“So?” She prompted, reaching for her water and taking a sip. “What can I do for you?”
“Straight to the point?”
“Would you prefer small talk?”
His laugh surprised her and warmed her too. “No.”
“Me neither. So?”
“I had fun last night.”
Something fluttered in her chest. “I’m glad. I did too.”
He nodded, his comprehension of that fact not in doubt, apparently. She wanted to smile at his confidence-bordering-on-arrogance but in fact, she found it refreshing.
“I know you said you wanted one night only.”
Her heart lifted and suddenly, it was almost impossible to breathe. “But?”
His grin was slow to spread and incredibly seductive. Heat moved through her. “I’m here for the weekend. I’d like to spend more time with you.”
“More time,” she repeated, his statement as unexpected as if he’d suggested she paint her skin blue and run down the street naked.
“A little more time,” he qualified, watching her without giving anything away in his own expression. She felt vulnerable, as though he could too easily read every thought running through her mind.
“Why?” She said after a small pause, taking another sip of water to ease her dry throat.
“Did we not already address that? I enjoyed myself. I enjoyedyou,” he intoned with warmth in the tone, rolling the syllables around his mouth so she shivered in an immediate, visceral response. “And I would like to enjoymoreof you.”
Straight to the point, just as she’d wanted. Her eyes widened, her lips parting softly as she drew in a soft breath.
“I live in Al Medina. My life is there. My obligations too. I am not asking you for a date—I believe we both have our reasons for preferring discretion. What I would like is to spend time with you here, just as we did last night, until my flight leaves.”
He made it sound so simple, that for a moment, Cora forgot. She forgot her hurt and heartbreak and how soft her heart was, how easily it could be made to feel, how badly burned it had been in the past. She forgot all the reasons she had for staying single and avoiding anything more complicated than surface-level friendship, and she smiled at him, because it felt like exactly what she wanted to do. His offer flooded her, filling her mind with possibilities.
“It is thirty-six hours. Not a lifetime.” He lifted a forkful of food to his mouth, chewing it without taking his eyes off her. “I believe we would both think it worth our while.”
“You’re very sure of yourself,” she said with a small shake of her head, and a smile tingling the corners of her lips.
“Yes.”
And with good reason. Nonetheless, she dipped her head forward to conceal her reaction.
“This is not complicated,” he said quietly. “And it is not compulsory. If you’re not interested in what I’m suggesting, we’ll share lunch and some conversation, and then I’ll leave again. It is completely up to you.”
It wasn’t though. The die had been cast the first moment they met. He was offering something she knew she’d never be able to refuse, but she wasn’t ready to admit as much to him.
“Stay for lunch,” she said, lifting some food towards her mouth. “After that, we’ll see.”
“Ah. A trial?”
“Exactly.”
“So, I still need to impress you?”
“Oh, I’m impressed,” she said, honestly. “I’m just not convinced spending more time together is wise.”
“Would talking about it help you decide?”