CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX

As a familiar female stepped out of the coffeehouse up ahead, Tate’s cat bared a fang and sat up straight. Wearing a deer in the headlights look, Ashlynn froze. Tate had heard she’d returned last night, but this was the first he’d seen of her. If she was anyone else, he’d have paid her a brief visit to welcome her back to the pride, but she’d have sensed that the welcome was false—there seemed no point in insulting either his intelligence or hers.

She’d changed a little since he last saw her. She’d dyed her reddish-brown hair a bright blonde; it used to hang down her back but was now styled in a blunt bob. She was slimmer. More toned. Carried herself with more confidence. The piercings in her eyebrow and lower lip were a surprise, and both suited her.

She made a pretty picture, but his body didn’t react whatsoever—not even to the alpha vibes she exuded. As Tate stared back at her, the only thing he felt was regret that he’d taken a chance on someone whose feelings for him had been fickle at best.

Tate sensed Luke and Farrell go on high alert behind him, ready to intervene at the slightest signal.

She swallowed and tried for a smile. “Hi, Tate.”

He gave her a nod. “Ashlynn.”

She said a quick hi to both Luke and Farrell, but neither responded. As her gaze slid back to Tate, her tongue flicked out to touch her lip ring. “How are you?”

“Good. You?”

“Better now that I’m home. I missed this place. Missed everyone. Congratulations on ascending to the Alpha position, by the way. I’m pleased for you.”

He inclined his head slightly. Forcing himself to be diplomatic, he said, “I’m sure you’ll settle in fine. If you have any issues, contact Luke.” As Beta, his brother was the pride’s go-to person when it came to minor problems.

“Wait,” she said when Tate started to walk away. “I was planning to come see you at some point today. Um, I’d like to talk to you.”

“About?”

“Not pride business. This is personal. Maybe we could have dinner later? There are things I’d like to say. Things I didn’t get a chance to say after … what happened.”

“We said all that needed to be said the night before you left.”

She shot him a pained look. “I didn’t want to leave. My mother said it would be best to give you some time. I knew I’d messed up and that you needed space. I still kept in touch. Or I tried to. You blocked my number and email address, you blocked me on social media, and you returned all my letters without even opening them.”

“I didn’t want them.”

“I got that message.” Sadness glimmered in her eyes. “I really am sorry, Tate. Sorry about everything. Sorry for letting you down and hurting you.”

Letting him down? That was something of an understatement, but whatever. “You already apologized. Twice, actually.” He’d gotten his first apology in the same breath that she announced they were over. He’d gotten another the night she begged him to take her back.

She licked her lips. “I regret that things didn’t work out between us.”

He shrugged. “It just wasn’t meant to be.” Tate looked beyond her and caught sight of Havana heading to the grocery store with Aspen. His pulse jumped, and his cat went from irritated to keyed-up in an instant.

As if she felt Tate’s stare, Havana paused in the shop doorway and glanced around. Yeah, that was his girl—alert as any apex predator. Their gazes locked, and he’d swear his heart squeezed. Her eyes gleamed with … something. Something that made his cat purr. But then she looked from him to Ashlynn, her expression closed down, and she headed into the store with Aspen.

“Is everything okay?” Ashlynn followed his gaze.

An odd elemental urge to hunt and track began to beat in his blood. “I’ve got to go,” he told Ashlynn, his gaze still on the shop.

“Could we maybe have that dinner I mentioned later today? There are things you need to know. How about we meet at the Steakhouse?”

She was truly living in a fictional world if she thought they were going to strike up some sort of friendship. “I’m not interested in having dinner with you. I’m not interested in talking with you about the past. I’m not interested in us being friends or hanging out.”

“Please, Tate, one dinner. It’s important. I gave you the space and time you evidently needed. Now I’m back.”

“Yeah, you are. But I don’t see how that has anything to do with me on a personal level. I’m your Alpha; you’re a member of my pride—that’s it.”

