He stopped with every intention of admonishing her but the gleam in her eye and her ridiculous salute stopped him short.For one fucking second he wanted to be a man who could enjoy her antics and appreciate the fun she brought to every moment, even when a dark cloud hung over every second of her day.
The pleasant surprise on her face when he let himself smile down at her… Breathtaking.Worthit.Made him greedy for more moments where he could let down his guard.He found himself leaning in, unable to look away from the surprising little burst of gold at the center of her gorgeous blue eyes.
Until her lips parted on a shaky breath and his entire body tightened with desire.Without thought, he reached for her and—
He moved before he’d consciously registered the threat, putting himself instinctively between Nat and harm.Something struck his lower back, an icy hot shock that made him gasp.Natalie screamed, her beautiful face twisted with terror.
What have I done?
Fear and guilt and rage propelled him as he pivoted, his protective walls slamming back into place.Before Tim Marinelli could take a single step, Ford had tackled him to the ground.
They’d fought and Ford had prevailed—leaving the other man with ultimately fatal injuries—but he’d lost faith in himself.
Now, sitting in front of Natalie, the broken sound she made yanked him back to the present.“I hate that you were hurt.Especiallybecause of me.”Her fingers softly stroked his collarbone, raising a tingling awareness across his skin.“Do you think you’ll ever see me as anything besides the woman who almost got you killed?”
He covered her hand with his own.“I’ve never seen you that way.”
Okay, maybe early on he had.He’d wanted someone to blame for his failure, and she’d been an easy target.But his innate sense of fairness hadn’t allowed him to scapegoat her for long.At the end of the day,he’dbeen responsible.Hell, even if she’d invited Tim Marinelli to meet up with them and armed the stalker herself, it wouldstillbe Ford’s fault that the man got as close as he did.“It’s my job to be immune to distraction.That’s on me, not you.”
“You’re not a machine, and you’re not omniscient,” she said.“You can’t be perfect.”
“I can try.”
She rolled her eyes, and then gave him a coy look.“So you don’t hate me?”Despite her playful expression, her voice sounded one-hundred-percent sincere.
“The only person I hate is myself.”
She shook her head.“That’s not fair to you.And it’s not healthy.How can you ever love anyone else if you don’t love yourself first?”
Had she moved closer?He breathed deeply, imprinting her subtle, alluring scent on his brain.“It doesn’t matter.”Loving someone brought too much risk.They could get hurt, they could leave… They could die.He couldn’t control loving his own family, but he didn’t need to go in search of more people who could rip out his heart.“I’m not looking for love.”
Natalie blinked.Something like hurt or…maybe disappointment, flashed across her face before she schooled her features.“Ever?”she asked, almost on a whisper.
“Never.”A little pang of longing entered his heart but he quashed it.Better to stay safe.
A huge grin lit her face, and the back of his neck prickled with alarm.Her cool fingers slid over his cheek, making his breath stall out.“Then there’s no reason we shouldn’t take advantage of the moment.”
“What?”He felt like he’d lost a few key brain cells.
“Neither of us is looking for anything serious, we’re stuck together in this apartment,safefor now, and we don’t hate each other.”
Dubious criteria, but hard to argue with.
She stroked her fingernails across his scalp and goosebumps broke out across his skin.“We’re two consenting adults with serious chemistry, and nothing to do until I hear back from my team.I think we could use a little fun in our lives right now, don’t you?”
He recovered a sliver of his mental faculties.“Fun?What’s that?”
She laughed lightly.Rising up on her toes, she whispered in his ear.“I’d be happy to show you.”
He swallowed hard.He should step back, turn around, walk away.Instead, he found himself tilting toward her, rubbing the tip of his nose along her jawline.“Natalie.Nat.This is a bad idea.”It was, right?He tried to marshal his scrambled thoughts.“We’re not…compatible.”
Her lower body met his, and he nearly choked at the feel of her hip against his rapidly growing erection.“We feel pretty compatible to me.”
God.He shivered.They really did.Why was he fighting this again?
Before he could respond, she released her grip on his hair and took a step back, leaving him hot and twitchy.“Okay,Jesus.If I have to talk you into it, never—”
He latched onto her arm and tugged her gently back.“Youdon’t.”
