Page 64 of Renard's Deliverance

“It’s fucking not,” he said hotly.

“You are so freaking confusing!” She burst out. “Just say it.”

“Want you to be mine for however long this works out. Which might be weeks, might be months, or a bit longer. But I can’t promise forever or an extra rocker on the front porch.”

Ahh.

Okay, she was starting to get it. And while some women might get mad at what he was saying, she wasn’t one of those women.

Because she understood. And she appreciated the honesty.

“Nobody can promise tomorrow, not even God,” she said. “Not in my view, anyway.”

“You’re not mad?” he asked, sounding surprised.

“No. I really do understand. You want something more than friendship, more than sex, but you’re not talking a white dress and forever.”

Sure, there was a part of her that couldn’t help but feel like she was never going to get that white dress and forever.

But maybe that was the way her life was meant to be.

Perhaps she wasn’t destined for forever.

Because she didn’t really deserve it.

She got it.

And she wasn’t mad.

So why didn’t he feel happier about that?

Maybe because you can see Opal sitting on a rocker next to you on that front porch and you like it.

Fuck.

What was wrong with him? He opened his mouth to try to add more. To tell her that maybe that extra rocker was a possibility but then he shut his mouth again.

If there was one thing he hated, well, let’s face it, there were a lot of things he hated, but one thing he really, really hated was wishy-washy people. And he wasn’t about to be one of those people. It didn’t matter that she seemed to turn his brain to mush.

He wasn’t going to go back on what he’d just said.

“Well?” he asked. “What do you think?”

“I have to give you an answer right now?” she asked, sounding amused.

“Like I told you before, Gem, I’m not getting any fucking younger.”

She snorted. “Neither am I, darlin’.”

“So? You got an answer?”

“Yeah. My answer is that I really want to kiss you, but turning that way is likely to hurt my back and then there’s a possibility that I might cry because I’m in a whole lot of pain right now. So I’m just gonna say it. I’d like to date you, to kiss you, to fuck you when I don’t feel like my muscles are on fire, and perhaps even scene with you.”

Leaning over, he cupped the side of her face and turned her head toward him. Then he kissed her. He kept it light and quick.

But it was really fucking hard to pull back because she tasted like sugar and spice and he really wanted more.

“Fuck, baby, your lips are delicious.”

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