“You won’t make time for a woman you partially imprinted on?”

He felt his brows snap together. “You and I didn’t imprint on each other at the fuck all.” Thin threads of the bond had once existed in the air between them, connecting them in a small way, but those threads had never formed something. It was the difference between a roll of cotton and a T-shirt. The roll carried the potential to become something. The tee was a creation, formed from an endless amount of threads. “There was no bond. Only the potential of it. You know that. And now I really need to go.”

“One dinner, Tate.”

“Jesus, Ashlynn, let it go. It’s not gonna happen.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is this because of that devil shifter you’re fucking?” she asked, a sneer in his voice.

His cat rumbled a growl. “Careful, Ashlynn,” warned Tate, his voice coated in a silky menace.

“You used to call me Ash. You used to always have time for me.”

“Yeah, I made a lot of mistakes with you. I won’t make them again.” With that, he stalked off, the visceral urge to track Havana now beating faster in his blood. He didn’t question it. Just followed it, egged on by his cat. So Tate wasn’t at all pleased when a voice called out his name and delayed him.

Feeling Tate’s gaze boring into her back, Havana stepped into the grocery store, ignoring the petty jealousy swirling in her belly. Women tried to talk and flirt with him all the time, but she hadn’t let it bother her before because she’d known he had too much integrity to cheat or sleazily flirt back. But now that they were no longer seeing each other, there was no need for him to ignore any females who came onto him. And that bothered her far too much.

Of course, there was no saying that the mystery woman he was talking to outside was in fact making a move on him, but Havana’s jealous streak still didn’t like it. In fact, neither did her devil—she might not be feeling particularly warm to him right now, but she still didn’t like the thought of him with another.

Well, she and Havana would just have to learn how to deal with it, wouldn’t they? He’d inevitably find himself a new fuck-buddy at some point. And Havana would not wish all manner of diseases and allergies on the woman. Nope.

Havana grabbed a shopping cart while Aspen hooked a metal basket over her arm. There was a whooshing sound as the door behind them opened.

“Ah, Havana,” said a voice in a thick Russian accent as a woman sidled up to them. “I heard about your attack, I told my James we must visit you, but here you are. You are fine, yes?”

Havana smiled at Tate’s aunt, a female wolverine shifter who was mated to Vinnie’s brother. Full of sass and attitude and tenacity, Valentina Devereaux was beyond awesome. Havana totally wanted to be her. “I’m good, thanks.”

Valentina looked from her to Aspen. “This auction business sickens me.”

“Same here,” said the bearcat. “Although I hate that the bastards went after Havana, I’m glad they made a mistake.”

“It was indeed mistake to target Havana. Tate is furious. He will see that these people pay.”

Aspen stared at him through the window, her eyes narrowed. “Who’s that woman he’s talking to?”

Valentina’s face clouded with annoyance. “His ex, Ashlynn. Do not worry that she is back, Havana. She is no competition. He is done with her.”

Havana stilled. Wait, his ex was back? Her stomach sank.

Aspen’s eyes cut to Valentina. “What happened between them?”

“Ordinarily, I would say that it is Tate’s business and you must ask him. But he says little about her, and I do not want Havana worrying about it.” Valentina’s lips flattened. “I did not like that he took chance on Ashlynn. I sensed she pined for our old pride mate, Koby, who she claims is her true mate. But he had imprinted on another female, Gita. When Gita died, Ashlynn left Tate hoping she could finally have Koby. The imprinting threads snapped. It was very tough time for Tate.”

Hell. Havana’s heart literally ached for him right then. That woman out there had seriously put him through the ringer. “Did she mate with Koby?”

“No. He still did not want her. She asked Tate to take her back.”

Aspen gaped. “She had the downright gall to ask him that?”

“Oh yes,” confirmed Valentina. “When he rejected her, she left pride. No matter how much her family begged, she refused to come home. Cowardly, in my opinion. She is too weak to be natural-born alpha. I despise weakness. That was three years ago. Now, all of sudden, she has returned.”

