Mitch laughed. “He’s pretty bad too, but I wasn’t talking about Will.”
The tingling on her neck intensified. “Who did you mean?”
“Your date. He looked about ready to challenge me to a duel when I sat down earlier. And he’s glared at us ever since we started dancing.”
“You’ve had too much wine, Mitch. You’re imagining things. Warren and I are friends.”
Mitch chuckled. “You’re either blind or dumb if you believe that, Ruth.”
She contemplated stomping on his toe as punishment for the insult. Instead she scowled at him. “You used to be the kind twin. What happened?”
“You know I wasn’t being mean.” He tickled her side, but she refused to smile. “I’ve been watching him. He hasn’t stopped looking at you since I sat down. And if looks could kill, you’d be standing with a corpse right now.”
If she only had eyes in the back of her head. She couldn’t imagine Warren acting the way Mitch described. At the same time, she’d known Mitch a long time. He loved to joke, but he would never be cruel or make up a story that would hurt someone’s feelings.
“All I can say is I’m glad this dance is almost over. Please don’t be offended if I don’t ask you to dance again tonight.”
“I won’t hold it against you. But I still think you’ve had too much wine. Stick with water for the rest of the night.”
The singer hit the last high note, and the music stopped. Mitch dropped his hands, but he didn’t lead her back to their table. “Since you don’t believe me, why don’t we test my theory?”
“How?” She wasn’t sure she believed Mitch, but she’d go along with him anyway.
“Follow my lead.” He pulled her against his side, his arm around her waist. Then he walked them across the dance floor as another song started.
Mitch placed his lips close to her ear. “What did I tell you? He looks about ready to kill me.”
She nodded. Even from where they stood, she noticed Warren’s clenched jaw and the cold stare he directed toward Mitch. Neither of which made any sense. Why would he act jealous? His reaction had to be caused by something else.
“Still think I’ve had too much wine?” Mitch asked, his voice a low whisper.
She didn’t have a good answer, so she shrugged.
When they reached their table, Warren stood without any hesitation.
“I’m going to see if my mom wants to dance. My father hates dancing, so she’ll never get him out there tonight.” Mitch removed his hand from her waist. “I’ll talk to you later, Ruth.” He extended his hand toward Warren. “It was nice meeting you, Warren.”
Warren shook hands with Mitch and then pulled out her chair.
“Have fun, Mitch. I’ll talk to you later.”
With a wave, Mitch walked away, leaving Ruth and Warren alone.
“You and Mitch seem like good friends.” Warren no longer clenched his jaw, but his shoulders remained tense.
“We are. He’s a funny guy. Mitch is the exact opposite of his brother. Will is one of the most serious people I have ever met.” She inched her hand closer to his on the table. While she wouldn’t reach out and join their hands herself, she hoped he’d do it.
“Since you and Helen are so close, I’m surprised she never got you to go out with Mitch. Didn’t you say she wanted the two of you together?”
“Trust me, it’s not for lack of trying on her part.” Ruth shifted a little closer to Warren. “I could never be with Mitch. He’s a great guy and I like him, but he’s too much of a joker. It’s okay sometimes, but I don’t think he ever takes anything seriously.” Of course that wasn’t the only reason she’d never go out with him, but she wasn’t going to tell Warren that she suspected Mitch was gay.
Warren’s shoulders relaxed. “I agree. There is a time and place for everything.”
The fast song the DJ played ended and another slow ballad began. Once again Warren’s hand took hold of hers. “Would you like to dance?”
Heck yes. Her insides jumped with excitement. A dance meant she’d be in his arms. “I’d love to.”
He’d suffered through enough dance lessons to know the exact distance deemed appropriate between dance partners. Tonight he ignored that knowledge. Without a thought to the guests and what they might think, he pulled her close. When he’d agreed to accompany her today, he intended to keep his feelings under lock and key. Tomorrow during dinner he’d reveal how he felt and hope she returned his affections. Somewhere along the way, his plan went off the rails. He hadn’t been able to help himself, much to his disgust. Normally, he contained his emotions no matter the situation. Regardless of how upset, angry, or nervous he was, others never noticed it. On more than one occasion his father commented how such a quality would serve him well in the boardroom and in politics.
Tonight all his self-control deserted him. He let his hands linger for too long on her shoulders. He held her hand until dinner started. While these were all little things, they were incidents that would make anyone suspicious. If the tables were reversed he’d be questioning the depth of her affections.
“This is the first time we’ve danced together.” Ruth’s hands moved from his shoulders to behind his neck. “And trust me, I’d remember if we’d danced before.”
He suspected he would, too. In fact, he doubted he’d ever forget the way it felt to have Ruth in his arms tonight. “How is that possible? We’ve been friends for...” he paused and thought. It seemed like he’d known Ruth forever.
“Seven years.” Ruth provided the answer. “It’ll be eight in May.”
“You remember the exact month we met?”
At some point she’d leaned her head against his shoulder, and he felt her nod. “You and Mark came into the store for soda. You were driving the Ferrari you got for your birthday.”
Wow . “I cannot believe you remember that.”
