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She whirled halfway up the stairs. Miles climbed the stairs and stopped just below her. His blue eyes consumed her. She wrapped her hands around the railing behind her and pressed back against it, determined not to reach for him. He was faithful to his ‘girl back home’. As he should be.
“I know Aiden’s house is secure, but I don’t want to take any risks. Let me do a sweep.”
“Oh.” Even though she’d been determined not to reach for him, it still stung that he hadn’t come after her to explain about the girl. Maybe he’d thought he loved the girl from home, until he touched Eva, and now he knew who his soulmate was.
She nodded and looked away, embarrassed. Was she trying to steal Miles now? She wasn’t some boyfriend stealer. And if Miles decided he didn’t want his girl because he had a more famous option, just as Lake last year and a dozen other boyfriends earlier in her career had done to her, she would lose all respect for him.
She could feel Miles’s gaze on her, but she did not look up.
He ascended the stairs, and she waited, clutching the railing and pettily wishing she didn’t know about the other girl. This perfect hero she’d built up in her mind and fallen for the past hour as he protected and helped her was definitely not her match. She appreciated his loyalty and integrity to his girl, and it made him off limits.
A drug lord was obsessed with her from prison. An FBI agent might be misusing his power to get her attention or, worse, be working for Jorge. She’d been attacked and knocked out by a vicious brute.
Despite all of that, all she could focus on was Miles not being her dream man.
Depressed wasn’t strong enough. Mortified might fit. Devastated was even better.
Tonight had morphed from a romantic suspense with hope of the hero saving the day and winning the heroine’s heart to a horror movie where every likeable character died.
Chapter
Five
Miles checked the master suite, stewing about the mess he’d created. He could’ve smacked himself upside the head. He’d been inches from kissing Eva, the most incredible woman he’d ever met, and he’d tried to explain about Lily. Easton and Walker would attempt to thrash him for missing the opportunity of a lifetime. The two of them together might accomplish it.
He and Lily hadn’t had much of a relationship for years now. He hadn’t spoken to her or texted her in … at least two months. She usually waited for him to reach out in case he was on a mission, and he hadn’t felt any urge to reach out since the awkwardness of their last date. The only thing standing between him not having any commitment to Lily was a one-on-one conversation.
If only he’d been more determined to make a clean break six months ago. He’d felt like the worst of human refuse when Lily started crying. It wasn’t like her to turn on the waterworks so he’d known she was genuinely distressed. Now as he thought about those tears, he wondered if something else was going on that had nothing to do with him or their relationship.
After an hour of being around Eva, he could easily see that his and Lily’s ‘love’ was a high school relationship that should’ve ended long ago. Any romantic feelings had burned out. Their friendship remained, but them ‘dating’ seemed more of a title to him.
He’d kept himself busy with the SEALs and hadn’t dated anyone but Lily. What did a teenager, then a man wholly focused on becoming a world-class soldier, know about love? Though he’d known they had little hope of a future, he’d remained loyal to Lily. Right now, he felt anything but loyal. Each look, word, and touch with Eva was out of this world. He had no idea that depth of feeling and sparks existed in romantic relationships from simple touches. What would kissing her feel like?
He let out a heavy sigh, pushing that dream from his mind. What a mess. How to explain to Eva? He couldn’t. He’d sound like a wishy-washy loser who’d held onto the girl waiting for him back home for too long—twelve years too long, truth be told. Now he was willing to make a change because he’d met a famous and beautiful actress. Eva wouldn’t think he was much of a man and surely wouldn’t believe she was special to him. If only he could show Eva how drawn he was to her, and that it had nothing to do with her stardom.
Walking out of the suite, his gaze locked on hers as she stood on the stairs, still backed against the railing and clinging to it.
“All clear,” he said, forcing a smile. “I’ll hurry down to my room and shower quick so I don’t stink.”
“You don’t,” she said softly.
“That’s good news.” He stepped back and gestured into the master suite. “I’ll just need a few minutes.”
She nodded, ascended the stairs, and breezed past him. She didn’t get close enough to brush him, didn’t smile or say anything.
Heading quickly down to the bedroom he was using, he stripped out of his running clothes, took the quickest shower of record, dressed, and was back to the main level before she came down from the master.
Had she really wanted to kiss him? Was it only a kiss of gratitude she’d wanted? Had she felt a bond between them, or was that all in his head?
Her soft footsteps treaded along the wide balcony upstairs and then she appeared. The oxygen sucked out of the room and Miles’s chest somehow expanded at the same time. He could not breathe and would pass out if this kept going.
Was it possible she was more beautiful than ten minutes ago? Maybe it was because he’d been reminded by the near kiss that she was out of his reach, even if she was interested.
Once again, he wanted to kick himself. He could’ve kissed his dream woman, but his sense of honor wouldn’t allow it. How soon could he fly home, make a clean break with Lily, figure out how to help Lily as a friend, and then fly back to Eva? He was certain he’d missed his one chance with Eva. He’d turned her down and missed kissing her when she’d been coming on to him strong. She’d been grateful for his protection and looked at him like a hero. It had been a once in a lifetime opportunity and now it was gone.
She yanked her gaze away and walked down the stairs. He noticed she focused on his nose, not his eyes or his mouth.
Maybe he should excuse himself, call Lily and end things, then rush back to Eva. He’d gather her in his arms, tell her he was an idiot and there was no girl back home, and then he would kiss her until Aiden sorted out the mess she was in.
