Page 68 of See You Again
“Not exactly. There wasn’t one this late tonight.” It was an absolute lie. Sometimes Brady offered self-defense training, but James didn’t want to wait. And he wasn’t sure he wanted one of Brady’s trainers watching Cami so closely.
“Oh.” She twisted the end of her ponytail. “Um…”
“I’m not a licensed trainer, but I was an MP in the Navy. We learned a lot of maneuvers to neutralize people. I thought I could show you some basics. Nothing fancy, just some tricks to buy you some time so you can get to your taser.”
Her body relaxed. “Why not? Remember though, when you get frustrated, this was your idea.”
“I’m not going to get frustrated. I put some mats out earlier.” James put his hand out to guide her, but when his palm encountered the warm bare skin of her lower back, an electric charge shot through him, and he jerked it back.
“Stand with your feet shoulder width apart,” he said, when they reached the mats.
“Like this?” Cami asked, following his direction.
“Put one foot slightly in front of the other.” He nodded his approval as she followed the direction. “Your size is going to be an issue, so it’s important that you maintain your balance and make yourself look bigger than you are.”
“Like with bears.”
James’s brows dipped. “What?”
“With bears,” Cami explained with a smile. “You’re supposed to make yourself look big, like you might fight, so that they don’t decide to make you dinner.”
“In your case, it would be more like an appetizer.”
She pursed her lips. “I can’t deny that.” She lifted her hands to imitate claws. “Rawrr.”
A laugh burst out of James at her playfulness, and Cami beamed at him. “That’s the first time I’ve heard an actual laugh out of you.”
James couldn’t contain his smile as a lightness took over his chest. “As long as we’re clear that I’m laughing at you, and not with you.”
Cami nodded with mock seriousness. “Of course. Okay, one foot in front of the other, bear posture. What’s next?”
“It’s important that you keep your balance. No matter what, you want to stay on your feet.”
“I’m extremely graceful.”
James smirked at her. “Didn’t you tell me you tripped over your gas hose the other day?”
“That’s different! He startled me.”
James sobered, suddenly reminded of why the self-defense techniques were so important. His gaze went to the bruises on her arm. He shook off the anger that coursed through him at the thought of someone hurting her.
“Right. Balance. Pretend I’m the aggressor and try to keep your balance. Tighten your core and keep your weight centered.”
“Got it.”
James didn’t give her more than a second before he pushed gently on her shoulder. She didn’t move. “Good.”
Cami rolled her eyes. “You barely touched me. Push me for real.”
James pushed at her shoulder several more times, impressed when she barely shifted. “You’re stronger than you look.”
Cami pretended to dust off her shoulder. “I may work out.”
James had to concentrate to keep his eyes on her face as her chest heaved with her own giggles.
“Let’s practice some basic strikes. The most vulnerable areas are?—”
“The groin,” she interrupted.