He’d gone into the store too many times over the years to remember one particular occasion. However, he did remember that, until the night he’d helped her with a boyfriend who couldn’t take no for answer, she’d always been polite but not friendly to him. “You didn’t like me, did you?”
“Honestly, not really. That day I expected you would pull an ‘I’m god’ routine like some of your country club friends did when they came in. I had a great reply prepared for when you did.”
He could guess some of the people she referred to. “I doubt any of them were my friends.”
“You’re right. I never saw you with any of them. I guess I should’ve said acquaintances.” Ruth’s hands moved against his neck, and a shudder of pleasure passed through him.
The song ended and Ruth pulled away. Unwilling to let her go, he pulled her closer. “I better make up for all the years we’ve known each other and not danced.”
She rewarded him with a radiant smile then leaned her head against his shoulder again. “I’m glad you said that. I love to dance.”
Now that she mentioned it, he remembered her telling him that once. Personally, he didn’t like dancing, but if it would please Ruth, he’d dance every song with her tonight.
He lost count of how many songs they danced before Ruth finally said she needed a drink.
“I haven’t danced this much in a long time.” She took a sip from the white wine he handed her when he came back from the bar.
“I don’t think I’ve ever danced this much in one night.” He shrugged off his suit jacket and wished he could loosen his tie. The combination of the warm ballroom and holding Ruth so close had pushed his body temperature up toward the boiling point.
Ruth lowered her glass and gave him a wide-eyed look. “That’s right, you don’t like dancing. I completely forgot. I’m sorry.” She touched his arm. “You don’t have to dance anymore tonight.”
“Maybe I didn’t like dancing before because I never had the right partner.”
***
Ruth shivered while they waited for the valet to bring around Warren’s car. The temperatu
re in the ballroom had been perfect. Out here near the door, it was another story. The temperature had been in the mid-thirties when they arrived at the hotel but had dropped considerably since then, and her gown provided no protection against the cold wind. If she’d been smart, she would have brought a sweater or something along with her that morning and wouldn’t be freezing to death now.
“Put this on.” Warren held out his suit jacket.
“I’ll be fine. The car should be here any minute.”
The jacket came down on her shoulders. “You’re shivering, Ruth. Besides, the car will be cold too.”
She prepared her argument and slipped her arms into the jacket at the same time. “Now you’ll be cold. It doesn’t seem right that you should freeze because I was an idiot and didn’t grab a jacket when I left the house.”
“The cold air feels good. It was too warm in the ballroom.” He took her hand when his car pulled up to the curb.
She let him lead her to the passenger side and waited as he opened the door for her. She’d noticed a long time ago that he always did things like open doors and pull out chairs for women. It was just another thing she loved about him.
Once he’d tipped the valet, he got in the car and pulled away from the curb. Light flurries fell, but no snow accumulated. She hoped it stayed that way. It would stink if she went to her car in the morning and found it covered with a few inches of the white stuff.
“Helen looked very happy tonight.” Warren shifted the car into third gear.
“She’s been waiting for this day since high school. She and Will started dating our junior year.” Even back than, Ruth had suspected that someday Helen and Will would marry. “If it had been up to Helen, they would have married a long time ago. Will wanted to wait until they’d saved enough for a down payment on a house.”
“That’s a long time to date someone.” He slowed the car as they approached a stop sign.
She agreed. The longest relationship she’d ever been in lasted only one year. It had been her sophomore year of college. For a short time, she’d thought maybe he was the one. When he told her he’d decided to join the Navy and they should end things, she’d been sad but oddly not heartbroken. Since then she’d dated other men, but she’d never found the one. At least not until that day on the beach when she realized she loved Warren. Unfortunately, he wasn’t an option. Or was he?
Ever since he stopped by her apartment on Thursday night he’d been sending her strange signals. First with his invitation to dinner on Valentine’s Day, and then by offering to be her date tonight. His behavior tonight only confused her more. In so many ways he’d acted more like a boyfriend tonight than just a friend. Did she dare interpret his actions as true romantic interest? Or had she been listening to Helen for too long?
“Mark and his girlfriend have been together for a while. He plans to propose soon.” He turned the corner and continued down the street.
She’d seen pictures of his brother Mark and Donna Belmont in magazines. They made a stunning couple. If they married their children would be gorgeous. An image of Warren proposing to someone like Mark’s girlfriend took shape and pain shot through Ruth’s chest. That was perhaps the worst part about loving someone like Warren Sherbrooke. The media loved him and printed everything they could about him. That meant when he got married, it would be plastered everywhere for her to see.
Ruth replaced the images of Warren marrying some rich snob with images from the wedding that afternoon. “I hope today wasn’t too awful for you.”
They stopped in front of her apartment. Before he answered, he put the car in neutral. “I had fun.”
“You don’t have to say that, Warren. You ended up on the dance floor half the night, and you hate dancing.” She picked up her purse, ready to exit the car and head inside.
“I’m being honest. I enjoyed myself.” His fingers touched her jaw. “I liked dancing with you.” His voice was tender and compassionate.
