She settled Miss Higgs on the bed, then stepped into the bathroom for a good, long shower. By the time she was out and dressed, she almost felt Kaci-ish again.
Not exactly normal, but not drowning in emotions either.
Miss Higgs was sleeping peacefully on the quilt. Tara had texted—she was heading back from her parents’ place and would be home sometime after dinner.
Kaci left the bedroom, intent on finding a sandwich in the kitchen.
Instead, her heart went into overdrive, adrenaline crashed through her veins, and she yelped. “How in the Sam Hill did you get back in here?”
Lance tossed his phone aside, but he didn’t rise from his perch on the couch. “Never left.”
Her eyes flew to the door, then back to him. “You fake-left.”
“You for real ran away.”
“I…” She trailed off. Because “I can’t handle my feelings for you” wasn’t something she could admit to him.
Not to a military pilot.
Not to a man just off a breakup.
Not to anyone, really.
Feelings didn’t solve physics equations. Feelings wouldn’t get her tenure. Feelings didn’t improve her research habits or lecture style.
Lance sat there, leaning over with hiselbows on his knees, and waited.
He’d tossed his clothes back on, though his T-shirt wasn’t tucked in. His video game system was still hooked up to her TV. And his dark brown eyes were twin orbs of interested, nonjudgmental questions.
Unwelcome moisture stung her eyes again.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
The arrogant flyboy was gone, and in his place was a simple man asking an honest question.
She shook her head.
He watched her, but for once, she couldn’t find the words she wanted.
Or maybe she simply couldn’t find the courage.
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked.
She shook her head again.
“No more rules, Kaci. You can talk. I won’t take my clothes off.”
She couldn’t decide if she was relieved ordisappointed.
The wise answer was probably neither, but she was leaning more toward both.
He patted the couch. “Up for some Bama football?”
The man was brilliant.
Kaci tried to affect a snooty sniff. “Neither of our teams are playing today, and we both know it.”
He flashed a grin, and the tension in her neck and shoulders eased. “Might catch some highlights.”
