Free Open Wounds (Damaged Souls Book 2) by Twyla Turner Page A

you don’t want to be. Wiggling free won’t be an option. Trying to smash your foot down on top of his, like so many self-defense classes teach you to, won’t work either. But there is one place that you’ll probably always be able to reach. His groin.” Sloan stepped closer to her back and lightly kissed her temple.
    “So I’m going to wrap my arms around your arms and chest tightly. Once I’ve got you, I want you to reach down and back, between my legs. When you feel my groin, I want you to squeeze.” Sloan paused for emphasis. “But remember, this is just a demonstration. No need to get carried away, alright?”
    “Alright.” Lexi smiled, looking back at him.
    “Squeeze too hard, and you won’t be getting any sweet lovin’ for quite some time,” Sloan warned.
    “We can’t have that.” Lexi giggled.
    “On three. One. Two. Three.” Sloan quickly grabbed her around her upper torso, holding her arms down at her sides.
    Lexi found that her forearms were in fact, able to move. She brought her right arm down and reached back franticly for the bulge in his jeans. Finding it, she applied mild pressure, and that alone made him drop her like he’d been burned.
    “Perfect! You’re doing so great, Princess.” Sloan said, high-fiving her when she turned to look at him, with a proud smile gracing her face. “Keep in mind that smacking the carotid artery, hitting the face and grabbing the groin can be used in multiple situations as well. Like if he gets you on the ground or grabs you by the hair. And I’ll show you all of that too. But whatever you do, please try not to let him get you to the ground. The first three moves, if done correctly, should keep that from happening. Also, if anyone ever pulls a knife on you, please do not try to take it from him. And use the fleshy parts of your body to protect vital parts and organs. Your arms or legs.” Sloan said, backing away from her to demonstrate.
    He turned his torso to the side and raised his arm up to protect his body then raised his leg as well, protecting his torso with his thigh. Lexi watched his every move, taking it all in and filing it away for a later date.
    “Don’t worry about memorizing all of it at this very moment. We’re going to practice these moves until they become second nature. Muscle memory is a beautiful thing.” Sloan put her mind at ease, before dropping a quick kiss on her forehead. “Alright, let’s keep going.”
    They spent the next hour going over a few more maneuvers. Then he pretended to attack her over and over in different ways until he felt that she had each technique perfected. And Lexi realized that he was right. The more she practiced, the more in control she felt. It gave her a sense of confidence and safety that she had never in her life felt before.
    As they both glistened with a light sheen of sweat in the morning sun, Lexi gazed at Sloan’s ruggedly handsome scarred face and thanked her lucky stars that she dropped her groceries a few weeks back. Setting the wheel in motion, for this wonderful man to enter into her life.
    Thank you, God. Thank you, mom. Thank you, auntie. She silently thanked them, like she often did.
     
     
    ~~~
     
     
    Around noon the next day, Lexi was working on another painting of Sloan. It was a painting that she pulled from her memory of him lying in bed, after they had made love. It was a closeup of his face as his dark hair hung limply over half of it. It was sexy and sweet, and made her toes curl just thinking about it.
    Her phone started to ring, where she had it sitting on the old table next to her. Always a little nervous, even after she had changed her number that it would be Eric, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Dom. Stepping out the door of the screened in back porch to get away from the den of destruction going on in the house so that she could hear, Lexi pressed the answer button.
    “Hey Dom, what’s up?” Lexi answered brightly.
    “Lexi! Oh my God!