His First Choice

“Kind of ruined the evening,” he said.

“Not unless we let it.”

His grin was forced.

And Lacey wasn’t sure what to do. She was too close. Couldn’t find her boundaries...

“Can I bring back the twinkle to your eye?” she asked. And immediately hated herself for the question. As if this was in any way about her.

He tilted his head. Looked at her. And smiled. A real smile. “You already have.”

“I’m glad.”

“Believe it or not, I am, too.”

He needed time. She didn’t like it, didn’t want to not help him, but she wasn’t a professional when she was with Jem.

She was a woman tuning in to the heart he was starting to show her. Or, if nothing else, a friend tuning in to a friend.

“You want to call it a night?” she asked then.

“No, but...yeah.” His gaze was direct, touching her as intimately as his lips had and far more deeply.

Lacey nodded, picked up their wineglasses and walked into the house, leaving him to follow with the bottle.

She couldn’t take away what had happened to him. Not just that night, but for however long he’d been a partner in an abusive relationship. But she could tend to him now. By listening to what he wasn’t saying.

Giving him what he seemed to need. Time to himself. To assimilate. To recover.

He collected his keys. She grabbed the oversize red, white and blue cloth bag Kacey had presented her with that evening when she’d returned from work. Her sister had spent at least part of the day shopping.

He turned off lights as they moved to the front of the house. She let herself out. He locked the door as he exited behind her.

He didn’t touch her. She didn’t walk close enough to him to risk contact.

Neither said a word as they drove home. Lacey wondered if their first date had been their last. If one perfect kiss was all she was ever going to know.

She wondered if he’d send a crew to build her birthday present.

She wondered what she was going to tell Sydney. And knew that she had to let Jem know that she’d be calling her coworker in the morning. She’d given her word. He’d tell her everything Tressa said, and she’d let him know before she called in a report.

When he pulled up in front of her house, she had the words ready to spill. She was going to call Sydney in the morning.

“Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” His question forestalled her.

“Yes.” Her answer came without forethought. But even if she’d taken time, she knew it would have been the same.

“We don’t have a lot of time before Kacey has to leave.”

“A week.”

“I very much want to share you with Levi,” he said. “But I need you to myself.”

“I understand.”

It was too much, too soon. And there didn’t seem to be any way to stop it.

“I’m sorry.”