one’s ever bothered to look close enough.”
He froze before sitting on the edge of the bed, the mattress creaking from his weight.
“There we go, that’s a start,” she said encouragingly.
“Now what?”
“Now we both lie back on your pillows, get under the blankets.”
“What about shoes?”
“Right. Shoes. Very practical. Glad one of us handles the details. See? This is what makes me a terrible Virgo.”
“You nervous?” He slowly undid the zipper to her ankle boot, easing it off, giving her toes a squeeze before proceeding to the next boot. Her stomach muscles clenched. This guy would give amazing foot rubs; she knew it.
“A little, but in a good way.”
He considered her. “You’re strange.”
“And you are terrible at giving compliments.”
He chuckled at that, tossing her boots on the floor and pulling back the blankets, tucking her in.
“Aren’t you getting in too?”
“For my sanity, I’d rather have this as a barrier.” He tugged on the thick comforter, “Otherwise, I’ll never fall asleep.”
“Am I that hard to resist?” She battedher lashes with a faux-seductive voice.
“Woman, you drive me crazy.” But he sounded happy or at least not angry, which was a change. And for not being a cuddler, he had an excellent way of putting his arm around the hollow of her waist and spooning her against him. Was the rumbling sound the blood still racing through her veins, or even his veins?
“What is that noise?” she asked.
“The falls. Castle Falls.”
“You live that close to them?”
He gave a single nod.
“Will you take me to see them?”
He smoothed back her hair. “How about tomorrow?”
The warmth of his suggestion cooled under a dose of reality. “Tomorrow I have to do something, but soon.”
“It’s a date.”
Something about the way he said the word made her thighs clench. “A date?” She turned andtraced a small circle on the end of his nose. “I’d like that.”
“You would?” He pretended to bite her finger.
She cupped his cheek and kissed the tip of his nose. “Don’t sound so shocked that a person might like you, Wilder Kane.”
Chapter Nine
W ILDER COULDN ’ T SLEE P . Quinn gave another cute little sigh but he couldn’t drift away with the prosthetic on. He needed to take it and the stump’s shrinker sock off. If she glimpsed his body, she would pity him. He’d faced enough—no point breaking the last spindly straw of his pride. As much as he hated leaving her, it was better if he crashed in the guest room. Thatway he could set his alarm early, be showered and dressed before she woke. Before she could see.
He pulled away, jaw clenching as she let out an unconscious whimper of protest. How many people had ever missed him when he’d left their beds? No one. That had always been his goal with women. Use them and let them use him in turn. A physical release was fine. Emotions? Hell no.
He sat and,in the distance, the waterfall laughed. Go ahead, let the water have its fucking snigger. It wasn’t as if it would get to run wild and free to the ocean. Soon it would be rerouted, sucked into some aqueduct to feed the insatiable, thirsty millions in Southern California. In a week this water would be irrigating a rich man’s putting green, then who’d be laughing?
He scrubbed his face.
Is this how hermit madness began? Talking to inanimate objects?
He fumbled for his cane, wincing as it scraped the floorboards, but Quinn must be a sound sleeper. A good thing because it wasn’t as if he could tiptoe. At first he’d balked at the idea of a two-bedroom cottage, thought one room would suit him plenty. He didn’t plan on having company and didn’t want to give Archer or Sawyer anyexcuse to stick around and play nursemaid.
But it came in useful tonight.
He got to the spare room, turned on the lamp and stripped off his sweater, t-shirt, and jeans. His cock poked like a hard and insistent bastard against his boxer briefs but he wasn’t
He froze before sitting on the edge of the bed, the mattress creaking from his weight.
“There we go, that’s a start,” she said encouragingly.
“Now what?”
“Now we both lie back on your pillows, get under the blankets.”
“What about shoes?”
“Right. Shoes. Very practical. Glad one of us handles the details. See? This is what makes me a terrible Virgo.”
“You nervous?” He slowly undid the zipper to her ankle boot, easing it off, giving her toes a squeeze before proceeding to the next boot. Her stomach muscles clenched. This guy would give amazing foot rubs; she knew it.
“A little, but in a good way.”
He considered her. “You’re strange.”
“And you are terrible at giving compliments.”
He chuckled at that, tossing her boots on the floor and pulling back the blankets, tucking her in.
“Aren’t you getting in too?”
“For my sanity, I’d rather have this as a barrier.” He tugged on the thick comforter, “Otherwise, I’ll never fall asleep.”
“Am I that hard to resist?” She battedher lashes with a faux-seductive voice.
“Woman, you drive me crazy.” But he sounded happy or at least not angry, which was a change. And for not being a cuddler, he had an excellent way of putting his arm around the hollow of her waist and spooning her against him. Was the rumbling sound the blood still racing through her veins, or even his veins?
“What is that noise?” she asked.
“The falls. Castle Falls.”
“You live that close to them?”
He gave a single nod.
“Will you take me to see them?”
He smoothed back her hair. “How about tomorrow?”
The warmth of his suggestion cooled under a dose of reality. “Tomorrow I have to do something, but soon.”
“It’s a date.”
Something about the way he said the word made her thighs clench. “A date?” She turned andtraced a small circle on the end of his nose. “I’d like that.”
“You would?” He pretended to bite her finger.
She cupped his cheek and kissed the tip of his nose. “Don’t sound so shocked that a person might like you, Wilder Kane.”
Chapter Nine
W ILDER COULDN ’ T SLEE P . Quinn gave another cute little sigh but he couldn’t drift away with the prosthetic on. He needed to take it and the stump’s shrinker sock off. If she glimpsed his body, she would pity him. He’d faced enough—no point breaking the last spindly straw of his pride. As much as he hated leaving her, it was better if he crashed in the guest room. Thatway he could set his alarm early, be showered and dressed before she woke. Before she could see.
He pulled away, jaw clenching as she let out an unconscious whimper of protest. How many people had ever missed him when he’d left their beds? No one. That had always been his goal with women. Use them and let them use him in turn. A physical release was fine. Emotions? Hell no.
He sat and,in the distance, the waterfall laughed. Go ahead, let the water have its fucking snigger. It wasn’t as if it would get to run wild and free to the ocean. Soon it would be rerouted, sucked into some aqueduct to feed the insatiable, thirsty millions in Southern California. In a week this water would be irrigating a rich man’s putting green, then who’d be laughing?
He scrubbed his face.
Is this how hermit madness began? Talking to inanimate objects?
He fumbled for his cane, wincing as it scraped the floorboards, but Quinn must be a sound sleeper. A good thing because it wasn’t as if he could tiptoe. At first he’d balked at the idea of a two-bedroom cottage, thought one room would suit him plenty. He didn’t plan on having company and didn’t want to give Archer or Sawyer anyexcuse to stick around and play nursemaid.
But it came in useful tonight.
He got to the spare room, turned on the lamp and stripped off his sweater, t-shirt, and jeans. His cock poked like a hard and insistent bastard against his boxer briefs but he wasn’t
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