“Do I look like I mind? It’ll be fun.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“You are ridiculous.” She pulled a paper towel from the holder on the counter and dabbed at her eyes. “I didn’t mean to dump all this emotional crap on you.”
“You’re not dumping. I asked for your story, didn’t I?”
“That was probably more than you bargained for. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my screwed-up life.”
“I think you’re being a little hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, myself included.”
Ridley scoffed. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better.”
“You think I’m just saying that?” Jackson tilted his head and regarded her through narrowed eyes. “My last girlfriend was only using me to get a record deal. Oh, and the last album I produced was such a flop that I’m pretty sure the only people who bought copies of it are my mom and dad.”
Ridley stared at him, momentarily stunned. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know you’re not the only one who screws up sometimes. No one is perfect. All we can do is go forward and try to do better.” Jackson tipped her chin up until she met his eyes. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I meant what I said. I’ll cancel the locksmith. You’re more than welcome to hide out here for as long as you want.”
Ridley’s eyes went wide, then she licked her lips nervously, unsettled by the warmth of his strong fingers touching her face. He went still as well, as if surprised by his own actions. Then he backed away and cleared his throat.
“Sorry. I don’t want you to think I’m, you know, hitting on you. I’m sure you get more than enough of that.”
Warmth spread through her at his words. “It’s no problem,” she whispered.
She wasn’t normally the damsel-in-distress type but it had been so nice to be held. Comforted. If that was how he hit on her, she could do with a little more.
“Now, what do you say we just hang out and watch a movie? Neither one of us is going to think about anything heavy for the rest of the night.” He grinned at her and she found herself smiling back.
“Okay, I can do that.”
They cleaned the kitchen in amiable silence. Then Jackson turned to her and said, “Ready to go?” and held out a hand to her. She was startled into grasping it. He squeezed gently and pulled her after him into the living room.
She sat on the couch as he flipped through a stack of movies until he found the one he wanted. A warm, contented feeling settled over her and Ridley was tempted to allow herself to get swept up in the magic. To snuggle deep into the cushions of the couch and pretend this was her normal life and Jackson was her boyfriend.
Stop it, Ridley.
Jackson seemed like a nice guy and he’d done nothing but offer her help. But she’d learned the hard way over the years that no one did anything without eventually wanting something in return. It wouldn’t do for her to get too attached to him or too accustomed to having his help. This was a temporary stop just like every other move in her life and when she moved on, she’d do it the same as always.
Alone.
* * *
“Icannot believe he just said that!” Raina was curled up on the opposite end of the couch giggling. No, not Raina, he reminded himself. Ridley.
Apparently Raina Winters was more than just a stage name. It was also a persona she used to hide her real personality. No one would believe the perfectly coiffed, man-eating Raina Winters was really a shy, sweet girl who giggled at slapstick comedy. Jackson picked up another piece of popcorn from the big bowl on the table next to him and threw it at her.
“I can’t believe you’ve never seen a Will Ferrell movie before.” Jackson shook his head in mock dismay and turned back to the TV.
While outwardly he was paying attention to the onscreen antics, in truth he only knew what was happening because he’d seen this particular comedy several times before. He’d spent most of the last hour staring at Ridley. Entranced by her smile. Captivated by her laugh.
And hard as a rock by her smooth bare legs brushing up against his.
Ridley turned and caught him looking. She grinned and kicked him playfully, her foot landing square in the middle of his stomach.
“Oooof. What was that for?” Jackson captured her foot, partially to keep her from knocking the wind out of him and partially to keep it from drifting any lower and giving her proof of just how much he wasn’t paying attention to the movie.
“I don’t know. I just wanted to say thanks. For suggesting this.” She motioned toward the television where Will Ferrell’s character read the news while wearing a ridiculously large fake mustache. “This has been, hands down, one of the crappiest weeks of my life. But somehow, I don’t know, it doesn’t seem as overwhelming anymore. A movie and some laughs with a friend are exactly what I needed.”
A wicked part of him couldn’t resist asking, “So, we’re friends, huh?”
Her eyes widened slightly before a shy smile spread across her face. “I thought so…”
“I’m just kidding. Of course we’re friends. As long as you aren’t a Dallas fan.”
“I never said I wasn’t,” she teased.
“La, la, la.” He covered his ears and pretended he couldn’t hear her.
Something inside him warmed as he watched her turn back to the movie and let out another giggle. Gone was the wary, distrustful girl he’d originally met. He doubted many people got to see the real Ridley with her bulletproof mental armor stripped off. Which was one more reason that his dick had to take a back seat.
She wasn’t the kind of woman you slept with for a night.
She was the kind you watched stupid comedies with and told jokes to make her smile. The kind you held in your arms until she fell asleep. The kind who deserved a man who could love her with his whole heart, not the tattered remnants that currently took up space in his chest.
Since he knew he wasn’t fit for any of the above, he was honored just to be her friend.
“You know what?”
She turned at the sound of his voice and raised her eyebrows. As she settled back on the pillows of the couch, her wild hair spilled over the edge, a riotous cascade of curls. She was so stunningly beautiful in that moment, he couldn’t speak. When he finally found his voice again, he couldn’t remember what he was going to say before, what excuse he was going to use to escape from the temptation of her laughter and her smile. So he just went with the truth.
“This is exactly what I needed, too.”
* * *