Melt by Natalie Anderson Read Free Book Online Page B

perceptive. Emma forced a laugh, a light, high peal of almost real amusement. Because although he was right, she wasn’t going there …with him .
    “What’s so funny?” he asked, surprised.
    “I just realized we’re doing it.”
    He looked confused. “Doing what?”
    “Sharing too much too soon, like they all do down here. We’re doing that .” Or rather she was. And she’d shared more than enough already.
    He sent her a sideways look. “I’m happy to go back to flirt talk if you like.”
    She did like—far too much. But it needed to stop when she had a project to do. “No, we both have work.”
    He sighed. “I keep trying to point this out to you, but you’re still not getting it… There’s more to life than work.”
    She merely smiled. He didn’t have to prove what she had to prove.
    “You know how hard these guys work,” he said. “Six days when in the base, nonstop when in a field camp. Long, long hours. If they don’t kick back and relax sometime, they go crazy.”
    “Yes, but I’m here only a couple of weeks.” And this was the first time she was getting to do what she loved most as her job.
    “All the more reason to have some R&R time—it might be your only trip down here. You have to make the most of it.”
    “We need to get back to the shelter.” She began to stomp away. “My feet have turned into blocks of ice.”
    “No kidding,” he called after her.
    …
     
    Late the following afternoon, Hunter walked into the lounge. They’d gotten back from the overnight camp just before lunch, and he’d been in meetings ever since. He’d lived in small, shared spaces since he hit boarding school at age six, so he knew how to maintain isolation and privacy despite being around people 24/7. But tonight he felt like getting up close to one of his fellow residents. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much that she had a good time while down here. Maybe it was the serious look in her eyes or her aura of isolation—maybe it was just that like recognized like.
    He picked up the e-reader that had been left on the edge of one of the bookcases and grinned at the fake-zebra-skin cover. You could tell a lot about a person by their reading taste, right? Well, you could learn something . He flicked on the button and read the page. Hell .
    A bolt of heat speared his stomach.
    Heeeellll .
    He flicked it off again. He didn’t need that making his situation worse. He’d discovered firsthand how hot she was beneath that pretty, ice-polite exterior, but adding this to the mix?
    There was no way they could continue flirting the way they had been. No, he was going to have to put some boundaries in place for himself. They could manage a nice, friendly, no-rampant-sexual-undertones relationship. He didn’t want to be thinking about her all the time, anyway. And he definitely didn’t want to be thinking about doing that with her all the time.
    This was supposed to be his vacation —he didn’t want any emotional entanglements, and she clearly wasn’t the kind of woman who could do casual and light. He went straight to the bunkroom he knew was hers and knocked on the door.
    But as she opened the door, he couldn’t help himself. He deliberately stepped into the space so only an inch separated their faces, a scant few more separating their chests. He couldn’t resist a look at those full lips—now parted in surprise.
    Her breathing quickened, the short pants slightly audible. The temperature zoomed. Temptation winched his body tighter. He dragged his gaze up to the green pools that were her eyes—and saw a desire swirling that equaled his. Damn . He struggled to remember he was here to let her know he was going to leave her alone.
    “I think you left this in the lounge,” he whispered roughly and held it out.
    …
     
    “Oh,” Emma mumbled. “Thanks.” As she took the e-reader from him, she saw a look in his eye that hadn’t been there before. Yes, they’d indulged in all that crazy flirt talk