“Those six right there on that branch.”
He reached up and grabbed them all, handing three of them over, then they walked together to the bin and dropped them in.
“You’re going to be baking a lot. Do I get any for helping?”
She turned her head to see if he was joking or not.
No smile on his lips. “Sure. What do you want?”
“What do you want to give me?”
“Oh, baby. Talk about a loaded question. Do you really want me to answer that?”
16
WELCOMED THE CHAOS
He should have watched his words more carefully.
But everything about the past twenty minutes was him trying to hold on to his control.
It was by a thread, and that wasn’t like him.
He never should have kissed her.
Not once.
Not twice either.
She was seeped into his blood now. Him wanting to give her more and more.
She was going to take it.
Clay always knew that a moment could spin him out of control, but for once he welcomed the chaos. He just never thought she’d be the one that would turn the dial for it to happen.
“Answer it,” he said. “But you might not like my response in return.”
She laughed. “You know, Clay. I’ve never had this kind of banter with a man before. I really like it. Even with your gruffness, I like it. It’s this need and drive to see what you’ll saynext or if I can top you. I never thought I was competitive like that.”
“So it’s a game? That’s all it is or what you want?”
“I don’t play games,” she said, her voice dropping. “Regardless of what my dickhead ex keeps saying.”
He frowned. “You’re still talking to him?”
“I don’t want to,” she said. “I’m done now.” She tossed another apple in the bin. “This is more than enough.”
He picked the bin up and brought it to the back door of his house rather than around to the front and her SUV.
She was just following along. It wasn’t as if she had much of a choice.
“If you don’t want to, then why are you?”
“Because when I got home yesterday, his ex, the one he cheated on me with, had sent me a nasty letter. I thought it was him as it had some private things in it. I called to tell him to please stop. I was done with it.”
He didn’t like that she was still being bothered by this asshole.
“How do you know it wasn’t him?”
