I did not feel welcome.

“Come on and sit down if you want,” he said.

I grabbed my tea and sat down across from him. Sitting next to him didn’t seem right, but sitting across from him turned out to be a big mistake. He was right in my line of vision. I couldn’t not look at him.

His hair was tousled and sexy, and he raked his fingers through it, mussing it further. His gorgeous brown eyes were sunken and rimmed with dark circles.

“I…I’m sorry you can’t sleep,” I said.

He cleared his throat. “Don’t be. I never sleep.”

That couldn’t be possible. All humans had to sleep. But again, I wasn’t going to push it. “I don’t normally have any trouble,” I said, “but the first night in a new bed is always troublesome for me. I’m sure I’ll be fine tomorrow night.”

“Yeah, you’ll be fine. The demons in this house can’t get to you.” Talon pursed his full dusky lips.

Demons? What the hell was he talking about? He probably had nightmares from his time in the Marines. Perhaps he even had post-traumatic stress disorder. Was he getting any therapy? Certainly wasn’t my place to ask.

“I don’t really have any demons. Except, of course, my ex-fiancé, who totally humiliated me a little over a week ago.”

Talon raised his eyebrows. Had I actually piqued his interest?

“I’m sure that was rough.”

His tone unnerved me. While it seemed to hold sincerity, something bit through it. A touch of sarcasm? I wasn’t sure what he meant by the comment, so I decided to take it at face value.

“Honestly, I’m more embarrassed than anything else. I really don’t think we were in love anymore. We were together all four years of college in Denver, and then I stayed and went to law school and he headed to New York to intern for his father’s company. Somehow we held it together, but long-distance relationships are hard. In retrospect, we shouldn’t have stayed together.”

Talon stood. “I’m sure you’ll be just fine. Believe me, things could be a lot worse.”

My skin warmed. How dare he belittle this? I wasn’t sitting in here asking for his pity. I had told him point-blank that the relationship had been a mistake and we should have called it off years ago. Of course things could have been a lot worse. Things could always be worse.

I stood as well and looked him straight in his blazing black eyes. “You’re right. I will be fine. Did I ever say I wouldn’t be? I know there are a lot worse things in the world than being left at the altar. However, that doesn’t take away the fact that I was completely humiliated.”

Talon shook his head, chuckling. “I get it. You’re fine.”

His words crept under my skin, and my hackles rose. Why did everything he said cut through me like an ice pick?

“You know, you hardly know me. Why are you being so judgmental?”

“I know you more than you think, blue eyes. I know you’ve had a life so full of privilege that the worst thing in the world that has ever happened to you is you got humiliated on your wedding day.”

“For your information, my life has not been full of privilege. I had a modest upbringing”—I did a one-eighty around his gourmet kitchen, Viking stove and all—“which clearly you did not.”

He chuckled again, and goddamnit, my dander rose.

“Blue eyes, there are some things money can’t buy. Modest upbringing or not, you had a college education. You had a law school education. Once you pass the bar, you’ll be able to get a job that pays decent money. And with your looks and that luscious body of yours, you’ll have no problem attracting another guy in no time. So don’t tell me you don’t have privilege.”

I had to think to understand his last words. I was stuck on the “looks and luscious body” part. Was he attracted to me? This western god? Attracted to me?

I opened my mouth to speak, but before any words came out, he grabbed my arm, pulled me toward him, and crushed his mouth to mine.

The kiss was raw. He forced his tongue between my lips and took, just took.

My legs quivered. Oh, God…

Seven years of kissing Colin…and it had never been like this.

He devoured me, and I melted into him. He grabbed the back of my hair and yanked on it as he continued to plunder my mouth. Electric jolts arrowed straight to my pussy. No man had ever yanked on my hair before, and oh my God… I returned his kiss with greed. Such a soothing salve for my shattered ego. This man…found me attractive… Was kissing me—

He ripped his mouth from mine and sucked on my neck, trailing tiny kisses up to my earlobe.

“God, blue eyes…”

My legs nearly gave way, but he steadied me.

“That guy you almost married,” he whispered into my ear. “Did he ever kiss you like this, blue eyes?”

I opened my mouth, but all that came out was a sigh.

Talon thrust his tongue into my ear canal. I nearly melted into a puddle right there. Take me to your bed, I said in my mind. Take me to your bed and fuck me silly.

“Tell me,” he demanded again. “Did he ever kiss you like this?”

“No.”

And he clamped his mouth to mine once more. Again our tongues swirled together, and again my legs threatened to give way. I slid my hands up his hard arms, relishing the muscle covered by smooth bronze skin. I gripped his shoulders and then wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to close whatever distance remained between us.

Closer… Wanted to be closer—

But he broke the kiss with a loud smack, releasing my hair so I nearly tumbled backward. I caught myself by grabbing the back of the chair. I whimpered at the loss of his lips, his arms, his need.

He stood, staring at me. No…glaring at me, those black eyes burning two holes in my skin.

Was he going to say anything? What was I supposed to do now? Should I apologize? But I hadn’t kissed him. He had kissed me. Would he apologize?

No. No apology. He walked past me, out of the kitchen, and down the hallway toward his room, the blond mutt loping on his heels.

I plunked down in the chair and wrapped my hands around my warm cup of tea.

His full glass of water still sat, untouched.

 

* * *

 

Rita’s Café was a cute little mom-and-pop diner on the main drag of Snow Creek, Colorado. I sat across the table from Marj. She had insisted on taking me out to breakfast my first full day in Snow Creek, treating me to what she called “the best coffee in the universe.” I was skeptical. I liked really strong coffee—really strong, as in it plops when it’s poured. Most restaurant coffee was hot brown water. I raised my cup to my lips and took a sip.