Of all the women he dreaded running into, Natalie topped the list. While unarguably stunning, she was about as far removed from what Kieran was searching for as possible. Self-absorbed, vain, and spoiled were just a few of the words that leapt to mind, all within the first five minutes of their ill-fated date less than a week earlier.
Kieran did follow through with a nice dinner, but ended the evening as soon as respectably possible. He had thought he’d been quite clear in his polite but firm assertion that he would not be calling her again. He believed honesty was the best – if not the always the most welcome – policy, and wanted to avoid any false expectations.
But, he thought as her cloying perfume wound its way into his sinus cavities, he obviously had not made it clear enough. Or, it was more likely that she just did not know how to take “no” for an answer. As she had so often alluded during their few hours together, she was used to getting what she wanted. At some point, unfortunately, she had decided that she wanted him.
Kieran stole a glance at Faith, saw her feigning great interest in the laminated maps of Italy on the backs of the menus, discussing the different regions with Matt. Head bowed, her dark waves cascaded over her shoulders as she tried to politely pretend she wasn’t listening. Even from where he sat he could see the pink blush stealing across her cheeks. Her discomfort made the unfortunate interruption even more so.
In that moment, he knew what he wanted. And it was not Natalie.
“Wanna do it again sometime?” she pressed when Kieran didn’t seem likely to take her not-so-subtle bait.
She emphasized her point by leaning over the table, right in front of Faith, showcasing her fabulous cleavage even more. Faith shrunk farther back in the booth, obviously uncomfortable. Because his eyes had been trained on her, he didn’t miss it, and it annoyed him. They’d been having such a nice time together. Matt was funny and had a quick and clever wit. And Faith was absolutely breathtaking when she was relaxed and smiling.
“Maybe your friend would like to join us,” Faith suggested quietly. She offered a polite smile. Matt had not yet learned how to mask his feelings quite as well, though his scowl wasn’t as noticeable as it might have been.
One look confirmed that Faith was pulling back into herself again. Damn it! She had just started to relax around him. He didn’t like the tension in her shoulders or the way she wouldn’t look at him. He wanted to see her eyes sparkling – she had the most amazing soft gray eyes that shone like polished silver when she smiled.
Natalie looked thrilled with the idea and made a move to slide in next to Kieran, but he was not as amenable. “No, I’m sure she wouldn’t,” Kieran said, flashing a warning glance at Natalie. Their eyes met for a moment, and Kieran’s were not nearly as kind and courteous as they had been. On the contrary, they were frosty and laced with warning. “Your friends are waiting for you, Natalie.”
As pouts go, Natalie’s was classic, but Kieran’s message apparently got through. The waitress arrived with their food and Natalie stalked off to a different table to sulk. Kieran didn’t look her way for the rest of the evening, but he could feel Natalie’s eyes on them. Given the few uncomfortable glances he saw Faith make in that direction a couple of times, he was sure she was aware of Natalie’s less-than-cordial glares shot toward them during their meal.
“Sorry about that,” Kieran apologized into the awkward silence that had descended upon them with Natalie’s exit. The comfortable, relaxed atmosphere they’d been enjoying only a few minutes earlier was gone.
“No problem,” Faith said with forced lightness.
Any hopes he had of rekindling the easy comradery were quickly dashed. Faith made a point of avoiding his gaze and kept her conversational contributions to a minimum. Thankfully, Matt didn’t seem to feel the same sense of discomfort; they managed to maintain a nice dialogue throughout the remainder of the meal.
“I had fun tonight,” Kieran said later as he hung outside Faith’s front door, reluctant to leave. “Thank you.”
“We did, too,” Faith responded politely. Her soft gray eyes flicked to his for just a moment, and he saw the blatant little white lie in them. He silently cursed Natalie again.
“I’m sorry about Natalie,” he began, hoping to explain, but Faith cut him off by raising her hand. “Don’t be. She seemed very, uh, interested. I hope we didn’t make things too awkward for you.” She bit her bottom lip, looking embarrassed.
Kieran blinked, bemused. Jesus! Is that what she thought? “What? No, of course not. I - ”
“Good,” she said quickly, looking anything but relieved. “Thanks again. Goodnight.” Then she hurriedly stepped inside and closed the door, leaving him standing on the porch wondering what the hell had just happened.
*