And he wasn’t the kind of man who sweet-talked a woman into doing something she’d regret.
Exactly what he did want wasn’t entirely clear, but he sure wanted something.
Her.
He brushed his cheek across the top of her head, the light touch sending shockwaves of awareness through him. Yes, he wanted to know her in every sense. He’d always been the kind of person who’d known what he wanted and had gone after whatever that might be. He wanted Trinity with an intensity that made his head spin.
“How long have you been a nurse?”
Tilting her head back, she blinked her big brown eyes at him. Most of the women he knew would have had make-up accenting their large almond shape, would have made the most of the naturally thick lashes rimming her lids to lure some unsuspecting man into her snare. Not Trinity. As best he could tell, Trinity had nothing on Her face except the light sprinkling of freckles across her nose and a little mascara coating those already long lashes. Her hair was clipped back with loose springs, framing her heart-shaped face. She looked as if she could be sweet sixteen.
“Trinity?”
Her beautiful face had become pinched, as if she were troubled by his question. “Long enough that I know about men like you.”
Her instant defensiveness confused him. “Men like me?”
“You shouldn’t get ideas about me.” Her face flushed a pretty shade of pink, but she held his gaze. “I’m just here to dance, nothing more.”
Riley liked the spunk shining on her upward-tilted face and had to fight the urge to kiss her mouth again. “You shouldn’t get ideas about me,” he warned. “I’m simply making conversation with the beautiful woman I’m dancing with. Nothing more.”
Her gaze narrowed. He grinned. After a moment she sighed in resignation. “Fine. You win.” A sly smile slid onto her mouth. “This round.”
He looked forward to future rounds. “And?”
“I’ve been a nurse for four years,” she admitted, as if giving away some top secret. That would likely make her around twenty-six.
“Where did you nurse prior to coming to work for Pensacola?”
She tensed in his arms and stopped moving. “You don’t have to play Twenty Questions or even make conversation at all. For the record, I’m a girl who appreciates silence in a man.”
Riley chuckled. Oh, yeah, he liked this woman. “Shut up and dance, eh?”
She nodded.
“Problem is, I want to know more about you.” Lots more. “Where did you nurse prior to coming to Pensacola?”
She sighed. “How about I save us a lot of time and send you a copy of my résumé?”
He stared at her stubborn expression.
“Oh, all right,” she relented, and pushed his chest, motioning for him to start dancing again. “I went to school at University of Tennessee in Memphis and went straight to work at one of the hospitals there. I worked in the cardiac unit until I took the job here in Pensacola.”
“Now, was that really so painful?”
“Excruciating.” But a smile played on her lips. He really liked her smile. And the sparkle of gold in her brown eyes.
“Now, be quiet and dance.”
He laughed at her order. Talking with her was like a breath of fresh air. Stimulating. Fun.
“I have a friend who went to medical school in Memphis. He says it’s a great place. What brought you to Pensacola? Family?”
With a look of what he hoped was feigned annoyance that he hadn’t taken her order of silence seriously, she shook her head.
“Friends?” he persisted, despite her glare.
“Nope,” she answered after a moment’s hesitation.
The music picked up tempo. When she went to pull back he tightened his hold. “Boyfriend?”
“Ha. Exact opposite.”
No hesitation there. He frowned. “You have someone in Memphis?”
“Not any more.”
There was enough sadness—or was it regret?—in her voice that he felt a little guilty at just how much relief flowed through him at her denial.
“I’m glad there’s not someone waiting for you in Memphis. Or anywhere else, for that matter.” Because he hadn’t liked the thought that she might belong to someone else. “Very glad.”
For the first time since they’d started dancing she mis-stepped and caught his toe. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You didn’t,” he assured her, thinking that as petite as she was she could stand on his toes and not hurt him. She was like a pixie. A curvy pixie. He couldn’t recall ever having the urges that rushed through him when he looked at Trinity. There was something about her. Something intriguing that had him hooked. Was it just that she wasn’t the type of yes-girl he was used to? “Recent break-up?”