“You should keep it that way.”
I stared up at his face. “It’s that bad?”
“No.” He gave me a look. “Who were you talking to?”
“I told you, I didn’t see them.”
He scanned the room, obviously not believing me. “You should tell me.”
“I’d prefer just to go home. It’s been a long night.”
He looked concerned for a moment and then gave me a short nod. “Of course.”
He fellsilent the moment we got into the car. I sat in the passenger seat and watched him drive through the dark. Gone was the guy with the lingering looks who held my hand and whispered in my ear. That guy had been replaced by a man who drove silently without giving me a second look.
Which meant that all the flirting had been merely for show. I reminded myself of this and tried not to take it personally.
His voice broke through my thoughts. “I have to head out of town for work next week.”
I looked over at him, wondering if he would make a run for it. “Okay.”
“You can text.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be back right before our wedding.”
Our wedding.The word hung in the air between us.
“If you skip town, I’ll totally understand.”
His smile reached his eyes as he looked over at me. “I’m not a runner.”
“I’d forgive you.”
He pulled the car in front of the house and killed the engine. “I’ll walk you inside.”
The house felt silent and empty, and even though I’d never admit it, I was glad he was walking me back to the family’s private quarters.
When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I stopped and turned to him. “Have a safe trip.”
He smiled. “I’ll see you at the church.”
I had climbed two steps when he spoke from behind me.
“Starfish means that one partner doesn’t participate. They lie there like a starfish while their partner does all the work.”
I half turned to look at him. But all I could think of was lying stretched out on a bed and not moving while he did everything else. I could feel my face start to burn. “Oh, I see.”
I was too mortified to say anything else, so I turned back to the stairs to begin my ascent.
He spoke again, his voice low. “I happen to love tying my partners down in the starfish position.”
His words made me stumble. In my awkward attempt to recover, I staggered up two more steps, arms flailing for balance.
He moved with remarkable speed, appearing beside me and grabbing me even though I had already steadied myself.
“I’m fine.”
