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“Don’t go feeling sorry for yourself.” His voice was low in the darkness, almost beguiling. “You’ve got everyone else at your feet.”
“You really do hate me?” I sounded forlorn at the thought, and I could have kicked myself. The middle of the night was a dangerous time for me—I was much more vulnerable. It was Bella he hated, not Kitty. And Bella would never sound forlorn.
I could feel his hesitation. “I don’t hate the woman I was with today.”
Danger, Will Robinson. I should have ignored it, but I couldn’t. “What does that mean?”
“It means that you handled the accident with surprising grace, and you haven’t been trying any of your manipulative tricks. I can give credit where credit is due.”
I would be a fool to push further, having him start wondering why this Bella was different than the others. I changed the subject. “Marcus said you were trained as an EMT.”
“Yes.”
Not the beginning of a great conversation. “Why?”
“With an operation this size, you need to have someone who can deal with emergencies. It only made sense.”
“And you’re very sensible.” I said. Cold and sensible and disapproving.
“I do my best. Go back to sleep.” His voice wasn’t nearly as harsh as it had been. “You need it.”
I shifted in the bed again, restless and frustrated. I knew what bothered me, as illogical as it was. I wanted Ian to like me. It made no sense at all; Bella had always mocked Ian the Wretch, and like the little toady I’d been, I went right along with it. I had no reason to change my mind.
And yet I was seeing him differently without Bella’s influence. He no longer seemed overshadowed by his conventionally handsome brother, and he was surprisingly human once you got past his sarcasm. And there was the kiss. One mustn’t forget that. As if there was even the slightest possibility of doing so.
Despite the shock of it, it had been the best kiss of my life, and I still didn’t know why he’d done it, why he’d kissed Bella-Beast, the bane of his existence.
“Why did you kiss me?” The words were out before I could stop them.
He laughed in the darkness. “What made you think of that? Were you wanting more? Sorry, I don’t think it’s a good idea until we’re certain your head’s okay.”
I ignored his attempt at provoking me. “I was curious.”
There was a long silence, as the predawn light began to slowly infiltrate my bedroom. “I wanted to see if you tasted the same as the last time I’d kissed you.”
Ian had kissed Bella! It was inconceivable—Bella had delighted in teasing him. But what had he said before? Something about not being impervious on one occasion. The very thought was unsettling. For some reason, I felt as if they’d both betrayed me.
“Do you want me to kiss you again?” His voice was very low, enticing.
“No, thank you,” I said politely, though it was an effort to keep my voice light. “In fact, you can go away now.”
To my shock, he rose, appearing out of the shadows, tall and lean. He was barefoot, dressed in jeans and an unbuttoned chambray shirt, and for what might be the first time, I realized how handsome he was. Not a perfect blond god like Marcus, all rippling muscles and shining teeth and bewitching blue eyes. No, Ian had a more subtle beauty. It was in the way he carried himself, the lines of his face, even the impatience in his dark eyes. It seemed as if he were always impatient with me, and I couldn’t blame him. I was just as frustrated.
We were never going to be friends.
He moved over to the bed, and all my senses went into overdrive, while my brain went sailing out the window. Was he going to touch me? Kiss me?
Apparently not. “I’ll be driving you into the clinic later today, just to make sure you’re completely all right. Don’t bother arguing.”
I wanted to. Still, where would the harm be? Bella hadn’t been around for five years, and it was clear last night that the doctor hadn’t known her.
But the real Bella wouldn’t want to go off with Ian. “Couldn’t Marcus take me?” I demanded, mostly because I wanted to see his reaction.
He didn’t give me one. “Suit yourself. I’ll give him a heads up.”
Rats. I didn’t want to drive all the way over to Santa Maria with Marcus, and I wasn’t going to worry about wondering why. “Maybe you’d better drive me,” I said reluctantly.
He was starting to leave, but he stopped and looked at me. “Don’t you need Marcus for your daily infusion of flattery? You can’t expect it from me.”
