“Kelsey.” Ares voice was deep. Warm. Hearing him say her name with such feeling was nearly as good as his lips on hers. “I hope it’s okay I didn’t call first.”
Between the flowers and this unexpected visit, Kelsey couldn’t suppress her smile. Or the quickening of her breath, awareness
tingling on her skin. No matter how tense things had been when she’d left his place on Sunday. “Of course it’s okay. Come inside.”
Her home was so small that the intimacy of having Ares in her living room was overwhelming. Yet she’d felt such a thrill the
moment she found him standing at her door.
Kelsey truly believed there was nothing wrong with what she felt for him. Nothing sinful. Not when Keira had thrown away her
claim to Ares with the first lie she’d told—and all the lies after that. If only he’d see things the same way. Kelsey hoped he would
one day soon. Maybe even tonight?
“Have you eaten?” There was so much they needed to talk about, but she wanted to give him a few minutes to settle in first.
Especially after his long drive to and from Modesto. “I’m planning a stir fry.”
“Actually—” With his hands shoved in his pockets, she could almost believe he was nervous. “—I’d like to take you out.”
“Out?” Would this be a date? Or was she mistakenly attaching the label she wanted to what was, for him, nothing more than an
impromptu dinner invitation?
He swallowed, gestured off toward the main drag of Guison Park. “There’s a great place just around the corner. The Grand Pacific. I
know how much you love Pan-Asian food.”
“I’ve always wanted to eat there.” The Grand Pacific’s menu wasn’t just legendary, its prices were too. What’s more, Keira hated
Chinese food, so they’d never been there as a group.
Yet again, Kelsey was amazed to realize he’d actually been paying attention to her all these years. To the flowers she preferred. To
her favorite kind of food. And to the fact that she loved to try new places and things.
What else had he noticed?
“I’d love to. Just let me grab a sweater.”
They could have driven. It was still early for dinner, and there were a few parking spots available as they approached downtown. But
she enjoyed the walk, her shoulder brushing his occasionally, the backs of their hands bumping, his clean, masculine scent teasing
her. The restaurant was full, but for Ares, an empty table magically appeared. A romantic spot in a candlelit corner.
Despite telling herself not to read too much into it, Kelsey’s heart beat a little faster.
Everything on the menu looked amazing. They ordered salmon and avocado rolls dipped in wasabi, followed by a dumpling soup,
then dishes with duck, filet mignon, and sea scallops, each prepared in divine sauces using ingredients like tamarind and coconut
milk. They’d never eat it all, but she was dying to try every bite. A couple of glasses of Sandoval Cabernet complemented the food
perfectly.
“So tell me,” she said after the waiter left. “What happened with the boyfriend?”
“I told him not show his face again. Then I called the cops to have them do some drive-bys at Tessa’s.” He shrugged nonchalantly, as
if it didn’t mean much to him.
But she knew it did. And it was obvious she’d have to pull the details out of him. “Did he put up any sort of fight?”
“He asked for money.” When she made a sound of disgust, he shook his head and said, “It could have been a bluff. A way to test my
resolve. Who the hell knows? Just like an abusive, out-of-control drunk, he said he was sorry and it would never happen again.”
“That’s not what your father used to say, is it?” Though she was poking a raw nerve here, she wouldn’t be timid with him. After all
these years of holding her truest feelings, her most real emotions inside, she couldn’t do it anymore. Not even when it came to his
mother. “He never said he was sorry. Never said it wouldn’t happen again.”
Ares stared at the wine glasses the waiter had swooped in and deposited on the table. “You’re right. We always knew it would
happen again when he got mad or drunk. When he didn’t have any reason at all, actually.”
Abuse occurred at all socioeconomic levels, in all neighborhoods, even in Kelsey’s neighborhood. It was committed by men, women,
sometimes even teenagers. She’d heard the same tale so many times. She’d talked with abusers as well as the abused. She understood
frustration and pain and anger and hopelessness and the need to lash out, yet there was always a part of her that absolutely could not
fathom how anyone could ever strike a child. Or hit someone weaker and incapable of defending themselves.
