He almost laughed at that. Every woman was the wrong woman for him. He would never get into a relationship.
So why did this hurt so deeply?
Zeke waited for her to lift her gaze to his and searched her brown eyes. He didn’t sense deception in them. Mia didn’t toy with men’s hearts to be vicious. She was simply so fun, sparkling, desirable, and appealing that she couldn’t possibly settle down to one man. It would be an injustice to men everywhere not to at least have a few dates with a woman this incredible.
It stunk, but it was the truth. And no way was she going to change that pattern for a man who could win any battle but had no clue how to win a woman’s heart.
“I’m going to shower and get some rest,” he grunted.
He hurried around her, grabbed his bag from the closet, and rushed into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door. Leaning against it, he banged his fist against the wood, his mouth twisting and pain making his stomach curl.
Any smart man would be out there kissing that incredible woman. But he couldn’t let himself fall for her. He needed to focus on the mission, and he needed to protect his heart. A woman like Mia could chew up inexperienced losers like him and spit them out before breakfast.
Chewing. Chewing on her lip. Pulling that luscious lower lip between her teeth was a more accurate description. He loved the way she did that.
He groaned and strode to the shower, turning it on as cold as it would go. When could he go plunge in the lake? That sounded great.
No, kissing Mia’s irresistible lips sounded great.
Zeke closed his eyes. He’d never wanted to pray to heaven above, but man, he could use some help from somebody. Would it be too telling if he invited Chaos to come help?
ChapterSeven
Mia was befuddled by Zeke’s mixed reactions to her. At times he looked at her with those smoky-blue eyes and she about lost her mind. When he’d cupped her jaw and then traced his thumb along her lower lip … mind blown. Simply thinking about the beauty and overwhelming warmth of that moment made her want more from Zeke. A lot more.
But then he’d acted like she was a female hoochie who dated and viciously dumped every man. She only went on a few dates, then kindly moved on. She’d kissed a variety of men, but she couldn’t think of one she’d claim as a “boyfriend.”
She wanted to convince him of her sincere interest and get back to that moment of pinning him against the wall and him cupping her jaw with both of his large palms and looking as if he wanted to kiss her.
She paced the room while he showered, stewing about how to make him hers.
It was interesting how tough, brave, fierce, and appealing he was, but when it came to romantic relationships, completely lacking in grit or confidence. That bit of insecurity and humanity drew her in as much as his tough confidence in all other situations did. So many men had tried and failed to secure her affections. Zeke could capture her like no one ever had. That raw masculinity mixed with an innocence she could hardly believe he possessed was off-the-charts desirable.
Her only desire right now was to get to know her Rambo better and get him to fall for her, but like he’d said earlier, the stalker would probably find them within days and this would all be over. She’d go home and he’d go back to being Rambo. It was gutting that the first man she wanted more than a few shallow dates with wouldn’t be around to date long-term and was the hardest nut to crack.
Zeke finally came out of the bathroom looking fresh, clean, and perfect. He was the biggest hunk she’d ever seen in a simple T-shirt and shorts, clutching his large duffel bag in one hand as if it weighed less than peanuts. His muscles were lean and obvious and begging for her to touch them. What would he do if she ran her fingers along those magnificent biceps? Her mouth went dry just looking at him.
He didn’t meet her gaze and gave her a forced smile. “Bathroom’s all yours. Goodnight.”
She could only stare at him. Goodnight? If he thought he could write her off that easily, he had no idea who he was messing with.
He walked past her, shut off the lights in the bedroom, and then lay on the twin bed. The light from the bathroom illuminated his long, far-too-big frame on that skinny bed.
“No,” she said. “No blooming way.”
He kept his eyes shut and ignored her. She hurried over to the twin bed, squatted low, and shoved his shoulder and hip from the side with all her strength, trying to dump him onto the floor. His body tensed, but he didn’t move an inch. She gritted her teeth and shoved even harder the second time, grunting with the effort. She couldn’t barmy move him, and he wasn’t reacting to her. At all.
A third time she tried. She pushed and pushed at him until she was panting and sweating.
Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at her. A faint smile played on his lips. “What are trying to do?”
She straightened and put her hands on her hips. “I amtryingto move your beastly body.”
“Beastly?” He stared up at her. She had a sudden vision of him reaching up, grabbing her, and pulling her onto his lovely chest.
Of course the stoic, hands-off, military man didn’t fulfill that dream.
“You aren’t kipping in this bed. I kindly explained that to you earlier.”