For a long moment he didn’t say anything, his long, powerful body moving to the music with hers. Beneath her hands, she could still feel that unease in him, his muscles tight with it.
“Hunter,” she said softly. “What is it?”
“My family is fucking difficult. That’s all I can say.”
But she could see the walls in his black eyes. So thick and deep. He was protecting himself. Distancing himself. His family was more than “difficult”, she’d bet anything on it.
Frustration coiled low inside her. God, she didn’t like not knowing what the problem was. It made her feel powerless, and she hated feeling powerless. Like watching her mother’s episodes and knowing there was nothing, absolutely nothing, she could do to stop the madness. Or seeing Vin work himself to the bone because their mother couldn’t hold down a job and someone had to keep the family together.
Powerless and insignificant. Christ, how she hated that.
Her hands tightened on his shoulders. “Hey, why don’t we get out of here? You’ve shown your face, surely that’s all you need to do.”
“No.”
“Why not? When you don’t want to be here?”
“Because it’s only family bullshit, Ellie. I can handle it.”
“If it’s only family bullshit then why do you look like you want to murder someone?”
His gaze slid away. “You know families.”
Evasion. Evasion and distance. She bit down on the instinctive need to push him. Really, she should be grateful she’d gotten this far with him, not pushing him for more.
“Yeah, boy, do I ever,” she said. “I want to kill Vin on a regular basis.”
“He cares about you, sweetness. Cut him some slack.”
So, he was in big brother mode again. Jesus, that was all she ever seemed to get from him. Either big brother or silent lover. Ellie stared up into his face, at the perfect line of cheekbone and jaw. The curve of his mouth. The deep black of his eyes. “You really don’t know how to deal with me sometimes, do you?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean now I’m back to being Vin’s little sister to you, aren’t I? Despite what I said. That’s how you’re most comfortable with me. You can’t seem to cope when I step outside the box. When I ask you questions you don’t want to answer or act in a way you don’t want me to act.”
For a long second his gaze focused on her with an intensity that took her breath away. “It’s a little difficult to know how to treat you when you don’t seem to know what you want from me either. First it’s sex, next you’re asking me all these bloody questions. Perhaps you’d better make up your mind which it’s going to be.”
Ellie bit her lip hard, hating that he was right. She’d thought it was only about sex, but then that had proved far more complicated than she’d ever imagined. Shit, he was more complicated than she’d ever imagined.
“What about if I want both?”
The look on his face didn’t change. “Sorry, sweetness. Both is not an option.”
And deep inside her, a small tendril of hope, one she hadn’t even known was there till now, shriveled up and died. She swallowed, ignoring the anguish that followed. “Do I even get a choice?”
His eyes glittered in the light. “No.”
“So it’s sex or nothing?”
“Pretty much.”
For a second she really wanted to say nothing. But she’d had nothing before and that had sucked so badly she didn’t want to go back. “Then I guess it’ll have to be sex.”
Chapter Nine
“You promised me a dance, Hunter.”
He hated her voice. It made his muscles tight and other parts of him stir in a way he loathed. Jesus, it had been sixteen years, yet the way she said his name made his body spring to attention. Like fucking Pavlov’s dog.
Hunter turned to find Liz behind him, the perfect ice queen in her blue dress, all coiffed blonde hair and immaculate makeup. Over the years he’d perfected a way of handling her, affecting a bored disinterest he knew drove her crazy. It usually worked except he’d shown his hand when he’d seen her talking with Ellie earlier. Liz would take that scrap of anger, no matter how brief it had been, and use it to her advantage. Make it all about her. Because that’s what she always did whenever she was around him. Pushing and pushing for a reaction, any reaction, she didn’t seem to care what kind it was as long as she got it.
“Oh, did I?” he said carelessly. “Sorry. I forgot.”
The hotel foyer was largely empty; most wedding guests were inside the ballroom. He’d escaped an interminable conversation about the state of the construction industry with one of his father’s old friends and had slipped out of the ballroom to see where Ellie had got to. After their dance, she’d said she’d had to go to the ladies’, but he was sure she’d been gone longer than she needed to.
Liz stepped a little closer and he had to fight the instinctive urge to move away. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing she made his skin crawl.
“You didn’t forget, dear.” She smiled at him. “You’re avoiding me.”
Ah, that smile. His world used to begin and end with that smile. Back when he’d been a kid ruled by his dick and the stupid belief that she loved him as much as he loved her.
“Avoid you? Why would I want to avoid you?”
“Oh, no reason. I thought you seemed a little upset when I got chatting with Ellie.”
Yeah, he’d been a little upset. Liz was toxic and he didn’t want her particular brand of poison anywhere near Ellie. But it wouldn’t do to let her know that. “I wasn’t upset. Pissed that you’d think telling her crap about the past is a good idea, but not upset.”
Liz took another step toward him and suddenly all he could smell was her perfume, thick and cloying, the same one she’d always used. He remembered how he’d turn his head into the pillows of his bed so he could smell it.
“I can’t imagine why you’d feel angry about a few funny anecdotes,” she said softly. “Unless, of course, you thought I’d tell her about…other things.”
He could feel his jaw getting tight, everything getting tight. The urge to get away from her was almost overpowering but he resisted it. Fought it. Refused to let it affect him.
“Other things?” He put his hands in the pockets of his trousers, his fingers automatically searching for the drawing pin. But of course it wasn’t there. “Tell it like it is, Liz. A few blowjobs, right?”
Her mouth curved in a deeper smile, one that looked predatory. “Oh it was more than that and you know it.” Her gaze dropped to his throat and she raised her hands, fingers reaching to do up a button on his shirt. “You wanted to run away with me, don’t you remember?”
His heart slammed against his chest as she touched him, and he had to hold himself very, very still to stop from shoving her away from him. “No,” he said, trying to keep his voice level. “I don’t remember.”
An expression of irritation crossed her features. Her fingers slipped a little, brushing over his bare skin, and his jaw ached with the effort of keeping himself in check, of betraying nothing. He’d never hit a woman, never felt the urge. Until now.
Liz flashed him a look from underneath her lashes. “Are you sure? Perhaps you could use a little reminder?”
“Why would I want a reminder?”
She gave a soft laugh. “Oh Hunter, you do such a good job of pretending you’re not affected by me. But you’re such a liar.”
Her hand moved, the merest brush against the fly of his trousers and all the old feelings came rushing back in a flood that nearly choked him. Desire. Shame. Guilt. Disgust.
His fingers curled into fists in his pockets as he struggled not to move. Jesus, once again his fucking cock had no sense at all.
“Go back to your husband,” he said, unable to prevent the edge of rage that coloured his voice. “I’m not interested.”
“Really? Would you like me to prove again exactly how uninterested you are?”
“I’m not seventeen anymore, Liz. My cock doesn’t make my choices for me. Not these days.”
Her smile vanished. “You’re still punishing me, aren’t you?”
“For what?”
“For refusing to leave your father.”
“I’m not punishing you. I merely don’t find desperation attractive.”
For a second the polished mask slipped, a spark of fury glowing in her pale blue eyes. “Desperate? It’s not me who’s desperate, Hunter darling.” And slowly, giving him plenty of time to pull away if he wanted to, she rose on her tiptoes, her mouth inches away from his.
And he did want to. More than anything in the world he wanted to put distance between them. But that would mean playing directly into her hands, giving her the reaction she was desperately trying to get, and that wasn’t going to happen. She would get nothing from him. Nothing at all.
So he only stared at her as she closed the gap, putting one hand on his chest to steady herself, palm flat against the cotton of his shirt. He stared as she leaned forward, brushing her mouth against his. Kissing him.