more than happy to split the check. It’s been a lovely evening.”
“Avery, I asked you as my guest. Even if I hadn’t, I still wouldn’t expect you to pay for anything.”
He slotted his credit card inside the wallet and nodded as the waiter returned to lift it from the table.
“Ah, yes,” she said, “this is a business expense for you, after all.”
He shot her another look, and this time there was no mistaking the irritation on his face. “Is that what you think?”
“Well, isn’t it?” she challenged.
He sat back in his chair, his eyes never leaving her face. He gave a short, sharp nod. “It might have started that way,” he conceded.
Avery felt a surge of hope swell inside her. Started that way? So where did that leave them now? Was he as attracted to her as she was to him? The waiter returned, preventing Marcus from saying anything further and she watched as he signed his name on the chit with a flourish, adding a tip in cash at the same time.
“Come on,” he said, rising from the table. “I think we should go.”
She’d offended him, she just knew it. Aside from placing his hand possessively at the small of her back as they left the restaurant and waited for the valet to bring his car around, he said nothing. He saw her settled into the soft leather of her seat before again taking the wheel and driving back toward her home. When he pulled up outside the front entrance she quickly unbuckled her seat belt and turned to face him.
“Marcus, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
He looked steadily back at her and she saw the exact moment the irritation he’d been bristling with left him. He raised one hand to her cheek, his fingertips a featherlight touch on her skin. A touch that left her wanting more, wanting him.
“No, it’s my fault,” he said. “You were right. I did have an ulterior motive when I suggested we go out together. I didn’t expect it to change into something else, that’s all.”
“S-something else?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, leaning forward to close the distance between them. “This.”
The hand that had been touching her cheek slid around to cup the back of her neck before his lips gently descended. The instant his mouth touched hers she gasped a soft sound of surrender. His kiss was sweet, almost over before it had begun but it was enough to leave her senses reeling, her breath uneven in a chest that suddenly felt constricted.
“I want to see you again, Avery,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers, his warm hand still cupping the back of her head, his fingers gently massaging her sensitized skin.
Everything inside her screamed yes! But caution urged her to refuse him. She’d sworn she wouldn’t allow herself to be used again, to be surrounded by fair-weather friends who only wanted whatever she could provide without giving anything, not even loyalty, in return. She thought carefully about how Marcus had been at dinner. Entertaining, solicitous, kind, even. Pushy? No. Nor did he badger her about the collection. Maybe he was different than the others. Maybe he genuinely wanted her. Hopefully about as much as she wanted him—as much as she had, in all honesty, since the first time she laid eyes on him. There was only one way she’d find out. Was she prepared to take that risk?
Avery drew in a shaky breath before replying. “I’d like that. Tomorrow?”
“Sure, tomorrow it is. I have some gallery visits scheduled for the morning but how about I stop by after lunch?”
“Perfect. I’ll be here.”
He waited in the car as she ascended the stairs and let herself in the front door, waving back briefly in response to her salute as she stood illuminated by the overhead light. And as he started the car and headed back down the driveway, Avery wondered whether she’d done the right thing. Was she setting herself up for failure? Or could he turn out to be the best thing that had happened to her in a very, very long time?
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