Like hell, he would.
With a hard jerk, he opened his own door and rounded the front bumper of his car to open hers. He extended a hand to her. She hesitated, and he reached in to grasp her hand.
And this time he let his touch linger.
Lacey slid her legs out, the movement lifting the slim black skirt up high on her shapely thighs. Dev stifled a groan and jerked his glance to her face.
“Dev, I…” Nerves jittered in her gaze.
Inside him, something twisted. He took pity on her. “It’s not too late to go back, Lacey. Doctor Blondie would still take you in a heartbeat, I’m sure.”
She studied him silently, her eyes huge and dark. “I don’t want to go back,” she said softly. “I’m just not sure where forward is.”
He closed his eyes in pain. It didn’t seem to matter what he knew was smart. He wanted to protect her, to hold her. To kiss her again.
He almost did it, almost reached out and pulled her into his embrace.
But from somewhere inside the bad boy rose a gentleman who knew that he would only complicate her life more if he did. Charles DeMille would stop at nothing to keep them apart. She still had to get through DeMille’s displeasure at the broken un-engagement. If Forrester had said anything at all to her parents about finding Dev at her townhouse, it was Lacey who would suffer for it.
It was the absolute worst time to want to get closer to her. He needed to back away, get some distance. Tonight had confused the hell out of him.
He would leave her alone for a few days, keep an eye on her from a safe distance just to be sure no one was making life too hard. Let her get past this rough spot, then he’d break the news as kindly as possible. Maybe he’d take her to Morning Star himself. That was it, finito. That was all he could afford to think about now, no matter what this night had made him want.
To strengthen his resolve, he reminded himself that Lacey needed a friend now, far more than anything else. She looked as alone as anyone he’d ever seen.
But he couldn’t leave her like this. Before he stopped to think it through, he spoke up. “Go out with me, Lacey.”
Her head jerked around. “What?”
She didn’t have to look so incredulous. But he persisted. “Forrester said you don’t date. But now you can. It doesn’t have to be a date date, just friends out for a night on the town. I still owe you that dinner for winning the bet.” He was making this up as he went, part of him staring in stunned silence.
Just shut up, he told the stunned part, the part clinging to remnants of sense. The part she’d abandoned once before.
“It’ll get you back in the swing of things. Doctor Blondie will tell everyone he dumped you, you know that. Show the world you’re doing fine without him.”
“Dev, I don’t think…”
The past crowded his throat. Remembered rage at a boy’s helplessness and humiliation. “What’s the matter? Afraid Daddy won’t like it?”
Her eyes clicked into defiance. “I don’t care about that.”
You did once. Too much. Dev could feel temper licking at the edges of his control. “Never mind.” He turned toward her front door.
Lacey grabbed his arm. “You think I’m such a coward, don’t you? How dare you? You don’t know me. You never did.”
The night brought one more discovery. Lacey had a temper.
Her eyes might be spitting fire now, but his weren’t far from igniting, either. “Then prove it. Prove that you’re not going to live the rest of your life trying to become your mother.”
If she’d had a knife, he’d be bleeding right now. “Name the date.” That delicate jaw could crunch rocks at this moment.
“I’ll be back next Friday. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Fine,” she snapped.
He took the keys from her hand and unlocked the door. “Fine, then. I’ll see you on Friday.” He stepped aside.
She steamed past him. Suddenly, almost like a marionette, she stopped. “Thank you for the donuts.”
Damn those perfect manners. Dev gritted his teeth and started to respond.
Lacey slammed the door in his face.
Dev heard the lock click and stood there for a moment, glaring at the closed door. Then the absurdity of it all hit him. Like a madman, he stood on the porch of Lacey’s exclusive townhouse—
And laughed his fool head off.
She was right. He sure as hell didn’t understand her. But she fascinated him more every time she crossed his path.
Chapter Seven
Dev crossed inside the Loop, headed toward his younger brother Connor’s apartment. He shook his head ruefully. It was only Wednesday, and he’d sworn to leave Lacey alone this week. But every day she’d been in his thoughts, and he’d worried about how she was doing. When one of his investigators had casually mentioned that he needed to interview someone in Houston, Dev had jumped at the chance to go in his place.