“Here you go.”
The sound of Dylan’s voice snapped Jessica to attention. She took the glass from his outstretched hand. “Thank you, although this seems to be more than half a glass.”
A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I guess I forgot.”
As much as she wanted to be annoyed by the obvious ploy, his little-boy-who-was-caught-doing-something-naughty expression cut right through her annoyance and touched a warm spot inside her.
“I see. It just sort of slipped your mind?”
He adopted a serious stance as if repelling an accusation. “Are you doubting my integrity?”
“Perhaps.” It was certainly a loaded question, one that could produce an unpleasant disagreement or a moment of gentle teasing. There had already been enough strained incidents between them for one day. They were stranded together. No purpose would be served by exacerbating the problem.
She tried, but she couldn’t suppress the grin that played across her lips. “Does your integrity fall into doubt very often?”
“Never! I’m known far and wide for my integrity.” The brief lighthearted moment suddenly fell serious as his own words hit him hard. A mental image of Stanley and Rose Clarkson popped into his mind. Integrity, indeed! He had done nothing wrong, yet the guilt and remorse continued to twist his insides into knots.
He grabbed the poker and jabbed at the burning logs with a vengeance in an attempt to keep his inner turmoil from showing. The last thing he wanted was for this very together woman to see the vulnerability he worked so hard to keep hidden.
“There.” He replaced the poker, pleased with his success at maintaining control of the situation. “That should do it for a while longer—” The words caught in his throat as he turned toward her. The light from the fire bathed her face in a soft golden glow and reflected in the depth of her eyes. He had never seen anything so captivating and beautiful in his entire life. The sight literally took his breath away, leaving him momentarily speechless. He had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted her at that moment.
Panic squeezed his insides. Logic screamed at him to go upstairs and lock himself in Justin’s bedroom before he did something foolish—something he knew he would end up regretting. His desires overruled his anxieties, effectively managing to shove his panic aside. He picked up a couple of the large floor pillows stacked against the wall and placed them in front of the hearth. He took the wineglass from her hand and set it on the mantel next to his.
“I believe you were telling me about your public relations work.” The huskiness that accompanied his words left him uneasy—a huskiness he feared would belie his outer calm. He took her hand and gave it a gentle tug.
“I think we’d be cozier over here, closer to the fire.” Was he asking for more trouble than he already had? Deep down inside he knew the answer, but chose to ignore it.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea…” Her words trailed off before she could finish what she was trying to say. He coaxed her to her feet and escorted her the few steps to the floor pillows. The warmth of his touch traveled from her hand, up her arm and spread through her body. It was the type of sensual heat that radiated from the inside, one far more intense than could ever be generated by a fireplace. She feared what the night would bring, but was helpless to resist. She had allowed herself to become trapped in the pull of his magnetic sex appeal.
As soon as she was seated on the pillow he retrieved the wineglasses from the mantel. He handed one of them to her, but seemed somewhat distracted as he settled himself on the other pillow. He furrowed his brow in concentration, took a sip from his glass and stared into the fire as if lost in thought. She studied his profile, the worried expression on his face and his tensed muscles. Something was troubling him. She had seen it earlier, and now she saw it again just as the touches of vulnerability had shown from time to time. Perhaps his life wasn’t as charmed as she had assumed.
“Are you okay?”
He glanced in her direction, a hint of confusion covering his features. “Am I okay? Certainly. Why do you ask?”
“You seem…well, sort of preoccupied. Is…” She wasn’t sure about how to proceed. “Is there something wrong?” She hesitated, then cautiously asked, “Something you’d like to talk about?” A sadness in his eyes touched a spot deep inside her, a poignancy that connected on a very human level, bypassing the sensual pull and creating a surprising feeling of closeness. She touched his arm and ventured a tentative comment. “I’m a very good listener.”
Dylan turned his gaze on her, once again capturing her essence and pulling her very soul into the depths of his eyes. She swallowed hard, but didn’t look away. A troubled expression covered his face, a hesitation that said he was turning her words over in his mind. He glanced at the fire for a moment. When he returned his attention to her, all the uncertainty she saw just seconds earlier had been replaced by his easy manner and smooth charm.
“Why would you think something was wrong? What could be better than this? We have a nice fire, a bottle of good wine…” The practiced smile faded. The warmth of his touch spread across her cheek, then his lips were on hers. It was not another quick brushing as before. This was a kiss, a very real kiss that sent a wave of excitement crashing through her body. This was wrong…totally and completely wrong. He was the wrong man. What they were doing was wrong. So why did it feel so very right?
