His eyelids opened and his gaze focused instantly on her. “Morning.” The low rumble of his voice caught her in inappropriate places.
She took stock of her clothing. An overlarge shirt covered her, but her legs and feet were bare and extremely toasty. No bra, no long underwear, but her panties were in place.
“Your clothes were wet. I didn’t look.” His grin held the hint of a rogue. “Much.”
She blinked. “You could’ve left me on the sofa.”
“I could have, but you fell off once and wouldn’t stop shivering. Putting you to bed was the safest way to protect you from yourself.” He stretched and a lot of natural muscle flexed. “Body heat and warm blankets are the best way to fix shivering, and you slept peacefully all night. Well, mostly. Did you know that you talk in your sleep?”
She settled back down, resting her face on her hand as she looked at him. “Yes. Not all the time, though.”
“Who’s Lucas?”
She closed her eyes. “I talked about Lucas? Seriously?”
“If he’s a rat-bastard jackass, then yes, you talked about Lucas.” Huck pushed a wayward curl off her forehead and
then drew back his hand quickly. He shook his head.
She sighed. “Lucas is my ex, and he’s most certainly a jackass.” Why the heck had she talked about him? “For a profiler, I really don’t read men very well. Or anybody close to me, I guess.” She’d always wanted to be good with people but was better with cold facts. Her gaze raked Huck’s very impressive chest. “Your sternum is perfectly symmetrical.” She stretched out her free hand. “May I?”
His eyes darkened. “Sure.”
Wonder, a new feeling, filtered through her when she placed her palm over his chest. The muscles felt just as strong and solid as they looked. Her body awakened. “I’m not looking for a romance,” she whispered.
“Neither am I.” He remained still, watching her in a way she wasn’t sure anybody had before. With hunger and warning in his amber-colored eyes.
“I like you and we’re here. Want to take advantage of the moment?” she asked.
He flattened his broad hand over hers on his chest, swallowing even her wrist. “Do I want to? Yes. Am I going to? No.” He tightened his hold and lifted her hand, gently placing it back on the bedcovers before rolling toward her and revealing even more corded muscle in his bicep and tricep areas. “We should get going.”
Curiosity took over. “You don’t find me attractive?” Had she misread his expression? That was rare for her.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured. “I think you know that.”
She shook her head, catching her hair on the pillow. “Not true. Some people find me pretty, while others think I’m weird looking. My eyes throw people off. Do they throw you off?”
“I like them,” he said, his gaze running over her face. “The colors are spectacular, and I like that you don’t hide the difference by using contacts.”
She swallowed. “Oh. Are you seeing somebody?” If so, she really should get out of his bed.
“No.”
She paused. What in the world? He was a puzzle missing a piece. An equation lacking a differential. “Oh. You don’t like me.” That wasn’t new for her, either. Most people didn’t understand her, and frankly, she often didn’t understand herself. She really should get to work.
“I like you fine.” He tugged on a piece of her hair, his gaze fixed on it. “Here’s the deal, Laurel. I’m not a quick, take-the-edge-off or take-advantage kind of guy. When I’m in a woman, I’minthat woman.”
Her mouth went dry. Desire filtered through her in a combination of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, quickening her breath and tightening her nipples. “I’m not that small, Huck. Sure, we have definite size differentials, but I promise you, all of our parts were made to work together.” Her mother would think it sweet he’d been worried about her.
He barked out a laugh. “I was speaking metaphorically, not physically, Agent.”
She wasn’t following him. How fascinating. She opened her mouth but couldn’t think of a thing to say.
He released her hair. “Distance isn’t an attribute in my relationships, and if I sleep with a woman, that’s what it is. A relationship. I give as much as I take, and I expect as much as I give.” His gaze softened. “I don’t want that right now, if ever again. I can’t be responsible for somebody else and would rather be alone, anyway.”
“Okay.”
“Plus, I think I’d have a hard time dating you.”
