Page 95 of Reckless Harmony

“You know Lucas?” Stark asked.

“We do,” Grace said. “He’s best friends with Connor, and Connor is dating my best friend, Kira.”

“Small world,” Stark said.

“Small town,” Rayna corrected.

He grinned at her, and her hand was actually inching across the small space between them to rest on his thigh before her common sense returned. They weren’t dating, for God’s sake. Unease trickled through her, and she quickly finished off her beer before standing and gathering the empty food boxes.

Gideon stood and cleared the dishes from the table, and she smiled at him. “Thanks, Gideon.”

Tank nosed his way in between them, and she petted the giant dog. “Does anyone want coffee?”

“Normally, I would be all over that, but my eyes are starting to water, and my nose is tickling a bit,” Grace said. “I think my allergy meds are wearing off.”

She stood, smiling at Rayna and Stark. “This was a lot of fun. We should do it again, but maybe at our place next time? I love cats, but they just don’t love me.”

“Oh, um…” Rayna glanced at Stark. Shit, Grace thought they were dating.

Of course she does. You invited Stark to stay for dinner. The two of you haven’t fought once tonight, and if you think for one minute that you’re doing a bang-up job of hiding how attractive you think he is, I have a bridge to sell you. You’re acting like you’re dating. Why wouldn’t she think you are?

Her stomach dropped. She and Stark were acting like a couple tonight. From sharing the story of rescuing the stray dog from the barbwire fence to finishing each other’s sentences more than once. What was she doing? Tonight was a mistake. Just because they had fucked twice didn’t mean a goddamn thing. Stark was only being nice to her because he wanted her house, and thinking he was starting to feel something for her was dangerous.

No more dangerous than how you’ve caught feelings for him.

She nearly dropped the dish she held. She hated Stark. He was an arrogant ass trying to bully her out of her home and - shit! She realized she’d been staring at Grace for close to a minute without saying anything, and the air was thick with awkwardness.

Get your shit together, Abrams!

“We’d love to,” Stark suddenly said. “Just let us know when.”

“Perfect,” Grace said before standing. “Thanks again for the fun evening.”

Her stomach still churning, Rayna stayed quiet as Stark and Gideon carried the guinea pig cage to his SUV before Gideon loaded Tank into the back. She smiled and waved at Grace and Gideon, then disappeared into the kitchen like the giant chicken she was as Stark closed and locked the door.

She gripped the sink, staring out the window into the cold darkness. Despite knowing that Stark was only trying to get on her good side to buy her house, she was still tempted to ask him to fuck her again, and how pathetic was that?

She took a deep breath as Stark joined her in the kitchen and turned to face him. He smiled at her, his face relaxed and open, and leaned against the counter beside her. “That was fun.”

“It was,” she said.

“Thanks for inviting me to stay.”

She nodded, her throat suddenly too tight to speak. Christ, she needed to remember that she was literally sleeping with the enemy, and it couldn’t continue, no matter how good the sex was between them.

She stiffened when Stark reached out and hooked a finger in her belt loop. He tugged her toward him, giving her a slow, inviting smile. He bent to kiss her, and she shook her head before backing away.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She folded her arms over her torso, studying Bea, who had fallen asleep in her bed in the corner. “I don’t… we shouldn’t be having sex. We hate each other, remember?”

His lips thinned, and she was stunned by the hurt that covered his face.

“Stark, I -”

“You’re right,” he said. “Good night, Ms. Abrams.”

He stalked toward the front door, and she hurried after him. “Stark, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

---