Page 89 of Steel
“I don’t know. Maybe. Don’t let it go to your head.”
At least he was able to chuckle, which surprised me. “Don’t worry, brat. I don’t think the forestry service would appreciate me taking off all my clothes for the cameras. Nor would any of the ladies.” His hold on my arm was less forceful, but he slid his other arm around my waist, placing his hand on the small of my back.
“Now you’re just fishing for compliments.” I tried once more to escape his hold, only doing so in hopes he’d stop me.
Which he did.
By cupping my face, his gaze speaking a thousand words without saying them. “You can’t keep doing crazy things like jumping in front of cars. What if I hadn’t been able to stop?”
“But you did.”
“That’s beside the point. You are so damn frustrating, woman.”
“Do you think you’re a piece of cake?” I jutted my chin, able to move enough our lips were almost touching. The ache inside lingered, a corrosive need that had no business interfering with my life. And that’s what the strong feelings for him were doing.
At least by now the crowd had mostly dissipated, realizing we weren’t coming to blows.
“Obviously, I don’t know the details of what this ex has done to you, but I do know that’s what you were thinking about when you heard about the Jeep. He isn’t going to lay one finger on you. Not one. Damon either.”
He almost managed to brush his lips across mine. The ache was there. The need. The longing that had already stripped me of common sense. This should be a reminder that I wasn’t inMissoula to play house. I was here to work. That’s what needed to happen. I tried to turn my head, which further frustrated him.
His fingers dug into my face, not enough to hurt, but so possessive I was strangled by unseen icy fingers wrapped around my throat. I did care about him.
“I don’t think Kenny will try. I just… Just don’t worry about him. He’s not here. He’s not important. And you don’t need to take care of me. I’ve done pretty well on my own.” What I didn’t want to do was to fall into needing him. That wasn’t fair to either one of us. Not with the time limits or the work I had to do.
“Hey. You need to listen to me. No one will touch you. Not while you’re here.”
“Like I said. You don’t need to worry about me. Just let me go. We can be friends.”
“Friends.”
“Well, that’s better than being enemies, which is what I thought you wanted.”
His reluctance was evident, but he finally released his hold. “I don’t want to be your enemy, Violet. But you’re right. I also have no business trying to be your hero. I’ll talk to the guys about the calendar. I can tell how important it is.”
I shouldn’t become riled because of what he’d just said. Yet he had a way of shutting down at the most awkward moment. “Stop. You don’t need to fight my battles. They might feel the exact same way you do and that’s fine. I knew that risk coming here. But I need to concentrate on figuring this out.”
I could tell my words just continued to irritate him.
“Alright. Do what you need to do.” He took a wider step away from me. With the car still running, the continued disagreement was getting ridiculous. Maybe both of us really were hardheaded.
“If it’s alright with you, I don’t want to spoil Damon’s dinner. He’s missed out on enough in his little life. We can be civil for that long. Right?”
“Yeah, we can do that.” The awkwardness was ridiculous, as heavy and unwanted as the argument.
He took another step back and toward his car, wiping his hands on his jeans. This time when he turned away, I had a feeling his effort to shut down would be more permanent.
Neither one of us could stand to get hurt again.
* * *
“You didn’t eat much of that big, fat cheeseburger, Damon,” Steel said as he turned down the road leading to both cabins.
My son, the recently talkative kid, had said very little at dinner. “I wasn’t that hungry.”
“You didn’t like the cheeseburger?” I asked.
“It was good.” Three words. Now we were back to the way he’d been before arriving in Missoula. How he’d seen us act in the restaurant bothered him more than he was willing to let on.