Havana’s gut twisted. It was possible the skank had come back for Tate.

Havana looked out of the window just in time to see him sexily prowl toward the store with Luke and Farrell flanking him. But then the three males stopped as one of their pride mates jogged over to Tate. She also noticed that Ashlynn hadn’t moved from her spot and was watching him very closely. Such a pretty name for a hoe bag.

If she did want him back, if she managed to earn his forgiveness, he might well take her back if he still cared for her. Which would be none of Havana’s business, of course. He was free to do whatever he pleased with whoever he pleased. But, well, he deserved better. And Ashlynn deserved a punch in the tit. Both tits, even. A kick up the ass wouldn’t go amiss either.

Valentina sniffed in Ashlynn’s direction. “I blame her for how commitment shy he became.” She looked at Havana. “But he has kept you in his life for over four months now. I am very hopeful that this means good things. I adore Tate. I want him to be happy. If she tries to come between you and him, do not let her. You and Tate make good couple.”

Havana forced a wan smile. “Sorry to disappoint, but our fling is kind of over.”

“What? Do not tell me that foolish cat ended it.”

“He didn’t end it. I did.” Havana shrugged. “It wasn’t going anywhere, so I walked.”

“And he did not go after you?” Valentina made an exasperated sound. “That boy. He is like my son, Alex. Only learns his lessons hard way. Perhaps it is Devereaux trait that all males in family carry.” She cupped Havana’s cheek. “You keep chin up. He will see sense eventually. Tate is complex man, but not stupid. Now, I must go pass on a message to my pride mate. I will see you both again soon. Say hello to Bailey for me.”

As the wolverine hurried away, Havana began to walk down the aisle with Aspen at her side, feeling down and deflated. “I think I’ll get a pizza-to-go from here so that I don’t have to cook tonight.” She wasn’t in the mood to do anything other than veg out in front of the TV and stuff junk food down her throat.

“I’ll go order it for you before I pick up some things,” said Aspen. “Hey, did you know the full story about Tate’s ex?”

Havana shook her head. “He never spoke of her, and I never asked.”

“Maybe the reason he has such razor-sharp boundaries is that he’s trying to avoid ever triggering the imprinting process to start. I mean, if you felt the pain that came with the snapping of imprint threads, it’d make you reluctant to go down that road again, right?”

“Probably. But I really don’t want to talk about Tate or his ex or anything else that has the potential to give me indigestion. I just want to get this grocery shopping done so I can head home and pig out.”

“I’ll go to the pizza counter, place your order, and wait for it to cook. I’m guessing you want the usual toppings.”

“You guessed right, thanks.”

“No thanks needed.” Aspen disappeared.

Havana walked down several aisles, tossing various foods into the cart such as apples, oranges, bagels, cupcakes, potatoes, and meat trays. She liked shopping here. Unlike with human-owned stores, the fluorescent lighting wasn’t quite so bright, and the background music wasn’t loud, so the place was kinder to a shifter’s enhanced senses. There was no lessening the strength of the food smells, but she didn’t mind that; she liked inhaling the scents of cinnamon buns, fresh-baked bread, and citrus fruit.

Hearing her phone chime, she dug it out of her purse. Dieter. She blinked, surprised. Like Tate, he only contacted her when interested in hooking up. Huh. She answered, “Hello.”

“Fuck, Havana, I only just heard about what happened,” he burst out. “Why the hell didn’t you call me?”

Havana’s brows lifted. “Well, hello to you, too. Yes, it has been months since we last spoke. I’m doing great, thanks for asking.”

He snorted. “Like I’m going to bother my ass with small talk when you were almost kidnapped. Jesus, I got the shock of my life when I heard about it.”

“Yeah, the whole thing was quite a surprise for me, too.”

“You’re all right?”

