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“No, I didn’t.” Blake cocked his head to the side, an apologetic smile on his lips. “But I don’t think it would be much of a leap to come to that conclusion. It wasn’t my intention. The way I shaped my life…I was talking about me. I knew I wasn’t good enough to support myself with photography, so I pursued another passion. Sometimes it’s like I have to convince myself I made the right choice, you know? Even now, all these years later, when I’m doing something I love. So. I apologize.”
Any hint of jealousy or anxiety melted away, and Tanith touched a hand to her heart, willing herself not to smile too much lest that smile fall right off her face. “Apology more than accepted.”
“Good. I was worried I’d blown it between us, honestly.”
Gods, he was beyond adorable. If she could melt into a puddle of goo right then and there, she would have.
“I thought the same thing after I stormed off,” she assured him. “I’m sorry. That was so dramatic and definitely not me. It won’t happen again.”
“If I’m ever running my mouth again, feel free to smack me or something until I get the message,” he said. Tanith giggled, which made his cheeks rosy. “Seriously. We can just pretend last night didn’t happen. Start over. Try it all again.”
“First dates suck. Let’s skip it and say we did.”
His head bobbed in agreement. “I’d like that very much. I haven’t had a first date in, well, too long. I don’t think I’m very good at them anymore.”
Tanith giggled again, and the sound seemed to draw him closer. Their nearness made her heart flutter. “Yeah, I hear that.”
They studied one another in a contemplative silence, each leaning in toward one another in their own way. The rest of the world remained out of sight, out of mind. It was just her and Blake, together, and suddenly nothing felt wrong.
Until Blake opened his mouth and spoiled it.
“I don’t want to pry,” he said softly, head tipped to one side and brows furrowed, “but you seemed really upset last night. Are you sure everything’s okay?”
She bit her lip, knowing now was not the time to unload on him. Still, she didn’t want him beating himself up forever over what he had said last night. While the sentiment was a bit insensitive, given what she did for a living, the bulk of her emotion came from her own personal issues, not Blake.
“Blake, I—”
“You don’t have to tell me,” he assured her, hands up as he backed away innocently, “but it just seemed like… Well, I’ve only known you a short time, but you strike me as a strong woman. Based on that, I had to assume that if something was to upset you, it must be pretty serious. You don’t strike me as the kind to cry over spilled milk, I guess.”
“No,” she agreed quickly, lips turned in a sad smile, “I’m not. Glad that came across.”
“Look, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Blake told her, “but I can listen if you just need someone to rant to. No judgements. No stupid commentary like last night.”
It was true; they hadn’t known each other long by any means, but in that moment, Tanith believed him. In fact, she suspected that she could call off anything romantic between them and just keep Blake as a friend and he would still be there supporting her. He struck her as that kind of guy.
Not that she would do that. Tanith wanted to see where this would go. If anything, a little romance would help keep her mind off more depressing matters in her personal life—always a plus.
“Are you doing anything now?” she asked as she reached out and placed a hand on his bicep; Tanith had the urge to touch him and she was done denying herself. Much to her surprise, he was rock solid, even under a few layers of classic professor tweed.
“Done for the day,” he told her with a soft throat clear.
She grinned. “I need to go open the gallery,” she explained. “Maybe you could come with? We’ll do coffee.”
“Coffee sounds perfect,” Blake rumbled, and that baritone quality nearly made her swoon.
