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“You know, I’m willing to take you to a fancier restaurant.” Ethan studied the indoor playground at Burgerland. Kids squealed and laughed and tumbled around a complicated series of large plastic tubes. “And I’ll even spring for something other than a kid’s meal.”
Blair smiled at him over the gray table. “I like the kid’s meal.” She held up a small plastic bag. “Plus, this way, I get a toy to take to the children in the hospital.”
Odd feelings tried to tug at Ethan, but he ignored them. He wasn’t going to get all sappy just because Blair was a nice person. He already knew she was nice—she was directing this play, wasn’t she? Not to mention, she’d been kind enough to let him stay in Justin’s apartment. No question about it, Blair was a very nice person, and nice people did things they’d rather not just because they were nice.
Her nice quality was what made him jumpy. He didn’t really know if he could handle nice, especially when it was bundled up with a good dose of humor and intelligence and wrapped up in one incredibly sexy package. The more time he spent with Blair, the more his thoughts kept wandering in all sorts of dangerous directions.
The main reason he’d talked her into going out to dinner tonight after rehearsal was because he didn’t want another cozy dinner at her house. Last night had been difficult enough. But now he knew how wonderful she felt in his arms, how she managed to make all intelligent thought evaporate from his mind the second her lips touched his. For the last couple of hours, he’d thought of little else but the kiss they’d shared.
Which told him as clearly as a neon sign that he was standing dead center in a big pile of trouble.
“I’m really sorry about the way Olivia behaved tonight.” Blair neatly folded the paper wrapper from her burger and set it on the red tray. “I’ll speak to her again tomorrow.”
“You need to stop worrying about Olivia.” Ethan leaned forward, stealing one of her fries from her meal. “I’m a big boy, Blair. I can handle her.”
Looking up, Blair frowned at him, then covered his hand resting on the table with her own.
“Ethan, I can’t promise Olivia won’t do the exact same thing again tomorrow night. She’s . . . determined about certain things.”
Blair looked so upset, Ethan had to smile. “I can take care of myself. Besides, most likely Olivia isn’t going to give me any more problems.”
“How can you be so sure?” Something about his attitude must have caught her attention because her eyes narrowed. “What did you say to Olivia?”
He turned his hand over and brushed his thumb across Blair’s palm. She had the softest skin, even her hands.
Pulling his thoughts back from the meandering direction they’d taken, he removed his hand and leaned back in his chair. “Olivia’s simply looking for attention.”
“You’re being awfully understanding about this.”
“One of my father’s wives was like Olivia. She acted outrageously, mostly so everyone would notice her. It’s sad in a way.”
Blair looked confused. “One of your father’s wives? How many has he had?”
“Four.” His answer obviously shocked her. Heck, his father’s tendency to marry so often shocked him, too. His mother wasn’t much better. She was on her third marriage.
“Wow,” she said slowly. “Four marriages.”
“Yeah. Wow. So you see, I’ve had a little experience dealing with people like Olivia.” Boy, was that ever the truth. His father, like Olivia, was always searching for what he called his perfect partner. The only problem was, Victor Wilson never seemed to find that person. Ethan knew you couldn’t expect someone else to fix your problems. You needed to do that yourself. But his father wouldn’t believe that theory. He kept thinking a woman could make his life perfect—if he just found the right one.
Ethan wasn’t surprised when Blair asked the next logical question. “Have you ever been married?”
“No.” He laughed and shook his head. “I came close once, but thankfully, we both came to our senses. I’ve watched too many marriages fail to try that myself.”
“But you’re such a nice man.”
There was that word again—nice. He had to set her straight about a few things. “I’m not as nice as you keep making me out to be, Blair. Just because I understand Olivia doesn’t make me nice. I did tell her if she didn’t back off, I’d let everyone I met in Falling Star know that she was a terrible kisser. A woman like Olivia enjoys having men find her irresistible. She would hate to have anyone doubt her appeal. I’m not nice—I knew where Olivia’s Achilles’ heel was, and I went for it.”
With fascination, he watched Blair process this information. Maybe now she’d understand he wasn’t above a dirty trick, which meant he wasn’t a nice guy at all.
“You know, I think your idea will work,” Blair finally said. “Olivia is very attractive, so the fact that you haven’t fallen at her feet probably is a new sensation for her.”
Ethan crumpled up the wrapper from his burger and put it on the tray. “I don’t think Olivia’s attractive.”
Blair laughed at his words, but once she realized he was serious, she stared at him. “You’re kidding, right? She’s beautiful.”
“If you like her type, which I don’t.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Mostly because he knew what Blair’s next question would be.
“What is your type?” she asked softly.
