Texas Stand-Off: The Omega Team Novella (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Sable Hunter Read Free Book Online Page A

well…look at this.”
    He pointed and Taz gritted her teeth. He had four within the quarter size bulls-eye and she only had three. It didn’t matter they were but a hair’s breadth away, Deacon Jones had beat her fair and square. “I’ll do better at the thousand yard.”
    “You think you’ll be better at twice the distance?” His tone was teasing and skeptical.
    “Yes, I will,” she answered with confidence. This time, she wouldn’t let thoughts of him mar her concentration. Together they moved to the farthest mark, adjusting their head gear. When he called the shot, she steeled herself and pulled the trigger five times in quick succession.
    “Let’s see who’s the winner this time.” Taz let her eyes follow Deacon. Life made no sense. Why did he have to be the man she was attracted to? Lowering the protective gear, she was surprised to hear a different type of explosion. “What the fuck!”
    Unable to hide her grin, Taz came closer. “Surprised?”
    Surprised wasn’t the word. He jerked his head around to glare at her. If she’d been a man, he’d have offered a beer and asked for lessons. But this…this goddess in camo infuriated him. “How in God’s name did you do that? There’s only one hole–dead center. If we’d been shooting arrows, you would’ve Robin-hooded all five of them!”
    “Robin what?”
    Deacon didn’t bother to explain. “Let’s move on.” She offered him her weapon and he took it, stamping off to their next competition. After a few seconds, he let out a long exasperated sigh. “Good job, Levin. You’re a crack-shot.”
    His praise made her heart soar. “I’m glad you’re not angry.”
    “Angry?” He motioned to his own chest. “Me? Why should I be angry? I can promise you won’t be so lucky at knife-throwing or hand-to-hand.”
    She had no worries about the blades, that would be easy. Her accuracy was honed by much practice. The other exercise would be far more difficult–she’d have to touch him, be close to him. No matter if they were fighting, there would be contact and Natasha didn’t know if she could do it without revealing how she felt. “Luck will have very little to do with any of it, Deacon.”
    The way she said his name was almost Deacon’s undoing. Last night, after finding her in the buff, he’d returned to his bedroom and yanked on his cock until he’d cum, whispering her name like a prayer. “We’ll see.”
    In the same shed where he replaced the rifles in their designated spots, he retrieved two throwing knives. “Let’s move to those posts over there.” He pointed to a rail fence, where she could see two white circles painted on each about the size of the bottom of a coffee mug. “One throw each, same time, sixteen feet.”
    She complied with his directions, setting the tips of her shoes to the line on the grass. “I’m set.”
    “Fine. Ready! Aim!” She held the knife by the tip of the blade, her arm drawn back and tense. “Throw!” Taz swung through and let the blade go. The two knives whistled through the air and landed with a thud, micro-seconds apart. But even at that distance Taz could clearly see hers was in the center of the circle while his hovered on the edge.
    “I think it’s two to one,” she said calmly. “I enjoy practicing with you.”
    “To the mats, we need to get this thing settled.” She offered him her knife, handle first and he jerked it from her hand. Taz didn’t react, even as a few drops of blood slipped across her palm from the small wound on her fingers. It was her own fault; she should’ve grasped the weapon differently.
    “What are the rules?”
    “No rules.” Even though he was emphatic, what he said wasn’t exactly true. His own code would remain unspoken, but he wanted to see what she would do.
    “Agreed.” When they entered the house and returned to the exercise room, Taz followed his lead and removed her shoes. Two enemy combatants wouldn’t do this, but she knew for this test it