Every doubt she ever had disappeared in a heated rush when he enfolded her into his embrace. He held her body against his, gently caressing her back and shoulders with a touch so sensual that she couldn’t have fought it even if she wanted to. She slipped her arms around his neck, returning his kiss with a fervor that spoke volumes about the passion hidden beneath her logical and organized surface.
Dylan twined his fingers in the silky strands of her hair, then sank back into the softness of the floor pillows, taking her with him. His lips nibbled at the corners of her mouth then he recaptured it with a new intensity. Her taste filled him with a need for more. She was every bit as delicious as he knew she would be…and every bit as addictive as he feared. Any thoughts he might have had, any attempt to rationalize his actions, disappeared in a heartbeat…a very excited heartbeat to be sure.
Jessica found herself wrapped in the sensual cocoon that embodied Dylan Russell, a blanket every bit as emotional as it was physical. She had wondered what it would be like to be kissed by him, and she wasn’t disappointed. Her heart pounded in her chest. He literally took her breath away, leaving her light-headed. His mouth demanded, yet she didn’t feel threatened. He took, but not more than she willingly gave.
She ran her fingers through his thick hair, all the while allowing him to pull her body tighter against his. Never had anything so wrong felt so right. A tremor darted up her spine when he ran his hand under the back of her sweater and across her bare skin. A rush of excitement rippled through her body in the wake of his touch. It spoke to her of the ecstasy that could be, while at the same time leaving her fearful of the consequences.
It had been many years since she had been this attracted to a man. And once again she had gravitated toward a man who showed no interest in the things she felt very strongly about such as commitment, responsibility and honesty in a relationship. Everything she had heard about him said he was far too much like her ex-husband in that regard. She had been there before and didn’t want to repeat the mistake, regardless of how much Dylan excited her. Somehow she had to find the inner strength to put a stop to what was happening…somehow, before it was too late. Then, as if a second surge of energy had taken hold, his kiss infused her with a passion unlike anything she had ever before experienced. Any further doubts evaporated.
Her ardent response caught him by surprise. He had given in to a very strong desire, half spontaneous impulse and half conscious method, but had not expected such earthy enthusiasm in return. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he shouldn’t be doing this and certainly not with this woman, but all the conscious thought in the world didn’t change things. She excited him in a way no other woman ever had, an excitement not confined to only physical desires…an excitement so intense that it scared him.
He forced the thoughts from his mind. He didn’t want to think and he certainly didn’t want to rationalize what he was doing. He wanted only to indulge each and every sensation. He caressed her bare skin beneath her sweater as he slid his hand across her back, then pulled her tighter in his arms. Her breasts pressed against his chest with each breath she took, stimulating his ardor more than he had been prepared to comfortably control. He ran his hand along the curve of her hip, then across her bottom as he snuggled her hips against his.
He kissed his way from her lips to the side of her neck. The soft moan escaped his throat as soon as he relinquished domination of her mouth, quickly followed by a shiver of panic. As sure as he knew his own name, he also knew he had started down a path that could only lead him where he had no business going. Knowing, however, didn’t change anything. He continued down that very path, more enthralled with her than he had ever been with any woman.
Jessica’s senses whirled in an uncontrolled haze. Little tingles of pure pleasure followed in the wake of his kisses, sending shivers of delight down her back until they reached the warmth of his hand stroking her bare skin. Every excited breath she drew told her making love with Dylan Russell would be an experience beyond anything she had ever known.
Then a hard jolt of fear yanked her back to her senses. She pushed away from him in a near panic to escape the embrace that had propelled her to new heights, if only for a moment. Her heart pounded, but not just from the very persuasive seduction that had almost been her downfall. Fear also pounded in her chest…fear of what he made her feel and how much she would willingly give to him without question.
Her words came out in a breathless rush. “This is wrong. It has to stop.” She tried to force a confidence and determination into her voice. She refused to make eye contact with him, knowing she didn’t dare allow even that bit of a connection.
“Why?” The huskiness of his voice said more than his words.
She scrambled to her feet. “This is happening much too fast.” She nervously smoothed her hair back with her fingers. “Perhaps you’re comfortable with life in the fast lane…with easy conquests and recreational sex…but that’s not my style.”
