but I want to see how you handle this.”

The gun he offers me is much heavier, but I still feel like I can manage it.

While Valor clips the target, I look at the size of the ammunition and familiarize myself with the weapon. After sending the target back down the track, he stands behind me once more.

Having him so fucking close unnerves me, but I don’t try to warn him away or make him back off. Whatever his reason — overprotectiveness, fear of my failure, or trying to make me squirm by increasing my awareness of him — it’s working.

I recall the way it felt to have his hands on me, and I curl my toes at the memories. Focus.

I raise the gun and level the sights. I have to make more adjustments than I’d like in front of him, but it’s a new gun and there’s expected to be a learning curve.

I squeeze the trigger nice and slow and am hit with a massive kick.

I falter back a step. Square into Valor’s chest, but beyond that, his arms are right there in an instant, so fast I barely saw them move to steady mine.

My face heats, and I’m glad he’s behind me and can’t see it.

I should have braced more. I knew this would be more forceful.

After a second, he lowers his hands and places them on my hips, directing me back to the shooting line. It’s evident, without him even needing to tell me, that he wants me to shoot again.

I push all the air out of my lungs, holding myself as steady as possible.

This time I’m ready for the kick and I handle it better. Three more, and Valor’s hand finds my waist. I lower the gun, ready for him to pull in the target. I’m pretty sure some of the shots missed completely. He’ll think I’m a complete mess.

Valor doesn’t retract the target. Instead, with his long arms, he adjusts my grip on the gun ever so slightly. He presses down on my supporting elbow, giving me a less extended support. He guides me to rotate my other elbow up before squeezing my shoulders. When I roll them forward, he steps away.

I send two more bullets down the range, and Valor steps in again. This time, he adjusts my stance, staggering my feet a bit farther. It’s like learning to shoot all over again. My face flames hot and tears well in my eyes . I’m better than this. I know I am.

We repeat the process three more times. Each time, I get closer and closer to letting more emotions show. My red cheeks can be explained away because of how warm it is in the range. But tears would be inexcusable. I’m not weak.

By the time Valor recalls the target, my arms are wobbly from supporting the weight of the gun and the recoil. Being away from home, I lost a lot of the muscle I had gained. It shouldn’t have been this way. I shouldn’t have let myself get lax.

Valor takes out both earplugs this time and pulls off his safety glasses, then unclips the target and lays it next to the one from earlier. This time, rather than a nice tight spread, the shots are in a variety of places.

“Not bad for the first time with that weapon. You got better the more I helped you find the sweet spot.” Valor taps the shots in what must be the order they landed.

The end of the range isn’t that far away, but I couldn’t even pretend to know which shots landed where and when, and I don’t remember seeing all of them even hit the target, but they did.

“How did it feel?”

“Heavy. Big.” I go with simple answers. Fucking scary, and I don’t want to shoot this again.

“We’ll try something else another day. You’re good enough with the thirty-two that I think you’re right, and Kerrianne can go back to school this week.

I don’t love not having a dedicated staff with the two of you, but I’m not leaving anytime soon.

I’ve got meetings with the pa—” Valor seems to correct himself.

It’s the third time I’ve noticed him do it.

“People in our organization, but I can have them at the house. Jack, my driver, can act as escort for you both.”

Gut instinct says argue. I can drive us, but it’s his daughter. The same daughter who was almost kidnapped and killed this week. I can’t fault him for not wanting her to be out of his sight and under the care of someone he’s known for less than a week when returning to school.

Valor offers to take the firearm from me, and I hand it back. He holsters it and then hesitates as he watches me. His lips part as if to speak, but he closes them again around the tip of his tongue, which is then pulled back behind the seal, keeping him silent.

It’s sexy and heartbreaking all at once.

“Did I do something wrong?” I know he commended my abilities, but it felt more like a clinical acknowledgment of the facts and not true approval, which is gutting me .

“No.” He brings a hand up to my face and cups my cheek. “I’m impressed, princess. The D’Medici women have all been worthless as far as I’ve been concerned. You’re changing my opinions and making me skeptical.”

“I’m an anomaly.” I move my head out of his hand as I let it drop to look away from him. “Leticia wouldn’t even be able to line up the sights.”

Valor grips my chin with his thumb and forefinger, returning my eyes to his. “Don’t hide from me. I want to see your beautiful face as you talk to me.”

Why? Why is this man so back and forth? Frigid and then warm.

I nod dumbly and try to come up with an answer.

“Dad?” Kerrianne calls from somewhere nearby.

“In the range,” Valor calls, his fingers lingering against my skin before he slowly lets me go like he’s physically suffering for it.

“I need another snack,” Kerrianne says from the doorway as she looks at her toes, getting them as close as she can to the transition from the carpeted floor to the absorbent rubber under our feet.

“You gonna grow on me or what, little velociraptor?” Valor gives her the smile I wanted to see.

“I don’t know. Grandma says I’m gonna be big like you.” Kerrianne shrugs. “Royal says I eat more than he does, which isn’t possible. He ate a whole pizza all by himself, and I only had two slices.”

“He definitely eats a lot.” Valor agrees with her. “I’ll put these away, and then we can figure out an afternoon snack.”

“Okay.” Kerrianne nods and walks away from the door.

When she’s gone, Valor begins cleaning up, and I help carry safety gear back to the vault he got it out of. After putting it all away in silence, he closes the door behind us. I lead the way back toward the rest of the house, but his fingers wrap around my wrist, and he spins me to the wall .

His lips crash into mine, and the kiss is full of heat. An inferno brews in my belly, and I want more of the offerings Valor has pressed against me. After a nearly breathless minute, Valor lowers the intensity of the kiss between us.

“Thank you,” Valor says softly, his lips barely pulled away from mine.

“For what?” My voice is breathier than I’d like it to be.

Valor frees my wrist and then runs his hand up along my arm and around the back of my neck. I stiffen as he holds me on the rougher side of gentle. “For explaining us to Kerrianne. This wasn’t something I was expecting to have to explain to my daughter, ever.”

“Ever?” I bring my hand up to his chest, but I don’t know if I want to push him away. “I find it difficult to believe that you thought you’d never find a woman to marry.”

“I never wanted to bring a woman home to my daughter. She deserves all my attention, and no woman was worth ruining that connection I have with her.” His words sting, but he brings his other hand to rest on my waist.

It’s reassuring in contrast to the near accusation that I’m here to ruin things. In a few more breaths, Valor leans away. My eyes take a moment to focus, but I see him clearly.

Hard lines etch into his forehead as he’s stern with me, narrowing his eyes. “I’ll never choose you over her.”

“I would never ask you to.” I shake my head and then sigh, dropping my hand from his chest and casually letting it knock away the one he has resting on my waist. “Besides, I’m not sure I would pick you over her either.”

A smile tugs at his lips.

Hot and cold... Hot and cold... If only I could figure out how to navigate him.