“Hey.”
“What’s on the schedule today, boss?”
She smiled, though he couldn’t see it. “I hadn’t thought past right now.”
He moved his hand to her hip and nudged up the edge of her T-shirt, enough to touch bare skin. “I’m not going to push the issue, then. I’m fine with this.”
“We have to get up eventually.”
“Do we?”
“Yes.” She laughed. This was perfect. Which sucked, because it would end soon.
It was better that way. With him gone, she could get him out of her system, have a clear head to remember why she didn’t do long-term relationships, and go back to building a business he didn’t approve of because it wouldn’t make a lot of money. “Do you like living in L.A.?” She frowned at her own question, unsure where it came from.
“I never thought about it. It’s familiar. It’s also smoggy, overcrowded, hot and muggy, and never rains.” As he talked, he traced her waist with his thumb. It was as comforting and familiar as it was seductive.
“If that’s on the travel brochure, they need a better tourism department. It sounds miserable.”
His quiet chuckle rumbled through her back. “Actually, I love it. A lot of people don’t, and others think it’s all big stars and homeless people, with nothing in between. I picked it though, and I don’t regret it. I enjoy the big-city feeling. My office is close to home, which means I usually walk to work, and there’s so much culture. So much to do and see. After all these years, it hasn’t gotten old.”
Like Atlanta, but bigger. “It sounds amazing.”
“You think so?” He sounded surprised.
She didn’t expect that reaction. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well... You know.” Vague and obscure, even by his terms.
She shifted her weight, to glance over her shoulder and look at him. “I don’t have any idea, but I’m curious.”
He pulled back, so she could lie down and see him. He moved his hand to her stomach. “I watch a lot of movies, as you know. And they’ve all told me—because really, we should trust what movies teach us—that the small-town girl always wants to stay in the small town. If she leaves, and especially if she gets a taste of the big city, when it’s all over she wants to be back where there are as many cows as people.”
“We don’t have cows here.”
“You know what I mean.” He tickled her until she squealed and grabbed his hand, then returned to the light touch above her waist.
“If I thought for a second you believed everything you saw on TV, we wouldn’t be cuddling.”Cuddling.She liked the way the word rolled off her tongue. “I stay here because it’s financially convenient. I’ve thought about moving to Atlanta, but...”
“But what?”
She was going to say too much held her here. That wasn’t right, though. Her memories were tied to the people, not the place, and there were as many bad ones as good. Besides, all those people were gone. “I guess I can’t put it into words.”
“You don’t have to.” He dipped his head, to brush his lips over hers.
Each time he did that, she wondered at how natural it felt. Both the kisses and the tender touches. Anything intimate that he didn’t hesitate to do. Not a good place for her to dwell. “You really compared other women to me in college?” she asked.
“I did tell you that, didn’t I?” His smile turned sheepish. “That night we kissed was a defining point in my life. So much changed.”
Everything changed. She got engaged. He left and swore he’d never be back. “Yet you still walked away and let me go through with it.” She snapped her jaw shut. Stupid bitter thoughts were supposed to stay in her head.
He sat up, and the chill that rushed in around her was from more than the suddenly missing body heat. His face slid into its impassive mask. “After I begged and pleaded with you to tell Dannyno, I didn’t want to see that happen. Especially with the way things ended up, but even before I knew.” The words should be passionate and moving, but his flat delivery destroyed their impact.
She could do the same. Keep her emotion under control and pretend she hadn’t reopened a gaping wound. “Begged and pleadedis a bit severe.” She extracted herself from the couch and took a spot in the chair across from him.
“No. It’s not.” The edge snapped into his voice and was gone as quickly. “I told you he wasn’t faithful.”
“It was an open relationship.” The retort slipped out, without her having to grab for it. The excuse that kept her by Danny’s side for years, even after they closed things up.