Sandy knew she had to do this; but god she didn't want to. She knew that firing a gun, or knowing how to fire a gun was going to be part of her job. If she wanted to be a police officer like her father, she had to bite the bullet and just do it.
Sandy didn't care if she worked for the lunar patrol or if they shipped her off to some colony millions of light years away. But she knew she wanted off world. And to do that...she'd have to master her guns.
It's not that she disliked guns. On the contrary, they fascinated her. From a distance. Sandy always felt if she needed a gun it was a sign of failure. Proof that she'd failed in containing the situation. An officer should rely on their brains, not their brawn, to solve a problem.
Having spent the last year ferociously studying for prelims she'd neglected her training in firearms. So she signed up for a private lesson with the cadet range. Some poor flunky was going to get the pleasure of giving her first lesson.
Sandy opened the door to the range and groaned.
He
was there. The last man on the planet she wanted teaching her how to fire a gun.
Jacob Stanley. The biggest pain in the ass registered at the academy. If anyone could be accused of depending on his brawn instead of his brains it'd be Jacob. He was the storm in, make a mess, and figure out the rest later type. No capacity for subtlety and stealth. Not to mention the fact that he was dead sexy, knew it, and used it to his advantage in every potential scenario. He made her hot just looking at him. And it pissed her off,
And here he was, working the training yard.
Great. She was going to learn to shoot a gun with hard nipples.
On the bright side, if anyone could teach her how to use a gun effectively it was probably this juice head. He stood there, firing off several rounds, his bulky arms barely shaking with the kickback. He stood a strong 6'4", towering over her slighter frame. He had a traditional solid round semiautomatic pistol in his hand, the empty shells flying out as he continually squeezed the trigger.
He barely flinched, which irritated her. One of the reasons she avoided this was the certain probability of the smallest gun sending her to the ground. But for him, it was just the smallest of shudders, making it the one area where he excelled over her. The shithead probably signed up for this training session because of that very fact.
Jacob finished his clip and lowered his gun before seeing her standing there. He took off his eye and ear protection, and smiled.
Sure he was smiling, she thought. The asshole was probably eager as hell to show her how awesome he was with a gun. "Hey Sandy. You ready to feel the power?" He grinned, his sexy grin making her shiver. Was he flirting with her? Sandy shook her head. Flirt with her? Yeah right. This guy couldn't see past tits and ass, both of which Sandy only had in modest supply.
"Let's just get this over with, Stanley." Sandy picked up the nearest gun and stared at it, not knowing which end was up.
"Whoa...be careful!" Jacob it from her and slid the safety on. "Jesus, you could get someone killed. How the hell did you get this far in the academy without learning to use a fucking gun?"
"Because a good cop doesn't need a gun, Stanley. She needs this!" Sandy tapped on her temple rolling her eyes at him.
"Yeah, well I seriously doubt this," Jacob tapped on her other temple, "will get you out of a firefight alive."
Sandy didn't respond. It's possible he was right; some people were incapable of negotiating. She knew that. But she refused to go into a scenario
expecting
to draw a weapon.
"Prepare for the worst and expect the best. It's usually how I roll." Jacob smiled that damn smile again. How did a guy get such white teeth anyway? And weren't those dimples against regulation?
Sandy pulled back her shoulders, sighed deeply and put on a cordial smile. She had to do this. And part of her, the reluctant part of her, had to admit he was right. She didn't want him to be right, but he was.
"Ok, Stanley. Here, you're the expert. So tell me everything you know."
"Wow." His eyes widened and he laughed. "Man, I wish I had a tape recorder right now. I'd play that over and over until it died."
Sandy's eyebrow arched with underwritten cynicism.
"Ok, ok...but please, just call me Jacob. Or Jake. Whatever. I know you're Miss policy and procedure, but can we put that aside for the day?"
"Sure." Sandy tried to smile back at him. He was trying to get along with her. And it was making her feel like an ass for holding onto her skepticism.
"Great." There they were again, those stupid little dimples. Dammit.
Maybe what she didn't like about Jacob was his unassuming looks; that deeply gorgeous face and body that affected her despite her most sincere wish she could remain untouched by them. He had every girl in the academy swooning after him, acting like idiots to get his attention. And Sandy was determined not to be one of them. Which is probably why he irritated her so fucking much. Because she could...she could be one of those girls so easily. Knowing that frustrated her to no end.
Jacob began spewing information out like a living encyclopedia. She couldn't help but be impressed. He sounded like her talking about regulations and procedure. This was definitely his area of expertise. Sandy crossed her legs, trying so hard not to let this surprising intelligence turn her on.
Dammit. Double dammit.
It was so much easier to dislike him when she was convinced he couldn't hold a milligram of thought in his head.
"I'm starting you out with basic hardware. It's better to master old tech before moving into the energy weapons. These babies are easier to control and you can work on your aim as well as timing." Jacob handed her a small gun. It looked small in his hand, but it easily dwarfed hers. Her eyes widened in fear when she felt the weight of it in her hand.
He saw her reaction. "Don't be afraid of it. You're in control. Always remember that. You are the weapon, not the gun."
She looked at him, surprised at his words triggering a less than thoughtful response. "You're not as dumb as you look."
Jacob's body shook with laughter. "Why thank you, Miss Denton. I will accept your compliment."
"I..." Sandy tried to apologize.
"No, it's ok. I know you think I'm some dumbass who has no business being here. And if you weren't such a damn good cop, I'd probably take exception to what you said."
"You think I'm a good cop?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. A compliment? From Jacob Stanley?
"Oh don't act coy. You know you are. If anyone could get through a mission without using a weapon it's you. But you've got to remember, the bad guys aren't going to play nice. So you have to be prepared for it; and maybe even get a little dirty yourself." His eyes flitted to her lips sending warm shivers up her spine.
Sandy coughed and turned toward her target, effectively ending their conversation. She was in danger of swooning, and she'd be goddamned if she'd be like those other women, falling at his feet. She was better than that and he better get used to the idea. Now.
