His grin died a quick death and he returned, “Actually, you are not gettin’ anywhere near your girl or her f**k up of a man. Phone communication only until I got that shit locked down in a way that makes me comfortable for you to pay a visit.”

That didn’t sound good and my heart clenched again but a different way this time.

“Lanie isn’t safe?” I asked.

“Lanie’s safe and so are you, you stay away from Lanie.”

I studied him closely, noting, “So, reading between the lines, Lanie is only kind of safe.”

“Lanie’s as safe as I can make her seein’ as she won’t leave him and he’s not safe. You’re nowhere near either of them and you’re gonna stay that way. You also don’t know where either of them are and you’re gonna stay that way too so you can stay completely safe.”

“This is not making me feel warm and fuzzy, Tack,” I said quietly, still studying him closely.

“You made your decision, sparrin’ with me, takin’ up the challenge and playin’ the game. She made hers reclaiming her man. Friday, she became intimately acquainted with the risks that involves. She still made that decision. She hooked herself a f**k up of a man. You did not. You hooked yourself to a man who will not, under any circumstances, allow you to be in harm’s way. It sucks you don’t feel warm and fuzzy but that’s not on me, babe. That’s your girl. Her choice. My choice is to keep you safe and I’m takin’ it. You get me?”

Okay, well that… that made me feel warm and fuzzy.

“Do I have a choice not to get you?” I asked and his lips twitched.

Then he answered, “No.”

My eyes slid to the side and I muttered, “I didn’t think so.”

“She’s learning,” Tack muttered back and my eyes slid back to him.

“FYI, that’s annoying too.”

His lip twitch turned into a big, white smile surrounded by a sexy, dark goatee.

Shit.

“FYI, baby, havin’ your attitude back is so far from annoying, it’s not f**kin’ funny.”

And he proved his point by pressing his hard body deeper into me, sliding his hand back into my hair and dropping his eyes to my mouth.

“I think it’s time for me to go home and come to a foregone conclusion,” I whispered as my stomach started to melt when his eyes didn’t leave my mouth.

“Wrong, it’s time for that kiss you’re gonna give me,” he whispered, his face getting closer, his lips a breath away, his eyes lifting to mine and they were again determined but a different way this time.

More pleasant quivers and they were way, way up the scale.

“How about you get that kiss when I come to my conclusion?” I suggested as my heart started beating faster.

“How about, seein’ as that conclusion is inevitable, you kiss me now.”

“Tack –”

“Red, quit f**kin’ around.”

“I’m not f**king around. I have a lot on my mind. I’m not in the mood to make out with a man who may or may not end the day being kind of my boyfriend.”

His head came up and his brows drew together. “Kind of your boyfriend?”

“The conclusion is only foregone to you, handsome,” I lied.

“Babe, I’m not anyone’s boyfriend.”

I blinked again but this was so I wouldn’t flinch.

“What?” I whispered.

“You have a boyfriend when you’re sixteen. You f**k a man casually, you don’t have anything except, if he’s good, a supply of orgasms. You got what we’re building, you got everything. But bottom line, I’ve claimed you. This means you’re my woman which in turn means I’m your man.”

Whoosh.

There it went again, my breath.

“You’re my man?” I forced out.

“And you’re my woman,” Tack confirmed.

“We haven’t even been out on a date,” I pointed out.

“Babe, I also don’t date.”

I blinked again but this was so I wouldn’t scowl.

“What?”

“I don’t date.”

“So I’m your woman and you’re my man after only a couple weeks of arguing, confusion, misunderstandings, game playing and breaking bread a few times, most of them with other people in attendance?”

“Yep.”

I felt my eyes narrow. “Is this another part of being in your world?”

“Nope,” he returned. “This is another part of being with me.”

“So, what you’re saying is, you’re not going to treat me to dinner or any attempts to woo me.”

His lips curved and he asked, “Woo you?”

“Woo me!” I snapped.

His lips curved deeper into a full on amused smile. “No, Red, I’m not gonna attempt to woo you.”

“Not liking that,” I clipped and his brows went up again.

“Are you shittin’ me?”

“No!” I cried. “I deserve to be wooed!”

“Right, then I’ll amend my statement. I’ll woo you by gettin’ you off as many times as I can with my mouth, fingers and cock, cookin’ for you when I have time, not firin’ your ass when you f**k shit up, which is often, and puttin’ up with your bullshit. Bullshit like now when you’re playin’ even more games because you know I like it when you also know what you really wanna do is kiss me.”

“Actually, handsome, I don’t want to kiss you. I want to kick you.”

His smile came back. “Bullshit games.”

“No, seriously, Tack, if I could land one right now, I’d kick you. Unfortunately, you have me pressed to a wall so I don’t have room to move.”

His lips came back to a breath away but his eyes stayed locked to mine and he went on quietly, “While I cook for you, while we eat it and after I f**k you, I’ll also listen to you when you tell me about that roller coaster you jumped off and why you haven’t had a man before me that you tied yourself to. That’s another way I’ll woo you, baby, but that’s all you’ll get from me. That said, that’ll be enough for you because you’ll like it just like you like it right now.”

“Correction, Tack, I don’t like it right now. I’m pissed right now.”

“Feel good?” he asked.

“No!” I snapped.

“You feel alive?”

I closed my eyes.