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“Nope.” That didn’t even sound convincing to his own ears.
He felt her fingers on his wrist as they reached the small clearing where he’d parked. Stopping, he reluctantly turned to face her. Flicking her one glance, he decided he still couldn’t look at her and cast his gaze out among the trees.
“I’m sorry,” Angel said softly, stepping into him and sliding her hands around his waist. “Sometimes, I’m too blunt. It’s just that…” She huffed. “I just don’t know how to hold anything back with you, and you’re…well you, and I just feel like, if we defined things, it would get serious, and I can’t risk losing my identity to a relationship. That’s not how I want to live.”
Moose’s gaze jerked down to hers, and he searched her eyes. “Why would you think that?”
She shrugged and looked down at her feet, covered in dirt and sand and a few pine needles. “Things I’ve heard and seen. And you’re so dominant. And I’m not the kind of woman who takes orders well. And I’m not a homemaker either. I don’t even know if I want kids. And when I get married, it’s going to be once and forever—”
“Whoa, wait. Slow down,” Moose said, shaking his head. “Who said anything about kids and marriage and all that?”
Her wide, green eyes found his again. “Isn’t that what we’re talking about?”
Realization washed over him and Moose chuckled. “Honey, a patch isn’t a marriage proposal or a life sentence. It’s a promise. Simple as that. Can it lead to those things? Sure. Many have. But it doesn’t have to.”
Her brows pulled together as she absorbed this information. “So…it’s like…giving me your letterman jacket?”
“Uh…sure. Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
Her expression brightened. “So you’re saying you want to go steady?”
Moose grinned. “In a not-so-nineteen-fifties way, yeah, basically.”
Her smile was wide and her eyes shined. “In that case…yes. I’ll wear your patch, Kade Hunter.” Happy again, Moose leaned in to kiss her, but her hand pressed against his chest stopped him. Very seriously she amended, “On a trial basis, though. I need to make sure my prince doesn’t turn into a toad after midnight.”
“Sure, Mouse,” he agreed, amusement coloring his tone. Another trial. He’d gotten past the first one. If he had to, he’d get past this one too. Then Moose lifted her off her feet and pushed her back against the nearest tree and showed her how happy she made him—twice.
eleven
Angel hadn’t expected Kade to hit her with the big question so soon, but she sure as hell was glad it wasn’t as big as she’d thought. Then she really would have had to walk away from him. As great a guy as he seemed to be, she wasn’t planning on marrying the man. He was smoking hot and strong and smart, and yeah, she sometimes imagined what it would be like to have a family with him, but she didn’t have any desire to marry him. Or any man, for that matter.
Life was going just fine without having to complicate it with legal forms and such. She liked the idea of common law stuff. If it got serious enough between them, and they went the long haul, that would be great, but she’d just as soon be able to walk away or kick him out if the need arose than have to get a lawyer and courts involved.
Divorces tended to get nasty and complicated, and that just wasn’t her style.
The wind whipped around them as Kade drove down the country back roads toward town. She couldn’t believe they’d almost broken up back there. When she realized how bad things had gone from that one question, she’d felt an overwhelming, insistent need to fix it—fast. The clenching in her chest, that breathless feeling of drowning had scared the life out of her. Still, had his answer been any different, she would have had to walk away, no matter the way it made her feel.
But it scared her just how much itdidmake her feel. Good Lord, but she was in trouble with this one. That moment had made it all too painfully clear.
Still, the relief she felt when he’d laid that smile on her then took her again before they left was palpable. And now, snug up against his back, feeling the heat of his skin beneath her hands as she held on tight to him, she knew she’d made the right choice. For now.
Later, it might change out of necessity, but this was how it had to be. For her sanity’s sake.
The world sped by at amazing speeds, the trees flashing green and brown, the ground a blur of gray. Overhead, the cloud-dappled blue sky seemed not to remain stationary, giving her a perfect view of a couple of crows flapping by—probably on the hunt for an evening snack.
Which reminded her, Angel was starving.
“I’m hungry,” she called over Kade’s shoulder, fighting to be heard over the roaring wind.
Turning his head slightly, he said, “What?”
“Food!”
He nodded, his right hand dropping to her knee to give it a gentle squeeze to let her know he’d understood. Good, because she’d worked up quite an appetite today, and assuming he didn’t have plans later, she did, and that meant they were going to have to maintain their strength.
The deer came out of nowhere.
One second, it was smooth sailing, and the next Kade was slamming on the brakes, the bike fishtailing across the road and the tires fighting to gain purchase…and then they were falling. Angel knew it was going to hurt, but there was nothing either of them could do to stop the collision that was about to happen. All she could do was tighten her hold on the man in front of her and send up a few fervent prayers while hoping for the best.
