“It depends.Do you want to know more?”
Her nod was hesitant.“Why could I seethat?”What was it even called?Magic?Fairy dust?Jesus.Had she taken acid without realizing it?
“Because of what you are to me.Otherwise, you wouldn’t have.Just like everyone else in the restaurant didn’t who isn’t like me.”
“Like you?What are you?”she breathed when he dropped his head and let his mouth hover over hers.She felt the weight of his lips against hers, but he didn’t kiss her, just let her feel his heavy presence there.
“I can’t tell you.Not here.”
Her eyelids fell shut and she swallowed as he nipped at her bottom lip.
“Come home with me.”
She wanted to, she realized.What did that make her?She knew what her friends would say if she went back to his place and they had sex.
“Not for sex,” he said, seeming to realize what she was worried about.“I mean that.Hand on heart.This… it goes far deeper than sex.”
“It does?”Had she ever heard a man admit to something like that?Hell, she didn’t know why she didn’t expire from shock.
“Yes.It does.You can spend the night at my home, and I won’t touch you.”
She frowned.“Why not?”
He grinned.“I’m glad to know the notion is disappointing.”
Her cheeks flushed bright pink.Again.Dammit.“Well, I mean, that’s unusual, isn’t it?”
“I’m an unusual man.”
Why she decided to have faith in him, El didn’t know.But she pulled away from Ryan—saw and was relieved by the flash of disappointment in his eyes when he thought she was rejecting him outright—then turned to face McNamara.
That look was all it took for her guard to approach.“Ryan will tell you where we need to go.”
McNamara turned to her date.“You are aware that before Maryellen can enter your home, we’ll need to do a full sweep of the property?”
Ryan barely blinked at what, she knew, was a damn cheek.“I understand.I have nothing to hide.However, I have guards of my own or I’d send you on ahead and let you check it out beforehand.”
McNamara seemed to appreciate that idea.“Is that not possible?”
“They need to see me agree to letting you onto the grounds before they’d allow you to do a sweep of your own.”
“Of course.I can understand their caution.”He held out a guiding hand.“If you’d step this way?”
Ryan nodded but grabbed a hold of El’s hand.When his fingers slid through the spaces between hers, bridging them, she felt warmth settle in her belly.
It was warmth of a different nature to what she’d experienced before.This wasn’t the heat of arousal, the burning need of a passion shared.It was bountiful, somehow.Generous.
And she knew that in no way explained what the heck was going on with her, but that’s just how it felt.
She might have thought he was taking her for a ride, literally and in a jerk-male kind of way, but she didn’t.Couldn’t.
This was… well, it was all too real.
What she’d just seen, and his earnestness?For the first time in too long, she had faith, and somehow that was more terrifying than anything else.
Hope was a wonderful and horrible thing.She was leaving herself open to a world full of hurt, and while it undoubtedly made her sound like ‘poor little rich girl’, she’d already experienced enough hurt in her lifetime to wish not to add to it.
But Ryan made her want to try, and try she would.
