With his tussled hair and five o’clock shadow, Conor looked even hotter than he had last night. It was all I could do to keep myself from jumping out of that bed and pouncing on him, but I could see he had other plans. Trying to hide my disappointment, I asked, “Are you leaving?”
“Afraid so.” He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his boots. “I’ve gotta get over to the clubhouse and check on things there, but I want to see you later.”
“I have an appointment this morning.” I groaned at the mere mention of my scheduled therapy session but quickly rebounded and continued, “And then I’m meeting with Rebecca about her parents’ anniversary party, but I’m free after that.”
“Good deal.” He leaned in, gave me a quick kiss, then stood up. “I’ll give you a shout later.”
“Okay, talk to you then.”
Lynch walked out of my bedroom, and seconds later, I heard the front door open and close. I didn’t want to be late for my appointment, so I forced myself out of bed and rushed to the bathroom for a shower. As soon as I was done, I put on my favorite jeans and a sweater, then headed into the kitchen for some breakfast.
I was just about to pour myself a cup of coffee when I heard, “Sounded like you had quite a time last night.”
“Oh, shit, Haleigh. You heard us?”
“Just until I put my headphones on. After that,” she giggled and admitted, “I still heard ya.”
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry. How embarrassing!”
“Don’t be silly.” She giggled. “It’s not like you haven’t heard me. It’s one of the great things about living here with these stupid thin walls. Besides, it was good to know one of us was having a fun night.”
“You didn’t have a nice time at your dinner?”
“No, the dinner was a total bore, but I had a great time with Locke.” Haleigh looked like she was about to burst with excitement as she went on, “He took me to dinner, and then we took a long walk downtown and just talked and talked. It was the perfect night.”
“That’s awesome, Haleigh. I’m so glad you two hit it off.”
“I am too! I think we’re going to get together again tonight.”
“That’s great.” I looked over at the wall clock and groaned when I saw the time. “You’ll have to tell me all about it later. I’ve gotta get going. I have my appointment with Dr. Holt today.”
“Oh, yeah.” Haleigh grimaced. “I forgot you had that today.”
“I’m so dreading it.”
“I know, but maybe it won’t be too bad.”
“Maybe, but I’m not counting on it.” I started for the door. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
When I reached the parking lot, I was surprised that one of Conor’s brothers was parked next to my car. I immediately walked over and asked, “Hey, are you looking for Lynch?”
“No, ma’am. I’m here for you.”
“For me?”
He nodded.
“I’m not following.”
“Then, I guess you’ll have to take it up with Lynch.”
I was already late for my appointment, so I decided to hold off on calling him and got in my car. I drove over to the address listed on Dr. Holt’s business card, trying to ignore the sense of dread washing over me as I pulled up to her office. I parked and then took a moment to sulk.
Ignoring Conor’s biker friend behind me, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. A smile slipped across my lips the second I started thinking about the night I shared with Conor. It was even better than I’d imagined. He was so attentive and manly, making all before him pale in comparison, and I couldn’t wait to see him again.
I was sitting on cloud nine as I forced myself out of the car and towards her office. When I reached the door, I was surprised that my therapist wasn’t even there. Instead, she’d just left a packet of papers for me to fill out and return. I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I grabbed the papers and rushed back to my car.
I happily tossed the packet into the passenger seat, then messaged Rebecca to let her know I could meet up earlier. She was having coffee with a couple of her friends and insisted that I join them. I was a little apprehensive, but after hearing that Frankie was there, I decided to go and meet them.
When I arrived at the coffee shop, I spotted the black SUV I’d seen before in the parking lot. The man who’d been following me pulled up next to them and parked. I had a million questions going through my head as I grabbed my planner and headed inside.
As soon as I walked in, I spotted Rebecca sitting at a table in the back with her friends. When she saw me, a warm smile crossed her face as she waved me over. “Hey, Rae! We’re over here!”