Ruth shifted in her seat. Had she really complained about how cold it was a little while ago? It wasn’t cold now. Would it look strange if she used her purse as a fan? Probably.
“Are we still on for tomorrow night?” Warren asked.
Warren never sounded like anything but sure of himself. Right at that moment Ruth thought she heard a hint of insecurity.
“Looking forward to it. Where are we going?” She suspected their dinner was the only thing she’d think about all day tomorrow.
“Some place special to me.”
That helped little when it came to picking out an outfit. “Now you’ve got me curious.”
“I am not saying another word.” Warren moved his hand then turned off the car. “Since you have to work tomorrow and it’s getting late, I’ll walk you inside.”
Ruth didn’t protest. Her shift at the hospital started at six o’clock. But even if she went inside now, she doubted she’d fall asleep anytime soon.
Warren walked her up to her third floor apartment and waited as she unlocked the door. “Thanks again for coming tonight.”
“Anytime.” He moved closer.
Ruth froze in place as he lowered his head. Then he pressed his lips against hers. A wave of heat washed over her, and if not for the snowflakes falling around them, her body would have thought it was the middle of July.
All too soon he lifted his head. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Even as she watched his lips move, she could still feel them on hers. Warren kissed her. Her brain tried to wrap itself around that fact. While she’d experienced more passionate kisses than the one he’d just given her, none had engulfed her body in flames and chased every logical thought from her head like his did.
Unable to form words, Ruth nodded. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do.
“You better go inside before you freeze.”
She doubted there was any chance of that happening now. “Be careful driving home.” Ruth turned the doorknob and pushed open the door before she did something silly like kiss him again.
After she locked the door behind her, Ruth realized she still wore Warren’s jacket. The poor guy must have been so cold standing outside in nothing but his dress shirt. Or maybe not? Perhaps their kiss heated him up as much as it did her.
Ruth turned on all the lights and took off Warren’s jacket. While she no longer needed the warmth it provided, she was reluctant to part with it. “You’re acting like a ninny. It’s only a stupid jacket.” She hung it in the closet and changed for bed.
Sleep didn’t come right away. Instead of experiencing pleasant dreams, she stared at the ceiling and thought about Warren’s kiss. She could have happily stood outside all night kissing him. As the minutes on the clock ticked away, her thoughts turned to dinner tomorrow. His motive for inviting her out on Valentine’s Day still eluded her.
They’d eaten together plenty of times, but she knew their dinner tomorrow would be nothing like that. To start with it was Valentine’s Day. And he’d kissed her. If those two minor details weren’t enough to keep a girl awake, she didn’t know what would. Ruth flipped her pillow over and turned onto her other side. She had to get some sleep otherwise she’d never make it through her shift tomorrow.
Chapter 5
What the heck should she wear? Ruth stood wrapped in a bath towel and stared into her closet. Knowing she’d have a hard time picking out an outfit, she’d rushed home from the hospital and taken the fastest shower of her life. Earlier in the day, while she ate lunch, she’d run through her entire wardrobe in her head. But now, just like then, she couldn’t decide on anything. It didn’t help that she had no idea where they were going. Warren’s cryptic answer the night before had not helped. If it was summer, she’d assume they were heading for a picnic on the beach. Warren loved the beach and the open ocean. With the thermometer reading eighteen degrees, it was safe to assume the beach was not their destination. His sailboat would be out, too. He had that stored in dry dock every winter. She doubted he considered Black P
oint Country Club special, so what did that leave? What other places in Newport did he visit that lent themselves to dinner? For the life of her, she didn’t know.
It took a few tries, but she settled on her favorite new floral skirt paired with the dark green cowel-neck sweater her mom bought her for Christmas. The outfit wasn’t as formal as the gown she’d worn last night, but it was dressy enough if they went to a restaurant. Or at least dressy enough for the restaurants she frequented. She didn’t want to think about some of the places Warren ate at. They probably didn’t even let you in the parking lot unless you wore an evening gown and a thousand dollars worth of diamonds.
Once satisfied with her appearance, Ruth switched on the radio. She had ten minutes to kill. Watching television made no sense. Besides, she didn’t care for any of the Sunday night shows this season. Helen’s stack of weekly magazines remained on the table, so as Rod Stewart’s voice filled the room, she thumbed through The Star Report, which she hadn’t finished reading.
Even though she expected Warren, she still jumped when she heard the doorbell ring. After taking a slow measured breath, Ruth stood and smoothed down her skirt. Then she forced herself to walk and not run for the door.
Just act like always. It’s only Warren. I’ve known him forever. She fed herself those lines right up until she pulled open the door. Her eyes went immediately to the bouquet of flowers he held in his gloved hands, and the monolog disappeared.
“Warren.” She took a step back so he could enter.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” He held out the flowers and gave her a smile that warmed her from head to toe.
For several seconds Ruth stood there and memorized the sight of him holding flowers for her. Then her brain kicked back on. “They’re gorgeous.”
“Tradition calls for roses on Valentine’s Day, but I remembered your favorite flowers are calla lilies. I thought you’d prefer them.” He closed the door behind him, shutting out the cold air.
Loving the Billionaire Page 4