Melting the Ice(16)

            He sat back and finished up the last of the wine, then paid the bill while Carolina fumed silently.

            He’d gotten to her, and Carolina had been certain he didn’t have the capacity to do that any longer. She didn’t know if she was more irritated with him, or with herself. They stood and headed outside, and she was half tempted to grab a taxi rather than share a car ride with him.

            But that would be petty and childish and she’d outgrown those emotions. She could certainly endure the ten-minute ride back to her place.

            “You’re irritated,” he said after a few minutes in the car.

            “No, I’m not. I’m just tired and thinking about how much work I have to do tonight.”

            “Are you on a schedule?”

            “Yes. A very tight one.”

            “Then maybe you should have said no when I invited you to dinner.”

            She shot him a look, then realized she couldn’t blame him. He was right. She was an adult and capable of making her own decisions. It wasn’t like he’d kidnapped her or in any way forced her to come to dinner with him. It was her own weakness where he was concerned that pissed her off.

            “Maybe I should have. Next time I’ll say no when you invite me out.”

            “What makes you think I’ll invite you out again?”

            Refusing to take the bait this time, she sat silently while the car took them to her apartment. She reached for the door handle, but Drew stopped her.

            “I’ll walk you up.”

            She let out a short laugh. “I don’t think so.”

            Ignoring her, when the driver opened the door, he stepped out after her, his long stride bringing him alongside her.

            “I don’t want you coming up with me.”

            “I’m going to see you to your door. It’s the way I was brought up.”

            She stopped. “Oh . . . so now you’re being a gentleman?”

            Apparently, he wasn’t taking the bait, either, because he merely smiled and held the door for her while she went inside and to the elevator. Clearly she wasn’t going to be able to get rid of him, so she stepped into the elevator and rode with him to her floor, then walked to her door. Key in hand, she unlocked her door and turned to him.

            “Thank you for dinner.”

            “Why don’t you invite me in for an after-dinner drink?”

            “I might be dumb, Drew, but I’m not stupid.”

            “Not sure I know what that means. Can I use your bathroom?”

            She rolled her eyes at the obvious ploy. “No.”

            “Come on, Carolina. It’s kind of urgent. I had a lot of wine and it’s a long ride back to my apartment.”

            “Fine.” She stepped in and closed the door while he made his way down the hall. She hung up her coat and went into the kitchen to put the kettle on to boil to make tea.

            “What are you doing?”

            She jumped, her thoughts lost in what she was going to be working on tonight, along with the tea. She turned to face him. “I’m making tea.”

            He wrinkled his nose. “No coffee?”

            “I do have coffee.”

            “Good. I’d love some.” He shed his coat.