“What do you want, Julian?”
I want to pull the ponytail out of your hair and watch it fall everywhere until that beautiful mass of red curls is free. I want you naked, hot, and fucking touching me. I want everything you have to give, and then I’ll want more.
“I want you to stay,” he finally admitted. “Give us a three-month trial. If you still don’t want to live together, then I’ll make sure to get the divorce pushed through quickly.”
“Why? This makes no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense. There’s something about us that works. You can deny it all you want, but you feel it just like I do, Scarlet. I’m sitting here thinking about having you on your knees, naked and at my mercy, and I know you’re thinking the same damn thing.”
She rolled her eyes, but her expression was slightly guilty. “So it’s all about sex?”
Yes. No. Maybe.
He lost his patience. “Fine. Yeah. Maybe we can fuck each other out of our systems. Maybe we’ll both get bored and want to go. All I know right now is if we don’t find out, we’ll probably both regret it. I know I will.”
Hell, he’d known that he wanted Kristin for a long time, and he’d been disturbed about it for longer than he’d admit.
“One of us could get hurt,” she murmured, her expressive green eyes telling him that it might be her who ended up injured.
“It’s possible,” he admitted, knowing damn well he’d never hurt her. He wasn’t capable of it. “That’s always a risk you take. But wouldn’t you rather hang out with the asshole you already know than one you don’t, to explore the possibilities?”
She was biting her lip to keep from laughing, and Julian couldn’t help but grin back at her.
Finally, she snorted and started to laugh. “You are crazy,” she accused when she finally took a breath.
He shrugged. It wouldn’t be the first time he doubted his own sanity when it came to Kristin. “Just say you will. Then we can start the more pleasant part of the bargain.”
“I’m not even going to ask what that part might be. You’re still recovering from a head injury, not to mention the bruises and injuries you had from before you came here, from making your last movie. I’m not certain you’re even totally in your right mind at the moment.”
“Baby, I know exactly what I’m saying.” His body might’ve been a little banged up, but he was completely coherent.
She crossed her arms. “I could end up hating you for blackmailing me like this.”
“You won’t,” he promised. He’d treat her so good that she’d forget all about it after a few weeks. He hoped!
“I’ll do everything I can to make you miserable,” she warned.
“And I’ll do everything I can to pleasure you,” he stated bluntly. “We’ll see which one wins.”
“You’ll be begging me to leave by tomorrow,” she predicted, frowning at him menacingly.
“You’ll be begging me to fuck you by tonight,” he retorted with a smug smile on his face. She could say whatever she wanted, but he knew she was attracted to him.
She huffed and stood up, took off her jacket, and hung it in a nearby closet. “Fine. Have it your way.”
I just did get my way.
He’d challenged her, and she couldn’t walk away.
She sat back in the chair and glared at him. “So what happens when you have to leave? Or didn’t you think about that?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he revealed. “I’ll have to make a few trips to California for a few days, but otherwise, I’m home.”
He was amused by the incredulous look on her face. “You can’t stay here in Amesport indefinitely.”
“Of course I can. It’s my house. I live here.” Yeah, he knew it drove her crazy when he acted like a dumbass, but he said it anyway.
“What about your career?”
“I’ve changed,” he confessed earnestly. “Fame isn’t my thing, and I like writing screenplays a hell of a lot better than doing entertaining movies. I’ll leave that for other guys who don’t like to write. I’d rather create the stories than act them out.” He took a deep breath and exhaled before he continued. “Xander is coming back here after rehab, and it’s time for me to pay Micah back for being the adult in the family. My parents are gone. My brothers and cousins are all I have left.”
“You want to be closer to them?” she asked, her expression softening.
“Yeah. Nothing like losing my parents and nearly my youngest brother to make me realize how important family really is. Amesport feels like home. Don’t ask me why. Maybe it’s because my family is here, or maybe it’s that damn stone that Beatrice gave me to clear my pathways, but this is where I want to be. If I’m not here, I miss being here.”
He was fairly certain his emotions had something to do with the fact that one hot, redheaded menace lived here, too. But he didn’t mention that.
“You still have your crystal?” she asked curiously.