“That’s why you hung around the entire night? To walk me home?”
“That and I wanted to dance with you. So the matter’s settled.”
“No it’s not.”
“You can’t get rid of me, sweetheart. I’m walking you home.”
***
Maddie
I gave in to him, because how could I not? I had the shrewd suspicion that it wouldn’t have mattered—he’d have walked me home anyway. He seemed the kind of man who wouldn’t be deterred by a no, and I liked it, a little too much. I also liked that he was so protective of me. Did that make me a little nutty?
Truthfully, I appreciated his offer, because with the wave of tourists that summer brought in, you could never be too careful. Grace always drove after a shift because she lived farther away.
He had a point about my car being broken into. And I had to admit to myself that I wanted his company for a few more minutes. The way he’d danced with me... My insides were melting just remembering it. My entire body was still wound up tight from all the sensations he’d stirred inside me.
“It’s a lovely night,” I exclaimed as we left the bar.
“Great for a walk,” he replied. Judging by the sheer number of people out and about, you wouldn’t have thought it was almost four o’clock in the morning. LA was just as alive and vibrant as ever, though summer seemed to be an especially crowded time.
I wrestled with the million questions I had for him. I didn’t want to pry, but at the same time I wanted to know more about him, and I wanted to know things directly from the source, not from Val.
Maybe I was imagining things, but while we were dancing, I felt a connection—something that went beyond the spark between us. In the throes of dancing, he seemed to let loose in a way I hadn’t seen him do since he arrived.
“Can I ask you something?” I tried.
“Sure.”
“Did something happen to make you decide to take time off?”
“We just finalized talks for a partnership with another player in the industry. We have a lot of synergies between us, and it makes sense. But I’ve been working sixteen-hour days for the last six months to make it happen. I needed a break. And I missed my family. It’s been years since I spent more than a few days at a time with them.” He smiled at me, a smile that made my insides flutter. Damn my traitorous insides. They had no business fluttering. “But if my brothers ask, my official story is I needed a proper break from everything. I’ll never hear the end of it otherwise. Plus, I did need a vacation during which I don’t wake up to check sales numbers and go to bed making projections.”
“Instead you unload timber poles and walk women home in the middle of the night.”
“Just one woman. And I’ll gladly do it again. I had a great time tonight, Maddie. I loved dancing with you.”
My skin sizzled, and I nearly melted into a puddle when he cocked his head and trapped my gaze with his.
“I loved it too.”
“Worth breaking the rules?” he challenged.
“One hundred percent.”
“Tell me about your sister.”
“Grace is the smartest person,” I piped up. “She’s in law school right now on a partial scholarship and works at the Lucky Bar and a few other places.”
“And that’s enough to pay the rest of the tuition fees?”
“No, I’m paying them. She works to cover her living costs.”
He smiled. “You’re a great sister.”
“Thanks. I don’t want Grace to graduate with a ton of debt. That puts a lot of pressure on you as a young professional.”
We arrived on my street faster than expected. When had time flown by? Tiny bungalows were crammed into each other along the street. I had no yard to speak of, but living alone in LA came at a cost.