Author's note: This story starts where Pt. 5 left off. While not required, Pts 1-5 are strongly recommended first, to follow the story, get to know the characters, and understand what's really happening in this chapter. Do enjoy, rate the story on the final page, and keep the comments coming, positive and negative. Even more story to come soon. I very much appreciate every read, every comment, and every star ranking. All copyrights reserved to the original author. -TIB
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Mmmm... warmth. Cozy.
Kelly woke, feeling wonderful. A rare feeling lately, to be sure.
She felt her warm sheets draping her naked body, her hair all around her on her soft pillow. Lying on her side, as she opened her eyes, she saw Caelin lying next to her on his side as well, rolled away from her.
What a night. She thought back to the previous evening they had spent together and everything that had happened. And then... the middle of the night. Kelly stared at his back, studying his body, as she tried to process everything. Certainly there was already so much crap in her own life. Everything that had happened the last several weeks, whatever this "thing" with Caelin was becoming... was it too much? This was some serious stuff.
Her mind started twirling in a thousand ways, remembering the last man she had been in bed with like this. How long it had been. Those memories. Forgetting how wonderful it was to wake up naked next to someone. That awesome, comforting feeling. Someone you lo...
Ah, shit. No, no... she wasn't going to go there. The old pain swelled again in her chest. So much heartache.
It seemed like she would always be a prisoner of her own mind. Of her past.
Her sins.
Kelly's eyes scanned up Caelin's motionless body. His bare shoulders, emerging from beneath the covers, taking note of his healing knife wound. The short cropped, peppered hair on the back of his head. She wasn't sure what she felt about him, or of what was going on. But the more she thought about it, the more she felt like she needed to be with him. Whatever she felt, at least she... FELT. Felt something. Anything. The pain, the numb emptiness inside. There was finally something there.
Whether she was feeling something for him, or just enjoying the raw sex, it was something. She felt good.
And heck, if nothing else, this was a nicer way to wake up on a Sunday morning than what happened several hours before.
Being lazy and cozy, Kelly extended her fingers to gently rest on the back of his shoulder, connecting with him.
Caelin stirred, rolling over with a big deep breath to face her. He looked in her eyes, lying next to her, gently touching. A moment of silence, then Kelly spoke first.
"Morning, baby."
Caelin smiled and kissed her forehead, then idly stroked her hair in silence.
After a few moments, Kelly got up to use the bathroom. She smiled, seeing the mess there, with their discarded clothing from the previous night as their evening had turned intimate. She picked up the clothes, and as she grabbed his pants, noticed a heavy black item clipped to the waistband. She didn't know why she should be surprised, but she realized what it was. A gun holster.
Kelly thought the better of it, and gently set the pants back on the floor where they were. Not something to mess with.
Kelly made the two of them a late breakfast, and they ate in mostly silence. It wasn't awkward, if anything it was the opposite. They seemed close now, just nothing that seemed to need talking about at the moment. And then Kelly got curious. She paused, idly poking at her eggs with her fork, and looked up at him from the table.
"You carry a gun."
He raised his eyebrows in interest and finished his bite.
"Yes."
Caelin wiped the corner of his mouth and sat back.
"Does that trouble you?"
Kelly pursed her lips and shook her head.
"Not really. Just something I'm not used to."
She deliberated in some thought, then continued.
"I would imagine you're quite good with it."
Caelin casually shrugged. "I'm an instructor."
Well, they weren't exactly strangers any more, so no need for her to hold back.
"I'd... like to learn. You got me thinking after that night with the festival in the park. About some of the things you said. What my own life has been like. I'd like to do more to protect myself. I... I don't like it when I feel helpless."
Geez, that was more true than she could possibly let on. Kelly hesitated.
She didn't know quite why she still felt some sheepishness.
"Would you teach me?"
Caelin smiled.
"Of course, baby girl. I work at a range Tuesday nights. Sometimes we get a lot of people, some nights we don't. Want to meet me there?"
Kelly got a big grin.
"Absolutely."
They spent a few more hours together, and then Caelin had things to do. He kissed her deeply as he left, and Kelly felt like she was in a daze the rest of the day. Life certainly was changing, and it seemed for the better.
The next day at work, Denise was nosy again, pestering her for details of the weekend with "the stud", as she put it. Kelly felt compelled to keep most of the intimate details to herself, as this new relationship was quite different and special. Something just for them. But she told Denise that it was quite the enjoyable few days, and she was seeing him again Tuesday night.
"Good for you, girl," Denise replied, "you deserve it after everything you've been through. You look different. You look... good."
"THANKS, Denise," Kelly rolled her eyes.
Denise gave her a playful slap on the arm. "You know what I meant, hun."
After work Tuesday, Kelly changed into some functional jeans and a button-down top, tied her hair into some practical pigtails, and headed to the address Caelin had given her. It was outside of town in the countryside, and she arrived to find a small-ish building nestled up against large dirt berms that surrounded the area behind it, like a castle protecting its keep.
Kelly walked inside, to see a double glass wall on the back of the building, looking out to the exterior shooting range in the back. Caelin was out there, standing, casually leaning against a wood post on the side with his arms crossed. He wore yellowed glasses and ear muffs on his head, the same khaki cap on he had the first time they met, with the velcro military patch in front.
Kelly got warm, with memories of that first encounter. He was even wearing similar clothes to that day. That "tacti-cool" look. She stood and watched him for a while, as he monitored a few people on the range. The "bang" of their gunshots was muffled through the thick glass. She watched them as well, with interest, noticing how they stood, their movements as they fired.
After a while, Caelin noticed her too, turned, and waved with a smile. She could see his own firearm on his hip. He came back in through the double doors, the sound of the gunfire changing as the door opened to the building.
"Hey, Pet. I'm glad you came."
He kissed her.
"George is out there with me right now," he motioned towards another gentleman standing outside, watching the shooters, "so give me a few, and I'll come back in with you, ok?"
Kelly smiled and nodded, as he put his clamshell ear muffs back on and went back outside. Several minutes passed, and then he returned.
"Okay, we can spend some time. Let's see what we need to cover. Do you have any experience with firearms?"
Kelly shrugged. "A little. I did some shooting at summer camp when I was a kid."
Caelin nodded his approval. "Okay, that's a start."
He sat her down, and began with basic firearm safety, going through fundamental rules for handling any gun. He taught her different types of handguns and how they work, with different features and mechanisms. Kelly sat in rapt attention, soaking up the information like a sponge, fascinated with both what she was being taught, and with Caelin as an instructor. He seemed pretty good at this.
He placed a small case on the table in front of them and opened it. "This is a Glock 19. Very basic 9mm. Semi-automatic, striker fired. You'll be using this today."
Caelin took it out and showed her it was clear, with the chamber empty, slide locked to the rear, and magazine removed. Taking her to the side of the small building, he showed her how to load and unload the gun, manipulating the action. His big hands expertly handled the gun, his movements smooth and fluid like a maestro masterfully operating an instrument. Kelly replicated what she was shown as best she could, Caelin being patient with her, showing her everything she needed to know, start to finish.
They took a break, and Caelin went back out to help the other shooters on the range. George came inside, an older bearded gentleman, wearing a Vietnam ball cap, who introduced himself with a firm handshake. Kelly took a liking to him, this fatherly-type guy, and they made some small talk as the activity on the range dwindled down.
Caelin came back inside with the last of the shooters. "George, I see you got to meet Kelly. We're going to do some one-on-one training for a bit, so I'll lock up tonight."
