I pat him on the chest, happy to find his heart is pummeling out a fast rhythm against his ribs.
“Sinclair,” he growls.
I hold his eyes for a beat. They’re like two green flames burning in the night sky.
I spin and sashay to the open door that leads back inside.
“Sin—”
“I’m going to pack. Do you mind taking Monty to the bathroom?” I say, looking back at him over my shoulder.
“New boyfriend?” he spits.
“Oh, yeah.” I pout at him. “Did you think this was”—I wave my finger between us both—“like, a thing?” I wrinkle my nose, as if the possibility had never even crossed my mind.
He glares at me like he’s about to explode.
“Oh, you did?” I let my face fall in mock pity. “I’m so sorry. Why would you think that? Was it all the romantic stuff we said to one another? The way we’ve been sleeping in each other’s arms every night? Or the fact that you were my first and only and that should mean something?”
His jaw slackens and something akin to panic laced with ‘oh shit’ tints his gaze.
I hold back all the things I’d like to hurl at him and force a sweet smile. “Like I said, Monty might need the bathroom.”
But Monty has already moved back inside to his favorite spot in front of the fire and has sprawled out on his back.
“Hmm,” I murmur, looking at Monty. “Maybe not. Thanks anyway, Brute.”
I’m barely two steps inside before his voice hits my back, making a shiver scoot up my spine.
“No one else is touching you. Ever.”
A joyless smile plays on my lips, but I bite it back as I flick my eyes in his direction. “It’s sweet that you care, but you don’t get a say in what, or who, I do.”
“Sinclair,” he growls.
I start walking again, speeding up to put distance between us. He barks out my name roughly behind me, and curses as I stomp through the inner door and down the stairs leading to the lower level and the forest.
I want to get away from him. I’m so fucking angry at him. The blood racing in my veins is pumping adrenaline to my muscles as his heavy footsteps thunder down the stairs behind me.
“Sinclair!”
“I guess I should thank you for breaking me in,” I toss back at him casually. “At least now I know I like sex. It’ll be interesting to see how other guys do it. I mean, you’re ten years older than me. Maybe a guy my age will have even more stamina. I’ll barely have time to sleep once we go back to the city and I get out dating.”
“Do you mean that?” he barks. “You really want to see what other guys are like?”
I whip around at the foot of the stairs, and he has the sense to stop halfway down them as I glare at him.
“What the hell do you think?” I snarl, unable to hide my true feelings any longer. He looks like he’s about to say something, so I throw up a palm. “You know what? I don’t care what you think.”
I turn and stride to the main door, yanking it open.
“Don’t follow me!” I yell as I stomp outside.
“Where are you going?” he shouts after me as I head past the tree stump where he chops the firewood and toward the thick tree line.
“Getting some fresh air, what’s it look like?” I yell back, breaking into a run.
“Don’t run from me, Sinclair!” he bellows. But unlucky for him, all of the training I’ve been doing with him since we arrived has made me fitter, and I’m actually a pretty good sprinter. Lighter on my feet than him. A little faster.