He met and held Blair’s gaze. Yeah, sure—he would answer that question right before he disarmed a ticking bomb. He really didn’t have a type, or if he did, it was women who didn’t expect too much from him. Women who didn’t think he was going to stay around forever. Women who didn’t want marriage and a family.
Come to think of it, that was probably a perfect description of Olivia. She’d made it clear she was interested in him but not for something long term.
But the idea of dating Olivia didn’t interest him. Not in the least. Unfortunately, the only woman he had any interest in was Blair, who was all wrong for him. Didn’t it figure? Life always seemed to do this to him.
“Just don’t worry about Olivia.” He knew he hadn’t answered Blair’s question about the type of women he liked, and he planned on keeping it that way. He carried their trays to the nearby garbage can and waited for Blair to join him at the door.
As she walked by him, she met his gaze, a serious expression on her pretty face. Well, what had she expected him to say—that she was his type? Because she wasn’t. Not at all. In fact, Blair Collins was everything he avoided in a woman. She was sweet and settled and probably believed in love that lasted a lifetime. The bottom line was, Blair wanted everything in life he no longer believed in, so even though he knew he had disappointed her, he didn’t say what he knew she wanted to hear.
Because he couldn’t.
**
BLAIR KEPT UP A NONSTOP stream of one-sided conversation as they walked to the front door of her house. Cheerfulness had always been her way of hiding disappointment. Stupidly, she did feel disappointed—which was crazy. She didn’t want to be Ethan’s type, and he certainly wasn’t hers. She knew that despite the kiss this evening, there really wasn’t anything between them.
Sure, Ethan was handsome. And he was a lot nicer than he gave himself credit for. But a kindergartner could solve this equation—the two of them simply didn’t add up.
Well, at least he’d talked her into buying a car she loved, not a car she thought she should buy. The sporty car was both practical and fun, and she was so glad she’d bought it.
As she opened the front door, Ethan’s silence finally got to her. Searching for a way to bring him back into the conversation, she said, “Why don’t you cut through the house? It’s the quickest way to the garage.”
Ethan hesitated, then finally relented. He followed her inside, locking the door behind him. “The play is going well.”
Blair went over to the guest bedroom and let Clementine out. She immediately made a beeline for Ethan.
“I want to thank you again for playing Prince Charming. You’re very good at it.”
He moved farther into the living room and laughed dryly. “Yeah, right. Mostly I just stand around.”
“Looking regal.” Blair walked over and sat in the far corner of the sofa, then tucked her legs under her. She could see Ethan debating what to do—stay with her or head to the garage apartment. She really wasn’t sure which she wanted him to choose.
Still, when he finally sat at the other end of the couch, she felt a little thrill run through her. Clementine must have felt the same way because she immediately jumped up and made herself at home in Ethan’s lap.
“Even with the problems with Olivia, you’re a good actor. I think you’re going to be a hit with the audience,” Blair said.
He laughed at that and seemed slightly embarrassed. “To tell you the truth, I feel like an idiot.”
“Why? You’re a natural-born Prince Charming,” she teased.
He laughed that self-mocking laugh again. “Not me. No way.”
How could he say that? From what she’d seen so far, he was a very kind man. And even though she had no idea what had happened in his past to convince him otherwise, she felt compelled to say, “Ethan, you’re a great guy.”
“There are a lot of people who’d disagree with your statement.” Despite his words, he flashed her a crooked grin that made her heart slam against her ribs.
Drawn by his gentle tone, she scooted a little closer. Distracted, he continued to pet Clementine. Blair could tell he was sorry he’d said anything, but she wanted to understand this complex man. Without thinking, she placed her hand on his arm and said, “It’s been my experience that living up to the expectations of other people is a sure way to make yourself miserable.”
When he glanced at her hand on his arm, she started to withdraw it, but he stopped her by placing his own hand over hers. It was the second time tonight they touched this way. Warmth ran through Blair at the feel of his skin against hers. Being this close to Ethan was not a very wise move. Unfortunately, she never seemed to do the smart thing when it came to him.
“Is that spoken by a lady who learned that lesson the hard way?”
“I think most of us learn that lesson early on.” She deliberately kept her tone light. “My folks were great, but lots of times I failed to do what they expected me to do.” She surprised herself by confiding this part of her past to him. It also surprised her how little those old memories hurt. Maybe living in Falling Star was helping after all. Or maybe she was growing up. Either way, she was happy to finally feel like a success rather than a failure.
“Did that kind of thing happen to you as a kid?” she asked.
Moving his hand off hers, he placed the cat on the ground, then shifted on the couch to face Blair. “Nope. I was the perfect child.”
She laughed. “You can’t be serious.”
Arching one black brow, he studied her. “What do you think?”
A smile tugged on her lips. “I think you were probably a handful. Actually, based on the stories Justin has told me about the two of you in the Army, I know you had to be a handful as a kid. No one becomes that rowdy overnight—it takes years of practice.”
