She pulled away. It took everything she had.
The devil slut on her shoulder practically howled in frustration. Why she was being so difficult and contrary? For God’s sake, a sexy, appealing solution to her problem was presenting itself to her on a silver platter, and she wanted the comfort and distraction of his touch so badly, and he was so freaking gorgeous and yummy, offering to protect her from Snakey, too, and what was she, nuts?
Get it while you can, the old song said. Good advice, but the song was talking about love, and Davy McCloud didn’t want love. Wasn’t in the market for it. Would not welcome it. That gave him the ultimate upper hand, even without his charisma overload, or his killer muscles.
And it gave her diddly squat. She was a mess. Crushed out and dizzy, more than half in love with him already. His strong, silent and mysterious routine made her totally wet. And he was just a guy, after all, which meant that he was capable of messing with her head without even meaning to, and never having a clue as to what he’d done, or how.
Most important, Davy had no idea how deep the trouble she was in actually was. If he found out, as he inevitably would, he wouldn’t want to touch her with a ten-foot pole. No man in his right mind would.
She was the kiss of death, and she would hate to see the expression in his eyes change forever when he realized it. The very thought made her want to burst out crying.
She stepped away from him. “No,” she said, her voice resolute.
His hand slowly dropped from her hair. He said nothing, but his eyes and the heavy quality of his silence demanded an explanation.
She struggled to put her incoherent reasoning into words, at least the part she could share with him. “I can’t afford this,” she blurted. “I’m wrecked. A strong wind would blow me away. I can’t handle you, too, on top of everything else, Davy. You’re too much. You’re over the top.”
“You’re very strong.” He did that trick with his voice again, sending delicious shivers over her neck, down her back, right into her lower body. “That’s one of the many things that turn me on about you.”
She turned away, and leaned her hot face against her folded arms. “You don’t know me, Davy. You’re just projecting what you want to see. Because believe me, I don’t feel strong right now. Not one bit.”
“I feel it, even if you don’t.” His low voice vibrated with intensity. “You have so much power burning inside you. It lights you up. My gorgeous panther woman.”
She pressed her face harder against her arms. It had gone hot and red again. “Oh, please,” she muttered. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
The evil, manipulative bastard. There was nothing that he could have said that she more desperately wanted to believe. The whole setup might have been specifically designed to test all her secret weaknesses. Seductive, muscle-bound stud offers to protect her from scary bad guy. In return, he wants only the privilege of driving her wild with erotic pleasure all night long. Whoo-hoo. The guy drove a hard bargain.
She broke into a sweat just thinking about it.
She had to hit the road quick, before she started behaving irresponsibly. “Thanks for dinner,” she said. “And thanks for helping me out today. I won’t thank you for the indecent proposal, but…thanks for not putting the moves on me, at least.”
He shrugged. “No is no.”
“Hmm. Admirable sentiment. I appreciate your restraint.” Almost as much as I regret it, her devil slut added in sulky tones.
“It’s taking years off my life.”
“Oh yeah?” she asked suspiciously. “You’re suffering? Really?”
“The torments of hell.” His voice was solemn.
She studied his calm profile. “You look as cool as an ice cube.”
“It’s a clever ruse to mask the seething volcano of my crazed lust,” he said. “To lure you into letting down your guard and reconsidering.”
That slow, sexy smile of his made her resolve waver. He was so outrageously cute when his dimples flashed like that. “It’s not so smart to give me advance warning about your seething volcano of crazed lust.”
“I try to give my victims a sporting chance. It’s only fair.”
The sexy charm rolling off him was deadly dangerous. “I have to go,” she said. “I’m sorry to leave you with all the dinner dishes, but I—”
“Don’t.” His dimples vanished. “You’re not safe there alone.”
No arguing with that, but hey, she wasn’t safe anywhere. She tried to smile, but the effort was hollow. “I’ll be fine.”
“Stay here,” he said. “Sleep in one of the spare bedrooms. There’s plenty of space. I won’t come on to you. You’ll be safe. I swear to you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Right.”
“What are you implying? That I would force myself on you?”
She laughed at the outrage on his face. “Don’t get huffy and self-righteous on me, big guy. You’re on shaky ground after your kinky kept-woman proposal. And it’s not you I’m worried about anyhow, it’s me.”
He looked baffled. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re not the only one who has to resist temptation,” she said. “Some of us poor mortals don’t have a lot of ironclad self-control. Some of us have to use other techniques to make ourselves behave properly. I can’t stay in your house. You’re way too sexy. My head would explode.”
He made a frustrated sound. “That’s the most convoluted bullshit I ever heard. For God’s sake, if you want me, take me! Here I am!”
She scooped up Mikey, who whimpered in protest at being woken from his nap. “Sorry. I already explained. Don’t make it harder for me.”
He slammed his hand hard on the table. The plates and serving dishes jumped and rattled. “Why do women have to be so fucking complicated?” he roared. “Things could be so simple, and women deliberately make them complicated! I do not get it! I will never get it!”
