Page 34 of Art of the Hunt
He stopped abruptly and twisted around to face her. “Wait. Did you think…?” Holy shit. “Did you think we were going to sleep together?”
“Of course I did.” She flung her hands into the air. “Why else would I spend the night with you?”
He scratched his stubbled jaw. “I thought you were scared, didn’t want to be alone.”
“Scared?” She rolled her eyes.
He had no earthly idea how to handle a woman who was so fearless.
“Coffee,” he said. “I need caffeine.”
He strode into the kitchen and noted the time on the microwave: 5:46.
“This is going to take the whole damn pot.”
She didn’t say anything while he set a pot to brewing, although she did slide quietly onto one of the barstools tucked under the counter.
He pulled two mugs out of the cupboard. “I don’t have creamer. Not even sure I have sugar. There’s milk though. Skim.”
She fluttered her fingers, which he took as asure, fine, so he poured milk into a small cup and placed it on the counter. When the machine beeped, he filled both mugs and watched as Artemis added a generous dollop of milk to hers.
They drank in silence for a bit, until he finally couldn’t take it anymore. Plus, the coffee was doing its job and he could think rationally again.
“I’m sorry I gave you the wrong impression.”
Her shoulders slumped. “This is so awkward.”
Yes, it was.
“I’ve never been in a situation where a man didnotwant to have sex with me. I’m honestly not sure how to act.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I do want to have sex with you. I just know it’s a terrible idea.”
“Now you sound like my conscience.”
He chuckled. “Plus, you caught me off guard this morning.”
“You caught me off guard when I woke up and you weren’t there. I thought something happened to you. That whoever is trying to run you down succeeded.”
“So you came out here and yelled at me for not sleeping with you? By the way, what’s with the outfit?” He narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t leave, did you? By yourself?”
“You seem to be confused about who this person wants to kill.”
“I think you’ve been with me both times it happened, so I’m not ruling anything out at this point.”
“We should try to figure out who it is so you don’t have to ask me to stay over anymore and I mistakenly believe your intentions are far from pure.”
“I feel like a heel.”
“You should.”
“In my defense, I didn’t think I was coming onto you.”
“I think we should change the subject before this embarrassment swallows me whole.”
He chuckled and threw her a bone. “How about we brainstorm why it appears that someone is trying to kill us—”
“You.”
