Wyoming Outfitters Convention
The annual Outfitters Convention was an old tradition that broke up the long winter. Part business and part social, the event brought out everyone involved in hunting and dude ranching. Reid had always looked forward to it, but so much had changed in his eight-year absence. He was surprised to learn how many outfits had shut their doors. In a state so dependent on tourism, the downward economy had hit everyone hard, but it seemed the outfitters had taken the brunt of the blow.
He stared unseeingly as the state wildlife biologist droned on about moose parasites. He was restless, and his mind was wandering. Another biologist was scheduled to speak on the new mule deer initiative. Both would present their charts and graphs depicting the declining populations and hypothesize about all the probable causes—none of which included wolves.
They all tried to skirt around the whole predator controversy. It was too hot to touch without getting burned. How long would the tension continue to build before something or someone lit the fuse? He’d had enough of this kind of bullshit in the Marines—problems and solutions as plain as day to the grunts in the field but seemingly invisible or maybe just ignored by the bureaucrats.
He didn’t know how much longer he could sit there. He was antsy as hell. His palms were sweating, and the walls starting to close in. Ready to crawl out of his skin, Reid mumbled an excuse to his father and brother, grabbed his hat and coat, and made a swift exit.
Striding out of the ballroom, he made for the first exterior door leading out to a terrace. Reid paced the length of it several times before stopping to suck in a lungful of air so cold that it burned. A shiver erupting over him brought him back to earth and spurred him to drag his jacket over his arms and shoulders, but he didn’t zip it. He loved the cold after having spent so much time in the blistering heat of the desert. He tried not to think about those years too much, but they were never completely out of mind. He didn’t know how long he’d stood there with his gaze fixed sightlessly on the mountains, lost in his thoughts.
He turned at the creak of the terrace doors opening behind him. “Reid?”
He was stunned to see her.
She took a few tentative steps towards him. “I thought that was you out here.”
“Dr. Cooper.” He tipped his hat. “You’re about the last person I expected to see here.”
“Haley, please,” she said. “I’m here because Jim asked me to do a presentation on wolf recovery. He thought it would serve as a good introduction for me.”
“Good luck with that,” he remarked dryly. He’d perused the program earlier but hadn’t paid attention to the various presenters’ names. He probably would have left had he known she was here.
“I was hoping you’d be here,” she said.
“Oh yeah? And why’s that?”
“You never gave me a chance to talk to you after the hearing last week.”
He responded with a derisive laugh. “I didn’t think there was a whole lot left to say after you laid your laundry list of crimes at my feet.”
“You lied to me, Reid. The necropsy and forensics reports confirmed the cause of death as a thirty caliber round through the heart. Your client carried a fifty caliber BMG. You own a .300 Winchester. You told me she was killed by a hunter, but you’re the one who shot my wolf!”
“Hold it right there. I’ve never lied to you. I told you it happened on an elk hunt. All the details were in the report I made to the Board of Outfitters. The hunter took the first shot and only wounded it, so I had to finish the job. I never denied that, but it was a mercy killing. She was surrounded by two of her pack mates who were ready to rip her to shreds. If you’d taken the trouble to read the report first, you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble. Instead, you chose to assume the worst of me.”
She ran her tongue nervously over her lips. “I didn’t read it first because I didn’t want to be biased. I needed to examine the facts for myself. It’s my job, Reid. I have to be neutral.”
“You didn’t have to suspend my license,” he countered. “What happened to innocent until proven guilty?”
“Perhaps I was a bit overzealous,” she said. “I’m sorry for making it more difficult than it had to be. My only excuse is that I’m feeling overwhelmed and defensive. I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
“Like what?”
“So hostile.”
“Hate to say it, but it’ll probably get a whole lot worse before it gets any better.”
“That’s why I came to the convention. Jim said my job would be a lot easier if I could gain the outfitters’ cooperation, but I don’t know how to go about that. I’m worried that I’ve already burned my bridges.”
Reid considered her for a long moment. She seemed sincerely contrite and looked so small and alone. He was exactly the connection she needed to mend fences with the hunters and ranchers—especially after what had happened. He reminded himself he’d already been burned by her once, but he still couldn’t find it in himself to walk away. “I offered to show you around a few weeks ago. The offer stands.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Really? I—I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes to dinner,” he blurted without thinking.
“I’m not very hungry,” she replied.
“Well, I suspect that’s likely to change, given that it’s barely lunchtime yet.”
“Oh yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“Meet you in the bar at six?” he suggested.
