He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, okay.”
I leaned against the counter as I waited for him to gather his thoughts.
“I wasn’t pissed that you weren’t going to tell me,” he said suddenly, hazel eyes searching my face. “I get it. I really do. One-night stand. A biker. You don’t know shit about me.”
“No, I don’t know shit about you. Except that you’re bossy and solicitous of a woman you’d just met at a party.” I paused. “You didn’t fight me…”
He frowned. “Fight you about what?”
“When I told you that you were the father. A lot of men would’ve balked. Denied it right away. Accused me of being—”
Slash scratched his whiskered jaw but said nothing.
“I’m not asking you for anything. Even though you know. If you want to ride out of town and never look back, you can. You’re off the hook.”
“You must think I’m a complete and utter shit,” he said, his tone suddenly hard. “If you think I’d ever do something like that…like I’d ever take that way out—”
I blinked. “But I don’tknowyou. And you don’t know me, remember?”
The tea kettle whistled, and I turned around to flick off the burner. I heard the heavy clomp of his boots across the floor and then he was behind me. He radiated heat, and I could smell the warmth of his skin. I swayed, wanting to press back into him. Not just for comfort, but to satisfy my lust.
Pure, unadulterated lust.
He settled his hands on my hips and leaned down to rest his chin on the top of my head. I was trapped by his huge body, and I remembered our night together.
“We could give this a try. You and me,” he said finally.
I made the move to turn, and he let me, but he still caged me in. I looked up into his eyes, which glowed with want. He moved ever so slightly against me, and I felt how much he desired me.
“You’re a Nomad,” I pointed out. “A rolling stone. I’m not going to say yes. I’m not going to be the reason you find yourself trapped in a life you don’t want, with a woman and a kid you got stuck with. That will never work. You know it, and I know it.”
“You afraid, woman?”
“Afraid?Fuck yes, I’m afraid. I’m afraid of doing this alone.” The honesty was spewing from me, and I had no choice but to let it flow. “But I’m more afraid of relying on someone who’s going to realize this wasn’t what he wanted and then bail after getting my hopes up.”
He reached out to cup my chin, keeping our eyes locked on one another. “I guess only time will prove that I mean what I say. I want to be involved, Brooklyn.”
“I’m still not sleeping with you again.”
Slash suddenly smiled. “Okay.”
“I mean it. I’m already hormonal. And I do not want my vagina to confuse my heart.”
He laughed—a deep booming sound that lit up my insides. Just like him, it filled the entire space, and all the emptiness in the room seemed to melt away.
“We need ground rules,” I said. “Boundaries.”
Slash continued to laugh, his shoulders shaking with mirth.
“What? I’m not trying to be funny.I’m serious.”
“I know.” He kissed my forehead and then let me go. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night?” I repeated stupidly, feeling tingly because he’d kissed my skin.
He nodded.
“Nothing.”