Page 20 of Roark
He went to the bar and grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator beneath it. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said a lot had happened today. Roark had been thinking that very thing as he’d lain in his bed trying to stay asleep instead of waking up every half hour like he’d been doing for the past couple of weeks.
He took a second bottled water for himself, even though he desperately wanted something stronger. Before walking back over to where she sat, Roark looked at her. She’d leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, her head held down. Whatever she’d been dreaming had really shaken her. He didn’t know if he should ask what it was, or just focus on getting her to feel better. His experience with these types of scenarios wasn’t plentiful.
When he walked toward her, he noticed the play of the light over her cinnamon-brown skin and felt the push of desire settle in his gut. Actually, it was more like a sucker punch, and he coughed to play off the sudden loss of breath. “Here you go,” he said, because she was still holding her head down when he got close. “I didn’t open it, but I can if you want.”
“No. Thanks.” She accepted the bottle.
While she twisted the top off, Roark stood awkwardly, wondering if he should sit next to her or move to the other couch. He was acutely aware of the scene and was determined not to give any false impressions.
“You can sit down. I’m not gonna start screaming again.” She moved over on the couch to make room for him.
With the dilemma solved for him, Roark sat. He opened his water and took a long drink. When he was done, he cleared his throat. “You wanna talk about the dream?”
“No.”
“Then let’s talk about something else. Why don’t you have a husband or a boyfriend?”
The question took her by surprise; he could tell by the quick way she turned her head so she could stare at him. As for him, he’d been thinking about the question for the past few hours. He’d been thinking about her a lot since he’d seen that news report.
“Well, that’s certainly blunt.”
“I don’t really know any other way to be.”
She shrugged. “I guess that works in your line of business.”
He wanted to know everything she knew about him, but he wanted her to answer his question first. Roark was pretty sure there was no other man but he wanted to double-check, because the last thing he felt like tonight was having some guy banging on the front door looking for his woman.
“How do you know I don’t have a husband or a boyfriend?” She took another drink of water.
Roark sat back on the couch, holding his water in one hand and letting his other hand rest on his thigh. “Because if you had a husband, you’d be wearing a ring, and even if you were the type of woman who took her ring off when her husband wasn’t around, there’d probably be a tan line or indentation on your finger where the ring was supposed to be.”
“What if I never wanted a wedding ring? Not all women like jewelry.”
“But you do.” He recalled how she’d been dressed when she’d come to meet him this morning. “You wore earrings and a necklace earlier today.”
She shrugged again. “True. How about the boyfriend? What makes you so sure I’m single?”
“You’re dedicated to your family, that tells me you’re loyal. A loyal girlfriend wouldn’t be spending the night with a man she just met twelve hours ago, especially without calling her boyfriend to let him know she was safe.”
“What are you, a part-time private detective?”
He laughed. He couldn’t help it. Her eyes widened, and she seemed shocked at the sound. That made him feel some kind of way. “I’m just very observant. And I’m curious to know why a woman like you doesn’t have a man.”
“Because every woman doesn’t need a man.”
He should’ve expected that response. It’s exactly what Suri would’ve said if he’d made that comment to her. And it was Aunt Birdie’s lifetime mantra. “You’re absolutely right. But you’re an attractive woman. That tells me your status is by choice.” A statement which may have crossed another line, so he took a drink of water and wished like hell it was vodka.
“You’re right as well. I am an attractive woman. I’m also pretty damn observant myself. I’ve never had a husband, and the last boyfriend I had, I dumped a year ago. You’re single as well.”
It was his turn to shrug. “You looked me up.”
She nodded and sat back on the couch, mimicking his position. “I sure did. You were married to Katrina Neyone for three years before calling it quits four years ago. Now, you’re a brooding bachelor. That wasn’t on Google. I just came to that conclusion today.”
Roark finished his water. “Now, we’re both single, sitting on a couch in the middle of the night, drinking water like we’re recovering alcoholics and avoiding discussing the one thing we have in common.”
With those words, silence fell over them, and Roark immediately felt uncomfortable.
“I’m not going to try to seduce you,” he said when he couldn’t sit quietly any longer.
