Page 55 of Dustwalker

“That’s a piece of furniture designed specifically to be sat upon.”

“So?”

“That”—he gestured at the table—“is not.”

Flattening her palms on the tabletop to either side, Lara bounced her ass and wriggled her hips, settling down. “Works just fine for me. Benefit of being human, I guess. You’d break it if you sat on it.”

“What does that have to do with it not being intended for sitting on?”

“Nothing. I can do whatever the hell I want.”

His eyes widened, just a tiny bit, and he dropped his hand to his side. Time crept past. Distantly, the buzz of the bots working in the park faded into the silence.

“Can you?” he finally asked.

“Can’t you?”

Ronin frowned.

Had she gone too far? He hadn’t touched her yet, but she’d seen him moving his fingers as though he wanted to more than once. Bots did what they said, and he’d said he wouldn’t…

But Ronin wasn’t like other bots.

Lara forced that thought aside before it could lead her back to the dream.

“I can, but I limit my actions by considering the potential consequences. For example…” He crossed the room toward her, boots thumping on the wooden floor.

Iknewthat bastard sneaks around on purpose.

He stopped beside the table.

This would be it. He’d grab hold of her and make herhate bots all over again because she’d sat on his fucking table. But that was what she wanted, right? To have her hate back, to end her conflicting emotions?

Lara looked up at him. “What are?—”

Before she could finish, he grasped the edge of the table with one hand and tipped it up. Her stomach lurched as she was lifted. She pushed away from the table and, somehow, got her feet beneath her before she could tumble to the floor.

She spun to face him. “What the hell did you do that for?”

He eased the table back onto its legs. “Because I can do whatever the hell I want.”

“Oh, you wanna play it thatway, huh?” With her fists balled at her sides, she stalked across the room and stopped beside the chair. She turned, met his gaze, and kicked the chair over. The sound of it hitting the floor was thunderous in the relative quiet.

Ronin didn’t flinch, didn’t blink. He simply stared.“Do you feel better now?”

She hated the genuine curiosity in his voice.“I’m bored.”

“I would appreciate it if, in the future, you tell me such things sooner. I’d rather spare the furniture undue abuse, when possible.”

“I’m sure the chair will survive.”

“How do we relieve your boredom?”

The image of his hand under her shirt, slowly sliding up to her breasts, blasted to the forefront of Lara’s mind. She forced it away as quickly as it had come.

“I don’t know.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I just needsomethingto do. I’m used to scavenging during the day or helping the neighbors with repairs. Not just…sitting around.”

“Is it more bearable if you stand?”