How West Was Won (Haven, Texas 7)

He made a scoffing noise. He had to push back any regrets he had in order to get the next part out. And even though it hurt like fuck, he forced himself to stare into those big eyes and savage her.

“Right. Then you want to explain to me why you’ve been following me around, making those big eyes, trying to flirt, and I do mean trying, cause, baby, you ain’t no good at it, and generally just making a nuisance of yourself?”

She stared at him. And those big eyes were no longer filled with longing or hope; they were glittering with unshed tears.

Fuck, you’re a huge fucking bastard.

“Maybe because I liked you.”

He heard the past tense of that word and had to fight back his own flinch. That was good. That was what he wanted. To make very certain she knew there would be nothing between them. To make very certain she knew he was not the type of man she ever wanted to start anything with.

“Good thing you no longer do then, huh, babe? Not sure why you ever thought we’d be suited. I like my women tall, curvy, and able to take the bad with the good.”

“Is there ever any good with you?”

He made himself give her a cruel smile. “Now you’re getting it. I ain’t a good guy. Shit I’ve seen, shit I’ve done. You knew any of that you’d run a mile, screaming. Man like me has more bad than good in him. Man like me doesn’t play. Never have. I make the rules and my woman follows. I lead. She obeys. End of story.”

Not that he’d ever had that. He hadn’t had a woman since Lana. And with her, he hadn’t been like that. Because back then he’d still believed in good. Despite the shit he’d seen and done. Shit that had only gotten worse when she died.

“Are you . . . are you a Dom?”

He narrowed his gaze. “Nope. I’m just me. This is how I am. All the time. I don’t ever shut this off. Type of woman I need will live and breathe this with me. Accept me for who I am. Take what I can give her and won’t moan about needing more.”

“I feel sorry for that woman,” she muttered. “She’ll have to be a freaking saint.”

“What she’ll have to be is real.”

“I’m real.” She glared up at him.

“Baby, you’re living in a freaking dream world. You’re so deep in your own head, you can’t even see when a man is completely wrong for you and totally uninterested.”

She winced. If he wasn’t already going to hell, he definitely was headed there now. And there was probably a special place for complete assholes who crushed little fairies with stars in their eyes and so much hope it was painful.

“Now I’m thinking you get where I’m coming from, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I get it.”

“Good. Then we can be done with this bullshit. Best you get back on your horse and on your way home. Little girl like you shouldn’t be out past her bedtime.”

He was shocked when she didn’t move.

“What you don’t seem to be getting is the type of woman I am.” Her voice sounded harsh. Wrong. Just wrong.

“I already got you pegged, kid.”

“No. You don’t. Because you seem to think that just because I like to see the best in people, that I don’t go around scowling and snarling and acting all woe-is-me all the time that I’m some naïve idiot.”

“Woe-is-me? Seriously? Do people actually say shit like that?”

“I do!” she yelled.

He stared at her. “Get why you want to yell at me, but you need to understand you do it again and I’m putting you forcefully on your horse and sending you on your way.”

“So you’re allowed to lay it all out, and I’m not even allowed to yell? Even though you are being a complete jackass?”

“Yep. That’s about it.”

“You’re right.”