14 Valentine Place (13 page)

“And did you enjoy it?”

“I did. It was a great experience.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“Because I got tired of dancing in pain. I had an injury that kept recurring and decided that being a professional dancer wasn’t for me. Although I’m not sure how long I would have continued had my knee held up. It may appear to be a glamorous lifestyle, but it’s actually very difficult.”

“Teaching is easier?”

She nodded. “Oh yes. I enjoy the students. My youngest group is four-year-olds. They’re so cute and so much fun. Your nephew’s in that class.”

He chuckled. “Mickey takes ballet lessons?”

“And tap.”

And just when he thought he’d seen all the surprises coming home had for him. “Whose idea was that?”

“Not mine,” she was quick to point out.

“I can’t believe Shane would have suggested it.”

“It was Jennifer’s idea but Shane didn’t object so I don’t think you should, either.”

“Did I say I objected?”

“You don’t need to. I can see it in your face.”

“What you see on my face is surprise. Knowing Shane, I’d expect Mickey to be playing peewee hockey, not dancing with a bunch of little girls.”

“There are other boys in the class.”

“How many?”

“One.”

“Exactly my point.”

She went on the defensive then. “There’s nothing wrong with men learning how to dance. Believe it or not, women actually like it when they do.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

“Do you dance?”

“Only when there’s music playing…unlike a certain fourteen-year-old I remember,” he said, unable to resist teasing her.

It had the desired effect. She smiled. “The music is often playing in my head.”

He lifted his glass in salute. “To those who dance.”

She clinked her glass against his before taking a sip. Then she asked, “Are you good at it?”

“I haven’t had any complaints thus far, but then I haven’t had an expert’s opinion yet. Maybe you could evaluate me once this shoulder is healed,” he said provocatively.

She was spared from having to answer by the return of the waitress, who took their food orders. As soon as she’d gone, Maddie said, “Mickey loves to dance.”

“I know. He tried to show me in the airport. What about your friend, Jeffrey. Does he like to dance?”

She looked as if she wasn’t going to answer, then finally said, “No, he doesn’t.”

So they didn’t have that in common.
Again Dylan found his curiosity aroused. “I understand he’s a friend of Garret’s.”

She nodded. “Your brother’s the one who introduced us. He and Garret were roommates during their undergraduate days.”

“And Jeffrey’s a graduate student at the university?”

“Yes. He’s very well respected in the academic community.”

“Is he fun to be with?”

That question had her stiffening. “I wouldn’t go out with him if I didn’t enjoy his company.”

“How long have the two of you been seeing each other?”

“About six months.”

“I see.” He’d hoped that she’d say only a few weeks. Six months increased the chances that it was not only a monogamous relationship but an intimate one as well.

Her eyes narrowed. “Just what is it you think you see?”

“That my chances of getting you to go out with me are slim and next to none if you’re that serious about him,” he said candidly.

“We’re not serious in the way that you think. At this stage we’re just
very
good friends.”

Friends? Hope sprang to life. “How close are you?”

“And why should I answer that?”

“Because you know I’m interested in you and would like for this to be a real date.” He didn’t see any point in not being direct.

She lowered her eyes. “That’s not possible.”

“Because of Jeffrey?”

She avoided his eyes, her finger tracing the rim of her glass. “Because of a lot of things.”

He frowned. “Tell me what things.”

“Like the fact that you’re only here for a short time.”

“You don’t date guys just to have fun?”

“I have fun with Jeffrey,” she repeated with a hint of exasperation, then she rolled her eyes heavenward. “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

“Understand what?”

“Why Jeffrey and I work and why you and I wouldn’t.”

“And that would be because…” He was eager to hear her answer.

“Because you see relationships as physical attractions and Jeffrey and I see them as companionships.”

Companionships?
That had him assuming he was right—that there was no passion in her relationship with the other man. “Is that what you really look for in a relationship—companionship?”

“And friendship, yes. It’s a good basis for a relationship and it certainly will last longer than if you base it on…” She seemed embarrassed to finish.

