Page 36 of Seductress

“What do you mean?”

I lifted a brow. “I think the question was pretty straight forward. I’d just like a bit of clarity. If this is a casual, no-strings thing, I need to know.”

“And if it is?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “If that was what I asked for, would you be able to live with that?”

I opened my mouth to say yes, but stopped myself, because the truth was, I wasn’t sure. I’d spent so many years wanting him, I wasn’t sure I could handle having him like this if it didn’t mean anything. There was a voice in the back of my head screaming that I should be happy with whatever I could get, but I knew myself, and eventually my

feelings would grow deeper, and that would lead to an even more painful heartbreak.

“Honestly, Ford. I don’t know. I don’t think I’m built for that kind of thing. But if we stop this right now, I think I can still manage to be your friend.”

The muscle in his jaw ticked and his nostrils flared. I wasn’t sure why, but he looked almost angry. No, that wasn’t right. He looked downright pissed.

“Then what we are isn’t that.”

My chin jerked back. “What?”

He scrubbed a hand across his face before raking it through his hair in frustration. “Look, I don’t know what to call what we’re doing here. But if casual and no-strings isn’t something you think you can handle, then what we have is more than that.”

I shook my head. “Ford, it doesn’t work like that.”

“It has to, because all I know is now that I’ve had you, I can’t give that up. I’m not willing to. I don’t know what that makes this. But I can’t go back to being your friend. I want more. Ineedmore. All I’m asking is that you’re willing to take this day by day. Just the two of us. I can’t tell you how long this is going to last because I can’t tell the future. But for the time being, let’s have this, just you and me.”

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down, the sting worse than normal, thanks to the deliciously bruising kisses Ford had given me.

“I don’t—”

He shot forward before I could get the rest of my sentence out, taking my face in his hands. “Look, you don’t have to answer now, okay? Give yourself some time to think about it. We can make day by day work for us, Hardin. I know we can. Take a few days and consider it. Don’t say no just yet.”

Those blue eyes sucked me in, the desperation in them making it impossible to turn him down at that moment.

“Okay,” I finally breathed. “I’ll think about it.”

His strong frame sagged in relief as he brought his forehead down to mine. “Thank you.” He kissed me again, holding his lips to mine like he was trying to memorize the feel of them before finally pulling back. “I’ll let you get back to work. But I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

The skin between my brows pinched in a confused frown. “Tomorrow?”

His smile was almost enough to take my breath away. “Yeah. Tomorrow. I promised Hazel a tour of the station on my next shift.” He arched a brow, that signature cockiness of his coming back now that I’d put him at ease. “Don’t tell me you’re going to bail and make a liar out of me.”

“No. I’m not. I just forgot.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I reminded you then, huh?”

Man, he really was making it hard not to fall for him completely. “I guess so,” I said with a grin. “So Hazel and I will see you tomorrow.”

“Looking forward to it,” he said quietly. He pressed one last kiss to my lips before unlocking the bathroom door and exiting through it, leaving me to wonder what the hell I’d just agreed to, and if I’d just guaranteed myself another heartbreak.

17

FORD

The knock on my front door interrupted me from mindlessly flipping through channels, trying to find something to watch.

Otis lifted his head from his dog bed by the fireplace to look at the door for all of a second before lying down again and promptly falling asleep.

I shot him a glare as I pushed off the couch and started for the front door. “Some guard dog you are,” I chastised as I passed him, and I could have sworn if dogs had been able to give the finger, he would have flipped me off right there.

“Hey, man,” Owen said from across the threshold the moment I pulled the door open.

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