Two #2
Suddenly tired, she slouched and groaned. “This is a nightmare.”
His head cocked as the dim overhead lamp cast a glow on his rosy complexion. He seemed more at ease since he’d started his second drink. “Why?”
Humiliation pinched as she faced the truth.
She didn’t want him to see her as pathetic, so she kept to basic facts.
“Because I’ll never find an apartment in two days.
My mother is moving back to Budapest and I have no other relatives here.
I’ll probably end up sleeping in my studio until I find a place, but if my landlord catches me it will be bad. I’m not allowed to sleep there.”
“You can stay with me.”
She stilled, certain her ears were playing tricks on her.
By his wide eyes, his words clearly caught him off guard as well.
“No,” she declined, loathing a possible repeat of her last few male relationships.
Elliot was different. He wouldn’t stand for messy. Though she didn’t know him well, his tidy appearance and guarded mannerisms gave the impression he wasn’t like the men she usually associated with. And by his tight expression, his invitation had been an accidental one.
“Thank you, though.”
If he was relieved she rejected his offer, he hid it well. “Where will you go?”
“My studio.” It was her only option.
“Does it have a kitchen? A shower?”
“No, but I’ll figure something out.”
His forehead creased as he glanced away. He appeared rather put out by her situation. “I can’t let you go there.”
Her brows lowered. “Pardon?”
His focus returned to her, his eyes determined. “You can stay with me. My house is large enough. I have plenty of bathrooms. You can stay until you figure things out. You shouldn’t have to sleep in your studio.”
His generosity overwhelmed her, but she couldn’t accept. “Elliot—”
“What other option do you have?”
“I told you.”
“It’s not a problem. I’m gone during the day and my nights are usually quiet. I won’t be in your way.”
She scoffed. “It’s your house. I’d be the one in the way. I couldn’t possibly impose on you like that.”
And what would happen if he wanted her to go before she found something? She didn’t have the money for a new apartment and saving that much would take time. Her stomach soured at possibly having to offer some sort of compensation to a man as classy as Elliot.
No. She couldn’t accept his offer. It seemed too … intimate for reasons she didn’t understand. “We hardly know each other.”
“So?”
She frowned at his persistence. Typically, men only made offers like this after sleeping with her.
What sort of man invited a woman he just met into his home?
She thought he was different, but maybe he wasn’t.
Maybe he saw this as a way to get her into bed.
True, they met before, but tonight was the first time he ever spoke to her.
She couldn’t allow herself to impose on him, not after Ian took the last of her pride and threw it in her face.
She didn’t want Elliot to become the next Ian.
She didn’t want him to look at her like that.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t know me, and I don’t know you.
” But she liked the impression he’d made in such a short time.
Perhaps it was all magic, or one distraction hiding the abrasive reality.
Regardless, she didn’t want to shatter the illusion that Elliot Garnet was somehow different.
Her bleeding heart needed to believe good men existed, or she would have to admit her life was just a played-out love song full of unfulfilled hopes and dreams.
Disappointment flashed in his eyes as he lowered his gaze. “Do you have money for a new place? I can give you money.”
She drew back, forcing her hands into her lap. “I’m not taking your money, Elliot. I’ll be fine. Trust me. I’ve survived much worse.”
A V formed above the bridge of his glasses. “Why won’t you accept my help? I wouldn’t charge you rent. It’s a free place to stay until you get back on your feet.”
“Elliot.” He was rather persistent and the temptation put pressure on her morals. “I think you’ve had too much tequila.”
But he was determined. “Nadia, take the offer. Let me loan you money or at least give you a place to stay. I promise, there are no strings attached. I’m trying to be a gentleman. I can’t let you sleep in an empty dance studio. Don’t be stubborn.”
“I’m stubborn? Do you hear yourself? You’re inviting me to live with you and we only met an hour ago.”
“We met more than a year ago.”
But the shy man who participated in her class over a year ago didn’t resemble the determined, sweet man keeping her company tonight. “I’m messy.”
“I have a maid.”
“Of course you do.” She was again reminded of how affluent he and his friends were. “I don’t know how long it will take me to save up for my own place. Most of my income goes toward rent at the studio.”
“There’s no timeline.”
Her lips pursed. It wasn’t right and she didn’t want to take advantage of such a nice person. She didn’t want to be indebted to him, either. Or discover he could take advantage of her the way other men had. “Why are you doing this?”
He paused, the question seeming to catch him off guard. “I … just want to help you. Do I need a reason?”
“There’s always a reason, Elliot.”
“Then … blame chivalry. It’s the right thing to do.”
She frowned at him, waiting for him to laugh and tell her this was some sort of joke. Nobility? When had a man in this lifetime ever spoken of such outdated ideals? “You’re a strange man.”
“Is that a yes?”
She sighed. He seemed safe and dangerous.
Somehow vulnerable and all too cocky. She hated the possibility that she might take advantage of his kindness, so she swore this wouldn’t be like all the other times.
Elliot was different and that meant the situation had to be as well. “Perhaps just tonight.”