“Six,” she repeated dumbly. “All right. Please excuse me. I have notes to review.” She spun toward the door as if making an escape.
He watched her departure, willing his pulse to slow down. He’d rattled her good, but damned if she hadn’t done the same to him. He’d understood her anger about the wolf. He’d seen the pain in her eyes when she’d spoken about her. The wolves were like family to her, or maybe a substitute for the family she’d always craved. At one time he’d wanted to be the man to give her what she needed, but she hadn’t been ready. A lot of things had changed since then.
He could have just ignored her and walked away. Probably should have. By her reaction, she might have been happier had he done so, but he wasn’t about to let Haley Cooper off the hook so easily. Not this time.
* * *
Dinner? Alone with him? After what she’d done? Why had he asked her? His invitation had thrown her completely off balance. She’d accepted, but what the hell was she going to do now? What was going on in his head? She hadn’t a clue.
She checked the time. It was almost noon. She was supposed to meet her fellow biologists for lunch, but here she was holed up in her room, pacing the floor. She’d come to Wyoming for a fresh start, but Reid’s appearance complicated everything. He’d always challenged her thinking, and once more he had her feeling unsure of herself. Get it together, Haley. You’ve dealt with the unexpected before. And deal with it she would, just not without preparation.
Snatching her phone out of her purse, she sent a quick text to beg off from lunch, using a headache as a viable, albeit not very creative, excuse.
After that, she kicked off her four-inch heels and massaged her aching feet. Although she loved heels for the height advantage they gave her, she mostly lived in jeans and hiking boots. She almost never dressed up, except for fund-raisers and speaking engagements. She shed her business suit, one of only three she owned. She also owned the same number of little black dresses that she reserved for the aforementioned occasions…and maybe dinners with ex-flames.
She drew a hot bath with the intention of reviewing her lecture notes while soaking in the tub. There was nothing better than a hot bath to relax the mind and body. Well, almost nothing, but the best thing hadn’t been on her menu in months. She wondered if she hadn’t already gone so long without sex if she would have been as susceptible to Reid. If she was going to be running into him regularly, maybe it was time to invest in something with batteries?
Her phone rang just as she shut off the tap. Her gaze darted longingly from the steamy tub back to the phone where caller ID showed Jeffrey’s face. She hadn’t heard from him in weeks. She chewed her lip and then snatched it up. “Hi, Jeffrey.”
“Hi yourself. Haven’t heard from you. How are you settling in?” he asked.
“Not so great, I’m afraid. I’ve only been here a few weeks and have already had a nasty confrontation with one of the outfitters over a wolf kill.” She’d never told Jeffrey about Reid. There was little point in bringing up their past relationship.
“What kind of confrontation?” An edge of worry had crept into his voice.
“I had the guide’s license temporarily suspended while I initiated an investigation, but he wasn’t completely at fault. The situation hasn’t endeared me to the outfitters, but at least he and I seem to have arrived at a truce.” She hoped so anyway. “On top of that, I’m at the Outfitters Convention now to speak about wolf recovery.”
“You’re kidding, right? You’re surrounded by a bunch of redneck hunters and ranchers with guns? You shouldn’t take them on alone.”
She gave a dry laugh. “You’re overreacting. This is the perfect opportunity to present our side.”
“I don’t think so,” he argued. “It could get really ugly before all is said and done, especially once they realize you’re in a position of influence.”
She thought of Reid. He’d already connected those dots. “You fret too much, Jeffrey. I appreciate your call, but I have to get ready now. The gun-toting rednecks are waiting to string me up.”
“Ha. Ha. You shouldn’t take my warning so lightly. This issue is a social and political quagmire, and you’re about to march right into the middle of it.”
“I can take care of myself,” she assured.
“I hope you don’t discover differently. Call me if you need anything. I can be on the first plane.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your offer of moral support, but there’s really no need for concern.”
“Of course I’m concerned,” he said. “I still care about you, you know.”
“I know. But not enough,” she said sadly. “Good-bye, Jeffrey.”
“Bye.”
Haley hung up, undressed, and sank into the now-tepid tub. But instead of reviewing her notes, she tossed them aside to mull over the awkward situation she found herself in. Although she still felt a bit melancholy about ending the relationship with Jeffrey, she couldn’t regret leaving California. Coming to Wyoming had renewed her sense of purpose, but seeing Reid again filled her with so many contradicting emotions.
