“Don’t say flippant things like that if you don’t mean them.”
An ordinary remark hit the psycho switch in my brain and turned me into one of those… sensitive girls. Normally, I just rolled with the punches and dished what I got, rarely taking what people said to heart. But for whatever reason, hearing “love” come out of his mouth in the same sentence with my name provoked a new feeling I didn’t have a grasp on.
An uncomfortable moment passed between us and vanished when thunder cracked outside and I screamed, flying against Austin’s chest. He rocked with laughter and threaded his fingers through my long, silky hair.
“Why didn’t you bring a blanket?”
“I did. I brought the Austin special,” he said, running his hand teasingly down his chest.
A snort escaped. “Very funny.” I was too afraid to ask what any of this meant—if anything—so I just let go of all the questions and lived in the moment. “Did you kill a lot of men?”
“Yeah,” he admitted. “Bounty hunters track down outlaws and it’s dead or alive. Outlaws in the Breed world are the worst kinds of criminals, so we do whatever it takes to bring them in. Hunting is a legal, respectable position that pays well. I needed to build up my finances before starting my own pack. Our parents didn’t leave us with much money because they’d never established a pack of their own, which is how you get that kind of security. Most of the men were turned in alive, if that makes it any easier for you to think about.”
“That business card you gave me, was that your old job?”
“I still have a few of those left,” he said. “It was my calling card. The bow and arrow is the symbol of a bounty hunter. You’ll see that a lot among Breed in certain professions; we use symbols instead of titles. That’s the life I’m leaving behind.”
The room lit up with strobe lights and we quietly waited for the crash of thunder. Instead, it was a heavy roll, like a bowling ball traveling down a wooden lane. I felt like I was supposed to say something profound, or funny—something to kill the silence. But there was a sweetness in the quiet moments we shared that I enjoyed too much.
The rain. The rumbling thunder. The flashes of light and catching glimpses of his pale eyes watching me. His fingers threading through my hair. And when I began to drift off to sleep, his soft lips kissed my eyelids.
I wanted to ask what I meant to him. I wanted to hear it from his lips, even if they were words of denial. But all I felt was his warm body against mine as I fell asleep, wrapped up in his embrace.
Chapter 25
Yeah, I was a little disappointed. But in retrospect, I knew he was right. It would have been weird between us. This was weird enough, but sex kind of solidified it in a more irreversible way. Not to mention if I’d become pregnant, it would have complicated my life in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
Still, it was one of the most erotic nights of my life. Strange to think it was possible to feel that way when we didn’t even have traditional sex. I’d probably need a cold shower for the next five years whenever I thought about what he did to me. What I didn’t realize was that Austin had inadvertently planted a permanent fantasy in my head where every time I’d touch myself, I would think of him.
Looking at the hood of his Dodge Challenger without getting aroused would also prove to be impossible.
I stretched my toes and buried my face in the soft pillow. Austin smacked my ass. “Get up, lazybones.”
“Get out.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want you to see me.”
Without a doubt, I knew I looked like a hot mess. Dried sweat and matted hair, smeared eyeliner, and probably marks on my face from having slept on wrinkled sheets.
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls,” he said, laughing heartily. “Jesus, Lexi. I’ve seen what you look like in the morning, and you’ve got nothing to hide about.”
“Yes I do,” I mumbled.
“Maybe you’re right. Your breath does tend to smell like sweaty socks when you wake up.”
I waved my arm out to slap him but missed. “That’s not funny.”
“Fine. I’ll just sit here staring at your lovely rear end for the rest of the morning. On a side note, I like these panties with the strings on the side.” He pulled the elastic and let it snap against my hip. “But I think the ones that ride up in the back are sexier. What do you call those?”
“Slut shorts.”
He chuckled warmly and fell against the mattress. I gathered up the sheets and covered my waist, sitting up with my back to him. A clump of hair fell in front of my face and I hiccupped, looking around for my clothes. It was so bright and sunny in the room that the memory of the night before was almost erased.
Almost, but not a chance in hell.
“Do you have any coffee?”
“Yeah,” he said, getting up and stretching out his back.
I tried not to peek at him through an opening in my hair, but damn, he looked good. Tight abs, his jeans slung low on his hips because the belt was off, barefoot, and shirtless. Austin had a nice tan all over, not to mention he was sporting the messy hair I found wildly attractive. When he rubbed his hand over his pec, pushing the skin around, I slammed my eyes shut. “Um, the coffee?”
“On it,” he said, bare feet sliding across the wooden floor. “The bathroom is down the hall and I left a few things in there for you like towels and a robe. I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here, but it ended sooner than I thought it would. Christ, I don’t think I could have taken much more of that.” His voice was strained, the words meant for his ears and not mine.
Austin disappeared and I ran in quick steps across the house with my clothes in my arms, looking for the bathroom. It was a beautiful house with a large staircase in front that led up to a second landing before turning right and going up another flight. The floors were an unfinished wood, and the white paint on the walls had begun to age. I didn’t have time to look at all the details, but I did notice a hole in the wall next to the staircase.
After a quick shower, I brushed my teeth and put on some fresh clothes Austin had packed. Jean shorts and a thin white shirt. Men didn’t really think about such things, but all he’d packed were black bras. I sighed and put one on anyhow. On hot days like these, I preferred wearing a thin shirt to a tight tank top. Just not with the faux pas of my bra being visible.
I walked barefoot through the beautiful house, my long hair tied up in a wet ponytail. Sunshine poured in through the front windows and I could see tiny dust particles floating in the air.
“Austin?”
“Out here,” he called from the front.
The house faced east and sunlight splashed across the wooden porch. Austin was sitting on the steps with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a small plate on his knees. I sat beside him and lifted my red mug from the step. “
He held the plate in front of me. “Bananas, granola, and dried cherries.”
“How did you get so fit eating birdseed?”
Austin held out his right arm and flexed a little. “You think I’m fit? I could probably use a little more muscle. I’ve been slacking these past few months.”
He had to be kidding. If he had been any more toned, I might have dry humped his leg when I first saw him at Dairy Queen. Maybe that was extreme, but it made me laugh and I took a bite of the banana.
“Want to share?”
“Not really,” I said, knowing he was asking about my thoughts, not breakfast. “Are there any neighbors
