A warm buzz blew through her veins, and she trembled despite her determination to kick his ass into submission.
She moved forward again, getting into his face until they were nose to nose. “You’re going to listen to me, Sawyer. We’re going to talk about this. If you refuse, I’m gone.”
He blinked, and then his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “I don’t do ultimatums, Reggie.”
Never make a threat you’re not willing to carry out. It was a concept solidly ingrained from years of living with a father who was more bluster and hot air than flesh and blood.
Without a word, she backed off the bed, turned around and stalked out the door. Her hands shook, but this was too important. It wasn’t a bluff. How the hell could she stay here and try to make this work if he wasn’t willing to let down his guard around her?
She wasn’t taking this kind of shit from Hutch, and she sure as hell wouldn’t take it from Sawyer. Dramatic? Yeah and she almost felt guilty because this so wasn’t her style. Well, apart from the stomping off. But making idle threats or playing stupid mind games wasn’t her deal.
But Sawyer wasn’t someone you could calmly approach. He took drastic measures because he was every bit as pigheaded as she was. Probably more so.
She stalked into her room, threw the few changes of clothes into a duffel bag and started for the door. Still no sign of Sawyer. With a sigh, she thumped down the stairs. She was more than willing to leave and let Sawyer try and explain to Cam and Hutch why she wasn’t there.
She gripped the front door handle, and Sawyer still hadn’t left his room. She knew because the house hadn’t shook yet with the force of a slamming door. Maybe that could be her exit, but then she didn’t want to wake Hutch and Cam.
She walked outside and down the steps toward her RAV4. Her hand was on the door handle when she heard something that sounded remarkably like a bellowing bull. She barely had time to suppress her grin when she was lifted into the air and thrown over one bulky shoulder.
Sawyer stomped up the steps with her swinging behind him, her nose bumping his ass the whole way. He slammed the door behind him, and she winced. So much for not waking the guys up.
He looped an arm over her ass and then tossed her onto the couch. She landed with a thump, momentarily winded. Sawyer stood over her, a dark scowl on his face.
“What the fuck, Reggie? Since when do you pull shit like this?”
She raised her left eyebrow. “Excuse me? I’m not the one acting like an ass here. You haul me around like that again and I’ll arrest you for assaulting a police officer.”
He bent down, placed his hands on either side of her legs and got into her face.
“Arrest me then,” he snarled.
She glared at him, and he glared back. Then she smacked her hands against his face with a little more force than necessary and yanked him to meet her kiss.
Hot and hungry. She was so hungry for him.
He kissed her back just as hard, just as forcefully. He leaned her back until she hit the cushion, and he pressed her against the back of the couch.
Then he pulled away and stared at her with fierce determination. “You’re not going anywhere.”
No, she wasn’t, but he didn’t have to know that.
“If you don’t talk to me, Sawyer, I’m going. I won’t stay here with you putting a foot of distance between us at every turn.”
He ducked his head away from her and swore. Crude words even for him. She raised her eyebrows.
“Goddamn, Reggie. What do you want from me?” he said after his cursing streak was over.
“Everything,” she said with no hesitation. She didn’t wait for him to put her off again. She cupped his face with her hand and rubbed her thumb over the stiff bristle of his goatee. “He was wrong, Sawyer. Hutch was way out of line. He had no right to say the things he said. You know it, and I know it. He knows it.”
Uncertainty flickered in his eyes. “He wasn’t wrong,” he said quietly. “I had no right to treat you like that, Reggie. Like some cheap lay out for kinky thrills.”
She dropped her hand from his face, crossed her arms over her chest and adopted a look of outrage. “Did you just fucking call me a cheap lay?”
He swore again. His jaw was wound so tight he was going to break his teeth. “You know goddamn well that’s not what I was saying!”
She smirked up at him, knowing she was about to push him right over the edge. Something had to give. Might as well be his tight ass.
“So you’re saying that me wanting kinky thrills doesn’t make me a cheap lay?”
