Page 123 of Moon's Promise

His eyes turned stormy. “I thought I made it clear I want to build a relationship with you.”

Startled, she stared at him. “I must have missed that part.”

“Then what did you think? Another one-night stand?”

“Technically, we didn’t have a one-night stand the first time. It didn’t last that long,” she argued back.

“Technically?” He took a step toward her. “I’ll show you—”

Larissa jumped forward, reaching for the garage door’s doorknob. Feeling safer with the metal knob in her hand, she turned back to him. “You’re being plain silly. If I started calling you my man after one night of hot sex, you would put me in my place too quickly to talk about it.”

Moon strode toward her dangerously. “Try me.”

“I may have lived in Kentucky my whole life, but you’re never going to hear me refer to any man as my man. Just saying it makes my skin crawl.”

“Really?”

Larissa felt a chill sweep down her spine. “Really.” Giving him the same stone-faced glare that Moon gave her, she turned the doorknob. “Pfft,” she muttered under her breath as she walked through the door. “He should go back to the 1950s and stay. I’ll send him a flipping postcard.”

“What did you say?” he asked, following behind her.

“None of your business … Fred,” she replied sharply.

Confusion marred Moon’s expression as he set the box down on the kitchen table. “Fred?”

“As in The Flintstones.” Jerking the box into her arms, she headed for the stairway.

“I would have carried it upstairs for you.”

“I can carry my own box,” she grumbled.

Coming down the steps, Priss took one glance at their warring expressions and moved to the side to let them pass. “Something wrong?”

“No,” they snapped in unison.

“All righty, then.” Her sister continued down the steps. “I’m going to throw a pizza in the oven and make a salad. You staying for dinner, Moon?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“No,” Larissa called out over her shoulder as she reached the top of the stairs.

She heard Moon say something to Priss but was too far away to understand the words. She walked into the bedroom that she and Moon had slept in last night and set the box on the dresser. She was turning around when Moon followed her inside and shut the door.

Leaning his back against the door, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I am not a caveman.”

Larissa mimicked his stance. “I didn’t say you were. I just inferred you had the attitude of one.”

Moon frowned so hard that his eyebrows looked like one big caterpillar. “Woman …”

“Here we go,” she told him snidely.

“You’re right.”

Her jaw dropped at the admission.

“My pride was injured. I made assumptions that you are as attracted to me as I am to you. You didn’t want to overstep any boundary you think I may have.” He uncrossed his arms to place a hand over his heart. “I’m sorry I wasn’t more forthright with you.” Moon dropped his hand, then walked toward her and slid his arms around her waist. “So there isn’t a misunderstanding this time, I like you, Larissa. I want to see where this attraction for you goes.”

Larissa melted inside at his humble apology and honesty to show where he would like to move forward with her.

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