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“I was trying to save you.”
Huh? Save her? She could hardly concentrate on what he was talking about, his proximity casting a spell of confusion over her. Maybe she’d been binge watching too much Charmed, but she was too caught up in the obsidian flecks in his brown eyes to fully process.
“From what?” Was that her voice? It was soft, dreamy, and not at all normal.
And good God, but were his lips inching closer? “From me.”
“Are you dangerous?” Silly question. If he was really dangerous, you wouldn’t be putty in his hands.
His right hand moved, and he began trailing one of his fingers along her temple and cheek, until the very tip smoothed over her bottom lip. “I would never mean to hurt you, but I’m not looking for anything serious.”
That woke her up a little, and she frowned. “Neither am I.”
His finger dropped, and he stared down at her grimly. “You say that now, but—”
“Okay, you know what, that’s enough.” The balls on him, getting her all revved up and then acting like she was just a soft piece of feminine fluff who didn’t know her own mind. Putting her hands up against the wall of his chest, she pushed hard, but he wouldn’t budge, so she settled for pointing her finger up between them, wagging it in his face. “Don’t act like you know me or what I want. Don’t just assume that I’m looking for a relationship because I have ovaries. I have too much going on in my life to handle anyone else’s wants and needs, so the last thing I’m looking for is a boyfriend. And you might have learned that if you had bothered to spend more than ten minutes at a time talking to me tonight, instead of running away like a big wimpy asshat.”
He leaned back but still didn’t let her escape. “Big wimpy asshat, huh?”
Lifting her chin up, she didn’t back down. “Yeah, that’s right.”
For several moments, he did nothing but stare at her, and the intensity in his eyes made her twitch. Finally, he nodded, as if coming to terms with his new title. “Fine, I made an assumption. I’m an asshat.”
“Happy we agree on something,” she said.
“But I didn’t come here today looking to hook up. I planned to drink some beer, chill with my friend, and eventually head home to bed—alone.”
Violet flushed. “Well, it’s not like I was trolling for just anybody. If that were the case, I would be dragging Robert off to have my way with him in the parking lot.”
“Are you saying I’m special?” he asked.
It was a loaded question, and her answer could be taken a hundred wrong ways. Why was it that the first guy she’d actually actively pursued had to be so complicated?
“Nope, you’re absolutely right. Nothing special about you. There are still a few hours left for me to meet someone who doesn’t make snap judgments and would love to make out with an attractive single woman who hasn’t been kissed in six months, so if you’ll—”
Dean’s mouth closed over hers, stopping her tirade with the sheer heat of his soft, deep kiss. Violet melted on impact, her eyes rolling back as her lids closed. She opened her lips to the thrust of his tongue and felt a pool of joy bubbling up in her lower abdomen.
Holy shit. And you thought the sunshine was hot.
Violet could blame her weakness on the multiple glasses of wine, but it wasn’t just that. It was about wanting something in the deep, visceral sense, regardless of the fact that she barely liked him. In fact, it was better this way.
If there was no attachment, then she couldn’t get hurt.
For the last ten years, she’d played it safe. After her mother’s suicide and the night her father, Jack, had left, she’d been sure she was numb to any more pain, but why risk it? It was partly why she put all of her energy into Casey and Daisy; she was prepared for them to leave, to not need her anymore, and she was okay with that. They would still be hers. It was them against the world.
Letting someone new into that dynamic could ruin everything and cause a disturbance that might cost her the only constants she’d ever had. Trust and loyalty took years to build, and even if she did eventually meet someone, she could never be sure. It was better to never know than to let someone in and have him destroy her.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t participate in a little casual recreational fun every now and then.
Dean pulled away, breathing hard. As she opened her eyes, she found his own to be burning.
“I hope you’ll take that as an apology.”
“Sure.” Reaching up behind his head, she pulled him to her once more. “How about you apologize again?”
Chapter Four
HOW THE HELL did you get here?