He snapped out his response, anger surrounding his words as much as confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She took a couple of steps away from him, desperate to escape the pull of his sexual energy…the very same irresistible magnetism that had totally captured her in its grasp. She tried her best to project an in-control businesslike manner. “I’d appreciate it if you’d move your belongings to Justin’s bedroom. It’s been a long, exasperating day and I’m tired.”
He made no attempt to hide his feelings about her accusations as he snapped out his response. “I moved my things this morning.”
Surprise shot her gaze toward him, locking with his for a heated second before she forced herself to turn away. He looked so sexy, so desirable…and also angry. She couldn’t allow herself to be drawn in again. “This morning? Before the bridge was even closed?”
He ignored her question as he slowly sat upright while trying to pull his composure together. The anger continued to churn inside him…easy conquests and recreational sex. Did she honestly believe that was all he wanted from her? All that mattered in his life?
Her voice had become hesitant. “I…uh, think it’s time to call it a night.”
Her words cut into his thoughts. He saw the uncertainty that blanketed her features, and it softened his anger at bit. Perhaps she had been right in her accusations. It wasn’t the way things were now, but he couldn’t say that about the past.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” She turned and walked up the stairs without waiting for him to answer.
He watched her until she was out of sight. He had not been sure how to respond to her accusations or her attitude. One moment she was wrapped in his arms, all the heat and passion any man could want, and the next she was hurling unfair accusations at him. He continued to stare at the top of the staircase, but Jessica did not reappear. He finally rose to his feet, lit the wick of an oil lamp and put out the remains of the fire in the fireplace.
He carried the lamp upstairs, pausing for a moment at her closed door. The passion of the kisses they had shared continued to linger on his senses. He wanted more, but those desires were tempered with caution. Why had she so abruptly broken off their heated yet all too brief liaison, and with such hurtful words?
He knocked softly. “Jessica?”
He waited, but no response came from the other side of the door. He continued on to the other bedroom and set the lamp on the nightstand. A restlessness consumed him, something more than just not being sleepy. He stared out the window into the darkness. It had nearly stopped raining. Maybe morning would put a brighter light on things. He looked around hoping to find something to read. He opened the door in the nightstand, removed a couple of magazines, then replaced them. Then he opened the nightstand drawer.
He could not stop the amused chuckle when he saw the condom packets. Maybe Jessica considered the cabin to be a quiet getaway, but it was obvious that Justin used it as a seductive location for his love life. The chuckle faded as he picked up one of the packets. He glanced toward the bedroom door. She was so near. A sigh of resignation reverberated through his chest. He put the packet back and slowly closed the drawer.
He undressed and climbed into bed, but sleep eluded him. He couldn’t shut off the thoughts about Jessica, about the possibilities presented from their being stranded together. There was one thing that had become very clear to him—there could never be a no-strings-attached affair with her. She was the type of woman who would demand…and he reluctantly allowed that she would also deserve…some sort of commitment. How could he possibly think in terms of a commitment when he had no idea what the future held for him? There was no way he could involve anybody else in his life until he put his own demons of guilt to rest and resolved his emotional fears.
He tried to get his mind off Jessica by concentrating on his plans for the future. He had been turning an idea over in his mind, one that allowed him to give something to the community rather than selfishly indulging only his own interests. The more he honed the rough spots in the plan, the more he liked it.
Had Jessica’s presence allowed him to finally bring the plan into clear focus? The notion that she somehow had something to do with his being able to bring the pieces together sent a warm sensation through his body. His tensed muscles loosened up, and the myriad of thoughts circulating through his head took on a much-needed calm. He drifted into a comfortable sleep with reflections of Jessica filtering through the subconscious workings of his mind.
Jessica stood on the porch, watching as the clouds gave way to the early-morning sun. It had all the signs of being a beautiful day with the storm having moved on. She had spent a very restless night trying to justify what had happened. No matter how exciting she found him, she knew if she had allowed things to progress she would inevitably have been filled with regret. She had no intention of being another notch on this playboy’s bedpost.
She stared up at the morning sky. The cruel light of dawn had arrived and despite her chosen path she still had regrets, but she wasn’t sure exactly why. Were they for what had happened or because she had stopped what could have happened?
“Good morning.”
