manner of fluttery happenings within her stomach.
He walked over to her army green suede armchair and plopped down with an exhausted sigh.
“Make yourself at home,” Paige snorted. She took a seat on the edge of her couch, crossed one leg over the other and rested her elbow on her knee.
“So?” she started.
Torrian dragged a hand down his face. His slightly almond-shaped hazel eyes held a hint of fatigue. He closed them, leaned his head on the back of her chair and expelled another sigh.
“Did you come here to take a nap?” Paige asked, intentionally heavy on the sarcasm.
He raised his head, cocked one eye open and had the nerve to grin. “I see the attitude extends beyond the blog.”
Oh, good God, that grin was nice. He had a near-perfect face, with a mouth that eased into a decadent smile with zero effort. Paige had never realized the safety the TV screen provided until she was left without its protective barrier. Torrian Smallwood in the flesh was a very dangerous thing.
She had to clear her throat before speaking. “I know you didn’t track me down to my home—which is the creepiest thing anyone has ever done, by the way—just to insult me yet again.”
“If my saying you have attitude is an insult, you need to get some thicker skin, sweetheart.”
Before she could call him on the sweetheart remark, he expelled another sigh and said, “This thing on your blog has gotten way out of hand.”
“Only because you took it there,” Paige responded. She reached over to her computer desk and caught the bowl of grapes with the tips of her fingers.
“I’m willing to own up to my part in this,” Torrian said. He straightened in the chair and rested his elbows on his knees. “I shouldn’t have responded, but I never intended for that first comment I posted to remain on the blog.”
“Then why did you post it in the first place?” she asked. She held the bowl of grapes out for him. He picked off two and tossed them in his mouth.
Was she seriously sitting in her living room eating grapes with Torrian Smallwood? There was a sufficient amount of surrealism in the moment, but even more surreal was how comfortable it all felt. He was a superstar, but lounging in her favorite chair with fatigue in his eyes and contriteness in his voice, he could very well be any one of her friends. Or something more.
“Like I told you, it was a knee-jerk reaction. I know it was out of line and I apologized. You’re the one who chose to ignore me and keep this thing public. Now we both look like fools.”
“Only one of us looks like a fool, in my opinion. I’ve remained as professional as I possibly can.”
He stared at her, his gaze assessing. “You’re not as professional as you seem to think you are,” he said.
Paige arched a brow. “Excuse me?”
“A true professional would have accepted my apology from the very beginning and erased my response last Sunday night. You decided to humiliate me on your blog instead.”
“What apology?”
“Fine, maybe it wasn’t an apology in the normal sense of the word.”
“In no sense of the word,” Paige returned.
“If you’d done what I’d asked in the first e-mail I sent Sunday night, there would be no reason for me to be in your apartment right now,” Torrian said.
“You e-mailed me?”
“Several times,” he nodded. “Starting with last Sunday. I explained that I was going to erase the comment I’d put on the blog but got distracted. I damn near begged you to go in and erase it, but you decided to ignore me.”
He’d e-mailed her. Probably through her blog’s e-mail, which she had not had a chance to check since Saturday night.
“I didn’t see your e-mail,” Paige admitted. She looked up at him, suffering the first twinge of regret she’d felt since this whole debacle first began. “I only check that e-mail account once a week.”
His head fell back again as he let out a low groan. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. This could have all been
He walked over to her army green suede armchair and plopped down with an exhausted sigh.
“Make yourself at home,” Paige snorted. She took a seat on the edge of her couch, crossed one leg over the other and rested her elbow on her knee.
“So?” she started.
Torrian dragged a hand down his face. His slightly almond-shaped hazel eyes held a hint of fatigue. He closed them, leaned his head on the back of her chair and expelled another sigh.
“Did you come here to take a nap?” Paige asked, intentionally heavy on the sarcasm.
He raised his head, cocked one eye open and had the nerve to grin. “I see the attitude extends beyond the blog.”
Oh, good God, that grin was nice. He had a near-perfect face, with a mouth that eased into a decadent smile with zero effort. Paige had never realized the safety the TV screen provided until she was left without its protective barrier. Torrian Smallwood in the flesh was a very dangerous thing.
She had to clear her throat before speaking. “I know you didn’t track me down to my home—which is the creepiest thing anyone has ever done, by the way—just to insult me yet again.”
“If my saying you have attitude is an insult, you need to get some thicker skin, sweetheart.”
Before she could call him on the sweetheart remark, he expelled another sigh and said, “This thing on your blog has gotten way out of hand.”
“Only because you took it there,” Paige responded. She reached over to her computer desk and caught the bowl of grapes with the tips of her fingers.
“I’m willing to own up to my part in this,” Torrian said. He straightened in the chair and rested his elbows on his knees. “I shouldn’t have responded, but I never intended for that first comment I posted to remain on the blog.”
“Then why did you post it in the first place?” she asked. She held the bowl of grapes out for him. He picked off two and tossed them in his mouth.
Was she seriously sitting in her living room eating grapes with Torrian Smallwood? There was a sufficient amount of surrealism in the moment, but even more surreal was how comfortable it all felt. He was a superstar, but lounging in her favorite chair with fatigue in his eyes and contriteness in his voice, he could very well be any one of her friends. Or something more.
“Like I told you, it was a knee-jerk reaction. I know it was out of line and I apologized. You’re the one who chose to ignore me and keep this thing public. Now we both look like fools.”
“Only one of us looks like a fool, in my opinion. I’ve remained as professional as I possibly can.”
He stared at her, his gaze assessing. “You’re not as professional as you seem to think you are,” he said.
Paige arched a brow. “Excuse me?”
“A true professional would have accepted my apology from the very beginning and erased my response last Sunday night. You decided to humiliate me on your blog instead.”
“What apology?”
“Fine, maybe it wasn’t an apology in the normal sense of the word.”
“In no sense of the word,” Paige returned.
“If you’d done what I’d asked in the first e-mail I sent Sunday night, there would be no reason for me to be in your apartment right now,” Torrian said.
“You e-mailed me?”
“Several times,” he nodded. “Starting with last Sunday. I explained that I was going to erase the comment I’d put on the blog but got distracted. I damn near begged you to go in and erase it, but you decided to ignore me.”
He’d e-mailed her. Probably through her blog’s e-mail, which she had not had a chance to check since Saturday night.
“I didn’t see your e-mail,” Paige admitted. She looked up at him, suffering the first twinge of regret she’d felt since this whole debacle first began. “I only check that e-mail account once a week.”
His head fell back again as he let out a low groan. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. This could have all been
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