But knowing Ares had been that child? It tore her up inside.
“How did you feel? Confronting him. Protecting your m—” She quickly changed the word to, “Tessa.”
“In a way,” he said slowly, “telling the asshole boyfriend to lay off was like telling my dad what I thought of him.”
“That had to feel good.”
“You know what?” His brow creased, and he looked pensively at the utensils in front of him on the table. Then he cocked his head
slightly, his gaze rising to hers as a surprised smile took over his face. “It actually did feel good. Damn good.”
It was a huge step for him. A ghost he could begin to lay to rest. She sensed the infinitesimal lifting of something dark off his
shoulders, saw it leaving his eyes, making them a little brighter. Even when he clearly thought the safest thing was to keep his
distance from his mother, he’d obviously found it impossible to stay away. Because he was a born protector.
She wanted to risk touching him, but didn’t. Not yet. Not until she could believe he wouldn’t beat himself up for his reaction to her.
For wanting her the way she wanted him. As much as he would deny it if she asked him outright, it seemed that he was finding it
impossible to stay away from her too.
“I’m so glad, Ares.”
“I am too. It’s good to have that duty out of the way.”
“Duty?” The word bothered her. Was she seeing only what she wanted to see—healing that hadn’t actually happened?
“I’ve done what I can for Tessa.”
“What are you saying?” The waiter brought the salmon rolls and soup, and she waited until he’d left to add, “Now that you’ve dealt
with her boyfriend, you don’t want to see them again?”
Ares concentrated on the food. “I just mean that I’ve done what Tyler and Kathy wanted.”
How could he not see that what they wanted most of all was to get to know their brother?
Before she could point that out, he told her, “They’re good people. Responsible. Hardworking. I thought I could introduce Tyler to
Perseus, since they’re both into automation.” He dipped a roll in the wasabi. “Kathy might be interested in touring my headquarters.”
He wanted contact. Future contact via businesses that meant so much to him. It was a monumental sign. One that made her heart
swell with optimism for him and his family.
“It would be nice to invite them over again.”
He shrugged to downplay the idea. “Maybe.”
But she could see how much he wanted to. His desire was in the slight upturn of his lips, the overly casual tone of voice, the almost
boyish way he talked of his brother and sister.
He loved the Baddricks, and Sally and George, but the twins were his.
She decided to go for the toughest issue. “You could invite Theresa too.” She was careful not to say your mom.
He spooned soup into his mouth, probably so he didn’t have to answer. But she didn’t offer a single word once he’d swallowed, and
he was forced to say, “They probably wouldn’t come without her.”
“Probably not.” She let the thought hang a moment. “It would be good for you both if you could reach some sort of—” She searched for the most innocuous word. “—balance with her.”
“I don’t know if balance is even possible. She runs away because of all the crap my father did. Then she ends up with a sleazebag
who’s pulling the same kind of stuff.” The set of his jaw said how much that pissed him off.
“People sometimes fall into a pattern. They don’t always realize it until it’s too late. But she did tell us she wanted to try.”
He set his spoon down, put his elbows on the table, and looked at her over his laced fingers. “I don’t trust her not to find another
sleazebag even worse than this one. And I’m also not sure I trust her to slam the door in Paul’s face if he comes back begging for
another chance.”
“I’ve seen it happen with a few of my patients.”
“So you get my point.”
“Yes.” But this was about more than just his mother. It was about Keira too, the damage she’d done. His mother and his wife had
both betrayed him, committing horrendous acts against him. So he was no longer willing to trust. Not even Kelsey. Maybe because
he saw her as just another woman wanting something from him. Keira wanted his money, his contacts. Tessa wanted his forgiveness.
And Kelsey wanted the biggest thing anyone could ask for.
His love.