Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Another dinner? What does that make this? A full week without missing a single one? You’re spoiling me,” Sonya murmured but her voice told Kat just how much she loved having Leo come to dinner with the two of them.
She couldn’t help but wonder if things would have been different had she stayed in a motel in town or at one of the other houses on the property.
It wasn’t too hard to put the pieces together. Leo had been avoiding dinner with his mother because Kat was there. The temptation to feel guilty reared its ugly head but she pushed it away. They’d both admitted that they hadn’t exactly been on the best of terms when she’d arrived.
She fought the urge to look at Leo where he sat across from her, but she failed miserably.
When her eyes clashed with his, she flushed.
It wasn’t merely looking at him that caused that reaction.
It was the open way he stared at her with that stupid grin on his face that got her all hot and bothered.
Kat picked up her fork and dropped her gaze to her plate. The country fried chicken smelled divine. Paired with mashed potatoes and asparagus, she couldn’t help but think that this meal could have been served in one of the five-star restaurants back home.
Leo’s attention burned into her. She didn’t know when she’d become so attuned to him. She could feel when he was staring at her from across the property. She could sense his presence without turning around to find him within a few feet of her.
She bit back a grin as she plucked at the asparagus on her plate.
“Okay, what’s going on?”
Kat’s head snapped up, unable to hide that she knew exactly what Sonya was asking.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep her expression completely neutral.
Pulling her lower lip between her teeth, she blinked a few times before finally turning her attention to Leo who now had Sonya’s undivided attention.
At least his mother didn’t look upset.
No. The expression she currently wore was one of curiosity and knowing amusement.
“Out with it,” she muttered, placing her knife and fork on her plate. “The two of you have been dancing around each other for the better part of a week. What happened?”
Kat’s smile broke free from her teeth and she returned her stare to the plate.
Something told her that Sonya wouldn’t like the idea that she was simply having some fun while she was here.
Kat had zero inclination to get serious with Leo.
But how was she supposed to say that to a mother about her son?
Without meeting the penetrating gazes around the table, she reached for the glass of water before her and took a sip.
“Leo?” Sonya drawled. “Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to pry the information out of you like I did when you were younger? Remember when you came home covered in mud and feathers?”
Kat sensed Leo stiffen. She looked up to see Leo wearing an expression that could only be mortification.
“Mom,” Leo muttered.
Sonya smiled sweet as sugar. “Don’t make me ask again.”
He rolled his eyes but then his focus snagged on Kat and that smile she was quickly falling for spread across his face. He shrugged. “Kat and I have… been getting… closer.”
Kat held her breath. She didn’t know what she expected, but Sonya’s reaction wasn’t it.
The woman groaned with exaggeration. “Well, I know that.”
A small snort of laughter sputtered from Kat’s lips at Leo’s flat look.
“Then why are you even asking?”
Sonya shrugged this time. “I just wanted to know if you’d finally admit it out loud so you two can stop sneaking around.”
Leo’s mouth fell open and Kat choked on the sip of water she’d just taken. Then she laughed. Leo’s focus shifted to her and that smile—dang, that smile was more than enough to have her heart whipping around like a hurricane.
Before he could say something to his mother’s statement, Sonya managed to make things so much worse. “Does this mean I can expect an announcement in the future?”
“Mom!” Leo stammered, his face turning red.
This time, Kat couldn’t even force a laugh if her life had depended on it. That was only one of the reasons she’d wanted to steer clear of Leo and the feelings she continued to fight from flourishing.
Fun.
That was all this was supposed to be. She wanted to enjoy her time here with someone she could laugh with and spend time with.
Nothing more.
“What?” Sonya laughed. “I’m just asking a simple question.”
Kat peeked at Leo across the table, finding that he’d put his head in his hands and he was shaking it.
The poor guy. As terrifying as it was, she could draw the line for Sonya for him.
She turned to Sonya. “We’re just enjoying each other’s company.
That’s all. I’ll be heading home after the start of the new year once the therapy center construction has been completed. ”
There was no missing the slight frown that flickered in Sonya’s eyes.
Nor the way her focus flitted to her son.
It was quick and if Kat hadn’t been raised to notice the smaller nuances in reading people, she would have brushed off.
As it was, the guilt that came with her confession only served to destroy her appetite.
She cleared her throat and pushed away from the table. “I forgot I have a call I need to make before my father turns in for the night.” Kat picked up her plate, still half-full, and took it to the kitchen island. “Is it okay if I save this for later?”
“Of course dear,” Sonya murmured, her voice sounding hollower than before. “There are Tupperware containers in that cupboard next to the oven.”
She nodded, swallowing thickly. Yes, Leo was watching her. So was Sonya. Both of them were likely wondering why she’d suddenly escaped the table.
It shouldn’t matter to her. These feelings of guilt were laughable. She’d made it clear that all she wanted with Leo was friendship… and some light kissing. They’d only been exploring whatever this was for the last week, for heaven’s sake.
She sighed, hurrying to put away the food before she practically ran from the kitchen.
Kat had managed to get her arms into her coat sleeves mere seconds before Leo materialized at her back.
“Where are you going?”
She froze, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Leo’s low voice was the only thing that could make her react like that. “For a walk?”
“Is that a question?”
