“Don’t you have things to do?” She stepped into her jeans and zipped them back up.
“Didn’t anyone tell you? I’m the slacker prince.” I raised one eyebrow. “I lie about and paint things when I feel like it.”
“Slacker.” She snorted. “You organized an entire art event in England, came to my rescue, and then fought a dragon.”
“My dragon-slaying skills were getting a little rusty.” I sat up on one elbow. “I needed a refresher.”
“I think you poked him with a stick.” She shook her head and looked away from me. Her shoulders drooped a little and I tensed.
“I forgot my sword at home.” I sat up and grabbed my pants from the floor. Things had been going so well. What had happened?
“I need to check on Marty.” She bit her lip, but still didn’t look up at me. “I shouldn’t have left him alone like that.”
“You didn’t leave him alone.” I pulled my shirt on and turned her to face me. “He’s in the very capable hands of my sister and sister-in-law. I told you I wouldn’t leave him if he wasn’t safe.”
As I looked at her face I watched as she pulled on a mask, changing into someone else. Before my eyes, she became aloof and distant, the opposite of the woman I had just been holding in my arms.
“Don’t do that.” I lifted her chin with my fingers. “You don’t have to play a part with me.”
Her eyes widened a bit, but she managed to keep her face intact. “What do you mean?”
“This.” I narrowed my eyes. “Just a minute ago you were alive, open and real. Now you’ve shut it all down. Tighter than a prison cell.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t do this, Meredith.” I sighed in frustration. “I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but you don’t have to shut me out.”
“It’s for your own good.” The words tumbled out of her mouth.
“What is?” I felt my eyebrows arch.
“We did something amazing together.” She touched my chest. “But we can’t do it again.”
“What? Why?” That blew my plans out of the water. I’d planned on doing it a lot more.
“I have too much going on.” She shrugged. “I can’t handle the complications that come with any kind of relationship. And you don’t want what comes along with me.”
I stared at her, picking my words carefully. “It’s too late for that.”
“Complications?”
“A relationship.” I let go of her chin. “There’s something between us. Whatever you want to call it. Friendship, a relationship, attraction. It’s there already.” Shit, things had gotten out of hand fast. When was the last time I was in a relationship? I avoided them like the plague, but here I was arguing that we were in the middle of one.
“What about when I go home?” Her mask cracked and I could see the worry swirling beneath. “When I go back to singing and have to make public appearances? What then? That’s not the life you want.”
“Let’s take it one day at a time, okay?” I took a deep breath. Again the thought of her leaving twisted my gut, but she was right. I hated being in the public eye. Hated the press that would go along with having a famous girlfriend. “No expectations.”
Her face froze and I watched as she worked through something. “I’m everything you want to avoid, Max.”
“Not everything.” I shrugged. Oh shit. Was I changing my mind? No. Not about the press. That would never happen. But maybe . . . maybe it didn’t matter if she was in the spotlight as long as I wasn’t. “I don’t know. All I know is that I want to spend time with you. And with Marty.”
Her eyes closed for a minute. “Okay.”
“Then let’s go downstairs and see if we can teach Marty something about football.” I sat down and pulled my shoes on.
She nodded her head, but didn’t say anything. Whatever was bothering her was still there, nagging at her mind. Until she worked through it or decided to tell me what it was, there was nothing I could do.
Taking her hand in mine, I led her downstairs and through the back door. I wanted to touch her, needed to cement what had passed between us.
“You’re cheating!” Marty yelled as Cathy picked up the ball and ran away from him with it.
Cathy laughed loudly as she ran back and forth, keeping the ball out of Marty’s reach.
“Cheater!” Sam yelled from her shaded spot under a tree.
“I’ve got to!” Cathy yelled back. “The kid is good!”