“Horrible? I thought you liked it?” he chuckled.
Maybe when she was younger. It had made her feel special that he’d had his own nickname for her. Now that she was older, well, she still liked it; she just didn’t want to admit it. “I’m surprised you remember it.”
“How could I forget? You and Isla thought you were so cool, sneaking into our tenth-grade disco. With the number of glow sticks around your neck and wrists, you were visible from space,” Theo laughed.
Embarrassed, Chloe groaned and covered her face with her hands. The things she used to do to grab Theo’s attention. “Why did we do that? We thought we’d fit right in, but no one else in the hall wore them.”
“That’s because sixteen-year-olds want it as dark as possible so we could hook up. You looked like you’d stepped out from a kids’ birthday party.”
He wasn’t far from the mark. “The glow sticks were leftovers from Isla’s twelfth birthday party. I’m so embarrassed,” she laughed.
“It was cute.” He smiled.
Chloe hadn’t been trying to be cute, and it had chipped away at her heart a little when he’d laughed at her glowing like a star in their school hall.
That memory led to others, and soon enough, they realized they were the only couple left in the room. It was time to end the date.
“I’ll settle the bill,” she said before she got sucked further into his blue eyes and sexy smile.
“It’s a date. I’ll take care of it.” His eyes found their waiter.
“No, this was my idea. The least I can do is pay.”
He shook his head. “I’m giving you the full treatment.”
A picture of what the full treatment included in her mind didn’t end with dinner. She busied herself checking her phone for messages to distract herself from how she’d really like the night to end—in bed with Theodore Campbell.
The ride home was quiet. Chloe kept thinking about what a wonderful evening she’d had with Theo. They were so comfortable together. She could have sat with him all night. If only their relationship could…no. She stopped her fantasizing from getting out of hand. No point wondering what a life with him would be like because he wasn’t offering it to her. He was healing from his divorce, and he’d made it clear a relationship wasn’t possible between them. But she’d be blind if she said she hadn’t noticed the subtle glances of desire aimed her way.
Theo pulled up by a hydrant in front of her apartment, and she made to get out of the car. He put a hand on her arm. “I’ll walk you to your apartment.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“It’s a date.”
She chuckled. “It’s over now.” Pausing, she licked her lips. “But a first date should end with a good-night kiss.”
He stared at her, silent. The silence stretched for one heartbeat. Then two. Until the silence shifted from anticipatory to awkward.
“I’m guessing the answer is no?” She tried laughing it off even as her heart sank at the look of horror in his eyes. “I’m sorry if the thought of kissing me disgusts you.” She turned her back to him. Her hands shook as they fumbled with her purse as she searched for the key to her building.
He placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. “The thought doesn’t disgust me. Do you know how much I want to kiss you? How much I want to strip you naked? How hard it is not to touch you whenever you’re around?” His gaze dropped to her lips.
She sucked in a shuddery breath and shook her head. “What’s stopping you? And please don’t say Ethan because that’s a weak excuse. We’re adults, we can do whatever we want. We don’t need his permission.”
“We don’t,” he agreed. “But he’s not the only reason.”
“Then what is it?” She had a feeling she already knew the answer.
“You want a husband. I’m not that guy. I’m never getting married again.”
Her heart clenched. He’d confirmed her suspicions. “Is it too soon after your divorce? Are you still in love with your wife?”
A cascade of emotions flashed over his face so fast she couldn’t register them all. “Ex-wife, and no, I don’t have feelings for Layla anymore.”
Layla.
His ex-wife’s name was Layla. The woman who had scarred him so much he was scared of marriage. “Maybe if you give it some time, you’ll change your mind.”
