Page 34 of Hush Darling

She shoved an arm into his neck and turned her face away. “Peter, wait.”

“Why?” He unzipped his pants.

“Hold on!” She scrambled back the moment she felt the heat and weight of his arousal against her bare thigh. “P-put that away.”

He frowned and sat back, stroking himself almost performatively. “Why?”

“Because we’re moving too fast.”

“Who says?”

“I do, for one.”

He rolled his eyes. “I thought you wanted to have fun.”

“I do. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to have sex with you.”

He laughed dryly as if stunned. “Wendy, I thought I made it clear that I intend to fuck you.”

The crude shift in his language diminished her arousal, and she scowled. “Well, you don’t always get what you want.”

He laughed again. “Uh, yeah, I do.”

“Not with me.”

He paused as if this were the first time he heard the word no. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” She shoved down her shirt. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

She wasn’t sure when her mind had changed, but sometime in the course of the last few hours, it became abundantly clear that Peter was the love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. She didn’t need a betrothal, but she certainly needed to feel like more than an impulse that would likely be forgotten the moment he finished.

He rolled his eyes as if his judgment could further cave her will. That sort of manipulation might work with other women, but for her, it only further detracted from his attractiveness. She crossed her arms over her chest and met his challenging stare with an unbudging one of her own.

He climbed off the bed and put on his shirt. “Whatever.”

Uncertainty nipped at her courage when he opened the door. “Where are you going?”

“Out. If you’re not going to fuck me, I’ll find someone who will.”

Her jaw went slack, and he left her in the empty room. Her shock might have made her cry if she weren’t so furious. He was going out to fuck another woman? While she was still here?

She should be grateful she was learning who he really was before things went too far, but somehow, his rejection still caused an ache in her chest. What if she was making an enemy of an ally she needed? She was still at his mercy and reliant on his cooperation to get home.

She scowled, her inner turmoil jerking her thoughts about in an infuriating manner. What sort of gentleman behaved in such a way to his guest? Peter was no gentleman at all. He was a scoundrel and a spoiled whore.

Her resistance hardened like armor as she climbed off the bed. “Think you can bully me?” she grumbled, smoothing out her hair. “Let’s see you find someone else while I’m here. I think you’re all talk, Mr. Pangbourne.”

Straightening her shoulders, she went to find the Lost Boys. Peter had a jealous side, and if he wanted to play games, she could play too.

Chapter 7

All Children, Except One, Grow Up

Wendy was still in a temper when she returned to the kitchen. Lifting the metal lid off the soup, she set it down noisily, enunciating her mood. “Cassian, taste this.”

Cass rushed over to the stove, happy to be of assistance.

She held out the spoon, cupping her hand underneath. “Careful. It’s hot.”