“She reminds me of my dad.”
Leo slowed and tossed her a wary look. Only then did she realize how that might have sounded. A fresh blush crossed her face and she ducked her head.
“In the best ways, I promise.” She bit her lip, trying to come up with how she could put it. “Everything he’s done for me… I can tell he cares.” She grimaced. When she’d been in his office mere months ago and heard him insist she needed to get married in order to take over the company, those words would never have crossed her mind. “I know it might sound weird, but being away from him has helped put things in perspective. Does he do the right things all the time? Definitely not.” Her shoulders lifted asif by their own accord. “But he loves me. And I know he wants me to be happy—deep down, at least.”
Leo’s thoughtful look would have at one time made her uneasy. She would have been wondering what he was feeling—what he was thinking.
Now that she’d gotten used to him, she could tell he was simply taking everything in. He listened to her—really listened. How many times had she been upset about the fact that the men in her life didn’t give her the credit she was due?
Leo’s thoughtful hum brought her attention back to him. “I suppose in that respect, I can see where you’re coming from. Though I doubt my mother would ever try to arrange my marriage.”
“Not even to me?” She’d meant for the words to be playful. Neither one of them should be thinking about getting married. But based on the strange look Leo was now giving her, she’d realized her mistake.
Once again, Kat had put her foot in her mouth.
She cleared her throat and tugged at her hand if only to put some distance between them and get some breathing room. But Leo’s grasp on her remained firm. If it was possible, her skin would have been steaming in this cold weather based on the flush that now coated her cheeks.
Leo pulled her around to stand in front of him. They were both bathed in the light of the full moon. There was no one wandering the property this late at night and in the cold, no sounds of rustling animals or branches. Everything had gone so incredibly still. Leo hooked a finger beneath her chin so she had no choicebut to look at him and his infuriating smirk. “I can assure you, if my mother had insisted I marry you…”
His words dangled between them as he rolled his lower lip between his teeth and let his eyes sweep over her form.
“I don’t know if I could deny her request.” Then he winked at her. “She is my mother, after all. I owe her so much. I’m sure I could make that kind ofsacrifice.”
Her mouth fell open. What on earth was she supposed to say tothat?
He was joking.
Clearly.
Because that smile said it all.
Leo leaned closer to her, his voice barely above a whisper. “Though, if I’m honest, it wouldn’t be much of one.” He finished off his statement with a graze of his lips against the crown of her head.
Her body didn’t stop vibrating with nervous energy. Not when they continued their walk. Not when Leo relayed stories of when he was younger and he along with his brother drove his mother wild. Not when she was once again alone in her room and staring at her computer.
She’d managed to send her father an update on the progress that had been made for this project, and it wasn’t much of a surprise that her father had responded.
The message was short. Two sentences. He was pleased and he looked forward to the next update.
Kat shut her computer then crawled under the covers and stared at the ceiling.
So what if being with Leo had been amazing tonight even after such an awkward dinner. So what if he could say some of the sweetest things she’d ever heard. So what if she couldn’t think of anyone else she’d rather spend her time with.
Kat would ignore all those facts. She’d push them to the back burner until the time when she had to leave. Leo promised her no strings attached. He’d insisted that they could have their fun and go their separate ways.
She should be content with that notion.
So why did leaving start to sound more painful than it had when she’d first arrived?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Love.
Another full month had flown by, and all Leo could think about was how much he burned to lay his feelings out for Kat.
That would be a mistake.
Deep down, he knew it.
