Just To Be With You (The Sullivans #12)

Her face had lit up the moment she set eyes on George. But now empathy moved across her features. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“That’s very sweet of you.” George’s eyes twinkled as he looked back at Ian. “You’re a very lucky man, Ian.”

From the moment he’d found Tatiana in his office on Friday, Ian’s world had shifted farther and farther off its axis due to his inability to stop wanting her. Now, George’s honest mistake threatened to shove it all the way off.

Of course, the way Tatiana turned to him with her own grin and twinkling eyes didn’t help one damn bit. Especially considering that he had to not only struggle to drag his gaze from hers...but also to keep from pulling her against him for a kiss that wouldn’t do a damn thing to disprove George’s incorrect assumption.

“We aren’t—” A breeze from the open door of the restaurant blew the vanilla scent of Tatiana’s hair to him, temporarily making him lose his train of thought.

In the end, she was the one who finally clarified things. “I’m really flattered that you think I could be Ian’s wife, George, but I’m just a friend.”

His old professor frowned, looking between them. “I know chemistry when I see it, and not just in the lab. If the two of you aren’t a couple, it’s a damned shame.” He looked between them again before seeming to make up his mind. He muttered something Ian couldn’t quite make out, but that sounded a heck of a lot like Just a matter of time.

Ian had never been a man pulled forward by fate, luck, or coincidence. He’d always made his own choices, forged his own deliberate path. But even as he silently denied that what his professor had just stated could ever be true, he suddenly couldn’t stop wondering if he really was as in control of his life—or his heart—as he wanted to think he was.

George pulled out a chair for Tatiana and after they were all seated and had placed their orders, he said, “Tell me about yourself, my dear.”

“I don’t want to take up too much of your time with Ian. I know he’s really been looking forward to speaking with you.”

“My wife wasn’t one to draw attention to herself, either, but just like you, she was too beautiful to hide in the shadows.” He gestured to the glass of wine the waiter had just poured. “Now drink up and start talking.”

Tatiana laughed, clearly delighted. “Okay, but I really am going to make it quick so that the two of you can get down to business.” She took a sip of the excellent dry white wine and made a small sound of pleasure that reverberated all the way through Ian’s system. “I’m an actress and Ian is helping me do some research for a new role I’ve taken on.”

“I once had dreams of the stage,” George admitted. “And I would have been perfect for the role of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Captain Corcoran...if only I could dance or hold a tune.”

Laughing again, Tatiana said, “HMS Pinafore is one of my favorites, too.” All it took was Tatiana softly humming a tune, and soon both of them were spontaneously singing a funny back-and-forth about monarchs of the sea and rulers of the Queen’s Navy and sisters and cousins and aunts.

At the end of their impromptu performance, Tatiana gave George a hug. “Thank you for making my day with a Gilbert and Sullivan sing-along. And now, since I know the two of you have important business to take care of, I’m going to excuse myself for a minute so that you can get started without my further distracting you.”

Both Ian and George stood when she left the table, and Ian nearly went after her to make sure she didn’t get hassled by an overzealous fan. When he finally made himself sit down, his professor said, “You can’t take your eyes off her.”

Knowing better than to try to deny the truth, Ian explained, “Tatiana told you she’s an actress, but what she didn’t mention is that she’s also very, very famous. Strangers get really excited about meeting her and often forget to keep normal boundaries. I didn’t think about how difficult it might be for her to come here for lunch.”

“Well, whether or not she’s famous and you’re worried about her fans taking advantage of her has nothing whatsoever to do with you not being able to look away.”

His old professor’s tone didn’t brook any argument, so Ian didn’t try. And when George pulled out a folder with the information Ian had sent him, he was glad to finally settle down to business. Only, Ian simply couldn’t concentrate while Tatiana was gone.

But when she finally returned and took out her notepad, though Ian should have finally been able to concentrate on what George was saying, the truth was that her nearness made it just as difficult for him as her absence had.

* * *

It was eight p.m. when Ian got home for the night. He’d dropped Tatiana off on the way and learned that she was renting a condo in a building just around the block from his. So close that he could practically look out his living-room window and see her.

She’d been barely stifling her yawns by the time they made it to the last of his meetings, but had blamed it on the Mexican food they’d had delivered to the conference room. He’d seen his female cousins eat plenty of times, so he knew not every woman picked at her food the way his ex-wife had, but he was still stunned by how happily—and thoroughly—Tatiana munched down her burrito. Chelsea had only dabbled at modeling, and yet she’d been terrified of ever gaining a pound. Tatiana didn’t seem to give it a second thought.