Davy McCloud angry was scarier than she’d bargained for. The controlled volcanic heat seething in his eyes backed her up till she hit the screen door. She fumbled behind her for the latch. “I can’t really help you with that one,” she babbled. “Have a good night. Try to chill.” She grabbed her purse as she scurried through the house, and sniffed back a wave of wistful, nervous tears as she got into her car.
Making Davy lose his temper was by no means as satisfying as she’d thought. Aside from being unnerving, it was a whole lot more fun to make him smile. It would have been fabulous to make him laugh.
Her throat tightened dangerously at the thought.
This wasn’t how she’d wanted to say goodbye to him. Not after he’d been so sweet and protective. She’d hoped for a poignant, tender moment that she could take out and mull over for comfort in the tough times to come. Hah. Not. Her life never followed the script.
A farewell kiss would have been nice, too, but the way she was feeling right now, a kiss would’ve sealed her fate in a heartbeat. She would have ended up sweaty and naked with him in nothing flat.
Her car was finally coughing reluctantly to life when Davy marched out, slamming the front door closed. He strode over and rapped on her window. She rolled it down, stomach fluttering.
“I’m escorting you home to make sure your place is secure.”
The stony tone in his voice allowed no room for argument. She gazed at him in blank dismay. Going back to the house was a waste both of her time and her precious gas, and besides, Snakey might be lying in wait for her there. “Davy, please,” she began. “You can’t—”
“Don’t even bother,” he growled. “I’m in a shitty mood.”
She let out a sigh and waited for him to start up his truck.
She sped through the dark streets, conscious of Davy’s headlights behind her. She could feel his anger and frustration pressing against her from behind, like a gale force wind. There was a knock under the hood now, too. Lovely. Car trouble would be the finishing touch.
She had no idea what she was going to
do if Davy insisted on coming into her house. If he saw that her stuff was gone, the cat would be out of the bag. She didn’t want to have that conversation with him.
She just didn’t have the strength.
She forced herself to concentrate on her driving. Mikey stuck his head out the half-open window, tongue flapping in the breeze, not a care in the world. Lucky him. A full belly, a nap, and his cup was full.
What a drag. All the problems of having a bossy, possessive boyfriend, but none of the perks. She almost wished he had put the pressure on her. It would have been the perfect excuse to tumble into his bed—oopsy daisy, he was just so strong and masterful, and she was swept away by his studly mojo, twitter tweet and what’s a girl to do?
No such luck. He had to be noble and righteous about it. Gah.
She parked on the street, the better for a quick getaway. Davy pulled into her driveway, deep in the pool of shadows formed by the overgrown bushes. He got out and waited in the pool of light from the streetlamp, muscular arms folded pugnaciously over his chest, jaw set in that stubborn way that she was already wary of. Poised to give her a hard time. She left Mikey in the car and got out. Showdown time.
It had started to rain. Her eyes locked with his, and behind the anger and frustration, she saw something indefinable in their depths, something that made her ache with longing. “It’s, uh, raining,” she said inanely. “I should go inside. You go on home. Good night, Davy.”
Light and shadow shifted on the sculpted planes of his face as he nodded. “Just let me come in and check the place out.”
“No. I can’t let you come in,” she said. “I…you’re too intense.”
“I can’t help it,” he said. “Not when it comes to you.”
They stared at each other, neither one willing to let the moment go. It occurred to her that Snakey could be watching the whole tableau, just biding his time. She shivered. “You have to go,” she repeated.
“I’ll just camp out here,” he said. “Stake out your house.”
She shook her head frantically. “No. You can’t.”
“Yeah?” His eyes gleamed with irony. “How do you propose to stop me? Gonna call the cops? Be my guest. Use my cell phone.”
“That’s not fair!” She shoved at his chest. “Don’t jerk me around!”
His body didn’t yield an inch. It was as if he were rooted to the ground. “You’re the one who’s not being fair,” he said. “You’re putting me in an impossible position, you know that?”
The scant drops of rain got heavier, pattering down on her bare shoulders. “You put yourself into this position with no help from me.”
He closed his eyes. The muscles in his jaw were rigid. “Christ, what a mess,” he muttered. “Come sit in my truck for a few minutes, Margot. Just talk to me. I hate leaving you alone here with Snakey running around loose. Just fucking hate it.”
It was a bad idea, in every way, but she couldn’t resist another shot at a tender moment with him to suit her fantasy farewell script.
Just a few more minutes of basking in his warmth, and she would be ready for her mad, empty dash into the unknown.
“OK,” she whispered.
Chapter
10
Davy opened the door for her and boosted her up into the cab of his truck. He’d tried being a charming gentleman, he’d tried humor and reason and gallantry, he’d tried coercion, bullying, intimidation.
It was time to try sex.
He got in the driver’s side and folded up the console. She sat there in the dark, tongue-tied and nervous. As well she should be. She wasn’t stupid. Stubborn, contrary and irrational, but not stupid.
He wanted to just start up the truck and take her home, but that kind of high-handed move never worked. Fleur had taught him that it was impossible to force a person to accept help, no matter how good one’s intentions. Everybody had to go to hell in her own special way. The trick was to detach, not get caught up in the drama.
