AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rose paused for a moment. “Wait. Where did you buy property, Bryson?”
By the look in her eyes, I wasn’t sure I should tell her. I stood, moved around the desk so it was between us, and said, “Victor.”
She stared at me, her eyes blinking rapidly. “You bought land just on the other side of Hamilton? I thought your parents lived in Kalispell?”
“They live on the south side of Flathead Lake.”
“And you thought here would be better? Why?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “It was a beautiful piece of land. I can’t buy that much up by my parents, and it…it was close to you.”
For a moment, I saw something in her eyes. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it for sure gave me hope.
“Bryson. You bought land to build a house on it because it’s close to me?”
Smiling, I said, “Yes.”
Okay, so maybe she would see all of it as a romantic gesture.
Her eyes turned cold again. Maybe not.
“Jesus Christ, Bryson! We were together for one night! It wasn’t even twenty-four hours! Who goes out and buys land near the woman they had a one-night stand with?”
“It wasn’t a one-night stand, or at least I hoped it wouldn’t be. It wasn’t for me.”
Rose drew in a deep breath, then exhaled. “It was a beautiful night, Bryson. I won’t deny that. But I left without saying goodbye for a reason.”
I raised a brow. “Would you care to explain it to me, then?”
She glared at me. “I think we have a bigger issue here. You just marched in here, threw your weight—and your wallet—around, and asked that a junior-level employee design your house. I don’t even have a full architectural degree.”
“You have a bachelor’s degree in environmental design. I’ve seen the work you’ve done in the past, and that’s good enough for me. I don’t need some asshole with a master’s degree. I know talent when I see it.”
She closed her eyes, then looked at me with a concerned expression. “How is your arm?”
Well, that was interesting.
“It’s okay. How did you know about my arm?”
Her cheeks turned a light pink as she turned away from me to look out the window.
“Have you been keeping up with me?” I asked, trying to hide the happiness in my voice.
“I might have watched a game or two,” she stated as she spun around and leaned against the windowsill. “They mentioned you had a partial tear, and that the team forced you to take a few months off.”
I nodded. “That’s right.”
Chewing on her lip, she asked, “Is it getting better?”
“Not really.”
“Will you be going back out on the road with the team?”
Something moved across her face, but I couldn’t tell what it was. “I’ll get another MRI, and everything will be re-assessed then.”
“I see. Well, I hope it turns out the way you want it to.”
Grinning, I replied, “So do I.”
Her eyes searched my face before she pushed away and took another defensive stance. “Bryson, this isn’t going to work.”
“Rose, if I wasn’t confident that you couldn’t design the house, I wouldn’t be here.”
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head as she pointed between us. “You’re here because you want something more from me. Yes, the night we shared together was amazing, and I’m pretty sure sex will never be that good again.”
“Really?” I asked, my chest out just a bit too much. “I was that good, huh?”
Rose tried not to smile but lost the battle. “I’d like to think I was pretty good as well since you bought land in my hometown and are standing in my boss’s office right now.”
“Baby, you were better than good.”
Her eyes darkened with desire, and I thought I might have been winning her over before she looked away and the spell was broken.
Her whole body seemed to deflate as she exhaled. “Bryson, I can’t be involved with a guy who lives hours away from me and is never around. I don’t want that. Some women might, but I can’t. It’s just…I can’t…I’m not…”
I walked over to her, put my hands on her shoulders, and leaned down so I could look into her eyes. “I don’t want to walk away from you, Rose. So tell me what I need to do.”
She blinked rapidly as her breathing grew deeper. “I know myself, Bryson. I know that every moment of the day I would sit here wondering what you were doing. Who you were doing? How many women were throwing themselves at you, and I can’t do that.”
“You have that low of an opinion of me that you think I sleep around like that?”
“That’s just it!” she said as she stepped out of my hold. “I hardly know you, Bryson. Yes, we spent a few hours on a rooftop talking and sharing things, but I don’t really know you.”
“Then let’s get to know each other. I don’t have to report back to Seattle for a few weeks. You can learn all about me while you design my house.”