“I’m fine. Really. What about you?”

“I was fine until I received that fucked-up news about you. I can’t believe you didn’t call me. We’ve been friends a while, Havana. You had to know I’d want to hear about this.”

She wouldn’t say they’d ever been actual friends. Just two people who were friendly and occasionally hooked up. He’d never been a shoulder for her to cry on. Never shared his dreams or goals with her. Never been at her side through tough times. Well, whatever. “How’re things with you and Tabitha?”

“They’re fine, but don’t think I’m letting you change the subject. If you have any more problems, if anything else happens, you pick up the phone and call me.”

She almost snapped her teeth. It was pretty freaking irritating that both he and Tate—two guys who didn’t want to make her a part of their lives—thought it reasonable to demand that she look to them for help. It was slightly different with Tate, considering she was officially under his protection, but still irritating.

“Dieter, you know better than to use that tone with me—it gets you nowhere.”

He growled. “I’m just asking that you call me if more shit goes down.”

“You’re not asking, you’re demanding. And I’m trying not to laugh because, yeah, you seem to think I’ll bow to your whim.”

“I just worry about you.”

“You can worry without laying down laws I’ll never follow.” She carefully lowered a crate of eggs into the cart, balancing it on a box of cereal. “Now I have to go. Take care.” Hands landed on the end of her cart. Her head snapped up. And she froze. Because right there was Tate, looking all delicious and sexy and self-possessed. He was also staring down at her, his eyes slightly narrowed.

“We’re not done,” Dieter insisted.

Oh, they were. “I’ll talk to you again soon.” Ignoring his protests, Havana rang off and returned her phone to her purse.

Her devil glared at Tate, her mood fouler than usual after seeing him with his ex. Havana might have been equally irritated if Valentina hadn’t relayed the whole story. Ashlynn really had screwed him over. It was impossible not to feel bad for him.

“Who is Dieter?” he asked, his tone even.

She curled her hands around the cart handle. “An … acquaintance of sorts, I guess you could say.”

“An acquaintance who knows you in the biblical sense?”

She thought about pointing out how that was absolutely not his business, but she’d just learned a fair bit of personal info about his past. She figured turnabout was fair play. “Yes.”

A muscle in Tate’s cheek ticked. “What did he want?”

“To know if I’m okay. What did your ex want?’”

Tate frowned. “Who told you about her?”

“A few of your pride mates mentioned her over the past few months. Valentina pointed her out just now. She was under the impression that you and I still had a ‘thing’ going on, so she explained about your ex, not wanting me to worry that the girl was competition. And you didn’t answer my question.”

“You haven’t really been answering mine properly lately, but I’ll tell you anyway. She wanted to apologize for how things went down three years ago and then asked if we could have dinner. I said no.”

“Have dinner?” Hmm, maybe Skank of the Century really was back for him.

“Yeah. She wants to talk. I don’t.”

Havana wasn’t entirely convinced he was as disinterested in Ashlynn as he sounded. They had serious history, after all. He had to be at least a little curiousto know what she had to say. “Okay. Now could you move, because I need to grab a few more things. Thank you,” she said when he released the cart. But he didn’t leave. He fell into step beside her as she pushed the cart round to the next aisle.

“What are you doing?” she asked him.

Glancing into her cart, he replied, “Wondering how hard it will be to convince you to share that chocolate trifle with me. We had fun with one of those once, didn’t we? It tasted better when I was eating it off you.”

She almost spluttered. This was not a conversation she wanted to have. And that was not a memory she wanted to revisit in the middle of a damn grocery store. “Don’t you have Alpha stuff to do?”

“If someone needs me for something, they know how to reach me.”

Alphas were often on call 24/7. It couldn’t be easy, but she doubted Tate would ever find it something to complain about. He was a man of action. He seemed to thrive on it.

“Now, about that trifle …”

“You’re not getting any of it,” she said. “You want one, buy your own.”

