Delilah, annoying as her comment was, had a point. When it came to men, the more disinterested, the more attractive Chloe found them. Ian, with his sexy smile and his insistence that he wasn’t made for a relationship, fit her bill perfectly. He was exactly the kind of guy she chased.
So why did being with him feel so different than the others?
The question nagged her most of the day. Actually, a bunch of questions nagged her. How was it that being with Ian could feel as natural as breathing, while at the same time scare the heck out of her? Made zero sense. No wonder she’d told La-roo she needed a break from the dating world. Clearly, the whole Aiden catastrophe had left her brain fried.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding.”
Chloe jumped, her pencil skidding across the paper on her lap. Ian stood propped against the door frame, arms folded across his chest. As usual, her insides took a dive roll the moment she saw him.
“Who said I was hiding?” she said, brushing some stray curls off her face. Stupid topknot wouldn’t hold them all. “Since you and all the other male guests were busy surveying storm damage, I figured I’d come upstairs to take a nap, is all.”
“You always nap with a pencil and paper?”
“Obviously, I’m not napping at the moment.” She’d tried, but her thoughts wouldn’t let her relax. “I found some scrap paper in the desk and decided to do some sketching.”
“Really? Can I see?” he asked, stepping into the room.
“Um...” She looked at the papers in her lap.
What started as a sketch of the pines had turned into a series of doodled logos for Ian’s coffee shop. “Sure. Why not?”
She handed him the designs. “For me?” he asked, surprise in his voice.
“I was goofing around with some ideas. Nothing serious.”
“I like them. The middle one especially. The lettering isn’t hitting me, but the concept is right.”
“What if I...” She grabbed the paper back and quickly rounded off the letters, giving them a more fluid look. “That work better?”
“Like you read my mind.”
She tried not to take the comment seriously, but her heart beat a little faster, anyway. “Then your mind must be easy to read,” she told him, pushing the feeling of connection aside.
“Funny, but my old employees never said so. Then again, I was half in the bag most of the time, so mind-reading would have been difficult.” He went back to studying the sketches.
Chloe pulled her knees closer to her chest. It dawned on her that his honesty regarding his drinking bordered on self-abusive. “Why do you do that?” she asked him.
“Do what?”
“Mock the fact you had a drinking problem.” Listening to him put himself down the way he did hurt. “Shouldn’t you cut yourself a little slack?”
“Should I?” he countered. “Have you forgotten why we’re on this road trip?”
“Doesn’t mean you should beat yourself up.”
He let out a long breath. “You’re a sweet kid, you know that?” Before she could protest the kid label, he sat down on the arm of her chair. “I have to mock,” he said. “It’s the only way I can get past what a bastard I used to be.”
“Used to be,” she reminded him. “You’re not a bastard now.”
“That’s because you’re seeing me on my good days.”
If he meant to warn her off, the attempt didn’t work. “I still think you’re being too hard on yourself.”
He smiled and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “You’d think differently if you saw the damage I caused. My list of amends is pretty damn long.”
At least he was making amends. To her, that’s what mattered. Although she doubted he’d believe her.
She settled for changing the subject. “You never did explain why you picked coffee for your next business adventure.”
“I didn’t?”
Chloe shook her head. “Care to share now?”
“Do you want the public relations version or the truth?”
He stretched his arm across the back of her chair. What started as his being perched on the arm suddenly turned into a crook with her nestled close to his chest. “Truth, please,” she replied.
“I like coffee.”
Chloe waited for the rest of the answer. When one didn’t come she started to giggle. “Seriously?”
“Deadly. This way I can control my vice.”
“You want control? I’m shocked.”
He poked her shoulder. “Speaking of control, the power company arrived. They’re busy clearing the downed wires as we speak.”
“That’s great. You must be happy.”
“I am.” Strangely, his voice lacked enthusiasm. Chloe chalked it up to nerves.
“Of course,” he continued, “clearing the wires is only the first step. We still need to cut the tree into sections and move it from the road.”
“We?”
“I convinced a couple of the other guests that if we did the work, the job would go faster than if we relied on Josef and the neighbor across the street—who, by the way, is older and about half Josef’s size.”
Chloe laughed at the description. “Sounds like a wise decision.”
“We thought so. If all goes right, the road will be clear by early evening. We’ll be able to head out west first thing in the morning.”
Bringing an end to their stay at the Bluebird Inn. She was surprised at how disappointed the thought made her feel. You’d think she’d be relieved, given that, contrary to what she’d told Ian, she’d spent the day hiding from him.
“Sounds terrific,” she told him. “Thanks for finding me and letting me know.”
“Actually, giving you a road update is only part of the reason I was looking for you.”
“Oh?” Drawing her knees close, she swiveled in her seat so she could look up at him. “What’s the other part?”
“To tell you I have a surprise planned for after dinner.”
“A surprise? For me?” Images of last night’s kisses flooded her senses, making her pulse race. “Why?” Please don’t say to make up for last night.
“Because...” She wasn’t sure if he paused to think of the right words or if he changed his mind about answering altogether. “A guy can’t do something nice for a friend?”
Friend. The word didn’t fit as right as it once had. Friends didn’t make her insides ache with longing.
“Truth is,” Ian continued, “I wanted to thank you for coming along with me this weekend.”
“We’ve already been through this. You don’t have to thank me.”
“Stop spoiling the fun.”
“Sorry. The gesture just caught me off guard.” After all, surprises were reserved for couples, not friends.
“You’re supposed to be caught off guard,” Ian replied. “That’s why it’s called a surprise.”
He grasped her chin, tilting it up until their faces were so close Chloe thought for a moment he might kiss her again. “Six-thirty in the dining room. Don’t be late.”
Don’t be late? How could she possibly? She would be counting the minutes.
Much to her chagrin.
“No peeking, now.”
Chloe felt Ian’s lips against her ear. “Your eyes are closed, right?”
“Sealed tight. Is this really necessary? I feel a little silly.” Not to mention anxious. Ever since Ian had mentioned an after dinner surprise, she’d been a bundle of anticipatory nerves, and now, with her eyes closed, the expectancy had her other senses hyperaware of the man propelling her forward. Ian’s hands rested on her shoulders, the pressure of each finger finding a way through her turtleneck to excite the nerves beneath. She felt his broad chest hovering behind her. She could even sense the soft knit of his sweater brushing up and down her back as he breathed.
It was probably time for her to accept that she’d gone and done exactly as Delilah predicted: fallen for Ian. Never one to take your own advice, were you, Chloe? Much as she hated to admit it, she was hopelessly and deeply into the man.
“Relax,” he said, mistaking her tension for self-consciousness. “No one’s here to see you.”
True enough. As soon as the road opened, most of the guests had piled into their cars and headed home, leaving Chloe and Ian the only couple left. As a result, the two of them ate dinner with Josef and Dagmar. The arrangement only added to Chloe’s nerves, since she had to spend the entire evening pretending not to notice the knowing glances being shared around the table.
Ian turned her body to the right. “Ten more steps,” he told her.
“You counted?”
“Of course. We wouldn’t want you tripping and falling on your face, would we?”
“Ah, that means we’re heading someplace with obstacles.”
“Maybe.” His voice appeared in her ear again, low and rough. “Then again, for all you know, I could be messing with you.”
In more ways than one. She swore that, with every step, his body moved closer to hers.
One of Ian’s hands left her shoulder, and a moment later she heard the click of a doorknob. A soft gust struck her face; a door being pushed open.
Two steps forward and the air temperature suddenly changed, becoming warmer. Chloe heard the sound of crackling wood. “Is that a fireplace?”