His eyes burned into mine. “Ailee, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It wasn’t you. I swear it wasn’t you.”
Did I believe him? I didn’t know. “Tyler, what exactly are you hoping to get out of this?”
He frowned. “What do you mean? Like, what are my intentions toward you?” He grinned, lightening the mood. “Do I need to go speak with your father? Get his permission to court you?”
I felt like an idiot. “Well, yeah. I mean no. Kind of. What I meant was, is this just a fling until you get whatever this is between us out of your system?”
Reaching across the table with his other hand, he covered my fingers with both of his and looked me right in the eye. “No, Ailee. This is much more than just a fling for me.”
My heart began to pound in my chest. “What is it, then?”
“I can’t really answer that question just yet. I can’t see into the future. But Icantell you, I feel things for you, Ailee. Strong things. Scary things.” He laughed quietly, the sound so sexy I could listen to it all night. “You know, the first time we worked together, I could barely spit out my name when you shook my hand. You were so confident and poised and professional. And stunningly beautiful.” He smiled at my look of disbelief. “A little distant.” Looking down at our joined hands, he rubbed his thumb back and forth across the back of my knuckles. “Yet there was something that danced in your eyes that I really wanted to find out more about.” He pinned me in place with his stare. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that day. You weren’t available then.” He rubbed my ring finger, now devoid of any kind of jewelry. “But you are now. I wasn’t sure if the rumor was true until I saw you again. And I knew, right then, that I couldn’t let this lovely lady with so much life in her eyes get away again. Not without a fight.”
“Are you sure it’s not cataracts you’re seeing?” But my self-imposed joke fell flat.
The last trace of his smile fell from his face, and he frowned. “Why do you do that?”
I raised my eyebrows and pulled my hand from his. “Because it’s the truth, Tyler. I told you how old I am.”
He let me go this time, his hand clenching into a fist before dropping beneath the table. “Ailee, youstilldon’t fucking get it. I don’tcarehow old you are. It’s just a number. It’s not you.”
I pressed my lips together to stop myself from saying more.
“You’re worrying about a future that hasn’t even happened yet.” He sighed heavily. Leaned forward again. “Look. Just…agree to date me.”
I crossed my arms. “Date you.”
“Yeah. You know, dinners, movies, romantic strolls in the rain.” A devilish light in his eyes chased away the shadows from my comment. He was probably thinking about wet T-shirts. “Breakfast in bed.” He paused, searching my face. “See what happens and take it from there.”
I wracked my brain for more reasons why this shouldn’t happen. But it was impossible to think straight when he was being like this.
Leaning back, he opened his arms wide. “What can I tell you that’ll convince you I’m worth it? Ask me anything, and I swear I’ll give you an honest answer.” He gave me a devilish grin.
“Okay,” I told him. “Why did you run out the door yesterday? The truth this time.”
The smile slipped from his face. He took a sip of his coffee, and wouldn’t meet my eyes.
My heart began to race and suddenly the familiar smells I usually found so comforting overwhelmed me until I felt nauseous. The murmured conversations around us became a rush of sound in my ears. “You just told me it wasn’t me.”
“It’s not.” His answer was short, the words clipped.
I had to admit, part of me was ready to call it. To thank him for the coffee and walk out the door. But another part of me—that part of me who craved drama and excitement and always used to go after the bad boys—kept me in my seat to see what else he had to say. To figure out the mystery that was Tyler.
He chewed his lower lip and stared down at his coffee cup. Both hands were wrapped around it, and he tapped one side on the table in a steady rhythm. Every few seconds, he would glance up at me, then back at his cup.
I let him stew on whatever he was thinking, until finally, he rubbed his eyes with the fingertips of both hands and sat back in his chair. “I need to tell you something about me. I was hoping I could give you a chance to get to know me better first, but I don’t think I can put it off or I’ll end up lying to you to cover up my actions, and I don’t want to lie to you, Ailee.”
Wow. I didn’t know what to say to that, but my curiosity was definitely peaked. Still… “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Tyler.”
He rubbed his eyes again. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
I took a sip of my coffee, trying not to cough when I forgot to blow on it, and waited to hear whatever it was that was so distressing. My mind started spinning, imagining all kinds of scenarios, but nothing I imagined could prepare me for what he eventually told me.
CHAPTER7
Tyler
“Ido not have a girlfriend,” I told her. And that was the truth. In high school, I’d dated a girl for about six months, and that was the closest I’d ever gotten to having a long-term girlfriend. I loved women, but when I was in college, I was too worried about my classes and too tired from studying to put in the effort for anything beyond casual dating. And when I needed a feminine ear to listen to me, my sister had always been there. “The only other woman I hang out with is my sister. She’s an important part of my life. Sort of like…an emotional support person.”