Aspen came into view, her basket full, holding a pizza box. “You done yet?”

“Almost. Just got to grab some milk.” Havana nearly ran over something with her cart. Noticing what it was, she sighed. “Okay, now things are just getting weird.”

Tate’s brow furrowed. “Weird how?”

“Last night, I had a dream that I was trying to check into a motel, but it was closed. Earlier, a woman walked past me singing Moonlight Motel to herself. And look what we have here.” Havana picked up the object off the floor. “A DVD of Bates Motel, season one.”

He pursed his lips. “And you think all this means … what?”

“I think the universe is trying to tell me something, but I can’t figure out what. It clearly has something to do with motels, though.”

He clamped his mouth shut, clearly fighting a smile. He looked at Aspen, as if expecting her to share his amusement. The bearcat only stared back at him.

“Wait, you both believe the universe is reaching out to you?” he asked.

“Not to me,” said Aspen. “I believe it’s reaching out to Havana. It often does. We just can’t always work out what it’s trying to communicate.”

His gaze bounced from her to Havana. “Right. Well, whatever.”

Havana huffed. “Fine. Don’t believe us. Now, I have to finish my shopping.” She gave him a breezy smile. “Later.”

He didn’t return the “later.” He also didn’t stalk off. He followed her to the refrigerator, whistling a merry tune.

Walking around the store with him was just … odd. During their fling, they never went places together. They certainly hadn’t done anything as mundane as shop for groceries together.

Reaching the fridge, Havana grabbed the bulky jug of milk, plonked it in her cart, and then headed to a checkout stand with Aspen. Havana cast him confused, sideways looks while he helped pile the groceries onto the conveyor belt.

Her devil, not liking his insistence on sticking close, urged Havana to smack him over the head with her prickly pineapple. The animal wasn’t pleased that Havana resisted.

Havana paid no attention to his nosy pride mates, who were watching them curiously, seeming under the false impression that she and Tate had come shopping together. It would appear that he hadn’t yet made it clear that he and Havana were over—especially since Valentina had been completely unaware of it.

He helped Havana bag the groceries and, by the time she’d paid and was ready to leave, he’d returned the cart. “I’ll help,” he said. Not an offer, a statement of intent. He grabbed a bunch of her bags before she could protest.

Outside, Luke and Farrell each took a bag from her, and then all three men stuck close as she and Aspen walked to their apartment building.

When they reached the main door, Havana tried to take the groceries from the guys. “I can carry them upstairs myself.”

Tate smiled. “Can you? Clever girl.” He held tight to them and, whistling that damn tune again, keyed in the entry code to unlock the door. He and his bodyguards then followed both her and Aspen into the building and up to Havana’s apartment.

Although he agreed it likely wasn’t necessary, Tate had Luke and Farrell do a walk-through of it to ensure there were no intruders. The three men then wordlessly helped her put away the groceries so that Aspen could return to her apartment to get ready for her dinner with Camden.

Once the task was complete, Tate politely dismissed his brother and Head Enforcer. The moment Havana heard the front door close behind them, the sexual hum in her blood went up a notch with the simple awareness that she and Tate were alone. A sudden tension thickened the air like sultry summer heat, so she knew that same awareness was having a similar effect on him.

“Where’s Bailey?” he asked.

“She’s working an extra shift at the rec center. Purely because the new guy’s cute and she wants to get to know him.” Havana opened the warm box to reveal her pizza.

Tate came closer. “Smells good. You can spare a slice, right? Come on, there’s no way you’ll eat all that. You were gonna put at least half of it in the fridge to have for lunch tomorrow.”

That had been her intention. The trouble was that she often forgot there was cold pizza in the fridge and then ate something else for lunch, so it went to waste. “Fine. You can have a slice.”

Of course, he grabbed the biggest one as soon as they settled at the dining table. And because she was a total sucker who was still feeling sorry for him after what his bitch of an ex put him through, she let him eat a few more slices. Before she knew it, the pizza had been demolished between the two of them.

