Page 38 of Suspicion

She blinked at him, apparently unimpressed with his uplifting mantra. “If you say so.”

“I do.” He inched closer. “I want us to get along. I just have to make sure you toe the line.”

“What does that mean?” Her watery gaze narrowed.

“Surely, by now, you know what it means.” He was sure she was smarter than this. “That I’m in charge.”

“Oh.” She rolled her eyes, but there were fresh tears. “Is that all?”

“Don’t cry.” He had once been immune to women’s tears, but Ella seemed able to infiltrate his unfazed façade.

“Why not?” Her face crumpled as she shrugged. “Why do you care?”

It was a good question. Why did he care?

So what if he found her attractive? Why did her tears bother him?

“I just want a fresh start.” He sighed. “You’ll be here for a while, so let’s try to work together.”

“This is horrible.” Flinching, she rubbed her eyes. “I’m hungry, tired, and I must look awful.”

“You really don’t,” he assured her. “You’re lovely.”

Shit, had he said that out loud? Although, in reality, his behavior last night—deplorable as it was—had already conveyed his attraction to her.

“Thanks.”

“If you didn’t hate me so much, I’d give you a hug.” He forced a laugh, scarcely believing what he was saying.

Give her a hug? Tucker Bowman didn’t hug anyone. He barely showed any emotion at all.

What was she doing to him?

“I don’t hate you.” The venom in her voice said otherwise.

“So, you do want a hug?” Suddenly, the idea was all too enticing. He’d already seen part of her delectable body and yearned to be close to her again, but he wanted her to trust him, to want him, too.

Better stop being an asshole, then.

“What?” Her laughter sounded unsure. “So, after abusing me, you want to hug me?”

“I wouldn’t have put it quite like that.” Although he acknowledged, she wasn’t wrong. “But yeah. Human interaction has been known to help with stressful situations.”

“For fuck’s sake…” She muttered the words into her chest. “How can I hug you like this?” She lifted her fettered wrists between them.

“I could hug you.”

As he spoke, he realized he meant it. Not only did he want to be close to her, but he found that he sought to offer the solace she obviously needed.

“And that’s it?” Her tone was suspicious. “No groping, nothing more?”

“No groping.” A wave of shame washed over him. It was an emotion so strange, he only just recognized it. He’d taken appalling liberties in the barn. Even he knew better than that.

“Okay.” She nodded, drawing her knees closer as she twisted to face him. “One hug.”

Chapter Six

A Collision of Lips

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