“Keep still,” he orders.

“Are you always so angry?”

He lifts those gorgeous amber eyes to mine and holds them. “No, but tonight I’m pissed.”

“Why?”

“Why?” he laughs bitterly. “You were out there, a man on top of you, ass on display. That’s fuckin’ why.”

“I’m not your woman,” I protest. “So why should it matter?”

He shakes his head. “We’ve been dancing around each other for nearly a month now. Showin’ up in the same places, flirting, kissing, making a scene. You might not be my woman, but you’re fuckin’ thinking about me as much as I’m thinking about you.”

He’s thinking about me?

My heart melts. Bad heart.

“So?” I say, my voice lustier. “Doesn’t mean you should be angry at me because that crazy man tackled me to the floor.”

“If someone had come out, they would have gotten a good look of your ass.”

“And?”

“And—” He leans forward until we’re only a breath apart. “—it’s an ass I’ve been wanting to see since I first saw you.”

Oh boy.

“Ah.” I look away. “So who’s this friend you’re staying with?”

He reaches up, curling his fingers around my chin and turning my face toward his. “Stop changing the subject. You want it as much as I do.”

He’s right, I do. But I shouldn’t. It’s too big a risk.

“Doesn’t matter,” I whisper, staring at his lips. “I can’t have you.”

“Why?”

“Why?”

“Yeah, lady, why?”

“Ah.” I let my eyes dart around his room. “I don’t know. Can I use your shower?”

He growls and lets me go. “No, you fuckin’ can’t. You’re going to sit here and let this foot rest.”

I huff, but I’m quickly distracted when he runs his thumb over my skin. I look up at him and see he’s watching me with an intense expression. “Why’re you playing these games with me?”

I swallow, looking away. I feel buzzed, but I don’t know if it’s the alcohol or him. My mind is screaming at me that I shouldn’t be here, but I can’t turn away. I want to, but I can’t.

“Is there a serious side to you?”

I’m surprised by his question. So much so, I just stare at him instead of actually answering.

“Who is the real Grace?”

What? “Pardon?” I whisper.

“You’re always playing, but there’s more to you. Tell me.” He leans back, keeping my ankle on his lap.

I can hardly kick him off. He watches me with those unfathomable eyes, and I’m captured by him—so much so, I start talking to him. “I am serious,” I say softly. “But if I live my entire life like I’ve got a stick shoved up my ass, how happy is that life going to truly be?”

He tilts his head to the side. “You’re right, but most people avoid these things because they’ve got something to hide.”

I shake my head. “I have nothing to hide. This is who I am. It’s always been who I am.”

“Okay, Gracie,” he murmurs low. “Tell me something about you no one else knows.”

I lean back and think about it. “Well, I didn’t have a puppy named Tiger growing up.”

He grins, and I crack a genuine smile back.

“Answer this for me, and I’ll let it go. If you could be anything in the world, what would you be?”

I’d say a bounty hunter, but that’s not entirely truthful, and I know it’s not what he’s asking. So I look him straight in the eye, “I’d be me, Raide. Nothing but me.”

Pain flashes through his eyes, and it hurts me to see it.

“What about you?” I breathe.

He places my foot down and stands. “I’d be free, Gracie. That’s it.”

God.

He’s breaking my heart.

* * *

Raide disappears and I decide to go and find a shower. I feel sticky and horrible. With some hobbling, I finally come across one. It’s as nice as I thought it would be. There’s a massive spa bath in the corner and a shower big enough for eight people, no shit. I hobble toward the sink and turn on the tap, splashing water onto my face. My mind is reeling, and this is a bad situation. Raide is tempting, too tempting. Not to mention, we’re connecting. I can feel it.

I had a plan, and this is pretty much it, but the idea of calling it in right now scares me. Firstly, the state of my ankle puts me in a bad place if anything were to go wrong. Secondly, something is holding me back. I want a little bit longer, I want to talk some more, I want to spend one night to see what Raide is really like despite the risk. I’m sinking myself deeper, I know I am, but it doesn’t change how I’m feeling.

When I’m finished in the bathroom, I hobble back out. Raide is nowhere to be seen. I drag my wobbly body through the house until I find him in a bedroom. I gasp when I let my eyes settle on him. He’s standing beside the bed, shirtless, and in the process of unbuttoning his pants. I can’t take my eyes off him, no matter what tiny voice is screaming inside my head to look away.

I have to blink at least six times, because there is no way someone who looks like that is real. His shoulders are wide and muscled, narrowing down to a gorgeous set of hips that his jeans are hanging low on. His biceps are huge, and lines of muscles run up and down his arms, flexing when he moves. God. When his jeans drop, I suck in a breath.

Naked.

He’s naked.

Oh my God. I’m a perv. I’m staring at him and he doesn’t even know I’m here.

“You going to stand there staring at me, or are you going to come in here and finish what we’ve been starting for a good while now?”

I swallow. He knows I can see him. He wants me to go in there and finish what we started. I want to, I do—oh boy, I do—but if I go in there, I’m risking everything. I must think on it too long, because he turns and strides toward me. I let out a little squeak, and my eyes drop to that spot between his legs. Oh … holy … erection. He’s huge—not that I thought he wouldn’t be, considering how big his body is, but he’s huge.

When he reaches me, I let my eyes slowly move up his body until I meet his gaze. He’s got the lusty look going, and I know what he’s going to do. I should be running, yet my legs don’t agree, and they refuse to move. He reaches out, running his thumb over my bottom lip, and damned if I can turn away. I’ll blame the alcohol. Yes, the alcohol.

He leans down and scoops me up. I squeak as he carries me across the room and then deposits me onto the bed. “You’re naked,” I croak, watching as he moves around the bed.

“And?” he mutters.

“You’re naked.”

“Baby,” he murmurs, pinning me with his stare. “And?”

Oh God. He called me baby. I’m going to hell.

“I—”

He doesn’t let me finish. He drops down over me, elbows on either side of my head, large body covering mine. He uses his leg to push my foot out so it’s not in our way, then he practically shoves himself between my legs, forcing me to spread them. Then his lips are on mine. No warning. No games. He’s kissing me with a raw hunger that, I won’t lie, I need. I need everything Raide has to give.