So much had changed over the years, but the attraction between them remained. It simmered beneath the surface even during their moments of hostility. Now Reid had offered an olive branch. She still didn’t know why. Maybe she really was about to be sucked into a quagmire—just not the kind Jeffrey meant.
* * *
Hours later, Haley scanned the blank faces of the few people who still occupied the room. It had been filled to capacity only minutes ago for the panel on elk management, but following her introduction, the occupants had begun slinking out, much like rats from a sinking ship. Not a good omen. “Good afternoon,” she said with a nervous smile.
No one smiled back. Her stomach knotted tighter.
She cleared her throat and began again. “It’s my pleasure to be here today as the new liaison from the Rocky Mountain Wolf Management Task Force. We are a team of conservation biologists and wolf specialists contracted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to review and monitor the wolf management strategies in the Rocky Mountain region.” She drew another breath to recite the lecture she knew by heart. “The recovery of the gray wolf after near extinction is a true American success story—”
“If they’re recovered, why the hell are they still listed as endangered in Wyoming?” a voice called out.
Haley glanced up in surprise. “Please, if you will bear with me, I think my presentation will answer most of your questions. If any remain at the end, I’ll be happy to stay for an open Q and A.” She glanced down at her notes in an effort to recompose. “Since the reintroduction of the gray wolf in the mid-nineties—”
“Reintroduction my ass,” someone else mumbled.
“Excuse me?” Her hands had begun to tremble.
“It wasn’t a reintroduction. The Feds imported a whole new subspecies that are half again the size of the plains wolf that used to be here. My granddaddy has picture proof from the last big wolf hunt in the ’20s. They had good reason for getting rid of the ones we had, and they weren’t near the size of those sons of bitches that you people brought down from Canada.”
“On the contrary, we’ve been conducting ongoing genetic studies that prove—”
“I don’t care about your science. The fact is there wasn’t ever any plains wolf that could take down an elk all by its lonesome. Now there’re whole packs of them that you people are allowing to wipe out the elk and moose herds.”
“According to our records, wolf depredations account for only—”
“’Sides that,” the old man continued, “most of the time they only eat half of what they kill before moving on to fresh game. Wolves are killers. It’s what they do. And they have no natural predators to control them. Now, we have to suffer for it. If you don’t believe me, you need to go talk to my buddy who runs a sheep outfit outside of Victor, Idaho. He’ll set you straight real quick, little lady. Only a few months ago two wolves terrorized the whole herd. He lost over a hundred lambs and fifty-seven ewes at a cost of twenty grand.” The old man shook his head and stood up. “I ain’t listening to any more of this wolf preservation bullshit.”
The younger man beside him spoke. “I’ve got a question that’s on all of our minds. What’s the real purpose of this so-called task force?”
Haley licked her lips. “I thought I already explained that. Our purpose is to review, monitor, and provide timely updates on all wolf management activities—”
“Updates to whom? The Fed or those fanatical activists that are suing us?” He eyed her with open hostility. “The same people you worked for.”
Haley’s chest constricted. She glanced frantically around the room that was now abuzz. They did somewhat resemble the lynch gang she’d joked about. Maybe Jeffrey hadn’t exaggerated so much after all.
“I believe Dr. Cooper stated she’d take questions at the end of her talk.”
She hadn’t noticed Reid’s entrance until he laid a hand on her antagonist’s shoulder. They stared each other down for a protracted moment. To her relief, her adversary backed down, taking his seat again with a sullen look. Reid took a place beside him and nodded to Haley to continue her lecture. The next twenty minutes passed in a blur as she mindlessly recited from her notes, her gaze remaining focused on Reid’s passively reassuring face.
“In closing, thanks to the cooperative efforts of federal, state, and tribal agencies, as well as conservation groups and ecologically-minded private citizens, we have succeeded in restoring this magnificent species to most of the Northern Rockies. We now look to you, the ranchers, sportsmen, and outfitters of Wyoming, to help us build upon this success.”
She paused, surveying the room, but rather than the smiles, nods, and applause she was accustomed to, she was met with dead silence and cold, steely stares. Her smile wavered. She cleared her throat again. “Now then, does anyone have any questions?”
Arms across his chest, her former detractor maintained his icy glower. His light blue eyes reminded her all too much of Reid’s. Did all Wyoming men have eyes that color?
After a moment of strained silence, Reid raised a hand. “I do. I think everyone in this room wants to know the same thing. We’ve already presented a wolf management plan to the Feds. What more will it take for them to delist?”