Jessica whirled around at the sound of Dylan’s voice. Her pulse shot into high gear the moment she saw him. He appeared well rested, which was more than she could say for herself, and far too tempting. Memories of the heated kisses they had shared ignited her senses, resurrecting the very real excitement from the previous night. She touched her trembling fingertips to her lips, then took a calming breath before she tried to speak.
“Good morning. I…I didn’t hear you open the door.”
“Here.” He handed her a mug of steaming coffee. “I went to the kitchen and saw that the coffee was almost ready, so I waited for it.”
“Thanks.” She took a sip from the cup. “This hits the spot.” Inane small talk…she knew she sounded like an idiot. If only she could have thought of something intelligent to say, something that would have conveyed her control of the situation…something that would have let him know that his kisses had no effect on her. If only she could convince herself of that, too.
He glanced up at the clear sky. “Looks like the storm has moved on.” He returned his attention to Jessica. “I’m putting my money on a nice sunny day and a chance to dry out. What do you think?”
“That sun and clear sky could be deceptive. According to the radio there’s another wave of this storm coming through.”
“Uh, Jessica…” Dylan nervously cleared his throat then continued with what had been on his mind ever since he woke up that morning. “I know things have been a little strange around here. We got off to a bad start with the confusion over the use of the cabin, then it seems that everything kind of disintegrated through the morning and afternoon.”
He saw the wariness in her eyes. “Why don’t we call a truce to our misunderstandings…maybe take advantage of this sunny day and go for a walk in the woods? Getting out in the fresh air and indulging in a little exercise will probably do both of us some good.” He extended a hesitant yet hopeful smile. “What do you say? Maybe some breakfast and then a nice walk?”
She paused a second before answering him, breathing a sigh of relief. He had thankfully refrained from mentioning the heated kisses they had shared. She had feared he would taunt her decision to put a stop to things…or worse yet, want to pick up where they had left off. It was a thought that gave her mixed feelings.
“Sure…” She returned his smile and tried to sound upbeat in agreeing with him that a truce was certainly in order. “That sounds like a good idea.”
They made quick work of breakfast, dressed warmly, pulled on hiking boots, then set out from the cabin. The crisp morning air carried the scent of a mountain forest following a cleansing rain. The sunlight glistened off the still-wet needles of the Sitka spruce and Douglas fir. The silence was broken only by the cries of birds as they circled overhead, the occasional cone dropping from a fir tree and landing on the ground with a plop and the sounds of their own footsteps as they walked along the trail. They were each absorbed in private thoughts.
It was finally Dylan who made the first attempt at conversation. “It’s been a long time since I was on the Olympic Peninsula. I’d forgotten what a beautiful place this is….” He stopped walking and took in a deep breath, then slowly expelled it. He stood still, moving only his head as his gaze swept over the scenery. “Fresh air, peaceful surroundings…it’s very restful.”
Jessica, too, stopped walking. “That’s one of the reasons Justin and I settled on this location when we started looking for a getaway cabin. We ended up paying more money than we had planned on, but we fell in love with this particular area and couldn’t resist the cabin. It’s larger than what we had originally started looking for, but we’re glad we went ahead with the deal.”
“When did you buy it? The first I remember Justin mentioning it was a couple of years ago.”
“We bought it four years ago. Sometimes it’s a little difficult getting here in winter because of the snow.” She looked around as the calm settled over her, a slight smile of contentment tugging at the corners of her mouth. “But it’s worth the effort. I feel more relaxed here than anywhere I’ve ever been.” She closed her eyes and turned her face toward the morning sun filtering through the trees.
Dylan studied her finely sculpted features and the way the sunlight caught the golden highlights of her hair. It was hard to believe that this enticingly stunning woman was that same teenager he had first met so many years ago. He drew a deep breath, in an attempt to counter the tightness that banded across his chest again.
“Do you get up here very often?” It was a stupid question, but he needed to say something to help break the tension building inside him.
“Not as often as I’d like. Probably once a month on the average for me and about the same for Justin. Our schedules very seldom coincide to let us be here at the same time.”
“Do you ever rent the cabin out as a vacation place?”
“No. We talked about it but decided against it. We didn’t want to be shut out of our own cabin if either of us had a last-minute cancellation of work and could get away for a couple of days.” She shot him a sidelong glance of disapproval, more in an effort to provide herself some emotional distance from him than anything else. She resumed walking along the trail. “Like when my New York project was postponed and I had a last-minute opportunity to use the cabin for a few days…what I thought would be a quiet getaway.”