He couldn’t do it this time. Just couldn’t swallow it. It wouldn’t go down. He reached out across the seat and took her hand. “Go get Mikey and your toothbrush and nightie, and come on home with me. Please.”
She tugged her hand, but he refused to release it. “It’s not so simple,” she murmured.
“It’s exactly that simple. I would never hurt you.”
“It’s not what you do, it’s the way you make me feel that’s the problem. And besides, you’re not thinking this through. Moving a woman into your house is no way to protect your personal space. Particularly not a woman like me. I’m not the meek, quiet mouse type, in case you haven’t noticed. I get in the way. I take up space.”
“Yes, I have noticed that,” he admitted.
“So? If you want to keep your life uncomplicated, this isn’t the way to do it.”
“That’s not important right now,” he protested. “You’re in danger, Margot. These are emergency measures.”
She didn’t reply for a long moment. “I don’t want to be some guy’s emergency measure,” she said, her voice full of soft bitterness.
Great. His first fuck-up. Already he had to work his way back up to zero. He reached to touch her cheek. She jerked her face away, but not before he felt hot moisture trickling over her soft skin.
He stifled a groan. “Oh, Christ, no,” he muttered. “Margot, please. Comforting crying women is not my specialty.”
She yanked her hand out of his grip. “I didn’t ask for your goddamn comfort, so get that freaked-out look off your face. Jerk.”
“It’s pitch dark. How do you know what look is on my face?”
“Just don’t get smart with me,” she said huffily.
Whatever he said came out wrong. Time to shut his big mouth and use his God-given talents. He reached out for her.
“Huh? Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” She struggled frantically as he scooped her up and pulled her onto his lap.
“Holding you.” His voice was grim and determined.
“You can’t!” She flailed in his arms. “Your motives aren’t pure!”
“Fuck my motives.” He settled her head under his chin and hung on. “Just shut up for a minute and see if you can remember what it feels like to trust someone. Just try it.”
His words startled her into silence. She hid her face against his shoulder. Her hot, damp tears soaked through his thin linen shirt.
He tightened his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair. Flowers and fruit, warmed by the sensual heat of her skin, the salt of her sweat. He slid his hand down her spine. The pressure of her luscious ass against his crotch made his erection tingle and throb. He forced his attention away from it. He was good at delaying gratification.
At least, he’d been good at it until he met Margot.
She pried herself away from his chest and braced her hands against his shoulders, looking down into his face like she was trying to read him in the dark. Something had softened inside her.
She needed comfort. Great. He was ready with it, and ready to plunder all that sexy female sweetness for himself in return. Not just her body, either. The unformed, unfamiliar thought was hard to pin down; just an incoherent longing to get inside her head and wander around the alien landscape of her female world. Full of beauties and mysterious dangers and hidden mysteries. The great unknown.
He wanted to know her. Not just circle around her perimeter, baffled and cautious, using blind guesswork, hoping not to fuck it up. And in the end, always wondering why he’d bothered in the first place.
Being good in bed was one thing. That had never been a problem. Understanding what was in a woman’s head was another thing entirely. Women were incomprehensible, for the most part.
He’d never been so intensely motivated to comprehend one before.
Margot put her hands on either side of his face and touched him gently, the bones of his jaw, the lines around his mouth, his forehead, his lips. She rubbed the back of her hand over his beard stubble. He wished he’d t
hought to shave this afternoon.
“How am I supposed to trust you, Davy?” Her quiet, whispered words sounded almost like she was talking to herself.
He slid his hands into her tangled hair. “Why shouldn’t you?”
“You want into my pants,” she said simply. “Everything a man says or does under those circumstances is suspect.”
He ran his fingertips over her face, trying to feel her expression in the dark. “What does me wanting sex with you have to do with trust?”
She laughed, and leaned her forehead lightly against his. Her hair tickled his cheekbones. “Your world is so simple, Davy. So reductive. Nothing is connected to anything else.”
“I don’t see why having a hard-on makes me untrustworthy,” he protested. “We’re talking about an involuntary physical response to a very beautiful woman. That’s pretty harsh, if you think about it.”
She shook with silent laughter again. “Yeah. Harsh. That’s me, Davy. Never say I didn’t warn you.” She leaned down and touched her lips to his, a featherlight question mark of a kiss.
It made his whole face tingle. He jerked her closer, wound his fingers into her hair and kissed her back, like he’d been burning to do since this morning. Her mouth opened to him, ardent and yielding.
He slid his hand under her tank top, trailing his fingers across her warm, silky belly as he delicately explored her mouth.
She pulled away from his kiss, and yanked her shirt up over her bra. “Oh, go for it. Knock yourself out,” she said. “I know you want to.”’
He gaped at her. “Huh? I just—”
“Don’t even try to be sneaky with me, buddy. You think I’m not going to notice if you try to cop a feel? Hah!”
Her attempt at bravado made him laugh, but the laughter came from a shaky place that made him feel almost as if he were going to cry.
He hadn’t done that since Kevin died. Didn’t want to do it tonight.
“Would you rather I just pounce?” he asked. “No slick lead-in?”
“This twisted push-me-pull-you seduction routine you’ve been running on me for the last two days is as much lead-in as I can take.”
Out of Control Page 12
