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"You sure about that? Because it's not only the farm you have to worry about. Some seasons there's wild animals in these parts—wild men too." His gaze bores into my eyes, making me feel uncomfortable. "I know you know what I'm talking about."
I swallow. "Yes, but I'm still not willing to sell."
His eyebrows wrinkle a little, and a barely noticeable trace of annoyance skitters across his expression for one moment before he's back in control again, smiling as widely as ever. "Fair enough my dear. But I hope you know that I'm trying to help you here and save you a lot of pain down the line. If you take the deal, I can even?—"
"Did you not hear her tell you that she doesn't want to sell?" A new voice from the front door interrupts the conversation. As the door opens wider, Victor Sinclair and I turn in unison to find Reed standing there. His eyes glitter menacingly as they rest on Sinclair, and he doesn't shift his gaze for even a second. I notice Sinclair's body tense, and something resembling hatred flashes in his eyes.
The two men don't like each other. That much is clear.
Before I can ponder why, Reed walks completely in and says, "You heard her. Get lost, Sinclair."
Sinclair's eyes narrow. "I don't believe that's your call to make, friend."
"I'm not your friend, and I'm making it my call." He smiles, but there's no trace of good humor in it. "Careful, old man. I'm not afraid to get down and dirty with an elder, you feel me?"
Sinclair practically bristles, the expression in his eyes shooting daggers at Reed. Finally, he turns and faces me again, with a smile that's a little too tight around the corners. "You know what, I think I'll come by later when you have less odious company."
"Oh no, you don't have to leave." I wanted to ask him questions about running a farm. He obviously knows a lot about it.
"I think I should." He nods once. "I'll see you around, Hailey."
"Sure. See you around, Mr. Sinclair. And thanks for the help with the groceries."
He tips his hat again in old-fashioned courtesy, and glares at Reed as he pushes past him.
"Why did you do that?" I ask Reed who saunters into the kitchen as if he owns the place now the older man has departed.
"Do what?"
"Run him off like that?"
"Oh. I thought you wanted him gone."
"No, I was having a conversation with him. A conversation you rudely interrupted."
He shrugs. "Well, I'm not sorry about it."
I narrow my eyes. Now he's showing his inner asshole too. "Listen, Reed, if we're going to be friends or whatever, there are a few things you need to know about me. And the first thing is that you don't get to tell me what to do."
CHAPTER 8
Reed
Ican't prevent a smile from spreading across my face as I listen to her ticking me off. Her eyes spark with anger like a short circuit in an electrical wiring system. Her nostrils flare delightfully, her soft lips move in an entrancing way, her hands gesticulate expressively, yet still delicately, and those magnetic eyes captivate and hypnotize me like she's a cobra and I'm her prey.
I don't know what it is about this woman. It's not like I can pick her features apart and tell you exactly what it is about her I find so irresistible. Yes, she has a wonderfully slender, firm, and yet fully rounded and feminine figure, and yes, her legs are long and athletic, ending at the cutest, most spankable ass imaginable… but I've seen better. Probably. Yes, I've always loved girls with cute freckles, and yes, her golden hair glows in the sunlight as it falls in curly ringlets all the way to her shoulders, and sways seductively from side to side as she tosses her head in anger and contempt, leaving me having to fight the impulse to use it to pull her in towards me for a kiss.
She's definitely gorgeous, but it isn't only that. There's something intrinsicallyherthat goes well beyond the physical. Something emotional—almost spiritual even—that draws me toher like a moth to a flame. It's more than lust. It's something much deeper, much stronger. If I didn't know myself better, I might almost say I'm changing. A woman like this even has me considering that—just maybe—I don't want to spend the rest of my life flitting from one casual, ultimately meaningless relationship to the next.
Lennon's been right all along.
What I need isn't just a woman, but a partner. Someone I can build something real with. Someone to share memories with.
But then I remember my parents—how their so-called 'love' turned to bitterness and destroyed them both. How it shattered my brother.
How it nearly shattered me.
No. That's not something I'm willing to risk. Not now. Not ever.