Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews. I apologize for being so slow in updating, but I hope this chapter will keep you happy for a few days! :)

Chapter 26

Kim sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, running a hand over her full stomach. Despite the stress of the evening's events, her appetite had returned with a vengeance at the first bite of lobster. She'd only had it one other time in her life and she'd completely forgotten just how delicious it was. And the steak had been just as wonderful, although she'd been unable to eat the whole thing, despite her best effort. But Glen had easily finished it off for her after clearing his own plate, much to her amazement. She didn't think she'd ever seen anyone who could eat so much in one sitting. But she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. After all, he was a big guy. Now the food coma was starting to set in, and she stretched lazily, trying to avoid falling asleep at the table.

Glen smiled as he watched her, pleased that she'd actually eaten her meal. The dinner had gone surprisingly well, considering the disastrous start to the evening, and they'd managed to maintain a casual, relaxed conversation, most of it centered around Glen's work. Normally, he didn't care for discussing his career while he was outside of the arena, but in an effort to keep the discussion from turning toward more serious subjects, he gladly answered all of her questions, thereby keeping the mood light. In between her inquiries, he asked questions of his own, curious to find out more about her own job, her friends and family, her hobbies. But he noticed that anytime he tried to focus the discussion on her, she provided only the slightest bit of information before quickly steering the conversation in another direction. Just another way of her protecting herself, he assumed. The less she let him in, the less she would risk being hurt later on. Patience, he reminded himself, even as he frowned. It was unreasonable to expect that all of their problems would simply disappear after just one night.

Seeing Kim glance nervously at her watch, he struggled to come up with another stalling tactic, desperate to delay her departure at least for a little longer. Not that, he scolded himself, as not-so-innocent images invaded his mind, his cheeks growing warm with embarrassment. Seeking a distraction, his eyes came to rest on the tv and he gave a thankful sigh as he snatched up the remote and handed it to Kim.

"Normally, I'm a sucker for dinner and a movie. But I guess tonight we'll have to settle for dinner and tv. See if you can find anything interesting."

He stood and gathered the dishes and placed them out in the hall for collection. Returning to the room, he took a seat on the edge of the bed, studying the tv curiously when he heard Kim chuckle.

"What's that?" he asked, motioning toward the show that had seemingly captured her attention.

"It's The Princess Bride. It's one of my favorite movies of all time."

"I've never seen it." He slipped off his shoes and slid back against the headboard, stretching his legs out on the bed.

"Really? You know Andre the Giant was in it?"

"Yeah. Seems like I knew that. I guess I just never got the opportunity to watch it." he answered. "But I guess now is a good a time as any."

Kim frowned as she glanced from him back to the tv. "I guess. But, well, it's getting late. I should probably be going soon. I still have to get back to the restaurant and get my car."

"I'll take you back to pick up your car. But you don't have to go so soon, do you? Stay. Just for a little longer."

He patted the mattress beside of him and Kim eyed him warily, nervous at the prospect of the two of them being in the bed together again.

"I promise I'll be on my best behavior." he added, sensing her apprehension.

Reluctantly, Kim approached the bed, slipping off her shoes before sliding up next to him. At first, she sat upright beside of him, trying to maintain a safe distance. But the wooden headboard was hard and uncomfortable beneath her back and she squirmed around, trying to find a more suitable position. Despite her initial reservations, she eventually found herself with her head lying on Glen's chest, her arm resting against his midsection, his large frame making a surprising comfortable pillow. His arm was draped around her shoulders, holding her close to his side, his hand stroking her hair softly as they watched the movie. Not long after, he glanced down at her and noticed that she was sound asleep. Wrapping a strand of her hair around his finger, he rested his head back against the wall, closing his eyes as he savored the moment, just grateful for an opportunity to hold her again.

It was the last thing he remembered.

Waking up sometime later, he rubbed away the stiff pain in his neck, surprised to see that it was well after midnight. He glanced down at Kim, who was still sleeping beside him, and sighed. He didn't want to wake her. He didn't want her to go home. He wanted her to spend the rest of the night right where she was. But, he had no choice. He'd made a promise to her that he would take it slow and do whatever he needed to, in order to win back her trust. And he couldn't break that promise, no matter how tempting it might be.

He shook her gently. "Kim. Wake up."

She moaned and snuggled further against him, eliciting a low groan from him in response. He sighed again, his arm tightening around her. Why did he always have to be the good guy?

He gave her shoulders another gentle nudge and watched as her eyes finally fluttered open.

Kim awoke slowly, still resting against Glen's large chest, taking in her surroundings as she tried to remember where she was. She raised her head and gazed up at him curiously.

"We fell asleep. It's getting late. I thought you would want me to take you home." he explained apologetically.

"Oh. Well, if you have to…." she sighed, blinking her eyes sleepily.

He chuckled softly, hugging her tight. "You're more than welcome to stay. But considering the circumstances, I thought you might want to go home."

