Dressed in brown lace-up boots, a pair of jeans that hugged his strong thighs, and a shirt the same brilliant blue as his entrancing eyes, the man looked like a dream.Herdream, to be exact.
Only he wasn’t her anything. And wasn’t that a shame?
Ivan slowed to a stop near the living room’s edge and faced her once more. With a lift of his chin, he offered her another hint of a smile.
“How’d you sleep?”
Better than you’ll ever know.“Great.” Cera cleared her throat in an effort to compose herself. “This place is seriously incredible. Thanks again for letting me crash here last night.”
Strolling back over to her, it wasn’t until he was standing right in front of her that she even realized he was holding two cups of coffee. And that was only because he’d offered her one.
Because your focus is on all the wrong things.
“I didn’t know what you’d like, so I went with a simple medium roast with vanilla creamer and a touch of sugar.” He held out one of the paper cups. “Probably should’ve called to ask what you usually—”
“No, this is…perfect, actually.” Cera took the lidded to-go cup from his hand, the warmth from its contents soothing against her palms. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Ivan’s unreadable gaze fell down the length of her body and back up. “I see you got the things I ordered.”
Her inner muscles clenched before she realized her body had misinterpreted the once-over glance.
He wasn’t looking at you like that, dummy. He was looking at the clothes. You know, the clothes he bought for you?
A quick look down reminded her she’d gone with a pair of dark jeans, white, long-sleeve t-shirt, white no-show socks, and canvas sneakers. All chosen by the man staring back at her expectantly.
“Clothes.” She blurted, blinking as her brain finally caught up with itself. “Uh…right. Yeah. Everything fit perfectly.” The corners of her lips curved upward. “Thank you.”Smooth, Cera. Really smooth.“I know you said not to worry about it, but I do plan on paying you back. For everything.”
“Okay.”
The man said “okay” but something about thewayhe’d said it had Cera questioning his sincerity. And that brought with it a whole slew of deep-seated insecurities, putting her on the defensive.
“I’m not a charity case, Ivan.” She sat the warm cup onto the coffee table and rested her hands on her hips. “If I say I’ll pay you back for the clothes, I will.”
She half-expected him to cop an attitude right back. Not like that sort of response wouldn’t be warranted. Instead, his brow furrowed with what appeared to be genuine confusion.
“Never said you were a charity case, Cera. And I believe you have every intention of paying me back.”
Oh. Well, in that case…“Good.”
“Good.”
The two stood like that, facing off for no reason apart from pure stubbornness.
Okay, genius. You painted yourself into this little battle of the wills. Any suggestions on how you’re gonna get out of it?
Cera’s mind raced to come up with a way to change the subject, but Ivan beat her to it. With her first breath, she was relieved to have moved beyond her childish pride. But with the second…
“Listen, Cera. We, uh…” Ivan cleared his throat, stretching out a hand and motioning toward the couch. “We need to talk.”
Cera sat, her knees trembling with trepidation. Because the expression on his face had changed, the look in his eyes giving away hints of his intended topic.
Her stomach dropped as she settled on the cushion’s edge. She recognized that look. Knew exactly what it meant.
He knows. That’s why he brought the coffee. Why he let me see him smile. He knows about you, and now he’s going to make some excuse as to why he can no longer help you.
The temptation to rise to her feet and leave was strong, but before she could move a single muscle, Ivan began talking once again.
“I did some digging last night.” Ivan sat down across from her with a soft sigh. “Looked into the previous reports you’d filed in Durango and Colorado Springs.”