“It’s not that I don’t like you.” He looked like he was in pain.
“Okay, so all the crap you’ve thrown at me since I arrived was what?”
He grimaced.
Luna sighed. “I can see apologizing is painful for you, so let’s just leave it that I accept your apology and move on. Then we never speak to each other again.”
“The problem, as I see it, is that I like how you look.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You have that face and body, and it all adds up to something disturbing.” He looked like he was passing a kidney stone; his face was pale, and she was pretty sure his hands were shaking.
“I’m not apologizing for how I look.”
“I know, and you shouldn’t have to, and I shouldn’t have judged you because of it and what you are.”
“You look like you’re going to pass out.”
“I’m close,” he muttered.
“Is it the apology or me?” Luna asked.
“Both?”
“What am I that disturbs you?”
“It’s the package,” he said.
“My social media presence? The fact I’m a successful businesswoman?”
“Look.” He ran a hand through his hair, sending it in all directions. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken an instant dislike to you.”
His face told her he’d rather have a root canal than continue this conversation. She didn’t want to take pity on him, but this wasn’t her town, so she wasn’t about to make trouble in it.
“Fine. I’m sorry for throwing water on you.”
“I probably deserved it, but because you did, my sister’s pissed with me and pretty much the rest of this town who are all on team Luna. They told me I had to say sorry.”
He looked like a small boy who’d been sent to apologize to his teacher for something.
“I have a team. Cool.”
The smile lifted one side of his mouth and created a whole new disturbing level of handsome.
“It’s been a hell of a day,” he said slowly, “and it’s only early afternoon.”
“Rescuing ladies and getting water thrown over you has to test a guy.”
“Then there were the lectures, and the knowledge that my guitar playing is all around town.”
“I’m not apologizing about that. You’ve got this whole rude, grumpy persona, but that doesn’t make it right. You’re an adult; you need to start behaving like one.”
He sighed, lifting that muscled chest up and down. “It’s worked for me until now.”
“Think of it as growth,” Luna said, enjoying the conversation now they weren’t going at each other. “You can make slow changes and one day even learn to smile.”
He did then; it was slow, and when it reached his eyes, she felt the impact hit her square in the chest.