Callahan let out a low chuckle, suppressing the sudden rush of emotion, and offered his genuine praise without hesitation.
"Embarrass me? Not even close. You just blew me away."
His dark eyes remained locked onto her confident, smiling face. His voice dropped, carrying a faintly husky undertone.
"Oh, really?"
"Then I'll take the compliment. Thank you."
Leilani hadn't expected him to be quite so blunt with his admiration. It made her inexplicably flustered.
She quickly shifted her gaze to the heavy weaponry he had selected, trying to mask the slight warmth rushing to her cheeks.
"With gear like that, you're obviously a lot better at this than I am."
Given the immense respect Jacko had shown him, it was obvious Callahan's influence and power overseas far exceeded anything she had imagined.
"Just practice. Muscle memory," he replied easily.
Leilani knew that if she had access to his kind of resources, she could probably match his level of expertise. Maybe even surpass it.
Callahan picked up his own firearm, racking the slide to check the chamber with a terrifyingly fluid motion. His tone was casual.
"Care to make it interesting? A little competition?"
He was throwing down the gauntlet, a playful, challenging glint in his eyes.
Leilani's eyes lit up. After only a second's hesitation, she gave a firm nod.
"You're on."
She genuinely wanted to see the skill gap between them.
Perhaps it was the anonymity of being in a foreign country, or the fact that this was their first real trip alone together, but Callahan noticed how much more vibrant and animated Leilani was right now.
It was as if he were meeting a whole new version of her.
It was refreshing. And...
Undeniably attractive.
He chuckled softly, pushing down the surge of affection swelling in his chest, and slotted a fresh magazine into his gun.
"Let's do this."
"What do you want the stakes to be? What are we betting?"
"Hmm..."
Leilani tilted her head, thinking it over. Truthfully, there was nothing she materially needed.
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Prison-Made Queen