I didn’t want to talk about the first five Marines I lost. “What about your ink?” I deflected. “I’ve never seen work like that.”
She shrugged. “I wanted to cover up my scar but I also didn’t want to draw attention to it. I saw a flesh-colored tattoo once and got the idea. The hibiscus was my grandmother’s favorite flower.”
“Were you close to her?”
“Yes,” she said simply.
I waited but she didn’t elaborate. “What about your folks? Were you ever close to them?”
“Are you close to yours?”
I chuckled. “Touché. And for the record? I love your ink. It suits you.” And it was sexy as hell. “You’re a beautiful girl, Siren.”
“Thank you.”
Hearing the quiet shyness in her voice made me want to pull her close and kiss the fuck out of her but I kept my mouth shut and my thoughts to myself. Every step we took, my instincts nagged at me more about André. He’d called me for help, he should’ve followed up by now. It wasn’t like to him to let something like that go unchecked for too long. And he never turned his phone off. Ever.
Siren broke the silence. “Dinner was nice.”
“Glad you enjoyed it.” I kissed her forehead because it felt natural as hell.
“Did you enjoy it?”
I glanced down at her, taken off guard. “Of course.”
“You seem tense. Is it because of this morning?”
Jesus, she had a way of stripping me down. “It’s not about this mornin’ or this afternoon.” I stopped walking and watched the waves. “Just got a lot on my mind.”
“I didn’t mean to pry.” Her arms went protectively across her stomach and the carefree vibe she’d been giving me since she’d laughed at dinner disappeared.
I stepped in front of her and gently unfolded them. “Don’t do that with me.” I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m not lyin’ to you.”
She didn’t say anything.
“You hearin’ me?”
“Yes.”
No, she wasn’t. “This afternoon was amazin’. It’s got nothin’ to do with now.”
“But?” she asked, sounding resigned.
“But nothin’. I’m sharin’ sand with a gorgeous blonde.” I smiled.
She inhaled. “I’m trying not to get hurt.”
My smile dropped. “Meaning?”
“You say one thing but then you act…familiar with me, like there’s actually something between us. Maybe I’m just not used to this—this type of casual sexual relationship.”
Every muscle in my body tensed. “This is a casual sexual relationship to you?” I told her I wasn’t looking at other women.
“No, I didn’t mean that.”
Insulted as hell but knowing I had no right to be, I tried to temper my response. “Not sure what you want from me, darlin’. Few days ago you were livin’ with another man.”
“I don’t want anything from you. I was just—”
“Bullshit.” She’d shown up on my doorstep, thrown herself at me this morning and now she was saying she didn’t want anything? Offended, pissed off, I put it all back on her. “If you didn’t want anythin’, we wouldn’t be standin’ here havin’ this conversation.”
“No, I don’t want—”
That was all I needed to hear. I was a fucking idiot. “Fuck this.” Everything good I’d felt brewing between us suddenly felt one-sided and I wasn’t going down that road, no fucking way. “I’m not havin’ a conversation about a relationship because of one orgasm. And I sure as shit ain’t gonna discuss your speculation about what you think may or may not be between us because there isn’t an us. There isn’t a relationship. There isn’t anything ’cept two strangers sharin’ a roof who wanna fuck.”
Her eyes went wide with hurt like she herself hadn’t just said there was nothing between us.
Fuck no. “You keep that up. You keep lyin’ to yourself ’bout not tryin’ to get hurt when you’re the one who showed up on my doorstep, broken and stabbed.” She’d spent years with a piece-of-shit user getting taken advantage of. “You don’t need me to hurt you, you managed that all on your own, sweetheart.” My blood boiling, my temper shot, I didn’t even try to rein it in because in that moment, I just didn’t give a fuck. I was tired. I was horny. I was pissed the fuck off but mostly, I was insulted. I’d done nothing but give since the second she’d crossed my path. I’d have a conversation with Carter because I told her I would but then I was done. Fuck this shit.