Page 19

She laughed under her breath. “How so?”

He looked around, his gaze following the huge birch-tree branch behind her bed and sweeping across the ceiling with the strands of white lights casting a soft glow over the room. He stared at her bed for a moment, then at the pictures on the walls, the kitchen where she stood, and the little dining table with a bouquet of white and pink spider mums in the center. “It’s warm, inviting, bright, and colorful.”

She grinned. “Is that how you see me?” If so, she liked it.

He glanced over at her. “It’s how everyone sees you. There’s not a person in the bar who doesn’t think you’re their friend immediately upon meeting you.”

“Maybe that’s why Rick seems to think he can just walk right into my life uninvited.”

“You let me in the door,” he pointed out.

“At least I know you. Him... I spent more time trying to politely excuse myself from his presence so I could be with my friend Faith than I did trying to get to know him.”

“You don’treallyknow me.” It sounded like a warning.

“You’re right. I don’t. But you’re... familiar.” She pulled the plate from the microwave, grabbed a fork from the drawer, and brought them to him. He took the plate. She took everything off the small table she’d been using to record her video along with her notebook and pen, and tossed it all on the pale blue down comforter on her bed, then moved the table in front of him.

“You didn’t have to do that. It looked like you were working on something.”

“A song. It really wasn’t flowing tonight. I was too distracted. I’ll work on it later.”

Viper took a big bite of the pot roast and rolled his eyes with pleasure. “I can’t believe I almost missed out on this.”

She picked up her wineglass and enjoyed watching him eat the meal she’d made especially for him. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

His gaze shot to hers. “Really?”

“Yeah.” She thought of what her cousin Max had said to her at Hunt’s wedding last month. “You’re not what everyone thinks you are.”

He didn’t look at her this time.

“You’ve always been good to me. You stepped in when Dan got caught cheating on Aria and tried to get me on his side.”

Viper looked at her then, anger simmering in his eyes. “He shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.”

“You tossed him out of the bar. He hasn’t been back since.”

“Good riddance.” He dug back into the food.

“And there’s been other times when some guy’s liquored up and feeling frisky.”

The familiar glare made her grin. “You don’t like that kind of attention.”

She wasn’t into random guys putting their hands on her. “It’s what you do that shows me I matter to you in some way.”

He didn’t say anything.

She leaned in close. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

He met her gaze. “I’m here. Despite the fact I know this could go terribly wrong, even if you don’t see that.”

She pushed a little more because she needed to know it wasn’t just her feeling this way. “Are you here because you want to be with me?”

“Yes. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. There are things you don’t know. Things I can’t tell you right now.”

That intrigued her. “But you could later?” She didn’t know exactly what she was asking because she didn’t know what he was hiding. But if this was a matter of trust, she’d earn his.

“Yes. But I can’t tell you when that will be, because... I can’t.” His agitation showed her how much he wished he could confide in her.