Wild Thing Read Free

pass out.”
    She focused on her breathing. Nothing was said, but nothing needed to be. It was just nice to have James close by. The creak of the cane chair next to her bedside table told her he’d sat. When she finally had her breathing under control, she rolled over and shot up in bed. “Hunter?”
    Hunter sat perusing the book she’d set on her bedside table— He Comes First: How to Find Your Perfect Man and Marry Him.
    She didn’t know which was more mortifying, her behavior, or the fact that he knew she was reading that book. “It’s not mine.”
    Hunter peered over the top of the book and raised an eyebrow. He must have practiced that look since he was a kid. It bothered her that it worked.
    “Okay, it’s mine, but I didn’t buy it. My mother sent it to me. She believes in marriage—she must since she keeps trying it, over and over and over. After number five I thought she’d give up, but apparently she hasn’t.”
    The man said nothing.
    “Some girls might find the strong, silent type attractive. I don’t.”
    He turned the page and kept reading.
    “Just so you know, I’m not looking for a husband, but I would like to have a healthy, long-term relationship. So I thought, what could it hurt? You know? It stands to reason you’d look for the same thing in a long-term relationship as you would in a spouse. I mean, really, marriage is nothing more than a long-term relationship with a license attached and a divorce in the making. Since I’m not into doing paperwork or being legally bound to anyone, I plan to forgo the whole wedding thing.”
    When he didn’t comment, she blew her hair off her face and crossed her arms. “Are you always so talkative?”
    “With you it’s hard to get a word in edgewise.” Hunter closed the book and held his finger in it as if not wanting to lose his place. He’d gotten farther into it than she had. “I thought I’d let you finish.”
    “I’m done.”
    He set the book on the table and slid the chair around to face her. The tall bed put them eye-to-eye. “No, you’re not.”
    Toni took a deep breath. She wasn’t known for her patience, but dug for it, since pissing him off on their first day was probably not a good idea—especially considering she’d have to work with him for the next week. God help her. “I think I would know when I’m finished babbling. I usually don’t babble. I may talk to myself or mumble on occasion, but I never babble. You caught me off guard. I thought you were James. He’s the only one brave enough to come into my cabin without an invitation. This begs the question, what made you think it’s okay to waltz in uninvited?”
    Hunter threw his ankle over his knee as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “I’m not much of a waltzer. Walking usually works for me.” He cocked his head and grinned. “Though there have been times I’ve found running effective. I told James I was going after you, and he didn’t try to stop me.”
    “The charm is so not working on me. I deal with beautiful men on a daily basis. I’m immune. So since James didn’t stop you, you assumed you had permission to invade my personal space? Why?”
    The corner of his mouth quirked up. “It wasn’t as if you stopped me either.”
    “I would have had I known it was you.”
    “But you didn’t, and I’m here. Why don’t you tell me what you’re so afraid of?”
    Toni shook her head. “That’s personal.”
    “And your mother’s five marriages aren’t? Not to mention your low opinion of the institution of marriage and your interest in hooking up with someone.”
    “I’m not interested in hooking up.”
    His eyebrow rose again.
    “Not hooking up the way most people think of hooking up. I’d just like to have a normal, stable relationship with a normal, stable man.”
    She snapped her mouth shut, not sure why she was even talking to him about this, especially since it didn’t look as if he was buying it. Since it was the God’s honest truth,