“I don’t know. I gave her a parting gift. Some can be happy with that, others want more.”
“What? A wedding ring?”
He snorted. “They know the score when they get into anything with me.”
“They do, huh?” She eyed him a second, and he knew she was judging him on his words.
Wanting to smack himself, and wondering where his renowned icy nature was hiding today, he sighed. “I wish I could start this evening over.”
“Why? I’ve found it rather illuminating.”
“I can believe it. I’ve made a real dick out of myself. I’m just…”
“Just what?”
“On edge, I guess.”
She frowned. “Why?”
He wafted a hand between them. “I’m surprised.”
“That you have feelings for me?”
His nod was slow. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“Because of Jamie.” It wasn’t a question. More like a blanket statement, and he saw the tightening in her eyes that spoke of remembered pain—gosh, he’d do anything in his power to make that go away.
But that was the problem.
It was out of his control, and he hated that.
“It’s to do with a lot of things. Some of it’s Jamie, some of it’s Erin. Some of it’s you and most of it’s just me. This is unusual for me,” he confessed softly. “I don’t do things like this.”
“I can tell. You really need to work on your charm.”
He sighed. “Thanks.”
“No worries,” she told him, cheerful again. “But, you’re pretty cute when you’re admitting to a failing, and I get the feeling you don’t admit to them often so I should take advantage of having a front row seat to the party.”
Despite himself, and despite the fact she’d made him the butt of her joke, he had to laugh. “I’d take full advantage of it,” he told her. “It doesn’t happen often. I can’t afford for it to.”
“Is it a good or bad thing that I’m making you feel this way?”
“That you’re making me feel anything at all is unnerving,” he said softly, and she froze at his side.
When she peered up at him, batting those big eyes of hers his way, he felt his heart plummet.
Why did she have this much power over him when she’d never had it before?
Why had they exploded into action that day in Frank and Janice’
s building?
Where had that come from? All that passion, newly triggered, and just needing to be burned off before they combusted from the sheer magnitude of the power springing to life between them?
It was beyond confusing and for a man who was rarely confused when it came down to his interactions with women, he felt like a dunce.
“Unnerving… that doesn’t sound wholly good or wholly bad.”