He continued down the trail walking along beside her. He spoke reflectively, almost as if he were talking to himself. “And I was there first, ruining all your plans and spoiling your quiet time.”
She stopped walking again and turned to him, her eyes wide with surprise at what he had said. “That’s not what I meant—”
He quickly pulled himself together. “Of course not.” He smiled condescendingly, making no effort to hide his feelings. “Don’t worry, you’ve already explained the rules to me…you have no intention of being gracious and you have no desire to entertain guests.”
She felt the sting of his pointed barb. “That’s not fair. You’re putting words in my mouth—”
“They were your words, not mine.”
She looked up at him, her expression almost pleading for an end to what appeared to be the start of an argument. “But you’ve twisted the meaning. I only meant—”
His mouth was on hers before she could finish her sentence. He folded her into his arms. A little shiver darted across his nape when her fingers raked through his hair. Then he felt her arms slip around his neck. Every heated spark from the previous night came rushing back to him. He pulled her body so tightly against his that he literally lifted her off the ground. She was everything he could ever want, but he didn’t know what to do about it. And the notion frightened him.
He reluctantly released her from his embrace, but continued to clasp her hand in his. He spoke softly, trying to keep his emotions under control. “It’s too nice a day to spend it at odds with each other.” He lifted his other hand and lightly traced the outline of her lips with the tip of his finger. “Don’t you agree?”
“You’re right.” A shiver darted through her body. Her breathless reply matched his. “It’s too nice a day.”
He kept her hand firmly in his as they walked along the forest trail. The warmth of her touch radiated up his arm and through his body. His tension began to drain away, leaving only a sensation of well-being and contentment.
“You never did tell me how you got involved in public relations. Was that your area of study in college?”
“Yes. I had hoped to take a position with a large corporation after graduation, but it didn’t work out the way I had planned.”
“What happened?”
She paused a moment, a frown wrinkling her forehead. “I guess you could say marriage happened, and everything I wanted got put on hold for the duration.”
“You mean your husband didn’t want you to pursue a career?” He tried to suppress the laugh, but wasn’t totally successful. “From what I’ve seen, I can’t imagine you allowing someone else to control your life so completely.”
She angrily jerked her hand out of his grasp, turned and glared at him. “And what’s that supposed to mean? Just what is it you find so amusing?”
He stared blankly at her. “I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just an observation.”
Seeing the bewilderment in his eyes, she took a calming breath. “I’m sorry. I guess that’s sort of a touchy subject with me.”
“From what you’ve said…first his not wanting a family and now his not wanting you to pursue any interests of your own…it sounds like the two of you had some serious problems to work out.”
“Well, let’s just say that my marriage to him is a major regret in my life—one of those things I’d do differently if I had a chance to do it over again.” She looked at Dylan for a moment as she turned a thought over in her mind.
“How about you? Is there anything in your life you’d do differently if you had the chance?” It was a loaded question, and she knew it. The way he had been protecting his reasons for being at the cabin told her there was something important bothering him. Every now and then she had gotten a quick glimpse of something beneath his smooth charm. It was enough to tell her that he had a layer of vulnerability which he kept carefully hidden. She wanted to know that level.
Justin was always telling her that she judged people too quickly and sometimes too harshly. Perhaps her brother had been right. She had predetermined that Dylan was the same type of man as her ex-husband. Possibly…just possibly…she had allowed her bad experience with marriage and the hurt that should have been relegated to the past to intrude on her impartial assessment of what was going on now. Or was she still trying to rationalize her very real attraction to Dylan Russell?
He looked away from her, preferring to focus his gaze on the landscape. Was there something he’d do differently? It was a list so long he didn’t even know where to begin. He cautiously responded to her question, carefully choosing his words. “I imagine everyone has something they’d do differently if they had a second chance at it.”
To his chagrin she persisted in her questioning. “What event in your life would you choose if you could do it over?”
“There are probably several things I’d elect to do differently if I had the opportunity.” He laughed nervously, anxious to turn the focus of their conversation back on her. “What about your marriage…would you have handled it differently with the same man, chosen a different man or not gotten married at all? You said you wanted a family, so I imagine that would preclude your staying single.”
