actually dating? Her head told her no, that he wasn’t wanting anything more than to satisfy his own curiosity, but that little voice inside her heart whispered something entirely different.
What if he really does like me and wants to see if something between us could work? Sure he’s a rich, titled aristocrat, and I’m not, but what if we found a way to make none of that matter?
She wished she knew what his true intentions were. Until she did, everything inside her would be off balance, teetering on the edge of a cliff and praying she wouldn’t fall.
“If we do this—” she held up a hand to keep him from speaking “—and I say I’m not interested in you tomorrow morning, what happens then?”
He lowered the belt, a solemn expression darkening his eyes like summer storm clouds. “Then I walk away, but you have to honestly mean it.”
That should have relieved her, but a heavy weight settled on her shoulders, and a knot of anxiety grew in her chest, digging into her heart like a wild briar’s thorns. The truth was she didn’t want him to walk away. Ever since she’d had the courage to go up and stand next to him at the bar, and they’d talked, she’d felt comfortable around him and fascinated by him. He wasn’t just a gorgeous man with a sense of humor, he was also smart and deep. She could count on one hand the number of men she’d met with whom she could check all those boxes. A girl couldn’t just let a man like him walk away, not when everything about him felt so… right .
Taking a deep breath, she gave him a shaky nod. “Okay, let’s give this a try.”
Please don’t let this be a mistake.
Tristan’s lips curved. “Excellent.” He glanced at his watch. It looked expensive, with its black leather band and black onyx face with gold Roman numerals. Understated, elegant, and sexy. Like him.
Lacy had been right. He was the sort of man a woman actually melted from when they got too close to him. Like a beam of summer sunlight, he cut straight through Kat, heating her up from the inside with just a look or a twitch of those kissable lips.
“It’s getting late. I assume you have an early class tomorrow?”
She nodded. “History of the Russian Monarchy from 1400 to the Red Revolution.”
A little smile curled his lips. “Well, that would certainly wake me up in the morning,” he teased. “Why don’t you change into your pajamas. I’ll use the lavatory, and then we can get into bed.”
Kat stared at him, then at her bed. “This is so crazy,” she muttered before opening her dresser and grabbing a warm pair of cotton plaid pajama pants and a loose T-shirt. Not sexy, but she didn’t own anything sexy. Now she wished she had something sheer and silky…something that would make him kiss her again. She wanted to have what Lacy and Mark had, that pull to someone else that made it impossible to stay away from them. Drawn together by gravity.
“You really want to stay here?” she asked Tristan, clutching her pajamas and feeling silly that she hoped he would say yes.
Tristan took his time in answering as he walked up to her. She had to tilt her head back a little to look up into his penetrating blue-green eyes.
“A woman who tells something true about herself in the middle of a pub, who is brave enough to confess such a secret to a stranger, that’s a woman worth knowing. I want to be here, I want to know you, Kat. What makes you tick, what you think about, what your hopes and dreams are…you are fascinating to me.” He bit his bottom lip, as though almost puzzled at his own curiosity.
“Talking about butterflies and books doesn’t make me brave,” she argued, but her tone was soft. They were almost whispering, standing so close. She couldn’t seem to stay away from him, but did he feel that same way about her?
Tristan brushed his fingers through her hair, tucking one stray lock behind her left ear. “Do you know that I’ve never had a truly meaningful conversation with any
What if he really does like me and wants to see if something between us could work? Sure he’s a rich, titled aristocrat, and I’m not, but what if we found a way to make none of that matter?
She wished she knew what his true intentions were. Until she did, everything inside her would be off balance, teetering on the edge of a cliff and praying she wouldn’t fall.
“If we do this—” she held up a hand to keep him from speaking “—and I say I’m not interested in you tomorrow morning, what happens then?”
He lowered the belt, a solemn expression darkening his eyes like summer storm clouds. “Then I walk away, but you have to honestly mean it.”
That should have relieved her, but a heavy weight settled on her shoulders, and a knot of anxiety grew in her chest, digging into her heart like a wild briar’s thorns. The truth was she didn’t want him to walk away. Ever since she’d had the courage to go up and stand next to him at the bar, and they’d talked, she’d felt comfortable around him and fascinated by him. He wasn’t just a gorgeous man with a sense of humor, he was also smart and deep. She could count on one hand the number of men she’d met with whom she could check all those boxes. A girl couldn’t just let a man like him walk away, not when everything about him felt so… right .
Taking a deep breath, she gave him a shaky nod. “Okay, let’s give this a try.”
Please don’t let this be a mistake.
Tristan’s lips curved. “Excellent.” He glanced at his watch. It looked expensive, with its black leather band and black onyx face with gold Roman numerals. Understated, elegant, and sexy. Like him.
Lacy had been right. He was the sort of man a woman actually melted from when they got too close to him. Like a beam of summer sunlight, he cut straight through Kat, heating her up from the inside with just a look or a twitch of those kissable lips.
“It’s getting late. I assume you have an early class tomorrow?”
She nodded. “History of the Russian Monarchy from 1400 to the Red Revolution.”
A little smile curled his lips. “Well, that would certainly wake me up in the morning,” he teased. “Why don’t you change into your pajamas. I’ll use the lavatory, and then we can get into bed.”
Kat stared at him, then at her bed. “This is so crazy,” she muttered before opening her dresser and grabbing a warm pair of cotton plaid pajama pants and a loose T-shirt. Not sexy, but she didn’t own anything sexy. Now she wished she had something sheer and silky…something that would make him kiss her again. She wanted to have what Lacy and Mark had, that pull to someone else that made it impossible to stay away from them. Drawn together by gravity.
“You really want to stay here?” she asked Tristan, clutching her pajamas and feeling silly that she hoped he would say yes.
Tristan took his time in answering as he walked up to her. She had to tilt her head back a little to look up into his penetrating blue-green eyes.
“A woman who tells something true about herself in the middle of a pub, who is brave enough to confess such a secret to a stranger, that’s a woman worth knowing. I want to be here, I want to know you, Kat. What makes you tick, what you think about, what your hopes and dreams are…you are fascinating to me.” He bit his bottom lip, as though almost puzzled at his own curiosity.
“Talking about butterflies and books doesn’t make me brave,” she argued, but her tone was soft. They were almost whispering, standing so close. She couldn’t seem to stay away from him, but did he feel that same way about her?
Tristan brushed his fingers through her hair, tucking one stray lock behind her left ear. “Do you know that I’ve never had a truly meaningful conversation with any
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