Ethan chuckled at her description, and the heavy mood that had been settling over them dissipated. She was sorry she’d spoiled the opportunity for him to tell her more about himself, but she also knew he probably wouldn’t have. A man like Ethan didn’t open up easily, and despite how unusually close she felt to him, they’d only known each other one day.
“I gave my folks a lot of gray hair, that’s for sure,” he said.
Smiling, she said, “Oh, really. What kind of stuff did you do?”
Faint lines fanned out from his eyes as he returned her smile. He really was good-looking, especially right now, with a little twinkle of humor in his deep blue eyes. “I did about anything I could get away with. Unfortunately, I broke a few bones trying stuff I shouldn’t have.”
“You broke bones?” She slowly shook her head. “That’s not good.”
“Yep, and it was a lot of them. I jumped out of my uncle’s barn window when I was seven.” He shrugged. “Seemed like the thing to do at the time.”
She leaned over and again touched his arm lightly. “Oh no. Were you badly hurt?”
“I spent a few months wearing casts. For Halloween that year, I went as myself,” he said with a laugh.
Compassion rushed through Blair for the little boy he’d been. Along with compassion, she felt downright fear at the thought of a child jumping from a barn. “You’re lucky you didn’t kill yourself. Were you up very high?”
“Yeah. Now I’m always on the lookout for potential danger.”
Suddenly, comprehension dawned on Blair. No wonder he’d been worried about the stairs at rehearsal. He knew how much a fall could hurt someone.
But she didn’t ask—some people were funny about such things. Blair decided to keep her theories to herself. When she looked up, he wore his trademark crooked grin, the twinkle in his eyes impossible to resist.
“Ever since the accident, I worry about other people falling,” he said as if he’d read her mind. “I know I could have killed myself, and I really think those stairs are dangerous for Olivia to run up in her long costume.”
Blair nodded. “I agree. It isn’t safe having you and Olivia running up and down those stairs. One of you could fall.”
“It’s a definite possibility,” Ethan said.
Blair studied him, filled with admiration. She had never met a man who overwhelmed her the way Ethan did. It was the way he dealt with people, the way he addressed everyone around him with respect. The cast members were really taken with him—some, like Olivia, a little too much.
But Blair was taken with him, too. How could someone she’d just met have such a deep effect on her?
“So tell me something from your past,” he said.
Blair thought for a moment, then with a laugh, said, “I’m afraid of spiders.”
He didn’t seem surprised. “Why?”
“I did a science fair project on spiders and discovered not only are several of them poisonous, but they’re also smart. That was enough for me.”
Ethan chuckled. “Spiders are smart?”
“Yes. Some of them,” she said, knowing he probably thought she was crazy. “I know it’s silly, but now I tend to freak when I see a spider. I know it’s a cliché, but I can’t help it.”
He put his arm along the back of the sofa, making the distance between them seem even smaller. “Well, if you come across a spider while I’m here, I’ll deal with it.”
“I know I’ve said it before, but that’s a real Prince Charming thing to say,” she said with a laugh.
He chuckled. “What can I say? I like to help.”
“But don’t kill the spider if you don’t have to,” she said. “Move it outside.”
She expected him to laugh, but instead he nodded solemnly. “I promise to relocate any spiders I find.” He glanced at the cat, then added, “But I can’t say that Clementine will do the same thing. She doesn’t strike me as being pro-spider.”
Blair laughed. She was really enjoying this talk. She found the fact that he felt comfortable with her incredibly appealing. Her gaze dropped to his lips, and she remembered the kiss from this afternoon. Even now, hours later, the thought of his kiss made a tingle of anticipation dance through her.
“Personally, I think you should be afraid of kissing Olivia during rehearsal tomorrow night,” Blair said. “She could be hazardous to your health.”
“You need to stop worrying about Olivia,” he said gently. “By the time the play starts, you’ll get the kiss you need.”
“That’s good.”
Feeling him watching her, Blair glanced at him. Their gazes locked, and she felt as if she were being pulled down by an undertow. All she could think about was kissing Ethan.
And that wasn’t smart. A smart woman would say good night before things went too far. A smart woman would recognize danger when she saw it directly in front of her—or rather, next to her on the couch.
So maybe she wasn’t very smart after all because she didn’t say good night. She stayed where she was and waited for him to kiss her. Which he didn’t—at least not at first.
He hesitated, and Blair recognized the indecision crossing his face. He didn’t want to be attracted to her any more than she wanted to be attracted to him. But the pull was there, strong and growing stronger with each passing minute.
“I should head over to the apartment,” he said softly.
“Probably a good idea,” Blair said, even as she was leaning toward him. Her last thought before their lips met was that maybe neither of them was very smart after all.