Haley replied, “While I can’t answer for the federal government’s final decision, the task force will review the data and look for assurances that breeding pairs and collared subjects will continue to be protected. We feel that further monitoring is needed since so many of our study subjects periodically migrate out of their protected habitats and into Wyoming.”
“If that’s so, what’s to keep you from slapping collars on every wolf?” her first heckler asked.
“Money and manpower,” she answered bluntly. “I wish we could monitor every wolf. We’d then be able to prove that your concerns about livestock depredation are largely unfounded, but it’s just not feasible.”
“And what about the declining moose and elk?” he pressed. “What’s your answer to that? Our herds are a fraction of what they were ten years back.”
“There are many factors for the decline of ungulates outside of predators. Namely changes in migration patterns and habitat due to expanding human interference. I’m sorry I can’t elaborate more,” Haley hedged, “but I believe my colleagues who spoke earlier can better respond about the herd decline. Any other questions?”
Another glower from Reid silenced her two antagonists.
Haley exhaled in relief. Still shaken, she shuffled her notes while waiting for the room to disperse. When she looked up again, it was empty of everyone but Reid.
Stepping down from the podium, she laid a hand on his sleeve. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. I had no idea this would become so confrontational.”
His gaze met hers. “Don’t mistake my actions, Haley. What I did doesn’t mean I agree with you. I’m not on your side on this issue. I just don’t adhere to bullying.”
“Then I appreciate your intervention all the more.”
“I invited you for dinner, but perhaps you’d like to get a drink?”
“Yes,” she replied shakily. “I could definitely use a drink, but could we please go somewhere beside the hotel bar? Someplace quieter maybe?”
“That leaves out the Million Dollar Cowboy,” he replied. “I’m assuming all steak houses are also out, right? You still a vegetarian or have you gone full-out vegan?”
She looked abashed. “No. I’m not a vegan. I tried it for a time but I caved on dairy,” she blurted with a guilty look. “And shoes.”
“Shoes?” He returned a quizzical look. “’Fraid I don’t follow you there.”
“True veganism is a lifestyle, Reid. Vegans shun not just animals as food but animal products. I had a very hard time finding decent shoes that weren’t leather. I also had a hard time giving up wool, especially while in Alaska.”
He shook his head with a tsking sound. “So Dr. Haley Cooper chose personal comfort over ethics?”
“Yes,” she confessed with a look that made him chuckle. “The whole truth is comfort coupled with vanity. I love high heels. When you are barely over five feet tall, you need all the extra inches you can get. But I suppose you wouldn’t understand that, not being challenged for inches.”
He cocked a brow.
Her face flamed. “That didn’t come out right. At. All.”
“Yes. I’m thankful for all my inches.” His lips curved in a slow smile that made her insides quiver. “They help get me into those really hard-to-reach places.”
She shut her eyes on a distant memory of all those thick, hard inches moving inside her. Her thighs tightened against the sudden surge of desire.
“What’s the story on dairy?” Reid’s question jerked her mind from the gutter.
“I made a sincere effort to fall in love with soy and tofu, but there’s no comparison with real ice cream…or cheese. Not even close. One night, when I was feeling particularly blue, I was seduced back to the dairy side by a four-cheese pizza and a pint of Moose Tracks. I fell off the wagon and never got back on. There you have it. Pathetic, isn’t it? I’m the Benedict Arnold of vegans.”
“So pizza was your Achilles’ heel?” His laugh was low and rumbly. She loved the sound. Jeffrey rarely laughed, but when he did it was nasally and grating.
“Can’t blame you there,” he continued. “I love pizza, second only to a good steak. Those were two of the things I missed most in the sand pits.”
“What else did you miss?” she asked.
His grin disappeared. “Ever heard of General Order Number One?”
“No. What is it?”
“The prohibition of booze and all sexual contact in a combat zone. I did seven deployments in eight years, all in combat zones. Each averaging seven months. Some longer. Fifty months of total abstinence. Four-point-one-six years, if you do the math.”
“Oh,” she said. His gaze was too intense. She had to look away. “I guess you must have been real eager to make up for all that lost time.”
He shook his head slowly. “Time, once lost, can never be recouped.”
Was there a deeper message in that? What were they doing now? He’d begun to thaw. In some ways it felt the same between them as before, as if the years had never passed, but in other ways, it was as if they were perfect strangers.
“C’mon.” He pressed a hand to her back. “Let’s go. I know just the place.”
* * *
Reid drove her to a small Italian restaurant, hoping to get in without a reservation, but the dining room was full. “Do you serve in the bar?” he asked the maître d’.