He wasn’t the least bit reticent about supplying her ending. “Sex?”

“I was going to say physical attraction,” she corrected him.

“So you look first for friendship in a relationship—because you’re worried that physical attraction will fade.”

“Physical attraction does fade. You know that. You wouldn’t still be single if it didn’t.”

“Yes, but when the chemistry is there, there’s nothing more exciting.” Which was what his own body was telling him right now. Just being with Maddie was enough to energize every muscle and nerve inside him.

“I’m not saying there isn’t, but it’s not the foundation for the kind of relationship I want,” she stated rationally. “I think if you’re good friends, chemistry will follow.”

“So you’re not going to risk putting the cart before the horse.”

“Exactly.”

“So you’re going to go with the horse and hope the cart shows up, is that it?” The thought annoyed him. That this unknown Jeffrey had this gorgeous, sensual woman at his fingertips and was content with companionship.

“Jeffrey’s not a horse.”

“But he’s satisfied with the two of you being just friends.” He raised a brow.

“Yes. Is there a reason why he shouldn’t be?” She sounded a bit annoyed and her next words proved that he’d flustered her. “I’m happy, he’s happy. Satisfied?”

The waitress arrived with their food, putting an end to what had become a tense moment. After she left, Dylan did his best to keep the conversation impersonal, but it was difficult. He knew that Maddie was fooling herself if she thought there wasn’t a physical attraction between the two of them.

He’d noticed it the first night he’d come home and she’d confronted him with so much passion. He’d thought it was her defense of his mother that had aroused so much emotion, but every subsequent time they’d been together he’d seen that same fire in her eyes. They couldn’t be in the same room together without tension arcing between them.

That’s why he couldn’t resist asking, “How often do you and Jeffrey see each other?”

In between bites of corned beef, she said, “Whenever our schedules allow us to be together.”

“Did you see him last weekend?”

“No. He’s been working on his thesis for the past
two weeks and he’s been very busy. Could we not talk about Jeffrey?” she asked on a note of impatience.

He shrugged. “Suits me. I’d rather talk about you.”

“Maybe we should be talking about you and why your brother feels he needs to protect me from you,” she suggested.

He frowned. “Which brother?”

“Garret.”

“I should have known. And what was his warning?”

“Not to take anything you say too seriously. That you like to flirt with women. Not that I needed the warning. I did spend a summer here, remember?”

“Meaning what? If I remember correctly, I was on my best behavior,” he protested.

“If that was your best…well, I guess it was a good thing I was a skinny little fourteen-year-old who could have passed for a boy,” she said dryly. “How many girls did you date that summer?”

“A few,” he confessed with a grin.

She nearly choked on her food. “A few? As in few hundred?”

“Now
that
is an exaggeration.”

“Is it? Is that why you were voted biggest class flirt in your senior class?”

“How did you hear about that?”

“Your mom has all the yearbooks on one of the bookshelves in the living room.”

He liked the fact that she’d been interested enough in him to look him up. Then she said, “Krystal was browsing through them one day and pointed it out. I told her it didn’t surprise me.”

“I think some of my buddies set me up for that one,” he said with a sly grin. “They stuffed the ballot box.”

She simply raised one eyebrow. “I hear you left a trail of broken hearts when you went off and joined the military.”

“Now who would have told you that?”

“Actually, it was your mother.”

“Mom?”

She nodded. “She talks about you often.”

Dylan wondered what kind of things his mother had told her. Did Maddie know about the tension between him and his brothers? Suddenly he felt at a disadvantage. She knew a lot more about him than he did about her, which was evidenced by her recitation of his accomplishments over the past thirteen years.

“My mom told you all that?” he asked.

She nodded. “And more.”

Throughout dinner she told anecdotes his mother had shared with her. To counter, he related the same stories but his versions—which he could see she didn’t believe. The evening came to an end much too soon and he was disappointed when she declined his invitation to have an after-dinner drink.

When they stepped outside, the snow was still falling. The path they had taken earlier was now drifted over and Dylan automatically reached for her as they made their way home. He liked the feel of her gloved hand in his.

