Page 31 of We'll Meet Again

His eyes searched hers, and he was grateful to find hers lacked any pity. There was only understanding there in her blue depths. He let out a breath, feeling the tension ease out of him as he did so. He needed to reciprocate somehow, so he closed the distance between them even further. His hand rose as if on its own accord to cup her cheek. Remarkably, she didn’t pull away.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

She only gazed back at him, an expectant smile threatening to take over her lips. What was she expecting, though? He wanted to kiss her. It seemed like a moment where a kiss might be appropriate, but they were at work. And she was only just warming up to him. He couldn’t kiss her now, no. Their first kiss needed to be a moment. Arealmoment. Like out of a movie or a fairy tale. Not just because she had been kind to him in a moment of weakness.

“Dinner,” he said suddenly, and his hand fell from her face.

Her brow wrinkled. “What?”

He cleared his throat. “I mean - well - dinner - do you have it?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he wished he could snatch them back and swallow them. God, he could have kicked himself. Or put his head through the wall. He had never been very smooth when it came to women, and it was only harder when it was a girl he really liked.

“Only every night,” she answered with an amused grin.

“I mean, would you like to have dinner with me?” he clarified, chuckling, and then remembered they had dined together before at her place with Tessa. “Just me. I’d like to take you out.”

“Oh,” she said, and that subtle pink climbed her cheeks. “Yes, well…alright then.”

“Great, how’s tomorrow night?” he asked. “I’ll pick you up at eight?”

“Sure,” she agreed.

“Perfect,” he said, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. “I’ll see you then.”

“See you then…neighbor,” she said with a wink.

She turned on her heel and walked back down the corridor before he could reply, and as he watched her go, it occurred to him that perhaps the interview wasn’t a total disaster after all.

Chapter 9

Billiedustedblusheracrossher cheekbones, though she hardly needed it. Every time she thought of her upcoming dinner date with Ethan, she had more than enough color on her face. She still had no idea why she accepted, especially when she had sworn to keep her distance, but something about Ethan kept her coming back to him. When he wasn’t around, she wished he was there. And when he was there, she felt…lighter somehow. Like the world wasn’t so much to take on.

And yesterday, watching the interview, she had seen an entirely new side of him. Gone was the sweet Southern boy who didn’t have a bad thing to say about anyone. In his place stood someone strong, capable, and sure of himself. He wasn’t rude, just firm, and had drawn a hard line, seemingly without a second thought. How did he do that? Truthfully, she admired it. She had no such strength when she’d tried to confront Tony.

In the deepest depths of her soul, she found it really hot. Especially when he got fired up all over again when they were alone. Something about his intensity when he swore was just…sexy. He was kind and gentle, certainly, but he was not to be taken advantage of. And he took his job seriously. The look in his eyes stayed with her the entire rest of the day, and well into the night. But maybe it was his touch on her face that made it linger.

“I still can’t believe you’re going on a date with Ethan Knight.”

Tessa’s voice made Billie jump with surprise and drop her compact.

“I don’t even know if it is a date,” Billie said as she fumbled around for her blush.

“It’s definitely a date,” Tessa said, rolling her eyes. “What made you agree to it?”

“It was…” Billie trailed off, searching her brain’s hard drive for any last ditch excuse, but came up with nothing. “I don’t know.”

“So can you admit you fancy him, now?” Tessa said.

“I suppose…” She stopped again. Was fancy the right word? It seemed bigger than that. And yet, they hadn’t really known each other long enough for anything more to be there. But there was undeniablysomething. “I suppose I do.” To avoid confronting her feelings, she added, “I mean, he’s fit as fuck.”

“You can’t fool me, Billie,” Tessa reminded her. “It’s more than that.”

“I know, nothing gets by you,” Billie sighed. “It’s just…it’s such an odd feeling, y’know? I’m not sure I trust it.”

“Forget about the feelings,” Tessa said with a shrug. “Just enjoy the moment and see Ethan for who he is.”

So far, that had worked out in Ethan’s favor. What Billie had to go on were the moments they had together, which showed her not only was he an incredible athlete, but a wonderful person as well. But what made him the way he was? How did he come through the ranks of one of the most prestigious international sports with seemingly no ego?