Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 123877 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123877 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Julian reached for Beckett’s free right hand while covering Beckett’s fist with his other, doing exactly what Beckett had taught him to do. Peeling away Beckett’s firm grip, Julian used Beckett’s pinkie finger to twist him away with such force that it surprised Beckett. Julian had a solid hold on Beckett, bending his arm while never letting go of his hand. He remembered to rotate his body around, too, completely dislodging Beckett from his attack stance.
Then he only gave the slightest hesitation before shoving his left hand into the back of Beckett’s arm and shoulder, pushing him away as Julian jumped backward several steps, bouncing on his tiptoes until he bumped into the wall.
Beckett flipped all the way around to see Julian up on his toes with his fists ready to fight. “Excellent. Julian, that was excellent. But you paused on my arm and shoulder.”
“Goddamn it! I was hoping you didn’t notice.” Those balled fists that were ready to throw down at whatever was coming next, dropped to his hips as his feet landed on the ground, and his heels planted there. Julian looked ready to fight Beckett with his words, not his hands.
“You surprised me, which is what we want, and you also gave a slight hesitation with the roll of your left shoulder when you disengaged my fist.”
“It pisses me off that you know that.” Julian’s disgust with his first attempt was clear as he came into the middle of the room. “Let’s do it again.”
Beckett grinned and moved forward. “This time I’m going to hit you with my right fist. What do you do?”
Julian started to say whatever he planned, but Beckett went for the element of surprise. Julian didn’t disappoint. Even going so far as to tilt his head out of the line of his fist before grabbing and twisting the shit out of Beckett’s arm. This time Julian’s palm hit his shoulder, and Beckett dropped to his knee.
That gorgeous grin was even bigger this time, making the sudden burst of pain bearable.
Much of the time it felt like Julian just gave everyone around him lip service, especially Beckett, but the man had obviously paid attention to his instruction, which increased the value of this whole self-defense training. Instead of saying any of that, Beckett twisted around and implemented his next controlled lunge. Again, there was a minuscule pause before Julian executed the perfect countermove to bring Beckett back to his knee.
The slight pauses and hesitations would end with more practice. Beckett pressed forward, this time grabbing Julian’s neck. Woofer gave a low growl until Julian used maximum effort to come down on Beckett’s elbow. Beckett let go and twisted away. If not, Julian might have actually broken his arm. He wasn’t able to block Julian’s knee to his gut that landed between his thighs. Beckett dropped to both knees, riding out the burst of pain as he tried to catch his breath. Julian followed his instruction and bounced backward, disengaging the would-be threat.
Beckett lifted his gaze to Julian who immediately stopped preparing for the next blow and quickly stepped forward. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Yeah, you did,” Beckett said through gritted teeth. “Exactly like you were supposed to do. You learn fast.”
“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately,” Julian replied. His palm rested on Beckett’s shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze of apology. “I’m not sure any of my schoolteachers would have agreed with you.”
Beckett forced himself to rise to his feet. He still had to bend at the waist, breathing in and out through his nose. The pain washed over him in rolling waves. This time, Julian’s tender touch slid over his back, massaging up his neck.
“I’ll be more careful.”
“No, you keep doing what you’re doing. You would have stopped anyone in their tracks with that move. This was my fault. I should have gotten out of the way.” Beckett finally pushed backward, squaring his shoulders as he rose to his full height and stared down at the caring eyes. “Let’s keep going. I came at you with one hand. Do you know what to do if I come for you with two hands?”
“I’d say drive my hands on the inside of your arms to break them away?” The answer came by way of a question, making Beckett smile and nod.
“Correct. You use force, because you’re knocking both my hands and arms away.” Beckett demonstrated the move, steepling his hands and lifting upward before spreading them open. Julian nodded. “Let’s try.”
Beckett had no idea how much time passed or when Woofer stopped growling every time Beckett went after Julian. Sweat trickled down the side of his face and Julian had brought him to his knees for about the millionth time since they started.
This time, Beckett let his body fall fully to the ground. He lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling, panting. He’d be bruised by morning. “How are you not tired?”