She wrinkled her brow into a frown. “They say hindsight is twenty-twenty. In retrospect I wouldn’t have entered into a marriage without first finding out what he wanted from the relationship, and I would have told him what I wanted.” An edge of anger crept into her voice. “We would have discussed important issues such as children and careers.”
She stared at him for a long moment before continuing. An uncomfortable level of anxiety began to build inside him. “In short, I’d make sure he was looking for a marriage that was an equal partnership, each having respect for the other’s opinions and goals.”
He saw the pain in her eyes, a hurt she obviously hadn’t been able to hide and issues she hadn’t totally reconciled yet. It touched that vulnerable spot deep inside him, the one he had tried to protect from an emotional assault. He brought her hand to his lips, kissed her palm, then held her hand against his chest. His words were barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you.”
He felt so close to her at that moment and for the first time in more years than he could remember he wanted to share something deeply personal with someone else. He wanted to share it with Jessica. A thousand butterflies instantly materialized in his stomach, each battling for its own space. A tremor of panic started deep inside him and quickly spread through his body.
He opened his mouth and the words tumbled out. “I once came within minutes—literally—of getting married.” He chuckled nervously in an attempt to cover his anxiety. “I was sort of left at the altar.”
She blurted out her surprise. “Really? Someone jilted you? It doesn’t seem—” The crimson color spread across her cheeks and forehead as she glanced down for a moment before looking up at him again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just that, well, I’ve never thought of you as the type to ever get married. And I can’t imagine someone walking out on you….”
He took in a calming breath. “I guess we all have things in our pasts that would come as a surprise to others.”
“Uh, what happened, if you don’t mind my asking.”
“It seems that she was only using me to force some rich married man thirty years her senior to divorce his wife and marry her. She had me completely fooled as she played her little game. She pushed for us to get married right away, and I went along with it. There weren’t any formal preparations, just a simple justice of the peace ceremony. It was a last-minute whirlwind decision prompted by what was supposed to be love.” He made no attempt to control the sarcasm and bitterness that forced its way to the surface. “The other man showed up and told her she had won…he had left his wife. That was the last time I saw her.”
Jessica reached out and touched his arm as a gesture of comfort and understanding. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Justin never mentioned it to me.”
“I’m not sure he even knows. It’s not something I like to talk about.” Or to be even more accurate, it was something he never talked about, just as he had never told anyone about what happened with the Clarksons. A blanket of despair settled over him. He tried to shake it away, but became lost in his own thoughts, momentarily oblivious to what was going on around him.
A sudden wave of sadness and loneliness washed over Jessica when she saw the expression on his face. It was as if she had tapped in to his emotions. She had wanted to see beneath that smooth, perfect outer shell of Dylan Russell, but now that she had gained a glimpse of the inner person she wasn’t so sure she wanted to know any more. It certainly explained where his cynical attitude toward marriage had come from. An overwhelming need filled her with a desire to say something. She wanted to let him know she understood the pain of a failed relationship, even though she couldn’t possibly fully comprehend the extent of the impact caused by the way he had been used and dumped or the type of pain he still carried around because of it.
She ventured a tentative question, not sure of her ground or how much she had the right to ask. “Is that why you wanted to use the cabin? To kind of pull yourself together after…well, after your—”
Her question brought his attention back to the present. A bittersweet laugh escaped his throat. “No. My close brush with that unnatural state known as marriage was many years ago, right after I graduated from college.”
“‘Unnatural state’? I see you haven’t let your experience stop you from keeping an open mind.”
He cocked his head, arched an eyebrow and leveled a steady gaze at her. “And what about you? You’ve been divorced for several years and have apparently chosen to devote your time and energy to work rather than a personal life, even though you indicated that you wanted to have children.”
“Well…” Her defenses leaped into play. “That’s entirely different. I’ve been building a career. I haven’t had time to think about—” Her words came to an abrupt halt when she saw the teasing glint come into his eyes. An inner sigh of relief caught her by surprise. It was almost as if she was glad that he had apparently snapped out of his momentary despair. It had pained her to see him so despondent, although she wasn’t sure exactly why.
“‘Entirely different’? I suppose you could rationalize it that way if you wanted to.”
He clasped her hand in his and started walking again. She welcomed the warmth of his touch. He had already shown a depth she never realized he possessed. There was a lot more to Dylan Russell than she had suspected. And she wanted to know it all. Was she repeating old patterns and falling under the spell of a charming scoundrel? If so, she was willingly allowing him to lead her on.