The intensity with which she awaited his answer kept Ashton from spouting some flippant remark. “A beautiful, intelligent woman who is ambitious and focused enough to do anything she sets her mind to.”
“What if I don’t know what I want to do?”
“I don’t understand. I thought you were going to take over as CEO of Fontaine Hotels and Resorts.”
“I’m no longer sure that’s where I belong.” She pushed out of his arms and headed toward the door to the hallway. “Thanks for the wine and the shoulder to cry on. I should turn in for the night. I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”
Ashton followed her to the door and caught her arm as she reached for the handle, stopping her from leaving. She turned at his touch and swayed into him. Pushing onto her toes, she kissed his cheek.
The warmth of her lips against his skin set his blood alight. His fingers slid into the small of her back and held her against him as he cupped her cheek in his palm and angled her face so he could reach her mouth.
Pliant and slightly salty from her earlier tears, her lips moved beneath his, responding to his searching kiss. It wasn’t passion that consumed him. Her somber mood connected him to an emotion he believed he’d lost long ago: compassion. Something radical had happened to her today. Something related to the visit from her mother. The encounter had knocked her off her game.
Just like this kiss was throwing him.
He lifted his lips from hers, shocked by his light-headedness. One simple kiss shouldn’t have affected him so strongly. But then again, he couldn’t remember wanting to kiss away someone’s unhappiness, either.
“Stay,” he urged, brushing his lips across her cheek.
Her muscles tensed. A flight response?
“That’s not a good idea.”
“You’re wrong,” he assured her. “It’s a great idea.”
“I’ve never jumped into bed with a man I scarcely know.”
He’d divulged the truth about his parents with her. That was a huge secret from his past he hadn’t shared with anyone else in his present. “Consider it an adventure into the unfamiliar territory.”
“I guess I’m not ready to leave behind everything I know.”
Yet another enigmatic statement. Ashton was starting to think that Harper had more weighing on her mind than she wanted to confront.
“Why would you think you have to?”
“I don’t need to ask you what you’d do if you couldn’t be a chef. You’ve already made a name for yourself as a TV personality and a restaurateur.”
This would have been an excellent moment to tell her his project was taking him to New York for a few days, but he was reluctant to shatter the rapport between them.
“Have you been considering a career change?”
A faint smile found its way to her lips. “I was thinking of a television series that featured exotic hotels around the world.”
“Want me to talk to my manager about pitching your idea to the network?”
Her eyes widened. “You’re serious.”
“You seem as if you’re grappling with the status quo. Maybe you need to take some risks, challenge yourself. Do something that terrifies you.”
“I’ve already done that.” Her expression grew wry. “I came here, didn’t I?”
“I terrify you?”
“Not you. Just what you represent.”
“And that is?”
“Everything that I grew up avoiding.”