Cutting a glare to his face, she asked, “Insulting me makes you hot?”
“Never insulted you. I just spoke the truth.” He caught her wrist and carried her hand up to his chest. “But angry girls near my jewels make me nervous, so how about we get this over with?”
She snatched her hand away and crossed her arms tight beneath her breasts. “You hurt me, Denver.”
“I would never.”
“You already have! Too many times for me to count.” Maybe it was time for a little truth. She made herself look at him. “If it had been any man other than you, I’d have given up long ago.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
Fidgeting under his direct stare, she admitted, “I do like to talk, I can’t change that.”
“There’s nothing wrong with talking.”
“Carver and his brothers always made it impossible. I couldn’t smile at anyone, or even say hello, so you know I couldn’t flirt. I guess... I maybe sometimes go overboard. But only because I can now.”
“That makes sense,” he agreed. “They never should have been allowed to stifle you like that.”
Relieved that he understood, she touched him again. “If I seemed too familiar with the other guys, it was because you’d rejected me and I didn’t want you to know how bad I felt. I have my pride, too, you know.”
A turbulent mix of emotions sharpened the color of his hunter’s gaze. “So because I didn’t jump fast enough, you wanted to make me jealous?”
“No!” Indignation swelled until she almost vibrated with it. “You always think the worst of me.”
That made his eyes darken, narrow. “Cherry—”
“I never expected you to jump. But you were so disinterested it humiliated me. You gave me no reason to think you’d even care who I talked to.” She steadied herself with a deep breath. “But you can believe me, never, not once, have I wanted anyone else since meeting you. They know that.”
“They?”
“Stack, Miles, Brand...any guy I come into contact with.”
“Leese didn’t know it.”
“Leese was just...a few dances, some laughs.” It scared her, sharing so much of herself while Denver remained remote. But it was important for him to know. He wanted honesty, and so she’d give him what she could. “Cover.”
Rubbing the bridge of his nose as if pained, he said, “I don’t know what that means, honey.”
“It means I used the poor guy because I didn’t want anyone, including you, to know that I wanted to go home and cry.”
They stared at each other, both breathing hard.
Denver’s expression faded from annoyance to something else, something more acute than mere apology even though he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“You should be.”
Coming up on one elbow, he fixed his attention on her breasts. “Damn, you’re hot when you’re pissed.”
She thought her head might explode.
“Or maybe it’s knowing you were never really into anyone else that’s making me so horny.” And with that, he snagged her waist and pulled her down to sprawl over him.
“Wha—”
His mouth met hers, warm and firm. She reared back, “You—”
“Want you.” He took her mouth again, moving until her lips opened and his wicked tongue could lick in, then do even more wicked things that made her unable to think straight.
The leap from anger to lust left her heartbeat galloping. She didn’t know if she should give in or toss him out.
“I’m sorry, baby.” His hands went to her backside and rocked her against his powerful erection. “So damned sorry.”
“Mmmm...” Okay, so lust won out. Cherry sank against him, knotted her hands in his hair and held on.
CHAPTER TWELVE
AS SOON AS she stopped resisting, Denver cupped one hand around her head, the other over her ass, and turned her under him, fitting his body to hers but keeping most of his weight off her. He kissed her again, deeper and hotter, wanting to consume her.
He’d hurt her. Damn, that tore him up.
But more devastating than that was her insistence that she’d never really been into any of the other guys...he couldn’t bend his brain around it. He had so much resentment built around nothing.
Knowing she’d been as obsessed as him from the day they met started a slow burn that quickly grew hotter until all he could think about was getting inside her.
He’d wasted so much time steering clear of her, protecting himself because he thought she’d be like his stepmother... No. He didn’t want Pamela intruding into his thoughts. Not now, not with Cherry kissing him like she needed him more than her next breath.