Page 61 of Wild For You

I nod. “With no results whatsoever. Then you came along. After one session, something changed. I felt different. Stronger. I want to continue, but only on my terms.”

She grins. “Of course. Your ego wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“And I still want to fuck you. Nothing’s going to change about that.”

Her breath hitches.

Quickly, I add. “Not that I expect it. But I want to. And I want you to call the shots. You tell me where and when and I’ll be there.”

Her eyes narrow. “So, if I ask you to do therapy twice a day, you’ll do it?”

“Without a single complaint.”

“You better mean it, Mr. Boyd.” In spite of the hard edge to her tone, her eyes remain surprisingly warm. “Because I’m sick of your antics. I’m sick of you hiding. And just so we’re clear, I know where you’ve been hiding. That secret room of yours isn’t a secret anymore.”

I regard her, both relieved that she’s staying, and amused at the fact that the woman always seems to know how to put me in my place. “How did you find out?”

“I won’t say.”

I heave an exasperated sigh. “Now I’ll have to kill Josh, which isn’t going to be hard given that I don’t even like him.”

Her brows shoot up. “Who says something like that? He’s family.”

“Do you have a big family like mine, Erin? Like so big you could probably fill a small village?” I ask, not waiting for her answer. “See, I don’t think you do. You only have a sister. Three cousins. Two aunts. One uncle. Lucky you. Nobody’s ever bothering you.”

“How—” She turns bright red, her beautiful eyes ablaze again. “You’ve been spying on me.”

“No.” I draw out the word. “I’ve only done a background check into you and your family. Given that you were a stranger who basically moved in without my consent, I guess that was to be expected.”

“What else did you find out?” she asks warily.

“That you really love your work.”

She juts out her chin with pride. “Damn right I do.”

“Look.” I take a step closer to her. “I’m sorry I was a jerk. I did want you to leave in the first few days, which is why I looked into your background. I thought there might be something I could use against you. But at some point, things changed. I got to know you, and I realized you weren’t really so bad.”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “Wow, Cash. Your apology sucks. It’s even worse than the first one.”

“But you’re accepting it and we get to make a fresh start. Yes?”

“You leave me no choice, because let’s face it. I could have been killed in your front yard. The next time you save me, you better run and fast.” Her face remains expressionless, but her lips are twitching.

I laugh and wrap my arms around her waist, drawing her close to my chest. She puts up a fight, but it’s a feeble attempt—one that’s enticing me even more.

My lips find hers when the sound of an approaching car carries through the open window, the gravel crunching beneath the tires as the driver hits the brake. I release my grip on Erin and peer out at my father.

An instant later, the door slams open. “Where is she?”

“Come on in,” I call out to him. I’m in such a good mood, not even my pestering family can ruin my moment.

“We are in the living room,” Erin says needlessly.

“What happened?” Dad’s voice reaches us a moment before he appears in the doorway, sporting his usual worry lines. “The shed looks totaled.”

“I lost control over the tractor,” I lie. “Couldn’t hit the brakes on time.”

Erin shakes her head. “No, Cash. Don’t do that. I don’t want you to lie.” She turns to face my father. “It was me. We had a fight and I wanted to get away.”

Dad’s gaze shifts from Erin to me and then back to Erin. I can almost see his mind working, probably picturing the scenario before his eyes.

Which is kind of funny.

“You do realize we’re grown-ups, right? We don’t need to explain anything.” I don’t even know who I’m addressing.

Dad’s gaze narrows. That’s when I realize my hand’s still glued to Erin’s lower back and she’s standing too close to me. She glances at me, guilt written all over her face.

So, the woman isn’t just hell-bent on revealing every detail that doesn’t even concern my father. She’s also an open book.

“Outside,” Dad bellows. “And wipe that lipstick off your mouth, son. The shade doesn’t suit you.”

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