“Excuse for what?”
Her hands hit my chest with a force that would have sent me reeling, if I was human, and if she wasn’t already clasped in my arms. “Us!” she shouted, her face close enough to my own that I could pick out the tiny gold flecks in her irises, the swirl as her pupils dilated into orbs, soaking up the fading light as night set in to stay.
I loosened my hold, letting her slide down my body, but I didn’t release my hold on her hips. “Us?”
Rolling her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes darted away, blinking furiously as she took a deep breath. “You’re enough to make a woman think she’s going crazy, Bastian.”
“Me?”
“Master of mixed messages. You want me, so you kiss me. Then you don’t want me, and you stay away. Which is it?” She shivered under my hands, whether it was from the cool bite to the air, or my touch, who knew. I took advantage anyway, circling my thumbs up and under her top, chasing the goosebumps away.
“You’ve got it all wrong, sweetheart,” I finally offered. “Whether I want you or not, that’s not what you should be thinking about. You shouldn’t want me. I’m broken. I can’t shift. I’m worthless as a man.” Why she was even considering it…
“I can’t shift; I?
?m human. Does that make me worthless?”
I cursed under my breath, shaking my head vigorously as I searched for the right words. “No, but—” I needn’t have bothered as she cut me off anyway.
“Think very carefully about what you’re going to say next, Mr.,” she cautioned, giving me her equivalent of a tough look, but barely rating above a kitten.
A chuckle broke free, low and soft. “I love it that you’re full of life, sassing me back, not taking my bullshit.” I dragged her a little closer, the lump inside my chest thawing at the confusion in her eyes. “And it’s hot as fuck,” I added on a growl.
She tilted her head back to look up at me. “Don’t try and sweet talk me.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s confusing. Only say it if you mean it.”
“You should walk away.”
“Why? I like it here.” She laughed at the way my mouth dropped open, adding, “I like the scenery.”
I cocked my head, considering her. My fingers spread around her waist, dragging her a little closer, until our hips almost bumped. “Do you, now?”
“Yep. It’s pretty.”
“Minx.” Our hips touched, or rather my hips bumped against her soft stomach. The damn woman was tiny.
“Jaded asshole,” she shot back, but it lacked any real heat. Or rather, any heat that wasn’t of the sinful kind.
“What am I going to do about you?” I mused, resisting the urge to stroke my chin for effect because it would mean letting go of her. “What can I do to convince you that this isn’t a choice you want to make?”
“So, I have a choice then?”
“That depends. Do you like me?”
She pulled a face. “Really? You want me to say it?”
“Okay. Let me do one better: do you love me?” I held my breath, waiting for her answer. She was my true mate, we were made for one another, but it didn’t mean we had to fall in love. She was human. This might be a passing fancy for her, an infatuation, a way to scratch a particular itch.
“You really went for it, didn’t you?”
“I need you to answer me, Faye.”
“Why? So you can laugh at the poor, silly human woman who’s fallen for the big, powerful shifter?”
“You’ve got it all wrong. I’m not a big, powerful shifter. Without my dragon, I’m as human as you.”