but it was a bit of a risk at times.
“I’m off tomorrow, so whatever time works best for you.”
The relief was tremendous. She’d answered immediately this time. She really did want to see him. “Will you ride with me tomorrow?”
He saw her hesitation and waited, closing his mouth against temptation. He didn’t touch her. He wanted his relationship with her to be built on real emotion, not something he’d contrived. That was his problem—he could never tell what was real anymore. He needed Scarlet to be real.
He couldn’t live without Torpedo Ink. He knew that. Torpedo Ink was there in his skin and branded deep in his soul. It was who he was. He was part of that tree and he couldn’t survive without the others. They couldn’t survive without him. That much he knew to be truth. But he feared sometimes that his relationships had been built on shifting sands. This one had to be on a solid foundation. Scarlet had to choose him. Had to want him, to know he was right for her, deep down in her gut, the way he knew she was right for him.
“I want to.” There was reluctance in her voice. “That’s a lot of trust to put into one dinner.”
“We don’t have to ride the bike.” He sent her a small smile. “You tell me what you’d like to do. I can arrange a picnic basket. Alena, a friend of mine, is a dynamite cook. She’ll make us something and we can go anywhere. I can find us a truck.”
“You were going to bring a picnic?”
Absinthe could tell she really wanted to go on the bike. He wasn’t going to push it. She had to feel comfortable enough with him to choose his ride.
She swallowed. Her hand came up. A delicate hand, fingers small, nails shaped, not long, but nicely trimmed. She stroked her throat. “I don’t date, Aleksei, and I’m not used to being with a man for long periods of time.”
The reminder was again the strict truth. He could hear it in her voice. He could also hear reluctance, as if she preferred not to be so honest, but she couldn’t help herself.
“The idea of going with you on a ride is tempting, but I really would hate to blow it with you so soon because I’m awkward and don’t have a clue what to say or do. And I could be out late tonight …” She trailed off.
He could tell a part of her was hoping he would walk away, thinking she was too much of an effort, while the bigger part of her wanted him to make the running for her. He knew, for him, she would be worth every hoop he had to jump through.
“You seein’ another man tonight?” He tried not to sound possessive. Or jealous. He couldn’t imagine either trait associated with him. He’d never felt emotions the way he did around Scarlet. In some ways, it threw him. He was a man always in control, and around her, he was that little bit out of control because emotions were unexpected, and he was uncertain how to deal with them, but he knew he had to get on top of them.
“A girlfriend is leaving the country. She was here on a work visa and is heading home. I won’t see her for a long time so we’re going out to dinner. She needs to come back to my house after. I’ve got things I’ve been storing for her. She might stay and just talk for a while.” She answered without hesitation. “After, I’m going to be taking a very long, hot bath. It’s been a long week.”
“I apologize. That was juvenile of me.” Absinthe rubbed the bridge of his nose. She had mixed truth with a lie. And she was—not nervous. Leery. But of what? Was she afraid he might find out who her friend really was? A man instead of a woman? If he—or she—was leaving the country, that wouldn’t make sense. She genuinely wanted to see Absinthe again, he could tell that much was genuine. “I’m showing you a side of me I’ve never seen before. I hate that I’m thrown off a little by the way I feel about you.”
She gathered books together and put them onto a cart, barely glancing at the titles, but seeming to put them in order by memory alone. “Since we’re making fools of ourselves, you could tell me who that really gorgeous woman is, because it