“Yes. We offer the full menu.”
“Will that suit you?” he asked Haley.
“Yes. I’m easy,” she replied and then colored. “To please, I mean.”
Another Freudian slip? She was edgy as hell, and the tension between them was only growing. She didn’t hide it well. He was happy to see her squirming in her panties and feeling pretty damned smug to know she was thinking the same thoughts he was.
He’d tried to ignore it, to suppress his lingering lust, but he couldn’t deny the semi he’d been sporting almost from the moment he’d seen her. They followed the maître d’ into the bar where he chose a quiet corner table. A waitress appeared almost immediately to take their drink order.
“Jim Beam Black, straight up.” He looked to Haley. “A mojito? Is that still your poison?”
“Yes,” Haley said. “I’m surprised you remember.”
“I never forget details.” He shrugged. “Marine training.” It was true, just not the whole truth. He remembered her. Had memorized every detail over those cumulative four-point-one-six years. He’d wanted her back then, and still wanted her now. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t help himself.
The waitress left menus behind while she went to fill the drink order.
“You’ve changed. The glasses. The hair,” he remarked. It was still the same pale blonde, but shorter, barely brushing her shoulders.
“I’m not twenty anymore,” she said. “I needed a more sophisticated, less coed look. When you’re as short as I am, it’s hard to be taken seriously to begin with, so I cut my hair and started wearing glasses again.” She slid them off her face and set them on the table. “I really only need them for reading.”
Her eyes were the deep sea green he so vividly recalled. They softened as her gaze met his. She seemed less certain of herself now. More vulnerable. Yeah, she felt it brewing too. It was only a matter of time, but if it happened again, it would have to be on his terms.
“Reid, I wanted to ask you something. Who were those two men this afternoon?”
“The ones who harassed you?” He’d hoped this wouldn’t come up, but supposed it was inevitable.
“Yeah. Can you tell me anything about them?”
“The older one is a founding member of the Outfitters Association, and the younger is his son, the chairman of the Wolf Coalition.”
“The group countersuing the Wolf Recovery Alliance? No wonder they were so hostile,” she remarked dryly. “What are their names? I’d like to know precisely who I’m dealing with.”
He heaved a sigh. “Boyd and Jared Everett.”
“Everett.”
“Yup. My father and my brother.”
“So that’s why they backed off when you intervened.”
“Yes, but it was only a reprieve. They’re going to win this time, Haley. All you activists can continue to fight in the courts, but you’re eventually going to lose in Wyoming. It’s only a matter of time. You’ll never sway public opinion to your side here. Trust me on this, there’s nothing you can do to stop the delisting.”
“But we can certainly delay it. Our lawyers are already seeking another injunction.” Haley jutted her jaw. “You aren’t doing enough to protect the wolves.”
“You’ve got to at least try to understand where the people here are coming from. We’re traditionalists who depend too much on our lands and herds to make our living. We can’t protect your wolves at the cost of feeding our families.”
“You all want to cast all the blame for the herd decline on the wolves when the facts are—”
“Facts?” he repeated. “Let’s just stick to bare facts, shall we? How many wolves are there in Wyoming?”
“It’s hard to estimate. They move around.”
“Then give me your best guess.”
“Our last report stated 320 known wolves in Wyoming.”
“Wasn’t the recovery goal a hundred?”
“That’s the minimum number for recovery,” she insisted.
“Yet you’re telling me we have over three times that number.”
“But if you start killing them—”
He raised a hand. “Hold your rebuttal until you hear me out, Haley. Still sticking to facts, what is their primary food source?”
“Ungulates. Mostly deer, elk, occasionally moose calves.”
“How many kills does a wolf need to make in a year to survive?”
She chewed her lip. “About twenty, I guess. Maybe twenty-five.”
“So a wolf population of one hundred would kill about two thousand, maybe twenty-five hundred elk a year?”
“I suppose so.”
“But we have over three hundred wolves killing twenty to twenty-five elk apiece. That’s close to eight thousand elk in a single year, Haley. I’m no math genius, but it seems to me that accounts for a big chunk of the decline.”
“But there are other predators and other factors than wolves,” she argued.
“I don’t dispute that, but those other factors only contribute further to the decreasing elk numbers, and we haven’t even touched on livestock yet. You see why people are hurting? Why they’re hostile? They’re watching everything they’ve worked for all their lives go down the tubes just to satisfy the conservationists who want to watch wolf pups romp at the national parks. Problem is, the wolves don’t stay in the parks.”
