Come to find out it wasn’t just any guy. But her ex-fiancé.
He stalked to the fridge and grabbed the orange juice, drinking straight from the carton. Whenever he wanted whiskey, or felt he needed whiskey, he thought of how Casper acted under the influence. That immediately cut the craving for booze.
He stared out the dining room window, wishing he had a pile of logs to split and stack. Every muscle in his body straining as he swung the ax. Feeling the physical vibration racing up his arms as the blade connected with the wood. Hearing the satisfying crack as force altered a solid object into pieces. Nothing was more satisfying.
Well, nothing except for raw, down-and-dirty sex.
That’s when three loud raps sounded on his door.
Go the f**k away.
“Dammit, Dalton. I know you’re in there. I’m not leaving so you may as well open the door.”
He didn’t rush over; he prepped himself for the best way to send Rory on her merry way.
“I know you don’t lock your door so you either let me in or I’ll barge in.”
He opened the door.
Rory stared at him for several long seconds before she said, “Let me in.”
“What do you want?”
“To talk.”
“Not in the mood.” He rested his forearm above his head on the doorjamb, essentially blocking her. “Go home, Rory.”
Her gaze moved to his throat. “Is that a bruise?”
“Probably.”
She lifted her hand to touch his face and he flinched. “Not kidding. Go home. You don’t wanna be around me now.”
“Or is it that you don’t wanna be around me?” she countered. “Because tough shit. I’m not leaving.”
Dalton leaned forward until they were nose to nose. “Don’t f**king push me.”
“Don’t f**king push me away.”
“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you.”
“Let me in, Dalton.”
“You tough enough to walk through this door?” he taunted. “Because if you do, I’m not letting you leave until we work this out. And we’ll work it out my way.”
Rory turned her face from his; he half-expected she’d take the out he’d offered. But she pressed her warm mouth to the bruised spot on his throat. Then she whispered, “Yes, I’m tough enough. But you already know that, don’t you?”
God. He was so f**king insanely in love with this woman. Curling his left hand around her nape, he consumed her mouth. No sweet start that gradually morphed into passion. Dalton took her mouth like he wanted to take her. Hard and fast, with an almost brutal possession.
She wrapped herself around him, kissing him with hunger.
When the kiss grew even more intense, he jerked her inside and kicked the door shut. He stripped off her coat and herded her toward the bedroom.
What are you doing? Sex is not the solution. She’ll f**k you and walk away and nothing will get resolved.
Dalton released her and stepped back. “No.”
Rory looked confused. “No what?”
“No we’re not doin’ this. You wanted to talk. So talk.”
“But…”
He brushed past her and skirted the breakfast bar. He stopped in the kitchen and grabbed the orange juice carton. “Talk.”
“Dil showed up at my office today on state business.”
“Bullshit. He either lied to you or you’re lyin’ to me, so which is it?”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “He said it was personal so no one in the office would know he wanted to talk business with me over dinner.”
Dalton laughed snidely. “So when Dildo had his hands on you and his tongue down your throat—that was part of the plan to fool your boss? Give me a f**king break.”
Rory slammed her hands on the countertop. “Will you let me explain? Or do you have it all worked out?”
“Just like you had it all worked out when you stormed in here and laid out your theories as facts that I used you and lied to you? Not only about the application for the elk farm permit but about my real reasons for starting a goddamned relationship with you?”
That shut her down for a second. But she rallied back with, “Fine, I was an idiot, all right? Is that what you wanna hear?”
“I wanna hear why the f**k you spent all this time talkin’ to your ex-fiancé and he knew nothin’ about me. Or us. Because I’m nothin’ to you, is that it?”
“No. That’s not true, Dalton and you know it.”
“That’s the thing Rory, I don’t know it.”
She stared at him with guilt, shock and embarrassment.
Dalton hated he was still on such shaky ground with her. Would she ever believe he’d changed? What else could he do to convince her?
Rory blurted, “After our business discussion ended, he started saying all this ridiculous stuff about our broken engagement, regretting that he let me walk away without a fight. He said he wanted to try and win me back.”
Dalton couldn’t stop the snarl that accompanied, “The hell that’s ever happening.”
“By that time, I wanted to leave but I told him we’d listen to the band. He asked me to dance and then he kissed me.” Her gaze scrutinized his face. “You were there. You know I wasn’t kissing him back.”
“Alls I know is that I saw his hands on you and I wanted to rip them clean off his body.”
“You nearly succeeded.”
“Apparently not, because that motherfucker got in his licks.” Dalton took a long drink of juice.
“I know something else is eating at you. So just say it.”
“I also noticed that he and I…” He paused and watched her eyes. Even after all his attempts at showing her that he was around for the long haul, she still acted so wary. “We look alike.” He started toward her and she immediately retreated. “He’s tall. He’s got dark hair. Probably has blue eyes. And he’s totally f**king in love with you. Willing to fight for you. Remind you of someone else you might know?”
“This isn’t—”
“Answer. Me.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say. Just stop. Please.”
No way. He’d come this far. “So is it a coincidence that I look like the man you almost married? Be hard to tell us apart in a dark bar, wouldn’t it?”
“No.”
“What about in a dark room, Rory? When you were with me could you pretend I was—”