Not until now, anyway.
She swallowed thickly and inhaled for courage. She turned to him and met his stare.
“I haven’t told you a lot of things about me. It didn’t seem to be a requirement before, given what we’d decided our relationship would be.”
For a moment, he didn’t speak. He didn’t move. What was he thinking? She experienced a wild urge to take what she’d said back, but then he was twisting the keys out of the ignition, unbuckling his belt and pushing open his door. She rushed to get out of the car and follow him.
“Trey, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay,” he said shortly, reaching behind him as he walked in order to activate the automatic lock on his car. “You’re not saying anything shocking. We agreed from the beginning this wasn’t going to be serious.”
“But—” She frowned, realizing she was trying to hold a conversation with his back. She rushed to keep up with his long-legged stride. He opened a door and she caught it. She hurried after him down a flight of stairs. By the time they entered the luxurious lobby of his building, she was out of breath. He punched the button for the elevator and she circled around him in mounting frustration. She stepped into him, demanding he look at her. “Then why are you acting mad at me?” she asked in a subdued tone.
“I’m not mad at you.”
She raised her eyebrows incredulously.
“I’m mad at myself. And maybe you too, a little,” he admitted under his breath, glancing aside at the doorman’s station and frowning fiercely. Ralph sat there, pretending he wasn’t listening in on their exchange. “But I shouldn’t be.”
“You shouldn’t?” she whispered, bewildered.
His mouth grew hard. “I’m the one who suggested we should keep this light. I’ve got no right to get pissed at you for reminding me of that. You were never obligated to spill your life story to me.”
She took a step back from him, stung.
“I see,” she managed, struggling to steady herself. “Well, thank you again for everything tonight. It was above and beyond what the role required. Obviously,” she added bitterly. She started toward the lobby front doors, but he halted her firmly with a hand on her upper arm. He looked fierce.
“Come upstairs with me.”
Her mouth parted in disbelieving confusion. She couldn’t understand his mood.
“Just to rest. That’s all,” he added tersely. “You look exhausted.”
“But that’s—”
“Not part of the agreement. I get it, Eleanor,” he bit out, his jaw tense. “Come anyway.”
She stared at him in openmouthed shock. The elevator door dinged open. For a moment, she just stood there, dazed, well aware she stood on the threshold of some indefinable zone between safety and danger when it came to her heart. But then he held out his hand, and she reached for it without thought, drawn by his eyes. His determination. His heat.
The undeniable fact that she’d fallen in love with him.
Still, she was wary.
“I don’t want to talk about anything serious tonight, Trey,” she said shakily. She couldn’t stand the thought of having to explain why she’d purposefully never opened up much in front of him . . . why she’d never told him about Caddy. She felt too raw on that topic. Too exposed.
“I realize you don’t need anything heavy laid on you right now. What you need is some rest. It’s only a few hours until you have to get up and go to the hospital again. But I want you with me, Eleanor. I want to make sure you’re okay. And I don’t give a damn if it breaks any of the rules of our agreement,” he stated fiercely. “Okay?”
“Yes,” she whispered. His hand closed tighter around hers and she followed him onto the elevator.
—
When they got up to his place, he asked her if she’d like anything from the kitchen. She told him ice water. While he was preparing their drinks, she wandered into his large living room. There were several boxes stacked near the windows that she hadn’t seen on her last visit there.
Leaving the lights off, she stood and looked out at the cars zooming down Lake Shore Drive and the black expanse of the great lake on the horizon. She tried to make her mind go as blank as the lake appeared in the darkness, but it didn’t work. As exhausted as she was, she was still very aware of Trey’s movements in the kitchen behind her. Something had changed tonight.
Something huge.
She was no cynical player. She never had been. But the fact of the matter was, she’d been okay with their agreement to make their relationship about mutually gratifying sex. The arrangement had felt both incredibly exciting, yet somehow predictable too. She’d felt in control, at least some of the time. But now she’d fallen for him.