Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“I’m so sorry,” she blurted out in a rush, still staring straight ahead. “I wasn’t paying attention—”
“Skye,” he said, the word a subtle order for her to look up. Saying her name meant he knew her and was meant to shake her out of wherever her mind had gone.
It worked. Even in heels, she’d always been petite, and she finally tipped her head back, her cornflower blue eyes meeting his . . . and Jesus, she was still so damn beautiful she took his breath away.
He smiled at the shock playing across her face as she recognized him, and he gently brushed his thumbs against her bare arms, as much to ease the tension from her body as it was to feel her soft, silky skin beneath his fingers.
She shivered in response and relaxed slightly, and he didn’t miss the awareness—and something else he couldn’t quite define—that flickered in her gaze as she tried to regain her equilibrium.
Seemingly flustered, she greeted him with a nervous, and shrill, “Hi!”
He chuckled, seeing a small glimpse of the adorably awkward Skye she’d been when they’d first met, even if there was something more reserved about her now.
“Hi yourself,” he replied, and now that she was steady on her feet, he reluctantly released her arms. “It’s good to see you.”
She cleared her throat, as if making sure that the squeak in her voice was gone. “You, too,” she replied, more composed now, even if she was staring at him in wide-eyed awe.
He slid his gaze past Skye for a moment to address her friend, Lauren, who he recognized from the massive Dare/Kingston circle of family and friends they were both a part of since his brother, Beck, had married Chloe Kingston. Hell, this bar, The Back Door, was owned and operated by Zach Dare.
Yeah, figuring out the whole family and friends dynamic, and how they were connected to either the Dares or the Kingstons or both, could make a person’s head spin. Case in point, Lauren hanging out with Skye as if they were old friends. How did they even know one another?
It didn’t escape his notice that Lauren was watching the interaction between himself and Skye with undisguised interest. “Hi, Lauren,” he greeted her. “Nice to see you.”
She adjusted the strap of her purse over her shoulder and smiled. “Same. You know Skye?”
He nodded. “We met in Boston while I was in med school,” he said, keeping the explanation short and simple.
“Wow, small world,” Lauren said with a laugh. “By the way, I just saw that you’re one of the bachelors up for auction at next week’s Future Fast Track charity event.”
He grimaced at the reminder. “Yeah. Chloe managed to twist my arm, and Drew’s,” he said of his other single brother, then returned his attention back to Skye, the only woman in the bar he wanted to focus on. “I have to say I’m shocked to see you in New York City. Are you here with your husband?”
Yeah, he went there. Might as well address his biggest question and get it out in the open, because her answer would decide what he did next.
“No, I’m divorced,” she said, and there was no sadness in her voice, but rather a steely conviction that surprised him. “I live in New York now and work with Lauren at the Meridian Hotel.”
Perfect. “Would you like to stay? Have a drink and catch up?” he asked. Clearly, a lot had changed in the past five years.
“I . . . umm.”
She hesitated, contemplating his invitation as she bit her bottom lip—another one of those quirks he loved. Waiting for her answer was one of those defining moments, because if Skye turned him down, then she’d well and truly moved on.
Finally, she smiled… and nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
Relief surged through him. That she’d agreed to have a drink with him made Tripp hope that there was something still there between them, despite everything in the past. Time would tell, and he was just happy to spend the next few hours in her presence.
“Well, I’m going to grab an Uber and head out so you two can reconnect.” Lauren gave Skye a hug. “I’ll see you in the office on Monday.”
Skye said goodbye, then glanced around the bar area. “The place is packed. Looks like all the seats are taken.” A couple had even slid into the chairs behind Skye where they’d been sitting.
Tripp glanced across the room, catching sight of Hudson, who was still at their table, watching his interaction with Skye. “I have a table in the back corner, where it’s quieter. My friend who I came here with is still sitting there.”
He automatically placed his hand at the small of Skye’s back to guide her in that direction. When he touched her, she tensed again, more subtly this time but it was obvious to him anyway. Then she immediately eased out a breath and her muscles relaxed, as if she’d recognized he was someone who wouldn’t hurt her.