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“Guys likeme? What isthatsupposed to mean?” He could hear the tense tone of his voice, but he didn’t care anymore. All this time trying to figure her out, all this time building a friendship with her, only to have her push him away because she assumed he was shallow.
“Am I wrong?”
His head reared back.
“Answer me, Lucas. When was the last time you dated a girl who wasn’t a size two?”
“That’s not fair. I’ve dated all kinds of girls. It’s not just their looks that matter.”
“Not just their looks. See? Right there, you practically admitted it. You prefer to date girls who watch their figure. But guess what? I guarantee I’m healthier than half of them.”
“You’re…” His eyes dropped to his lap, parts of the puzzle coming together. When he lifted his gaze again, he smirked. “You’re jealous.”
She pulled away from him a few inches. “I amnot.”
“Yes, you are. You’re jealous—though I can’t for the life of me figure out why. For one thing, you’re just as good as any of them. And for another thing, you practically hate me.”
Ella scrambled to her feet, staring down at him. “If you’re trying to win me over by telling me things you think I want to hear, then save it. I’m not going to be convinced by pretty words. It takes a great deal more than that to get on my good side.”
“Oh, believe me, I know,” he said. “You’re one of the hardest girls to figure out. But I’m finally starting to see the bigger picture. You’ve locked yourself in this box, trying to get me to believe that you know what I’m thinking when it couldn’t be further from the truth.” Carefully, he got to his feet so he could level the playing field. “You can’t believe that any guy you might like would find you attractive.”
She made a disgruntled noise that was humorous enough that he might have laughed if they weren’t in the throes of this argument. “You’re not even close. I’ve dated plenty of guys. I just make sure to choose men who can appreciate me for more than just my looks.”
He stepped into her, his voice husky. “Why can’t it be both?”
Her eyes widened and her lashes fluttered wildly, but she didn’t step away from him.
“Ah,” he murmured, “there it is. I’ve struck a chord, haven’t I? That’s it. You think that you’re only as attractive as how talented or smart you are. Well, I’ve got news for you.” He hooked his finger beneath her chin and tilted it upward. “You are every bit as beautiful as any one of those women you compared yourself to.” His voice lowered further. “Heart-stopping-ly so.”
Lucas searched her eyes, not knowing if what he was saying was hitting home the way he wanted it to—the way he needed it to. “You know what I think?” he whispered.
“What?” she rasped.
“You’re scared.”
She stared at him blankly.
“You’re scared that if you allow yourself to believe me, you might actually find something worth having.” The words tumbled from his lips unexpectedly. Never in his life would he have believed he could say such a thing. He wasn’t ready for something serious. It was like she said, he was a playboy. He enjoyed getting to know his dates and then moving on to the next one.
Ella was an anomaly. She was different. He wanted more than just a weekend fling, and that thought terrified him. There was one thing he did know. He wasn’t willing to run from it. He wanted to explore this new desire fully, but only with the woman standing in front of him.
He lowered his face closer to hers, testing just how far she would let him take this. Pulse roaring in his ears, he inched closer still. Her breath hitched and her eyes closed. Ella leaned into him.
Lucas moved the hand that grasped her chin around to the back of her neck and tilted her face upward. His lips captured hers, tentative at first. The surge of adrenaline they’d bothexperienced while being stuck could very well be the driving force behind her allowing this sort of contact.
At some point Ella could wake up and push him away. That was the reason behind his decision to kiss her in the first place. If he didn’t try now, he might never get a second chance.
Slowly, she warmed up to him. Her hands lifted, wrapping around him. She opened up to him like a flower to the sun.
Ella’s kiss was soft and silken, warmer and sweeter than kisses he’d shared with women before. Her kiss, her touch, opened something within him—something foreign. It was more than joy or excitement. It was better than any satisfaction he’d gotten while dating other women. This was special. It was like standing out in a field during the first day of spring. It felt like the warm sun on his back. It felt like home.
Eagerly, he wrapped his other arm around her but then winced. Almost immediately she withdrew, her eyes clouded over.
Pain shot through his hand as he shook it out, regretting his decision to take more than fate wanted him to. Ella’s hands lifted to her face. They went from covering her cheeks to tucking her hair behind her ears. She glanced at him and then away before letting out a shaky breath.
He knew better than to believe she would want to talk about what just happened. They both needed to decompress. Nervous energy flowed through him from his head to his toes. If he weren’t injured, he might have grabbed a hammer and some nails to start on the loft area just to rid himself of the tremors that ripped along his nerves.
She nibbled on her lower lip, hovering where she stood. He couldn’t tell if she was pleased or disappointed in their kiss. Shoot! Mind reading would have come in handy right about now. Lucas raked a hand through his hair and paced a step ortwo away. There was nothing he could say that he hadn’t already said.