Slowly, she turned to face him and then she plastered her brightest smile on her face. “Going for a walk,” she said firmly.
“I thought you were going to call your father.”
She flushed crimson. There was little doubt in her mind that she resembled a certain fruit. “Yeah, well…” She cleared her throat and tossed a longing look toward the door. “Where’s a better place to make a phone call than on a walk?”
“Do you know how cold it is?”
Kat smirked. “Do you?” She reached for the door and was drawn up short when he placed a palm against it.
“Too cold for a walk.”
She gestured to her coat and boots. “I think I’m covered. This girl grew up with New York winters.” Kat watched him closely, waiting for that moment when she could see past his defenses. But it never came.
All Leo did was sigh and reach for his own coat.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“I’m not letting you walk out there in the cold… in the dark.” He gave her a pointed look. “Who’s going to bring you back inside when you succumb to hypothermia? We already had one scare this year. I’m not up for another one, are you?”
She grimaced, remembering all too clearly that night.
While it hadn’t been her best moment, it had been the night when she’d gotten a peek beneath the curtain that was Leo’s barrier.
Having him come along actually sent a thrill through her—one she didn’t need him seeing.
So she heaved an exaggerated groan. “Fine. If you want to come, come. But no complaining about the cold. And you have to keep up.” She peeked at him again, noting the smirk that filled his face before she reached for the door again.
By the time her feet landed on the ground, Leo’s fingers had slipped between hers and he’d pulled her hand into the pocket of his coat. There was something so innocent and so…
She didn’t know how to describe the feelings his actions stirred within her. It was like they’d jumped the line from fun to something more and Leo didn’t care in the slightest.
Natural. That was the word for this strange sensation.
It felt natural to walk side-by-side with this man while he held her hand and they made footprints in the snow.
“Sorry about my mom,” he murmured.
She snickered. “I like your mom.”
He tossed her a crooked grin. “You don’t know how relieved that makes me.”
Kat laughed again. “She’s sweet.”
“I don’t know if that’s how I’d describe it.”
“She reminds me of my dad.”
Leo slowed and tossed her a wary look. Only then did she realize how that might have sounded. A fresh blush crossed her face and she ducked her head.
“In the best ways, I promise.” She bit her lip, trying to come up with how she could put it.
“Everything he’s done for me… I can tell he cares.
” She grimaced. When she’d been in his office mere months ago and heard him insist she needed to get married in order to take over the company, those words would never have crossed her mind.
“I know it might sound weird, but being away from him has helped put things in perspective. Does he do the right things all the time? Definitely not.” Her shoulders lifted as if by their own accord.
“But he loves me. And I know he wants me to be happy—deep down, at least.”
Leo’s thoughtful look would have at one time made her uneasy. She would have been wondering what he was feeling—what he was thinking.
Now that she’d gotten used to him, she could tell he was simply taking everything in. He listened to her—really listened. How many times had she been upset about the fact that the men in her life didn’t give her the credit she was due?
Leo’s thoughtful hum brought her attention back to him. “I suppose in that respect, I can see where you’re coming from. Though I doubt my mother would ever try to arrange my marriage.”
“Not even to me?” She’d meant for the words to be playful. Neither one of them should be thinking about getting married. But based on the strange look Leo was now giving her, she’d realized her mistake.
Once again, Kat had put her foot in her mouth.
She cleared her throat and tugged at her hand if only to put some distance between them and get some breathing room. But Leo’s grasp on her remained firm. If it was possible, her skin would have been steaming in this cold weather based on the flush that now coated her cheeks.
Leo pulled her around to stand in front of him.
They were both bathed in the light of the full moon.
There was no one wandering the property this late at night and in the cold, no sounds of rustling animals or branches.
Everything had gone so incredibly still.
Leo hooked a finger beneath her chin so she had no choice but to look at him and his infuriating smirk.
“I can assure you, if my mother had insisted I marry you…”
His words dangled between them as he rolled his lower lip between his teeth and let his eyes sweep over her form.
“I don’t know if I could deny her request.” Then he winked at her. “She is my mother, after all. I owe her so much. I’m sure I could make that kind of sacrifice.”
Her mouth fell open. What on earth was she supposed to say to that?
He was joking.
Clearly.
Because that smile said it all.
Leo leaned closer to her, his voice barely above a whisper. “Though, if I’m honest, it wouldn’t be much of one.” He finished off his statement with a graze of his lips against the crown of her head.
Her body didn’t stop vibrating with nervous energy. Not when they continued their walk. Not when Leo relayed stories of when he was younger and he along with his brother drove his mother wild. Not when she was once again alone in her room and staring at her computer.
She’d managed to send her father an update on the progress that had been made for this project, and it wasn’t much of a surprise that her father had responded.
The message was short. Two sentences. He was pleased and he looked forward to the next update.
Kat shut her computer then crawled under the covers and stared at the ceiling.
So what if being with Leo had been amazing tonight even after such an awkward dinner. So what if he could say some of the sweetest things she’d ever heard. So what if she couldn’t think of anyone else she’d rather spend her time with.
Kat would ignore all those facts. She’d push them to the back burner until the time when she had to leave. Leo promised her no strings attached. He’d insisted that they could have their fun and go their separate ways.
She should be content with that notion.
So why did leaving start to sound more painful than it had when she’d first arrived?