Her mouth opened, yet she still didn 't seem to have anything to say. She wasn 't very good at this fighting thing, but he wasn 't quite done.

"Do you have any idea what you 're in for? Do you think you can show up in your pearls and your diamonds and they 'll hand you a pay check? That 's not how it works, doll. "

Her nostrils flared and the corners of her mouth tightened. "Do not call me that. "

"You 're not a working stiff. "

"Maybe I want to be. "

"And who in their right mind would want to be? " He found he 'd taken a step closer to her and she to him. Now they were standing nearly toe to toe. Her blue eyes seared through him and it wasn 't a comfortable position to be in.

Curtis took a breath and let his shoulders fall. "Simone, why do you want to do this? Why move here, get a job, and wear a uniform? " He motioned to her clothing. "You don 't have to do this. " His voice was soft now and it irked him. Damn it he cared about her and he didn 't want to.

"Did your father ever want you to do something and it was not what was in your heart? "

He thought back. He supposed there was something. But he couldn 't imagine what it was. His parents had never been anything but supportive, no matter how many times they brought up the cost of educational loans.

"What is it that your father makes you do that has driven you across the world to prove him wrong? "

She looked away. He 'd made her uncomfortable and he wasn 't sure what to do about that. He 'd wanted to pick a fight, but the nature of his job and his upbringing had him wanting to scoop her up and hold her. But he fought the urge. She deserved to be uncomfortable in his presence.

"I should get changed. If you want to leave I will call for a taxi. " She turned from him and shut the bedroom door behind her.

Simone fell against the door. Was it possible for her heart to actually explode? She placed her hand on her chest. One moment Curtis had looked at her as if he hated her and the next moment his eyes and voice had softened as if he still cared. Could she possibly make the best of this horrible situation she 'd caused herself?

She changed back into her regular clothing and folded up the scrubs Cynthia was letting her have. She 'd never have imagined she 'd need to borrow uniform either, especially one with teddy bears on it. Even worse, she couldn 't afford her own uniforms yet. This was a feeling she 'd never known -utter desperation.

When she walked out of the bedroom, adjusting the pearls on her wrist, Curtis was still there seated on the couch.

"You are still here. " She tried to keep her voice even.

"I 'm not going to let you take a taxi home. It 'll be dark soon and I 'm sure, no matter how many times you 've been in Nashville, you don 't know your way around. And I 'm darn sure you 've never called for a taxi. "

He was right she had never needed a taxi, there 'd always been a car waiting for her. More than likely she 'd have called Zach because she couldn 't afford at taxi, but she 'd keep that to herself.

"I 'm ready to go. Thank you in advance for the ride. "

Curtis stood and scrubbed his hand over his face. The shadow of his whiskers darkened his face and gave him a rugged look. Heat stirred in her belly as he dropped his hands to his side.

"I 'd showed up here looking for company for dinner. Looks like Cynthia had other plans. So what do you say? Want to grab a bite? "

It certainly was the most backward of invitations, but in her state she thought it best to take the opportunity to be alone with him. She was going to need every second she could get to make him fall in love with her. And this time she couldn 't run.

"I could use some dinner. Thank you. " She reached past him for her purse on the couch and her arm brushed his. She tried not to tremble as their skin touched, but she heard him suck in his breath. Would it be wise just to look up at him and kiss him? Could she make him forget that she 'd run from him -abandoned him. She swallowed 1hard and stood straight, but he was already backing away.

It was going to be harder than she thought to win him over again.

Curtis was driving around in circles, but he wasn 't sure she noticed. He 'd thought of taking her to some diner and just getting a meal and taking her home. Then he decided she deserved something better than some greasy hamburger, so he 'd started toward a nice Italian restaurant. Now he was back to thinking that if he hit McDonald 's it would be good enough.

She hadn 't said a word since she climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. A million questions were racing through his head. Maybe he should just drive through somewhere and park. She 'd be a captive audience if he parked on some dirt road and made her tell him why she left him alone on the yacht. Didn 't she think what they 'd shared was important? Didn 't she know how he felt about her?

And then there were the rising concerns over her moving to Nashville and taking an hourly job. Who did she really think she was trying to fit into the working class in Cynthia 's hand-me-downs? She must have thought it was a great big joke to walk in there in her red high heels and pearls. He had a mind to -well he didn 't know what he 'd do. That was his problem. When it came to Simone Pierpont he lost all common sense.

His fingers were tensing around the steering wheel and the heat under his collar was growing almost unbearable. He turned to look at her, to sense her, to get even more worked up. She was asleep. Her head was rested against the back of the seat. Her dark hair curtained her face. God, she was beautiful.

Change of plans, he decided.

He continued down the street and headed toward home.

The truck had come to a stop, and Simone quickly realized her eyes were closed. She jumped up in her seat and when she looked at Curtis he was smiling at her.

"I 'm sorry. " She widened her eyes and tried to gather herself back up.

"Why? You must be tired. " He was still smiling.

She took account of where she was and why she was with him. Certainly she couldn 't be dreaming. But when she looked out the window and saw his apartment building she knew she had to be.

"I couldn 't think of a thing for dinner, " he said. "But I have a 1steak defrosted in the fridge. I could start up the grill and throw down a salad if you 're up for it. "

She nodded, not quite sure what he 'd said, but it meant he 'd brought her home and was going to spend enough time with her to feed her. She 'd take that and she 'd do whatever it took not to make him want to throw her out.