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She licked her lips and glanced down at her black Converse sneakers, tapping the heels together nervously and tucking her long blonde hair behind her ear. It took all of his control to keep his hands at his sides instead of pulling her into his arms. “But where—?”
He held his hand out, locking eyes with her. “Come with me if you want to find out.”
Her cheeks flushed even more at the reminder of the words he’d spoken to her the night they made love, and his gut tightened into a tiny ball in the bottom of his stomach. If only he could show her just how much that night had meant to him, some way, some how. She would forever be the one who got away, but he didn’t want her to go away yet. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about that reluctance.
“Leo…” she said as if she would protest.
“Come on.” He wiggled his fingers, shooting her a dark, seductive look that made her inhale a deep breath and hold it in. “You’ve got to be bored out of your mind in that room all by yourself. Let’s go live a little, maybe knock something else off that bucket list of yours.”
She hesitated. “I actually like being alone, just for the record.”
“I promise not to bite.” His gaze drifted down to her red lips. Fuck, he needed to see if she tasted as good as he remembered—because that didn’t seem possible. “Unless you ask me to.”
She snorted, but her pupils dilated before she shook her head and stepped back. “Not gonna happen.”
“Then you’re perfectly safe with me. So why not go out and have some fun?”
“I would, but you’re the one asking me out,” she said quickly, crossing her arms. “And we both know you forgot how to have fun years ago.”
He wished that wasn’t true, but it was. He couldn’t remember the last time he went out just for the hell of it. “So show me how,” he said, extending his hand to her.
After staring at him a bit, she shrugged and grabbed her purse off the bar by the door. “All right. Curiosity was always my weakness. So…let’s go have some fun.”
A rush of satisfaction punched him, and he grinned, stepping out of the way so she could pass. “Excellent, my lady.”
“Whoa.” She blinked at him, her lips parting. “You do remember how to smile.”
The grin died right away. “Obviously.”
“Well, I haven’t seen evidence to support that.” She shut the door behind her softly, brushing past him. His gaze fell to her perfect ass, because he was only a man, and she was fucking gorgeous. Over her shoulder, she called out, “There might be hope for you yet, Your Royal Pain-in-the-ass Highness.”
He hurried in front of her and offered her an arm, even though he was ninety-nine percent certain she wouldn’t take it. She seemed as averse to touching him as he was addicted to touching her. “I’m not the only one who changed over the past ten years, you know.”
“I never said you were,” she said quickly, eying his arm as if it were a weapon. Slowly, she reached out and curled her pale hand around his bicep. Her touch burned through his jacket, making his already erect cock stiffen even more, and his pants too damn tight. “But, out of curiosity, how do you think I’ve changed?”
“You’re more closed off. More cautious. Aside from the night we spent together, before you found out who I was, you’ve barely shown me anything other than cold indifference and a bit of sardonic humor.” He led her down the hallway, nodding to people as they went. They all stared openly. “Of course, that could be because I’m holding you against your will, but still, from what you’ve told me, you’re not the girl who saw a boy skating across the rink, came over, and introduced herself before inviting him to come see her in The Nutcracker.”
She pressed her lips together, looking none too happy with his assessment, and tightened her grip on him. He half expected her to pull away, but she didn’t. “You’re right. I’m not that girl anymore, and that’s a good thing, if you ask me.”
He side-eyed her. “Why?”
“Because that girl was naive, and way too willing to believe in the good in this world.” She tightened her hold on him. “She was also easily hurt.”
Right. By him, supposedly. “And now you’re not?”
“Well, when you lose everyone you love, and you’re alone—” She twisted her lips, staring straight ahead. “You kind of realize it’s better to stay that way.”
“Alone?” he asked softly.
“Yeah.” She stared straight ahead. “It’s just safer that way.”
He thought on that, and the girl he’d known back in New York, who had tightrope walked a wall that was easily twenty feet off the ground in ballet slippers…just for fun. “Since when is being safe so damn important to you?”
“Since I grew up and realized it was better than being hurt,” she answered, her voice cracking. “It’s just not worth it.”
He stared at her, pain for her loss hitting him deep. While he still wasn’t sure what happened all those years ago, it hurt him that she’d been damaged by the past. That carefree girl he’d known was gone, and though he didn’t know how, he felt responsible.
And he understood all too well what it felt like to be alone.
