“Dinner.”
The ground slowly dropped out from under her.Hell no.“Hunt,” she said sternly.
He slipped into his coat and opened the door. “Lottie, it’s dinner with a friend. Is that so hard to do?”
Yes.“I can’t give you what you want,” she blurted out.
With a long sigh, he shut the door, leaning against it. His stare penetrated places no man had ever penetrated before. “How do you know what I want? You haven’t let me tell you.”
“I know exactly what you want,” she said.
His mouth twitched. “What do I want, then, Lottie?”
“A girlfriend,” she said immediately. “I cannot be that for you. It won’t happen. Ever.”
The air warmed as he moved to her, one step, then another, and another, a sly smile on his face. When he finally reached her, he held out his hand. “Why don’t you let me worry about what I want?”
Unable to stop the comfort his touch brought, she slid her hand into his. She wanted to feel safe and pretend that her father hadn’t somehow found her. She wanted to forget where she came from and what she’d done to gain her freedom. “I don’t want to lead you on,” she said, hoping he heard her. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. A relationship is not something I want.”
“You’re not giving me the wrong idea about anything,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “If all you can do is lead me into your bed, then that’s where we’ll go.”
She studied him, looking for any signs of deceit, but couldn’t find any. “You sure?”
He dropped his eye level to hers and said firmly, “Yes, Lottie, I’m sure.” He gestured to the door, his eyes still amused. “Now, can we go for dinner?”
“Sure, of course.” She laughed it off, realizing how silly she was being, and slipped into her flats and her jean jacket. Hunt was a member of a sex club—surely, he had many,manyfriends with benefits arrangements and could manage them fine.
And the truth was, Lottie wanted those benefits with him. Not forever, but for right now.
“Good I’m glad you’re in agreement.” He opened the front door. As she went by him, he grabbed her by the waist, his mouth settling by her ear. “Because I’mhungry.”
She shivered at the brush of his breath against her skin, raising goose bumps. When she managed to look into his eyes, she saw what he hid moments ago, as much as she felt it to her core. That wasn’t lust alone sizzling in his molten stare at her. It was something far more dangerous.
Emotion.
Bryant Park wasas busy as ever as Hunt walked next to Lottie, his hand brushing hers. It took all his strength not to reach for her as they made way for a couple striding by them. Along the pathway, they passed a group of jugglers bringing laughter and life to the park. Surrounded by skyscrapers, the park was a bit of calm in a city of chaos.
Hunt studied Lottie, who was smiling at the dog trotting ahead with its owner. “Why don’t you have a dog if you like them so much?” he asked her.
“Sadly, I don’t have time for a dog of my own,” she said. Then she gave a little shrug. “It’d be cruel to have a dog stuck in my condo all day when I’m out walking other people’s dogs.”
Responsible, but… “Why couldn’t you bring your dog with you?”
She sent her gaze back to the dog ahead of her, whose tail was wagging as he happily trotted along. “A few of my clients don’t mix well with other dogs. I’ve been with them all for so long, their dogs are like family to me now, so I wouldn’t want to upset anyone.”
“Ah, I see,” he said, spotting the love in her eyes she had for animals. “Just a shame. You look like you could use a dog in your life.”
She laughed. “If I had a dog of my own, I’d get nothing done. Too much cuddling.”
He searched her face for any hint of what she was feeling. It sure seemed like she held back for another reason, but it wasn’t his place to prod. “Nothing wrong with that.” He wouldn’t mind a little cuddling with her too.
As they turned the corner, they reached the restaurant, The Porch, on the southern end of the Fountain Terrace, a great place to grab a burger and fries. Hunt stepped into the lobby, passing by the trendy chalkboard with the specials written on it, and said to the hostess, “A table for two, please.”
“Sure, just follow me,” the hostess said.
Hunt followed behind Lottie as the hostess led them beneath a metal terrace covered in Edison bulbs. Once they were seated at the high bar table, and the menus set in front of them, Hunt learned a couple of cool facts about Lottie. She loved draft beer and a burger. His kind of woman.
It didn’t take long for their beers to come and for their dinner to follow. Each moment that passed got easier, not that Hunt was surprised. Everything with Lottie had felt easy since the day he’d met her, except getting closer to her. He edged that line, and if he got too close, she’d pull away.
