“Except when?” I prompt.
“Except when I’m welcome, Ava. With you, it’s only a matter of time.”
My breath catches in my throat. Our eyes connect, and something happens between us. It’s like a current, and I know in that one moment that if I let go, there’s no coming back. The waters in there, between us, are deep and dark and stormy, much like the sky in Montana. They leave no room for hesitation. No uncertainty. I know in that instant that he’s waiting for me to invite him to my room.
I wish I’d just do it.
The thought is both intimate and frightening.
“How far away is the next town?” My voice trembles as I force my gaze down.
“Why?” he asks. “Are you getting bored of me already?”
“No, I was just wondering.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. The next big town with shopping facilities is almost two hours away. I told her she wouldn’t make it far, but she wouldn’t listen. Said something about shopping and hiking being her thing and all.” His eyes flicker with amusement, a sign that he saw right through Mandy’s lie.
I’m not surprised. Who in their right mind mentions shopping and hiking in the same line?
“How did she leave?” I ask because I don’t believe for a second that Mandy’s gone hiking.
“She borrowed my truck.” Kellan cocks his head, misinterpreting my gloomy expression. “What? You think I have your friend tied up in my basement?”
“Well, do you?” I raise my brows.
“I’m into tying up, but not your friend…she isn’t exactly my type.” His words are deep and dark, full of unspoken promises. His gaze brushes my lips and lingers there. “I prefer the curvy kind I can tie to my bedpost.”
“Did you just suggest I might be curvy and bedpost material? That’s so—”
Sexy?
Wrong on so many levels?
I shake my head and laugh…until I remember he has a girlfriend.
Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, “Yeah, you like the blond kind, too, don’t you?”
It was meant as a joke, but the words that come out carry the slightest hint of bitterness and jealously.
That’s so not what I was going for.
Kellan regards me, amused. “Not so much the blond but the quirky kind. The kind that hits my car.”
I can’t figure him out for the life of me. I know I shouldn’t ask, but my curiosity gets the better of me.
Mandy mentioned the Boyd brothers own the famous Club 69 venues, and Kellan definitely owns the arrogance of Mr. Universe, which is often a sign that he’s successful. That and the fact that he drives such an expensive car. Yesterday at dinner, he kept evading my questions. To be honest, I’ve no idea what the big deal is. It’s not like being a nightclub owner is something worth hiding, although I guess everyone needs a break from reality.
“What exactly are you doing, Kellan?” I ask. “Jobwise, I mean.”
“I like to entertain my guests.”
“As in clubs?”
“Not in that kind of way. You have the wrong Boyd. I invest in my brother’s clubs.” Another evasion and so clearly a lie. He points to my plate, his tone a bit sharper than before. “Tuck in.”
The accent comes through so pronounced it vibrates its way through all my hidden spots, and I almost topple off my chair. If he notices my growing discomfort at being alone with him, he doesn’t mention it.
Obviously I can’t force him to tell me more about his life.
I take a few hesitant bites of egg omelet and force myself to chew and swallow slowly. The rich taste of full-fat registers somewhere at the back of my mind, but all I can focus on is the scent of aftershave wafting from him and the fact it’s doing strange things to my body.
Like impairing my breathing.
And making it very, very difficult to focus on anything but him.
“Caught a cold last night?” Kellan stops eating and turns to me. His piercing gaze reminds me of dark green meadows and the mystery that comes with them.
“Why?” Narrowing my eyes at him, I put down my fork and take my coffee again to warm my hands. I might be hungry, but there’s no way I can eat around him. Not when we’re alone in his way-too-masculine house and he’s looking at me with a combination of disdain and intensity that makes me too aware of my body’s reactions to him.
“You sound breathless. And I haven’t even made you come yet.” His brow shoots up, and a lazy smile tugs at the corner of his lips.
He’s such a jerk!
“FYI, it was cold outside. I froze my ass off out there and probably caught a cold.”
“Or you’re into me.”
“I can assure you I’m not.” I raise my chin and stare him down with as much frostiness as I can muster. “I’ll grab some aspirin from town.” I emphasize the last part so he won’t get the impression I want to stick around.