Figuring it was now time to herd him out, she cleared her throat and gave him an easy smile. “Well, thanks for the assist. I didn’t need it, but thanks anyway.”

Tate almost smiled. It was a dismissal, pure and simple. He thought it rather cute that she believed he’d be so easily handled.

He lounged back in his chair, making it clear that he wasn’t going anywhere just yet. His cat rumbled an irritable sound. The feline wanted to be closer to her. Wanted to win her still-distant devil’s attention. “Tell me about Dieter.” If it turned out that this guy from her past was sniffing around her, Tate would not be pleased at the fuck all.

“There’s not much to tell. We occasionally hooked up before he began dating his current girlfriend.” She tilted her head. “It must be hard for you to have your ex in the pride again.”

“It isn’t. She’s of no interest to me now.”

“Oookay.”

He squinted. “You don’t believe me?”

“I never said that. I’m just not so sure you’re being honest with yourself about it.”

“I strike you as a man who bullshits himself, baby?”

“Don’t call me baby. And no, you don’t. But not many shifters buy apartment buildings to house loners and then place them under his protection. I just can’t help wondering if you did that for those strangers because you couldn’t do it for Ashlynn. She left the pride, right? She was alone. Vulnerable. It couldn’t have been easy for you to know that, even if she did hurt you.”

“I can see why your thoughts have taken you down that route, but Ashlynn’s nothing to do with why I bought this complex.”

“Then why’d you do it?”

“I know through Madisyn just how hard it can be for lone shifters to find suitable and affordable accommodation. Especially when they have to worry about being too close to the territories of flocks and packs etc. Many beg her to let them live at the shelter because they’re too afraid to go out into the world. It gave me the idea of providing a place purely for loners to live—call it my good deed for the decade. Almost every tenant in this building was sent to me by Madisyn.”

“I see.”

Tate watched her as she began to clear the table. “Do you? Or do you still doubt me?”

She lifted her shoulders. “I just can’t see how you could have no interest in someone you once tried to imprint on—that’s no small thing.”

Tate pushed away from the table and crossed to her, liking how her pupils dilated and her heartbeat kicked up. His cat purred, straining to be closer to her. “Did I seem interested in her when you saw me talking to her earlier? Or did I seem more interested in you?”

“I didn’t really take much notice. I only glanced your way for a second or two.”

“But that highly perceptive brain of yours will have absorbed everything there was to see.”

“In any case, we don’t need to talk about her. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“In your position, I’d be wondering if you still had feelings for your ex, so I’m going to make sure you get that that’s not the case here. She and I were together three years ago. The relationship didn’t work out, and I don’t wish that it had. Neither does my cat.”

Havana really wished he’d drop the subject. It hurt to hear he’d once cared for someone so much he’d wanted to imprint on them, because it highlighted that he hadn’t even come closeto experiencing any such feelings for her.

The hurt annoyingly did nothing to douse the sparks of electric sexual tension that bounced from him to her. Nor did it make her hormones cease doing the damn foxtrot. It was impossible to stop her body from responding to him, apparently.

“She’s part of my past—that’s it,” he added. “She’s not important. I don’t want her back. I want you back.”

Havana rolled her eyes even as the claim made her stomach flutter. “What you want is a weekly hookup. There are plenty of women out there who I’m sure would be more than happy to be your new fuck buddy.”

He edged further into her personal space. “I don’t want other women. I want you. And don’t make out like you were just a convenient body to me, Havana. What we had might not have been serious, but it wasn’t cold or impersonal either.”

“True. You never treated me with anything less than respect. But the fact is that I never meant anything to you.”

His eyes briefly flared. “You meant something,” he said, his voice low and soft and so damn intimate it made her pulse jump. “You still do.”

“I don’t buy that.”

