Liam’s jealousy spiked that Carly was trying so hard to please Bran. Was she attracted to him? She’d already admitted she liked guys with muscles, and Bran had plenty.
“What a great idea. But for now, let’s get acquainted.” Bran released her hand and gestured toward the seating area, from which he’d thoughtfully had one of the chairs removed to make room for Liam.
Carly took a step back. “If you tell me where the kitchen is, I could start working on it now.”
Bran gave her the same half-grin he’d used earlier when he was teasing Liam. “You can whip up some guacamole tomorrow, assuming one of my people can make it into town to procure some avocados.”
“Couldn’t we get some tonight?” Her spine went rigid. “I was planning to leave tomorrow morning as soon as I can get a car.”
“Come.” Bran led the way. “I can’t wait to hear how the two of you met.”
Carly followed, her shoulders slumped. She stopped in front of a plush leather chair, looking as if she might bolt instead of sitting down.
“Are you hungry, Carly?” Liam asked. “I’m sure we can get a snack of some kind.”
“Actually, I’m starting to feel sleepy. I should probably head back to my room.” Carly yawned and stretched her arms over her head, her sweater rising to expose a tiny strip of delectable skin.
She caught him staring, and he forced his eyes away, feeling like a lech. He busied himself with lowering his wheelchair from a standing to a sitting position.
“Surely you can stay awake for a few minutes.” Bran seated himself on the couch opposite Carly. “Sit. Make yourself comfortable.”
Carly sat, looking anything but comfortable.
Liam decided to guide the conversation toward an area where she would have more confidence.
“You should tell Bran about your research, Carly.”
“Yes,” said Bran. “Do I understand you’ve completed your experiments with promising results?”
“I... uhm...” To Liam’s surprise, Carly’s face blanched. “You know how it is. We plan to keep running more tests. We’ll never have enough.”
Maybe her research hadn’t panned out, and she was fearful of losing her research grant.
“I thought you’d already published a paper.” Bran’s tone was insistent. He couldn’t see the subject was upsetting her.
Carly popped to her feet. “I’m so sorry, but I forgot I need to call my roommate and let her know I made it here safely. She’s probably worried sick.”
“Wait, Carly.” Liam pumped his chair upward.
“Don’t get up, Liam. I can find my way back.” She scurried to the doorway, then turned to speak over her shoulder. “Thanks again, Bran, for letting me spend the night.”
“You aren’t rushing off tomorrow morning, are you?” Bran said. “What about my guacamole?”
“I know promises are as important to you as they are to me.” Carly gave him a hard stare. “So here’s my promise. Even though I have to leave in the morning, I promise I’ll get that special guacamole made and drop it by before I leave Chicago. Do we have a deal?”
“You drive a hard bargain.” Bran twisted toward her, a wry grin on his face.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Carly disappeared into the hallway.
Resigned, Liam levered his chair back to a sitting position.
“Sorry about that,” Bran said. “I didn’t mean to run her off.”
“It’s not your fault she forgot to call her roommate.”
“If that’s true.” Bran obviously doubted it.
“Yeah, I think she made it up as an excuse to get away. I don’t know why, but you make her really nervous.”
“You like her, don’t you?”
How would Bran know? They’d only spent a few minutes together.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes.” Bran chuckled. “You’re so concerned and defensive.”
“She’s beautiful.” Liam rubbed his face with his hands. “It could be a superficial attraction, but I don’t think so.”
“Does she like you?”
“I can’t tell. One minute I’m reading all the right signals, and the next, she’s scrambling to get away from me.” Liam sighed. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a girlfriend, it’s probably just wishful thinking on my part.”
“I hear you.”
“Give me a break. You’re with a different woman every few weeks.”
“That’s right. Because every woman who agrees to go out with me is only interested in one thing... my money. That’s why I don’t stay with one woman long enough to get emotionally involved.”
