“I’m older and wiser. Trust me with this.”
“You may be older than me but I know what I do and don’t want.”
Didn’t she know hedidn’ttrust himself with her? Twice now he’d kissed her and he wanted to do it again and more, but he couldn’t. Ortiz wasn’t even the number one reason why anymore. He wasn’t good at relationships. He was gone more than he was home and he liked his freedom. A woman would tie him down and start to complain when his laundry was thrown all around the floor, or that he wasn’t spending enough time with her.
That’s why he stuck to one-night stands, and Fiona was a forever kind of girl. Not only was he not good enough in her family’s eyes, he wasn’t good enough for her. He would only break her heart. He had to step away from her now, before he did something he would regret.
The next few days stuck with Fiona would be some of the hardest in his life. She was temptation in human form, but he could resist. He had to. Hedidn’thave a choice. Giving in would be a huge mistake. Fiona staying here was only temporary. Once her stalker was found, she would go back home and find a normal nine-to-five guy her parents approved of, and he would still be here doing his bachelor thing. There were only a few of them left in their group and he had no intention of settling down.
“You’re too young to know what you want.”
“How old were you when you joined the Army?” she said, a challenge in her voice.
“What does that have to do with anything?” He reared back, not knowing where she was going with this question.
“Just answer the question, please.” She batted her eyes.
Hedidn’tknow if she was trying her hand at flirtation or trying to make her words sound nicer as she gritted her teeth. Either way, she was too damn adorable. “I was eighteen,” he finally said.
“And that’s what you wanted in your life?”
Ah, now he understood where she was going with this. She was smart, he’d give her that, but then, all the women in the Ortiz family were. He should have realized sooner that Fiona would be no different. “It was, joining the military was all I wanted to do since I was a kid.”
“So how is it okay that you’ve known what you wanted since you were a child, but I can’t because I’m twenty-four?”
“Because what you want isn’t something you can have.”
“How do you know what I want?” Her eyes bore into his.
Fiona was giving him a headache. They were talking about them getting together, weren’t they? At least, that’s what he thought they were talking about. “It’s me, isn’t it?” By the shocked look in her eyes, he had guessed wrong. Then she started laughing, which confirmed it even more.
“You? No. I don’t want you.”
Well, she had a funny way of showing it. She always turned doe-eyed when she looked at him, when she wasn’t angry with him over something. The last time he had kissed her, she had been into it. He had been with enough women to know when a woman wanted him, and Fiona Ortiz wanted him. He would bet his military career on it. Why it was so important to him to prove it to her, hedidn’tknow. He had been trying to discourage things between them, but when she said shedidn’twant him, it pinched his pride.
“Are you sure it’s not me you want?” He pressed his chest against hers, not missing her sharp intake of breath. Oh yeah, she wanted him.
“No.” Her eyes darted around the room, seeking an escape, even as her body pressed back against his.
He didn’t know if that was the answer to his question or warning him off. “So, if I touched you between your legs, you wouldn’t be wet right now?”
Sirens of epic proportion went off in his head, warning him he was in dangerous territory and should retreat, but he was bound and determined to prove she wanted him, despite the danger.
“No, I’m not,” she said evenly.
She was lying again. She was panting; he could feel her increase in heart rate in her wrist. All the signs were there. He debated testing for himself but common sense finally won out. Whether she wanted him or not, nothing was going to happen between them.Vincepushed off of her and took several steps back. He placed his hands in the front pockets of his pants to keep his hands off of her as well as hide his boner.
Fiona stayed against the wall, her gaze looking around the house, anywhere but at him. He had frightened her. He had tried bullying her into admitting she wanted him. For what? Itdidn’tchange anything. She wasn’t for him. It was time he started remembering that. “You should eat something,” he said before grabbing his duffel and marching upstairs. It was the wisest thing to do. Retreat.
Only when he was in the bedroom and had the door locked did he relax. His boner was still there and prominent, but he ignored it. He needed to formulate a plan to keep Fiona safe, find her stalker, and not try and fuck her. The first two seemed easier than the last, but he was up for the challenge. Yes, they were alone in the house together, but thatdidn’tmean they always had to be in the same room.
Chapter 9
Fiona didn’t see Vincent for the rest of the day. She told herself it didn’t matter, but it still hurt. After what he said this morning, she foolishly thought they could start over. A fresh start. His words from years ago no longer hurt as much as they had, now that she knew he hadn’t meant them. It had eased the sting of his words. She had made lunch like he suggested, well, more ordered, but she’d let it slide this once.
She had made him a sandwich as a peace offering but when she called up to him, he ignored her. His door was even locked—she checked. When he still didn’t emerge by dinner, she knew shewouldn’tbe seeing him the rest of the night. Vincent obviouslywasn’tready to let the past go or he was avoiding her.
Some protector he was turning out to be. Her stalker could break into Joaquín’shome and kidnap her and where would her protector be? Locked in his room like an errant child. That was his problem. She didn’t need some guard dog protecting her every second of the day anyway. She had made it all the way out here to Texas on her own and survived. But now she was bored.
