Page 46 of Ruthless Creatures
“It’s what my girlfriend called you that night at Downrigger’s when you told me you weren’t a knight in shining armor.”
“Your girlfriend the confident brunette?”
“That’s the one.”
He tilts his head and considers me. “Did she tell you she hit on me when you went to the bathroom?”
“Yes.”
“And that I wasn’t interested?”
“Yes. And to be honest, neither one of us could believe it.”
“She’s a pretty girl. But there are a million pretty girls in the world.” He lifts his hand and lightly touches my cheek. His voice softer, he says, “There’s only one of you.”
I exhale, hard, and close my eyes. “You’re killing me here.”
“Tell me to go and I will.”
“I really don’t understand what’s happening.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I told you I didn’t think a fling would be good for me.”
“I don’t want a fling.”
When I open my eyes, I find him staring down at me with such intensity it takes my breath away.
He murmurs, “I want everything you have to give, Natalie, for as long as you want to give it to me.”
Knees, don’t you dare give out on me now.Sounding as desperate as I feel, I say, “We barely even know each other.”
“We know enough. And we’ll know more the more time we spend together.”
When I don’t respond, he says, “But you’re going to have to make the first move.”
I blink so slowly, I’m sure it looks comical. “Wait.What?”
“You heard me.”
“You don’t consider everything you’ve said to me since I opened the door to be making the first move?”
An amused smile curves his lips. “Fair enough. You’ll have to make the second move, then. I won’t pressure you. It’ll be on your timetable, not mine.”
“It?”
“Us.”
He says it like it’s an absolute. An inevitability. As if he’s been to the future and had a good look around, and now is back here just waiting for me to get on board with the program.
If there’s one thing I really dislike, it’s being taken for granted.
Staring him right in the eye, I say, “Sorry in advance if this insults you, Romeo, but if your arrogance were nuclear energy, it could power the entire universe.”
After a beat, he throws his head back and laughs.
It startles me so much I plop right down onto the kitchen table.
