Sitting up, she rested her arms on the blanket covering her legs. "I want more. Something long term. Something solid."
"You don't think I'm solid?"
Well of course she did, given the hard muscles in the arm that had held her safely all night long. "That came out wrong."
"You bet it did," he snapped.
"Why are you being so mean this morning?" Blinking hard, she forced herself to focus on the situation. No way would he get to see her cry. She grimaced. Again.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I'm all over the place. And it's not your fault." He rolled his lips. "My fucked up life and everything..."
"You keep mentioning that."
"Because it's true. But it's also not fair that the roller coaster gets taken out on you. However, that's the reality of my messy situation right now." His eyes were dark, piercing, shuttered. His arms crossed in front of his chest. "And when the Brands pointed guns at you... when Linc was right behind you... Damn it all, but that triggered something inside of me that wanted to keep you safe. I don't know what to do with that feeling."
"I should say thank you, but it feels weird in this situation."
"Mostly because we were sleeping together."
Her face burned. "Not exactly."
"You didn't come onto me? Pulling me closer?"
"You can't be serious."
"Think about how amazing we would be together." Damn his forearms with those pushed-up sleeves. She licked her lips. Cords of muscle on display like that should be illegal.
"That's not what I was–"
"Your nipples say otherwise."
"My nipples aren't talking to you." She pulled the blanket up to cover her tight, aching breasts. And since he'd drawn attention, she did want to know what his mouth would feel like on the hard tips. Damn it.
A crazy past, the weird present, and a dash of her relationship history created a toxic, sour brew.No, thank you.
Time to fake some confidence. "Why? You want more?" she countered.
"Hell yeah I do." He bit the tip of his thumb. "You want some details about what I'd like to do to you?" His voice dropped to one note above pure gravel. "Guarantee you'll enjoy it."
She reared back. That level of honesty made her hotter than a 105-degree fever and also made her shake in her boots. She didn't play games, but neither did Vaughn. When he turned into an open book, it wasn't by degrees.
"Well? What's it going to be? No strings attached. Give me an hour, and I can make you scream in the best possible way." Even though she had the blanket in front of her, the way his eyes raked over her made her feel utterly naked.
"I'm not doing this teasing thing."
"Won't or can't?"
Enough. This journey had no good destination. "Both." Sniffing, she raised her chin. "At the risk of sounding rude, thank you for the help on my house call and standing up to those jerks. And thank you for helping with... the rest of it last night." Too honest. Too much. She couldn't be this open. Not without trusting herself more. Not without trusting that there was a future. She was too raw right now. "But I need to get ready for work, so..." She made a point of staring at the bathroom door. "We should stay friends, Vaughn."
His expression could have formed ice crystals. "Got the message, loud and clear. Have a good day at work, then." Picking up his boots, he retreated out of the bedroom. A minute later, she cringed as he slammed her front door.
That sexual relationship with him would be fabulous but short-lived. She wanted the chance for a long-term relationship, and Vaughn Taggart wasn't it. She needed to trust herself to make a good decision.
So she got exactly what she wanted.
Absolutely nothing.
