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“Mom took off when I was young. Dad’s around somewhere.”
“You don’t talk to your dad?”
“No.”
He scooted closer, and his arm slid along the back of the couch until his fingertips met her cheekbone. Then he simply waited. Like he was taking in every word. Wanting to actually know her.
This was dangerous, because she was starting to think her worth was increasing. She could be a good time, but in the end, she was still temporary. Yes, Huck was being sweet and wanted to know her. So she’d enjoy it for what it was, for however short of time it lasted.
She’d never talked much about her dad or her situation. But the way Huck looked at her, she felt very heavy and wanted to get rid of the weight of all the bullshit that she’d been carrying around.
“He has a gambling problem,” she said. The first time she’d ever said that out loud. “It’s why my mom left and I stayed with my grandpa a lot growing up. My dad was off to the track, meeting bookies. He bet whatever was in his pocket.” And sometimes a lot more than that. Her shop and home didn’t fit in his pocket, but he had no problem putting the deed up.
“I’m sorry, honey,” he said and stroked her cheek.
She gave her best indifferent smile, but she had a feeling he could see through it. Still, she tried to play it off.
“It’s fine.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I know. You’re strong. Everything will always be fine.” He cupped her face and brought her lips to his. “But you deserve better than fine. You deserve amazing.”
His kiss was soft, but it hit her heart hard.
“What about you?” she breathed. He leaned back just enough to look her in the eyes. “Mr. It’s Cool.”
“I guess we have some similarities.”
It was her turn to look at him, because she was desperate for him to tell her something. Anything that connected them a little bit more. Maybe it was a bad idea, but she couldn’t help it.
“As you know, my last girlfriend left me.” He glanced down. “I wanted certain things. Certain permanent things. And I was caught off guard. I feel stupid for not seeing it coming.”
Her chest split in half. This strong man was a mystery to her. He’d wanted permanent things? Nothing about Huck screamed “permanence.” From his demeanor to his house, he seemed a bachelor at heart. Was all of that a disguise to keep himself safe?
“What about now? Do you still want those things?”
He looked at her for a long moment. “I try not to think about it. Nothing’s permanent. So I just roll with it. One day at a time…”
“One woman at a time…” she finished for him.
He stared at her, and finally he said. “Yeah, something like that.” He touched her chin. “I’m not interested in anything permanent anymore. It’s a pipe dream.” He paused. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a woman while she’s here.”
He kissed her again and, god, she wanted to believe him. Wanted to get lost in him and his
kiss.
This was a terrifying game. But instead of caring, she kissed him back. There was more at stake than the usual disappointment, because at some point last night, the rules had changed. And now she had no idea what to do or what to feel, other than worry.
The bottom would fall out. It always did.
She caught sight of the clock on the wall. “I’ve got to go.” She’d be pushing it to get to work on time, and she didn’t want to lose a temporary job she was lucky to have in the first place.
Huck groaned, then let her up. She shimmied into her skirt and pulled on her boots. She went to grab her tank top and bra, but Huck stopped her.
“Keep the shirt.” He looked her up and down, like the sight of her messy hair and his shirt on her skin made him hot. Judging by the bulge in his pants, she wasn’t too far off.
“Thank you,” she said, then shoved her stuff in her purse. She leaned down and kissed him.
It was meant to be quick, but he caught her. Nipped her lip and shoved his tongue in deep, like he was drinking her down.
