“Want to swing? I’ll push.”
She laughed in surprise. It was an unexpected sound that broke the awkward tension between us. Everything seemed possible with the soft tinkle of her laugh.
Fuck me. That sound went right through me. I suddenly realized how badly I did not want to fuck this up.
You are in big fucking trouble, my friend.
“I don’t need a push, thank you very much,” she said pertly, sitting on the swing and pushing off with her feet. I stood to the side watching her, unable to look away. She looked almost as happy as a child in that moment. Her face was lit up with pure joy. No worries or disapproval in sight.
Something came over me. I couldn’t have stopped myself if I tried. And I didn’t want to.
I pulled her off the swing and into my arms.
“What—” she asked breathlessly a split second before my mouth crashed down on hers. Not just my mouth, either. I pulled her entire body against mine. And damn, but she felt good.
Not just good. A-fucking-mazing. Having her in my arms was the best damned thing I’d felt in my godforsaken life.
I kissed the hell out of her. I could taste her surprise. But then she was kissing me back.
A blissful minute or two passed with our tongues tangling and our hearts beating in time. I could have kissed her all night. My body roared at me to get closer, to pull her leg up and wrap it around me, to reach for the curve of her breast . . .
And then she pulled back.
Just far enough to slap me.
“What was that for?”
“You mauled me!”
“You were kissing me back,” I said, rubbing my cheek.
“You are imagining things,” she said with a scowl.
“Oh, I know I have a good imagination, sweetheart,” I said with a wolfish grin. “But that was real.”
I didn’t mind the slap. It was a good thing she’d slapped me because I’d been on the verge of fucking her standing up in the middle of a playground. It wasn’t even fully dark out yet.
The woman had better get used to slapping me, I realized. Or carrying around a bucket of cold water. I had almost no self-control around her.
And she had far too much control around me.
It really wasn’t fair. Thanks a lot, Mother Nature, I groused. She held all the cards, and I was just standing there with my hat in my hand.
Still, I couldn’t give up. I wouldn’t. Not after I felt her melt into my arms. Not after I felt that explosion of power and heat. Right before she smacked me.
Claire wanted me. She just wasn’t ready to admit it yet. That’s okay, I thought with a smile. I could wait.
Because there was no way in hell I was letting her get away from me now.
Chapter Ten
Claire
I couldn’t stop myself from stomping all the way home. My feet were hitting the ground so hard it vibrated my entire body. But I didn’t care. I was furious. Confused. Embarrassed beyond belief.
He had been telling the truth when he said I kissed him back. I did. Only for a second. But God help me, I hadn’t wanted him to stop.
Not that I would ever, ever admit that. He was insufferably arrogant as it was! If he knew how badly I wanted him, he’d never stop smiling at me in that knowing way of his.
Argh!
I ignored Hunter completely on the walk home. But I was aware of his every move. He trailed me, his long legs slowly eating the ground, keeping pace without breaking a sweat.
How dare he kiss me like that! And . . . manhandle me! He’d been on the brink of . . . oh!
I fumed about the over-the-top sensuality of the way he’d touched me. That hadn’t been a simple kiss. Hunter had practically inhaled me! And when he lifted my leg and pressed himself against me, I felt it all the way down to my toes.
His cock had been enormous! And hard. And hot. It would have felt good if we were in bed. If I had wanted him to be so blatantly intimate . . . which I didn’t.
Lies, a sneaky voice inside me whispered. You are telling yourself lies.
I ignored it and continued convincing myself that I hated him.
He had practically seduced me in a playground, for goodness’ sake! Never mind that it was outdoors and in near daylight. I had no doubt the man would have tried to get my clothes off no matter where we were. A grocery store! Church!
I stalked to the front door and turned to glare at the man behind me. Man? He wasn’t a man. He was a giant!
“Don’t even think about coming in here.”
Hunter gave me a concerned look. He wasn’t fazed by my anger. He had barely flinched when I slapped him.
Next time, I vowed to do it harder. If I let him near enough to slap ever again!
“Miss Ellie will think I’m rude.”
“She’ll get over it,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’ll tell her you had biker business.”
He rubbed his jaw, his eyes studying me.
“Whatever you want, Claire.”
“I want you to keep your paws to yourself!”
A slow smile spread across his annoyingly handsome face.
“You sure about that, sweetheart?”
I gasped, and he winked, then turned on his heel and walked away. I stared daggers into his back and then gave up, totally unsatisfied. He hadn’t gotten the hint. Not even close!
My heart sank when I saw the spread Gran had put out for dessert.
“Where’s Hunter?”
“He had . . . something to do.”
She gave me a look that clearly said she didn’t believe me.
“Nonsense. What did you do, Claire Bear?”
I bit my lip.
“He is too forward, Gran. I had to put him in his place.”
She smiled suddenly.
“Oh, he’s taken a shine to you, all right. But I think that goes both ways.”
“It does not.”
She sighed in resignation.
“Well, I hope you weren’t rude. It doesn’t hurt to be neighborly. I think he is a good man, and he’s done so much for us.”
Crap. She looked upset. And she was right, he had done a lot to help out around the house.
“Sorry, Gran. I . . . I promise to be neighborly. Starting tomorrow,” I added hastily. I didn’t need to upset her by telling her he had mauled me on a swing set!
“Fine. But you are taking him over something for breakfast.”
I nodded, knowing I would be thinking about Hunter all night and dreading seeing him. Not seeing him, exactly. Seeing the knowing look on his face when I came crawling over with an apology breakfast . . .
I would just walk over there with my back straight and an impersonal smile. Breakfast didn’t mean anything. Maybe, just maybe, we could start over and be friendly. Just friendly.
That was all I wanted from him, right?
Chapter Eleven
Hunter
Tap-tap-tap!
An insistent but somehow resentful sound reached me, waking me from a restless sleep. I’d been up all night, plotting and planning my next move. When I finally slept, I’d had erotic and frustrating dreams about her.
Claire.
Frantic, sweat-soaked dreams. Fucking until the sun came up. Tasting her. Touching her at will. Just looking at her. But it wasn’t real. The feeling of lead in my balls was proof of that.