Free Claiming Honor (Bad Boys of River City Book 3) by Elle Wylder

no, I'm not putting up with that shit. Not after his half assed proposal. If that's what it even is. I glare but it has zero effect on him. Fuck this shit.
    "Let me up," I snap.
    He finally seems to get that I'm furious. His arms loosen and I jerk away, climb off the bed, and stalk to the bathroom to shower. I'm not surprised when he follows and climbs in with me. Unbelievably, he's hard again. Even  as pissed as I am, I respond to the sight. The bastard knows it too. He grins. I turn my back on him and step under the water. I reach for the shampoo but he beats me to it and takes over. I turn to watch him pour a generous amount into his hand. He lathers my hair and lets me dip my head to rinse it clear. When that's done he steps back. We get out, dry off, and head into the other room to change. He sits on the bed and watches me rummage through my bag.
    "Will you talk to me now?" he asks. Reluctantly. Carefully? As usual I have no idea what he's thinking.
    "I don’t want to talk about marriage, hypothetical or otherwise, Hunter. Please don’t bring it up again."
    Because damn. If he gets serious about that I'm in worse trouble than I thought. I've always dreamed of having a family. My father walked out on us when we were babies and died a few years later. I never knew him. Mom never remarried and she's gone now too.
    "I didn’t realize you have commitment issues. That's too bad, sweetheart. I'm not letting you go. How are you going to explain our not being married to our kids? I'm a pretty old fashioned guy, you know."
    "Pregnancies can be prevented, Hunter," I say, but my heart starts to pound. He brings it up before I can.
    "We didn’t use a condom, Honor. How reliable is this shot of yours so close to end?"
    "Very," I answer.
    He shrugs. "Birth control isn’t one hundred percent. So, how are you going to explain it?"
    I'm not worried about getting pregnant. I researched it carefully before I settled on this method, but I can see he's dead serious about us having kids. I have no idea what to say to that. I've landed in some weird alternate reality. It's not commitment I have a problem with. It's not even him. It's what he does for a living that holds me back. And okay, that dominant streak could get exhausting to live with. He's always going to want to have his own way. He's never going to be good at compromising. And he expects to bring kids into the mess? Suddenly, I have to laugh. He arches an eyebrow, clearly wondering what's so damned funny.
    "I don’t think I'd survive living in a house with you and teenagers, Hunter. They live to rebel and that would make you crazy."
    He rises, smiling now, and saunters over. I don’t even try to dodge him.
    " Our children will defer to their father's wisdom. Of course, they won't rebel."
    That makes me double over, laughing so hard I cry. It would almost be worth it to watch him pulling his hair out. He grabs my hands and slowly draws me closer.
    "Seriously, baby, you'll have to work with me. I know I'm overprotective and possessive and bossy. Maybe I'll mellow some before we have to worry about teenagers."
    I can't believe what I'm hearing. He sounds so serious. "You've really thought about this, haven’t you?"
    He tucks my hair behind my ears, gaze roaming over my face. "Yeah, I have. I know you're the woman for me, and I want a family as much as you do. I've tried to be patient, Honor. I put up with months of phone calls when you were right down the road so you could get to know me in a way you felt safe."
    He scowls, eyes going cold. "Did you think I wasn't serious about us? Is that why you kept trying to keep some distance between us?"
    I'm not sure answering that is a good idea but I give it a shot. "I just can't imagine I'll hold your interest that long."
    He stares at me a second then it's his turn. He throws his back and laughs, while wrapping his arms around me and crushing me against him. I want to know what's so damned funny so I thump him in the chest. He gets