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“So you want to hang out?”
Again, his stare was steady when he said, “Yeah. I do.”
There was still one thing she needed to clear up. “This morning you were adamant about leaving. Like it was some kind of psychosis. If this is a ploy to show you’re the big man that can walk out—”
“It’s not.” There was a seriousness and sadness in his voice. “You’ve surprised me. But the truth is, you’re only here a short while. I know that. You know that. There are no promises. I’m not asking you to like me completely. Hell, we don’t even have to make up.” He stepped closer, a sexy, sly expression on his face. “But I sure hope there’s some fight left in ya. Would make for a stale couple of weeks without it.”
This was some game, but it was one she was ready to sign on for, because they’d set the expectations. Now it was just a matter of coming out on top. And that was like a drug. The power and control. She didn’t need him. Didn’t rely on him. And he didn’t need or rely on her. But they got under each other’s skin in the best way possible. That was obvious.
Some fight left in her?
She reveled in the challenge. She could think of a lot worse ways to spend two weeks. Topping Huck Galvin would be time well spent. And he’d try to top her right back.
Her blood pulsed harder, because suddenly she was looking forward to the next short while with the man before her, was practically salivating for a chance to go head to head with him again.
More like mouth to mouth. Because that feeling of being lost in pleasure was a state she wanted to revisit.
Yes, this was short term. Yes, they weren’t even close to perfect, much less good for each other. Didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy him. She was just another woman blowing in the breeze. She’d be gone sooner than later, and he’d be left—
Her brain stopped mid-thought.
There was determination in his eyes, and if she looked hard enough, just the smallest hint of pain. There was more going on beneath the surface of Huck Galvin than she was quite aware of.
Left.
A word that she understood well. A word that went with every person in her life. A word that could do damage. Damage Huck was apparently still living with. Yet he was attempting to be honest.
She took a deep breath. Fuck it all. This was a shit storm she didn’t know how to handle. What she did know was that Huck was looking to prove something to himself and to her, whether he admitted it or not.
For whatever reason, whether insanity or intensity, she looked at those eyes, thought about how he’d held her, how his breath had felt against her neck as he’d wrapped her up last night and she’d fallen into some of the best sleep she’d had in a long time.
Then she thought about today. His random act of kindness. Him coming through for her when she needed help. Something she hadn’t asked for, yet he’d done anyway.
Heaven help her, she opened her mouth, not sure what words would come out, then heard herself say the dumbest thing on the planet:
“Tomorrow night it is.”
Chapter Eight
“You’ve got a lot of leather,” Penny said as she went through Autumn’s suitcase.
Where Autumn was from, going through someone’s stuff was unheard of, but Penny was doing it like it was a totally normal thing to do. Not that Autumn took it the wrong way. She knew now that the people in Diamond simply enjoyed a kind of intimacy she wasn’t used to.
“Do any of your jeans not have holes in them?” Penny asked.
Autumn stood in the doorway of her room—well, Jenna’s guest room—while Penny “helped” her pick out something to wear for tonight’s festivities. She hadn’t talked with Huck since he’d invited her out yesterday, and part of her was disappointed he hadn’t shown up last night. Not that she’d expected him to. But it did make her think that maybe he did want to get to know her.
“I have hole-free jeans, they’re just in the dryer.”
Penny held up Autumn’s leather jacket and eyed it. “This is pretty cool. But it doesn’t go with the theme for tonight.”
Autumn frowned.
“And what’s the theme?”
“Think more country, less biker chick.”
Ah crap.