She had not wanted to prolong the evening at the pub, but he was determined that once they were back at the house they’d have a nightcap. His plans shat
tered though, when they stepped into the entry and found a duffel bag, a backpack and a pair of athletic shoes.

“What?” he wondered aloud only to have his unspoken question answered. Around the corner came his brother Jason.

“Hey, Dylan.”

“How did you get here?”

“Some friends dropped me off.”

“You’re home for the weekend?”

Jason didn’t answer, because he’d noticed Maddie and greeted her with a hug. “Hey, Maddie. How’s it going? You got anything in the freezer I could heat up?”

“Are you hungry?” she asked. Before he could answer she said, “Silly question. College kids are always hungry, right? Why don’t you go on into the kitchen and I’ll be right there.” She removed her coat and hung it on a hook.

This was not how Dylan had expected the rest of the night to go…sharing Maddie with his little brother. “What exactly are you doing here?” he asked Jason. “I thought the semester had just started.”

“It did, but I came home.” Then he turned to Maddie. “Hey—do you think you could give me a massage later this weekend?”

“You having trouble with that neck again?” she said in a sympathetic tone Dylan realized had been absent when she’d attended to his injured shoulder.

Jason started to follow her into the kitchen, but Dylan stopped him. “I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes.”

“Can’t it wait? I have to meet my friends and I really need to get something to eat.”

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” Maddie said with a touch on Jason’s arm, then discreetly left.

“What is it?” Jason asked impatiently as she walked away.

“I just wanted to know how things are going at school,” Dylan said.

“Fine,” he said abruptly. “Now can I go?”

He wanted to say,
No, you’re going to stay right here and have a conversation. I’m your brother.
But then he remembered what Garret had said. Maybe tonight was not the time to get into a confrontation with him.

“All right. We’ll talk in the morning. Go get something to eat,” he said with a nod toward the kitchen.

Dylan could have gone with him, but he took a seat in the living room, envious of his younger brother and the attention he received from Maddie. Dylan wanted to be the one who was the recipient of her smile, the one she wrapped her arms around in a bear hug.

Then he stopped himself. That was not what he wanted at all. He wanted Maddie to smile at him all right and he especially wanted to have those beautiful arms wrapped around his body, but not the way it had happened with Jason. She’d treated his brother as if he was a long-lost relative who’d come home. Dylan definitely didn’t want Maddie to regard him as a member of the family. He wanted to be something entirely different. Now he only needed to convince her she wanted the same thing.

M
ADDIE EXPECTED
Dylan to come into the kitchen while she made Jason something to eat. When he didn’t, she was disappointed. As much as she’d hated to admit it, she’d enjoyed their evening together and was sorry to see it come to an end.

“You know I’m interested in you.” She could still hear his words in her head, and she couldn’t pretend that she hadn’t found them exciting. Maybe it was because all those years ago she’d longed for the seventeen-year-old heartthrob to notice her. Or maybe it was simply because he was a very attractive man.

Whatever the reason, she knew that she wasn’t immune to his charm. If they’d been alone in the big house when they’d returned, she didn’t doubt that she’d have found a reason to spend more time with him. That’s why she was relieved that Jason had come home.

After fixing him a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, she’d gone up to her room where she’d put a Bonnie Raitt CD on the stereo and sat on the love seat near her window, watching the snow fall. She didn’t want to think about Dylan, but she found it hard to think of anything else.

A knock on her door startled her. Her first thought was that it might be Dylan. Maybe he wasn’t going to let her go to bed without saying good-night. Then she heard Krystal’s voice.

“Maddie, are you in there?”

“Yeah, come on in.” As the hairdresser poked her red head around the door Maddie asked, “How’s Shannon?”

“She was in recovery when I left. It was her ap
pendix as they suspected. I stayed with her until she got out of surgery.” She flopped down onto the love seat next to Maddie. “So what are you doing up here? I thought you’d be downstairs watching a video or something.”