“I’m fine.”

She gave him an arched brow.

He shrugged. “I just hate pushy assholes who think they can push someone around to get what they want.”

She stared up at him, once again reminded that she wasn’t the only one in this relationship-that-wasn’t-happening with demons. “Because of your dad?”

“Maybe,” he admitted. “Or maybe because I spent a good portion of my youth protecting Sean. He was a small, sickly kid with a big, fat mouth. It wasn’t easy to watch his back and keep him safe because he attracted assholes and bullies.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I guess I still get worked up about that. I saw that guy being aggressive with you and I wanted . . .”

“To protect me,” she said softly.

“Yeah.” He gave her a half grimace, half smile. “Not that you can’t do it yourself, but emotions aren’t always rational.”

With her hands still fisted in his shirt, she gave a gentle tug until he bent enough that she could kiss him softly. And then not so softly. “I know,” she whispered. She kissed him again.

“What was that for?” he asked when she pulled free, his voice sexy low and gruff now.

“For being the kind of guy who can admit he has emotions.”

He cupped her face. “We don’t have to tell anyone, right?”

She smiled. “It’ll be our secret.” But then her smile faded because she wasn’t good at secrets.

Or maybe she was too good at them . . . “I’m not helpless,” she said. “I want you to know that.”

“I do know it.” He paused, looking a little irritated again. “Mostly.”

“Good,” she said. “Now that’s settled, you should know, the caveman thing you just pulled . . . it turned me on a little bit.”

He slid her a look. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Looking a little less like he was spoiling for a fight, his hands went to her hips and he pulled her in tighter.

What the hell was she doing? Clearly, she wasn’t equipped to stay strong, and who could? The guy was just too damn potent. Too visceral. Testosterone and pheromones leaked off of him. She dropped her head to his chest. “Ugh. You’re being . . . you.”

“Was that in English?”

“This is all your fault.”

“Nope. Definitely not English.”

“You’re being all hot and sexy, dammit,” she said. She banged her head on his chest a few times. “And I can’t seem to . . . not notice said hotness and sexiness.”

He smiled. “You want me again.”

Again. Still . . . She tossed up her hands. “You wear your stupid sexiness on your sleeve and you don’t even know it.”

His smile widened. “All you have to do is say the word, babe. Or preferably words. Dirty ones are encouraged.”

When she blew out a sigh, he laughed.

“You really can’t say the words, can you,” he said, sounding way too amused about that, the ass. He flung an arm around her. “Cute.”

Cute? She had mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, she’d rather he found her unbearably sexy. But on the other hand, he was already more than she could handle. Maybe cute was just right.

She gave him a push and strode around, locking up.

He followed, still looking pretty damn smug, waiting patiently.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked.

“Who says I’m going anywhere with you?”

“Your body.”

She realized she’d plastered herself to his front again. “You’re not working tonight?”

“Later. I worked all day and have a full crew on now. They’ll be fine for a few hours on their own.”

Oh God. How was she going to resist? “Are you going to take me out on another date and then dump me at the door?”

“Depends.”

“On?” she asked.

He just smiled mysteriously as he slid his fingers into her hair, letting his thumb stroke once over her lower lip so that it tingled for a kiss.

His kiss.

He wanted her to say the words and she knew what words too. Make love to me . . .

“You’ve got choices,” he said. “You can pick a place, or let me surprise you.”

His bed. She picked his bed.

She retrieved Thor from his nap spot in Jake’s office and then Finn drove them out of there, his hands as sure on the wheel as they always were on her body.

Stop looking at his hands!

He took her for drinks at a cute place in the Marina, where they sat at a small table on the sidewalk with Thor happily at their feet watching the world go by.