For a moment, the room was silent.
“Did you ever see him again?”
“He came to the office, which was a mistake. He told me I was being ridiculous, and if he was willing to overlook my drawbacks, I could do the same. He told me in no uncertain terms I was getting the better end of the deal.”
“Please tell me your brothers escorted him from the building. Preferably unconscious.”
I grinned. “He was a little woozy from the right hook I laid on him when he tried to grab me. Ronan might have had to help him out.”
He flashed his smile, wide and approving. “That’s my girl.”
I rubbed my head. “He was the second person I cared about who told me I was too much, yet not enough. I decided to stop looking. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that I am over the top. Bossy. In your face. But I like me. My family likes me. The people I know who are true friends like me. The fact is that I’m not made for a long-term relationship. I am too much, but that’s just me.”
He leaned forward. “It’s not that you’re too much, Little Dragon. They weren’t worthy of you.”
I smiled at his words. His simple, honest words.
“It’s probably a good thing we have a time limit, Hunter. You would probably change your mind and grow tired of my ‘antics.’” I made quotation marks with my fingers.
He regarded me silently, then stood and pulled me from the chair. “We were supposed to be one night, Ava. It’s days later, and here I am. Does that sound like I plan on changing my mind?”
“But you’ll leave.”
“Yes. I will. But not because of you.” He ran his fingers down my cheek. “In fact, you’ll be difficult to leave behind,” he admitted softly.
“You don’t have to go.” I clutched his shirt tight in my hands.
He smiled sadly. “I do, Little Dragon. I’m like a rolling stone. I gather a little moss, but nothing sticks. I’ve been honest with you about that from the start. When I leave, it will be because I have to go—because that’s my way to live. I also disagree with you, and I think you are meant for a long-term relationship—just not with me. I’m the one who doesn’t do long-term. I have never known that, and I never will. I’m not built that way, but it has nothing to do with you—or your antics, as you call them. I find those charming and droll. I like the fact that you order enough Chinese food to feed a family. Have balls big enough to tell off assholes that stand in your way. I love being able to sit and eat pizza and beer with you and listen to your little lady burps that make you laugh while you inhale half a large pizza. You let me be Hunter. You accept my grouchiness and silence. You don’t push.” He exhaled hard. “I like spending time with you. I like you.”
I knew his words didn’t come easily. Hunter wasn’t big on sharing his emotions. For him to admit he liked me wasn’t easy. I wished I knew his story—why he felt the way he did. I wondered if I would ever know it or if he would leave before he trusted me enough to tell me. I also knew the next words out of my mouth were important. We’d drifted into dangerous territory for both of us. The atmosphere was heavy and dark. I needed to lighten it up or he would leave.
“I am also an excellent dance partner,” I sniffed. “Despite your unusual taste in music.”
He chuckled, his eyes crinkling in the corners.
I gasped as I suddenly found myself swung into his arms, and he turned and headed to the bedroom. “I like both kinds of dancing with you, Little Dragon.”
“Both kinds?”
He tossed me onto my bed and hovered over me, leaning on his hands and caging me in. “The regular kind and the mattress dancing. Because another thing that idiot got wrong is there is nothing subpar about your moves. You are the sexiest woman I have ever been with, and I come harder than a freight train every time I’m inside you.” He traced my lips. “Any part of you.”
I nipped his finger, feeling my body flush in pleasure at his words. “Oh yeah?”
His mouth parted, his breathing picking up. “Yes.”
“You gonna back up those words, cowboy?”
He stepped back, dragging his shirt over his head. “Oh baby, I never back away from a challenge. Ever. You wanna ride a cowboy? That’s what you’re gonna get.”
I watched him undress, his erection growing, heavy and thick. His eyes were like ice on fire—burning and intense, never leaving my gaze. They were full of wicked, dark promises. He was going to be all over me. His hands, his mouth, his cock. He was out to prove a point, and he wasn’t going to stop until he had.