I want to share those words with you.
“Chelle...”
She lifted the hand not planted over his pounding heart to stop him. “We can barter.”
He sucked in a breath and softly blew it back out. “Barter.”
“Yes. I can teach you to read in exchange for painting the rest of my house. This way we both get what we need.”
What he really needed was her. To be inside her. To take her mouth. To stop this conversation.
“Someone tried before. It didn’t world.”
“World?”
“Work,” he spat out. Goddamn it. “Not a child. Don’t wanna be treated like one.” He regretted how harshly that came out, but, luckily, she took no offense.
“Plenty of adults don’t know how to read, Shawn. It doesn’t mean you can’t learn. You just have to be willing.”
“Chelle...”
“You can keep repeating my name until the cows come home but it doesn’t change the fact I want to do this for you. And, in turn, I get what I need without having to wait until I can afford it. At the rate I can pay you to paint, it would take a long time to get my house finished. It’s the perfect solution for both of us.”
The perfect solution.
Not quite.
“Got a job.” He spent his weekdays at the crematorium and a couple of nights a week hunting and tracking the Shirley Clan. She knew the first, he couldn’t tell her about the second.
“I know. Only during the day during the week, though, right?” She shrugged. “We can paint on the weekends. I’ll teach you to read after work. Unless...” Her lips pressed flat, making him want to run his thumb over them.
“Unless,” he prodded.
“Unless there’s somewhere you need to be after work.”
She had no idea.
“I wouldn’t want us spending all that time together and causing an issue with someone important in your life.”
What the fuck was she talking about? Who was she worried about causing issues with? His brothers?
“You could always ask her and get back to me.”
He frowned. “Her who?”
“The person who cooks for you. Why you weren’t hungry tonight.”
The sweet butts? She wasn’t making any sense.
Finally, her guarded expression broke when she bugged out her eyes at him. “Your girlfriend... or wife... or whatever.”
A slow grin grew across his face. She was digging, that was what she was doing.
He was used to being around women who were direct, not women who skirted around questions to get their answers. Any woman he knew would have just blurted out, “You fucking anyone?” and that would be that.
It was cute how she had gone about it.
What was also cute was the blush that shot from the V neckline of her baggy white shirt up her slender throat and into her cheeks. It made him want to release some of those buttons to see how far south it had spread.
“Don’t got a regular.”
Her brow dropped low and she gave her head a little shake. “A regular?”
“No woman,” he explained.
He did not miss the flash of relief crossing her face before she quickly hid it. “Ah... Okay... Well... That means I wouldn’t be taking you away from anyone... during our lessons... I mean.” She rolled her lips under and the blush in her cheeks became even darker.
“Chelle...”
“Yes?”
“Know how fuckin’ gorgeous you are?”
“Uh... I...” Her white teeth bit into her plump bottom lip and that was so fucking sexy. The sweet butts did it on purpose to tease the guys. Chelle did it without thinking about it.
“Know what? Like it that you don’t. Gorgeous, genuine and humble. Can’t fuckin’ beat that.”
“So...” She jutted out her hand. “Deal?”
He noticed the slight tremor of her extended hand. It wasn’t nerves. She wasn’t afraid of him. The tremble was caused by a rush of blood.
By her reaction to him.
She wanted him and she had no clue how much he wanted her. Even if she thought she knew, she’d be wrong.
His dick now pressed hard against the zipper of his jeans. He needed to adjust it. Or release it. He liked the second option best. He wasn’t sure Chelle would.
She might not be afraid of him, but she might be afraid of what was about to happen.
Because it would happen.
If not tonight, then soon.
He wrapped his hand around hers and before she could shake it, he tugged on it. With a little gasp, her weight landed in his lap, her ass crushing his erection. He wanted to squeeze those soft cheeks, separate them, explore them. Any way she’d allow.
Their faces were only inches apart now. Her breathing ragged. Her eyes—light brown with a hint of gold—held a bit of surprise.
He kept his grasp on her loose, so she could pull away or, hell, even run away if she felt the need.
He would never do anything to her if she wasn’t willing.
He’d lived that life. He’d never subject another person to the same.