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“Bit late for that.”
“Jesus.” She struggles to free her wrists. “Does that thing ever go down?”
“Apparently not, when you’re around.”
She can’t get her wrists free, and glares up at me. “Is this your way of making a single woman feel safe?”
I study her mouth, which is free of lipstick. Her lips are a light pinky-brown with an attractive Cupid’s bow.
“Don’t you dare,” she says.
I lift my gaze back to hers, amused. “Is it true that you practice free love at the commune?”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“I can see the appeal.”
“I bet you can. I bet you practice it all the time. Spreading your seed around Auckland like it’s oats and barley.”
“Oats and barley? Where are you from, medieval England?”
“Deny it.”
“I do deny it. I’m a serial monogamist. I don’t sleep around.”
“Yeah, right,” she scoffs.
“I don’t.” I look at her mouth again. “I don’t kiss just anyone.”
Her lips part, but no words come out.
I look back at her eyes again, and we study each other for a long, long time.
The loud call of a tui bird directly above us jolts me out of my reverie. What the hell am I doing? What if someone were to come along the path and see us?
I blink, then release her wrists and push up to my feet. I extend her a hand, and she takes it and lets me pull her up.
We brush ourselves down, clear our throats, then continue along the path heading east.
“Lovely day,” she says.
“Yes, although I think they’ve promised rain later.”
“It’s been dry for a long time. I think the ground needs it.”
“Absolutely.”
As if I wasn’t kneeling between her legs thirty seconds ago, pinning her down and wondering whether to kiss her.
What on earth am I doing? Scarlett Stone is the absolute last girl I should get involved with. She is the polar opposite to me. She hates my way of life, and disagrees with every single principle by which I stand.
“Do you really believe everyone is born equal?” I ask, puzzled.
She gives me an amused look. “Of course.”
“You can’t really believe that, surely?”
“We’re all blank canvases at birth. It’s our opportunities and experiences that influence the person we become.”