Page 101 of EverGreene
I dropped my arms to my side, breaking the playful, defensive move I was going to break out on him. “Pardon?”
“Move out of that house you live in.”
“And go where, exactly?”
“With me. Move in with me.”
I stood staring at him like Katy had at Malachi when he offered to give her a ride home. “What about Nix? It’s his place, too.”
“He’ll be fine. He likes you.” Loche shrugged as though he hadn’t just asked me whether I wanted to take our relationship to a new and very serious level. “He’ll also be there when I can’t be.”
“You know I don’t need protection, right? I can take care of myself.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“Then why not make me even more lethal by showing me some of your moves?”
“As opposed to moving in with me?” Loche stared at me before, resigned, he let out a sigh. “Okay. Fine.” He set his gym bag down on the mat and crouched down to open it, taking outhis mask. “For old time’s sake.” He winked at me, standing up and pulling his mask over his face, showing me the face of V for the first time in months. Fixated on a glimpse of the familiar, I was caught off guard when, in a split second, Loche picked me up and had me over his shoulder before I had time to react. “So, little bird, how are you getting out of this?”
“Wits and charm?”
“I guess you’re dead, then.”
“Funny, because it always seems to work on you.”
He grumbled something under his breath, I couldn’t quite make out as all the blood had rushed to my head. “If you’re ever grabbed like this, you have one of two options to fight back. First, you could begin kicking and punching me, especially in my lower extremities.”
“Which I can’t reach because I have short legs.”
“Correct. Another option is to go limp and throw your attacker off balance. Go ahead and do that.”
Loche used every ounce of his strength to keep his body steady as my body became deadweight, slumped over his shoulder.
“Good. Now wrap your arm around my neck.”
“You want me to choke you? Since when did this become foreplay?”
“There’s nothing sexual about this.”
“Says you.”
“Would you just wrap your arm around my neck.”
I followed Loche’s instruction, taking my arm and putting it around his neck, fitting it under his chin.
“Now feed that arm between your stomach and me and grab your other arm.”
I adjusted my body, following Loche’s instructions, which tightened my hold around his neck, causing him to fall to his knees, taking me down to the mat with him. “Wrap your legsaround my waist and lock them together as you drive your hips up into the air and squeeze my neck tightly.”
“Yeah, this isn’t sexual at all.”
“I think I’m starting to learn more about you than I ever wanted to know.” His voice came out strained.
“Are you scared?”
“I’m an unhealthy mixture of terrified and turned on that I may need to explore with a counselor later.”
“Okay, now what?”