Sleepy, warm and safe, Kim fought the urge to curl up beside of him and go back to sleep. The thought of dragging herself from his bed only to spend the rest of the night in her cold, empty one was not an appealing thought. But she forced herself to remember the pain that she'd struggled so hard to forget and she knew she had no choice but to leave. If she stayed, she would give in. And if she gave in, come morning, she knew she would regret it.

Reluctantly, she sat up and pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep." she murmured, blushing when she realized she'd been sprawled out on top of him.

"It's ok. I didn't mind." He grinned, which made her blush even harder.

She slid from the bed and slipped on her shoes and Glen helped her into her coat before grabbing the keys to his rental car.

"It's too late to walk. We'll take my car instead." he stated, leading her to the door.

He guided her down the hall to the elevator, then through the lobby and out to his rental car. They were mostly silent, Kim second guessing her decision to leave, Glen fighting the urge to convince her to stay. He helped her into the passenger seat of his car before climbing in behind the wheel. He started the car, delaying putting it into drive, as he turned to look at her.

Kim met his gaze briefly, then quickly glanced back down at her hands which were resting in her lap. She could feel his eyes on her and she swallowed nervously as she tried to think of something to say.

"I'm sorry. I just…can't…tonight." she stated softly, without looking at him. "I'm sorry."

His gaze shifted out the window.

"Tonight." he repeated, glancing back at her. "Does that mean that there will be other nights? That you will consider seeing me again?"

Kim opened her mouth as if to speak, then hesitated, shaking her head. "I'm honestly not sure. Before tonight, I never even thought this would be possible. I thought that I would never see you again. It's a lot to take in. Considering the circumstances, I have a lot of thinking to do."

He nodded. "That's fair enough."

He paused for a moment.

"I don't want you to think that I'm trying to pressure you into anything. But I want you to know that I meant everything I said earlier. I'm serious about this. More serious than I've ever been about anything. I just want to make sure that you know that."

She nodded but remained silent.

He reached over his head and slipped an old business card from underneath the sun visor. Flipping it over, he wrote his cell phone number on the back.

"I'll be in town for a couple more days. I'd really like to see you again while I'm here." He handed her the card. "Here's my number. Call me anytime. For any reason."

She slipped the card from his grasp, then watched as his large hand engulfed hers.

"I'd really like it if you'd call me."

Kim nodded again, slipping the card into her coat pocket, while simultaneously pulling out her keys.

"Thank you for dinner. It was nice. All things considered." she stated softly, then reached for the door handle. She stopped when she felt his hand on her arm.

"Thank you for staying." he replied. "I enjoyed it."

He leaned in, kissing her softly, his fingers trailing down her cheek as he pulled away. It was an innocent enough gesture, but at the contact Kim felt her stomach flutter and she was certain her heart stopped. Her cheeks flushed and she muttered a quick good night as she scrambled out the door.

"I'll be waiting to hear from you. " he called after her through the open window. Kim turned back to him one last time, giving him a faint smile before unlocking her car and slipping inside.

He waited on her until she pulled out into the nearly deserted street and headed for home, watching until her tail lights faded from view, still wondering if he would ever hear from her again.

XXXXXX

Stepping inside her apartment and flipping on the light, Kim breathed a sigh of relief that the ill-fated evening was finally over. She tossed her keys onto the table beside the door and headed straight for her bedroom, stripping out of her clothes as she went. She tossed them into the corner of her room, stopping in her tracks as her eyes came to rest on the bed.

Well, the entire evening wasn't horrible, she reminded herself, second guessing her decision to leave the warm comfort of Glen's bed for the loneliness of her own. She quickly pushed the thought aside and changed into her pajamas, washing away what little makeup that remained from her face before slipping under the covers. The bed seemed more frigid than usual tonight, a taunting reminder that it was her decision that had brought her back here. She pulled the covers tighter around her as she replayed the events of the evening, her eyes adjusting to the dark as she tried to sort out all of the feelings that were converging into a senseless mass inside of her.

She was still angry with Glen. A large part of her still didn't trust him. Still doubted the sincerity of his promises. On the other hand, she was still one hundred percent attracted to him and longed for him in a way she never had for any other. It was so hard for her mind to operate properly when her heart wanted to overrule every decision she might make.

Reaching for her purse on the floor, she withdrew the business card he had given her, turning it over and over in her fingers as she stared at it. She could just barely make out his handwriting in the darkened room and she rubbed her thumb across the numbers, as though feeling them might somehow draw him closer to her.

He wanted her to call him. Was waiting for her to call him, in fact. Which meant the decision for whether or not things continued now rested in her hands. Unfortunately, he hadn't given her much time for making that choice. He'd said he would only be in town for a couple more days and she strongly suspected that if he didn't hear from her during those two days, his pursuit of her would be over. That thought alone made her heart constrict. But, if she was being honest with herself, she supposed she couldn't blame him. Everybody had their limits and there would be no sense in him endlessly pursuing a dead end. If that was her decision.

Staring again at the card in her fingers, she realized that there was more at stake now than she had first realized. And she wondered if she was fully prepared to let him walk out of her life again, this time possibly for good.