Page 62 of Fire Fight

“Aspen…”

“No,” I said, backing away from him, down the hall and toward the guest room. I could feel the walls closing in around me, suffocating me. I thought Crew had been doing me a favor by giving me a place to stay, and that he understood the kind of woman I was—the kind who could stand on her own two feet. But maybe I’d been wrong.

Him standing in my way now combined with the email had my hackles raised, and the urge torunflooded every one of my senses until I could barely think or breathe around the desire. “You don’t get to make those kinds of decisions for me. You don’t get to makeanydecisions for me. Maybe this was a bad idea.”

Crew frowned, the corners of his mouth turned down, bottom lip jutting out slightly.

The expression shouldn’t have been sexy, but I’d be damned if I didn’t want to pull that lip between my teeth, or feel that mouth glide across my skin.

What a conundrum I’d found myself in. Unwilling and,honestly, unable to let this man care for me how he wanted, yet wanting to rip his clothes off and ride him into the sunset every time I looked at him.

The duality of women, ladies and gents.

I really needed to find a fucking therapist.

“What was a bad idea, Aspen?”

“Me moving in here. Maybe I should go.”

Without another word, I retreated into my room, though I didn’t bother to shut the door, knowing he’d follow me. This was his house, after all.

Before I could get too deep inside, he caught my wrist and jerked me back, spinning me to face him and pinning me against the nearest wall.

Like two puzzle pieces slotting together, our bodies aligned perfectly, his thigh parting my legs, the tips of my breasts brushing his upper abdomen, right below those juicy pecs. His hands came up to rest on either side of me, completely caging me in.

Fuck, I liked it.

Loved it, in fact.

Loved the heat flaring in his eyes, turning them the ice blue of a white hot flame. Loved the way his jaw muscles fluttered as he ground his teeth together, his entire body vibrating with the final shreds of his self-control.

I knew because I felt it. Not because of his rapid breathing or pulse jumping at the base of his strong, sexy neck, but because I felt the same.

There was a bedrightthere.

I wanted to give in to this push and pull, and I was confident he did as well. But that was a terrible idea for so many reasons. We both knew that.

Still, he seemed content to play with fire, because he leaned closer, the tip of his nose brushing against my hair as he brought his mouth to my ear.

“You’re not leaving.”

“You can’t stop me,” I said on a breathy exhale.

“Fucking watch me, Aspen.”

“What’re you going to do, tie me up? Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it.”

Crew wasn’t cowed by the reminder of what I’d endured. And god, I appreciated that so much, was deeply pleased by the fact that he didn’t treat me like I was a victim. That he didn’t act like I was made of glass and could easily break at any moment.

The dichotomy between him wanting to take care of me and knowing I could take care of myself made my head spin—much like his proximity.

He bent closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, as he said, “Only if you ask nicely.”

An entirely different kind of shiver raced down my spine, and I sucked in a breath that had him chuckling darkly.

“Pass.”

I barely managed to choke out the word, and it tasted thirty different types ofwrong. We both knew under the right circumstances, I’d climb this man like a fucking tree. If I molded our bodies tighter together, Crew would take that as the invitation it would be. I’d find myself naked and on my back in seconds.