“You’re oversimplifying everything,” she insisted. “The issue is much more complicated than that.”
“Is it? I don’t think so. Why are you really here?” he asked.
She shrugged. “It was a job.”
“You already had one, didn’t you? With one of those conservation groups?”
“I was an assistant professor of wildlife conservation studies at the university, and yes, I also helped fund-raise for a conservation group.”
“So why are you here?” he repeated.
“Truth?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He sat back. “Truth.”
She sighed. “I was getting tired of all the politics and wanted to get back to fieldwork. All the money I’ve helped raise seems to be going into lawyers’ pockets instead of toward what really matters. I thought this job would allow me to get back to what I love.”
“But it’s also landed you right smack in the middle of a minefield.”
She met his eyes with a smile. “Then it’s a good thing there was a marine on hand to rescue me. Why did you do it, Reid?”
“Told you. The odds were stacked against you.”
“I can hold my own,” she argued.
“You didn’t stand a chance, sweetheart. They would have eaten you alive. When I intervened, they were barely getting warmed up.”
The waitress delivered their drinks. “Ready to order?”
“I’m sorry,” Haley answered. “We haven’t had a chance to look at the menu yet.”
“No problem. Take your time. I’ll check back with you in a few.”
His gaze never leaving Haley’s, Reid took a long swallow, relishing the smooth bourbon burn. He wondered again why he had intervened. He’d felt compelled to protect her, and he didn’t understand why. Or why he’d asked her to dinner when his instinct of self-preservation told him to steer clear of her.
She stared down into her glass, idly stirring her drink. “I don’t want to talk about wolves anymore.”
“All right by me,” he said. “I’m game for any topic that doesn’t include politics, religion, or wolves.”
“You’ve changed, Reid.”
“Yeah.” He snorted and took another swig. “I’ve changed all right.”
“How long have you been home?”
“Only a few months.”
“Are you adapting all right? I mean, it’s got to be hard, given how long you were over there.”
“It’s been an adjustment,” he answered tersely.
“What are your plans?”
“Don’t have any. My life pretty much sucks right now, since I don’t know what the hell I want to do with it. For now I’ll just keep doing what I’ve always done.” He gave her a narrow look. “And try to stay out of the politics.”
“So you guide hunters?” she asked.
“It’s a bit more than that. Outfitting is playing babysitter, game warden, and pack mule to people who think they want a wilderness adventure. Most of them are pretty damn clueless, hence the babysitting part. I keep them from getting lost or shooting themselves. Now that game’s scarcer, we’re having to trek a whole lot deeper into the backcountry, so Jared’s put me in charge of Everett’s Extreme Expeditions.”
“Sounds right up your alley,” she laughed.
“Yeah.” He gave a dry laugh. “But the ‘extreme’ living is getting old too. I fantasize about getting away from it all. Just going someplace I can kick back without having to pack a mule, a tent, or a weapon.”
“Like some desert island?”
“Hell no.” He grimaced. “No islands. No place with sand. I’ve had as much of that shit as I can take.”
“So where would you go?”
“Dunno. Maybe when I figure it out, I’ll just go.”
“Just disappear?”
“Mebbe.”
She toyed with her straw again. Slanting a look through her lashes, she asked, “Are you involved with anyone, Reid?”
“No. If I was, I wouldn’t be here with you.”
“But it’s only dinner.”
“Is it?” He glanced down at her naked left hand. “What happened with your professor?”
“Work got in the way.”
“He wasn’t right for you. He wasn’t what you need.”
She gave a derisive snort. “And you think you’re some kind of expert on what I need?”
“Yeah, when you look at me like that.”
She wet her lips. “Like what?”
“Like you want me to fuck you senseless.”
Her jaw dropped and her hands hit the table. “You arrogant, presumptuous son of a—”
He’d offended her with his bluntness, but he didn’t care. He pushed back in his chair and eyed her levelly. It was time to cut through the bullshit. “I’m too old for games, Haley.”
Her green eyes widened. “You think I’m playing games?”
“Don’t be coy with me. I don’t have the patience or temperament for it anymore. Time has become a priceless commodity to me. I’ve already wasted too damned much of it. If you want me, just say it.”
Her mouth closed. Her gaze dropped to her hands. She looked nervous as hell. For a moment he thought she’d bolt, but she didn’t.
He waited. And watched.
At last she looked up, her gaze searching his. “All right,” she whispered. “I’ll say it. I want you.”