“You should. It’s the truth. I’ve never lied to you before. Why would I start now?” He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and then gently flicked her lower lip with his finger. “Did you know I have a policy not to get involved with any of my tenants?”

She felt her brow pinch. Actually, no, she hadn’t known that.

“It’s not wise to mix business with pleasure, and I’m not in the habit of going against good sense.” His warm, calloused hands loosely cuffed her wrists, his gaze glittering with so much heat and carnal promise. “But,” he began, dropping his tone to bedroom territory, “I knew the second I first laid eyes on you that I was going to have to have you.”

That soft, velvety rumble danced down her spine, hummed along her raw nerve endings, and tightened her nipples. Four months of them sleeping together had trained her body to respond to his “sex voice.” And he goddamn knew it.

She swallowed. “Tate—”

“I knew there’d be no fighting it, and I sure as fuck didn’t want to fight it. So I didn’t bother trying.” He slowly smoothed his hands up her arms, over her shoulders, up her neck and onto her face. His eyes dropped to her mouth, gleaming with unabashed hunger, and her heart started working overtime. If she let him kiss her, she’d be lost. Still, it was an honest to God’s struggle not to lick her lips in invitation.

She didn’t dare try to push him away, because she didn’t trust that she actually would shove him backwards. She didn’t trust that her hands wouldn’t instead yank him closer. “You should go,” she rasped.

“I don’t want to go, baby,” he whispered. “And I don’t think you want me to either.” He smoothed his thumb over her cheekbone. “I meant it when I said I missed you.”

“You missed fucking me,” she corrected.

“That, too.” He dropped his forehead to hers. “Still miss the taste and feel of your pussy. So fucking sweet and tight. I liked knowing no one else could have it … that only my mouth could taste it … that only my hands could touch it … that only my dick could fuck it. I was far more possessive of it than I had the right to be.” He punched his hips forward, snuggling his cock—God, he was so hard—against her pussy. “Hmm, there it is. I can smell how wet it is for me.” He moved his mouth to her ear. “I want it, Havana.”

She hitched in a breath as he ground his cock against her, hitting her clit just right. Her nipples seemed to tighten even more, and her aching pussy spasmed. She grabbed onto the countertop behind her—it was her only anchor right then.

God help her, she wanted him inside her. There. Now. Hard and fast and rough.

But that would be bad. Right? She didn’t know. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t reason. As if the intense chemistry in the air had made her brain shrivel up.

He skimmed his nose along the side of her face. “Let me have you.” He lightly nipped her jaw. “Let me.” It wasn’t a plea. Wasn’t even a request. It was an attempt to lure, cajole, entice. An invitation to sin and submit.

She shivered as he dipped his head and his breath fanned her hypersensitive neck. Without thinking, she tilted her head slightly to give him better access. A growl of approval rumbled its way up his chest.

He pressed kisses along her throat. “Let me give us what we both want, Havana.”

She bit back a moan as he ground against her clit yet again. Hell, she was going to cave, and she knew it. There was only so much a girl could take.

If he’d tried bossing her into giving in, she could have resisted—even if only to be contrary. But he’d coaxed, seduced, charmed. She found that a lot harder to fight … which he knew perfectly well, the tricky cat. And, honestly, she didn’t want to fight it.

Maybe Bailey was right. Maybe if Havana took the time to burn out what she felt for him and work him out of her system, she’d get the closure she needed.

He lifted his head and slid his fingers into her hair. “I need this.”

He wasn’t alone in that. One night, she decided. She’d allow herself one last night with him, even though … “It probably isn’t a good idea.” She let out a shaky breath as he lowered his face to hers, leaving their mouths mere inches apart.

“Tell me you don’t want this. If you can say it and mean it, I’ll step back. I will.” So slowly it was agonizing, he lowered his face that little bit more … until their mouths touched as he said, “Tell me you don’t want it.”

She couldn’t. She didn’t. And he seemed to take that for the surrender that it was.