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He laughed. “I spend a lot of time figuring out how to spend money.”
She smiled. “Be serious.”
“I am serious. I donate to a lot of causes.”
Kinetica among them. She stilled, her pulse throbbing almost painfully “Donations to research firms working on finding a cure for Huntington’s, like…like Kinetica? That’s why the CEO came to your house yesterday, isn’t it?” He would fund the organization that killed her mother.
He turned from the stove. “Not Kinetica. I had considered a donation but changed my mind.”
“Why?”
He set a mug in front of her. “I’m not convinced it would be a good investment.” He filled the mug with coffee from the pot and handed her cream and sugar, then turned his attention to putting bread in the toaster.
Did Tristan have any idea of just how Kinetica accomplished their research? She couldn’t control the long, slow shiver coursing through her nervous system. He seemed to sense her teeming emotions because he scooped egg onto plates, added toast, then set one in front of her. Their gazes caught, and some dark emotion she couldn’t name flickered in his eyes.
“Are you cold?”
She shook her head. “No.”
The single word seemed to stick on her tongue, and she licked dry lips. Would he kiss her again? Did she want him to?
A longing struck hard, and her heart pounded the truth into her. She wanted Tristan to want her. She didn’t want him to have Angelina or any other woman. In fact, the thought made her want to scratch those women’s eyes out. The strength of her jealousy was so shocking, it rendered her speechless.
Tristan focused on taking a bite of egg, when all he wanted to do was go to the woman across from him and pull her into his arms. He would reassure her everything would be okay. He would find a way to keep her safe…as long as she told him the truth.
“What’s it like…to have all this?” Lillian swept a hand around the kitchen.
“Lonely.” The word popped out before he thought about it, but he realized it was true. He was lonely. Or had been, until Lillian’s arrival.
She frowned, her gaze widening. “You’re joking.”
He flicked a glance around the room, seeing it through her eyes. Wide glistening gray countertops stretched in front of him, and beyond that a large round kitchen table with eight cushioned chairs circled it. The table was surrounded by windows that looked out on the patio and pool. Shiny wood floors covered the massive room.
His gaze returned to meet hers. The house looked warm and inviting, but it had felt empty…until now. In the short time Lillian had been here, his home had come alive. “No, it’s true. This is a big house, and I live here by myself. It can be lonely.”
She gazed at him, her large eyes questioning and…wistful? She blinked and shrugged and whatever softness he thought he saw vanished under a blank veneer. She dropped her gaze and rubbed at a nonexistent spot on her jeans.
“You don’t have to live alone. I’m sure any number of women would be more than willing to move in with you. Your former fiancée An…Angelina, for instance.”
She stumbled over the name. Was she jealous? He dropped his gaze to her pink lips but couldn’t seem to move past them. A ripple of excitement moved through his veins. If she were jealous, she cared, no matter how hard she fought whatever this thing was that was happening between them.
He presented her with what he hoped was his most attractive smile. “I see you’ve been busy Googling me again.”
She shook her head. “No, this time it came straight from the lion’s mouth.”
His smile faded. Of course. It would be just like Angelina to stake her territory. If he wasn’t enjoying Lillian’s company so much, he might have been angry.
Her gaze flicked away and back, her cheeks rosy, and he realized he had been staring at her lips. He raised his head until their eyes met.
She cleared her throat. “Do you still love her?”
“No.” He didn’t have to think about it, which should have been surprising, but was not.
“Why haven’t you told her, then? Why is she so confident you’ll get back together?”
He took his time answering, using the opportunity to swallow.
“Because I didn’t know I didn’t love her until last night.”
