Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
I had the vague impression that it was my life that had just exploded, but I didn’t know exactly how or why.
God, when I first saw him, I had thought I would pass out. I hoped that Detective Powers hadn’t been able to see how much that encounter affected me. How embarrassing.
I attempted to gather myself and clear my head. Get it together, Grace. You’re acting like an emotional wreck. And over what? Okay, so I had just unexpectedly run into a man that I had spent a weekend with almost five years ago. He had helped me to discover some important things about myself and what I wanted that had had a positive influence on my life. Great. Good. We had both moved forward with our lives. I was engaged now to a man who was good for me, a man who loved me. Carson had obviously done pretty great for himself too. He had gone into the navy, become a SEAL. Holy crap! A strong surge of something I could only call pride rose up in my chest. I pictured him standing in his office, so professional, so poised, so different than the young man I remembered.
When he’d told me he had tried to look me up, a feeling of deep disappointment had formed a ball in my throat. Immediately, I hadn’t been able to help wondering how that might have changed things. Would we have reunited—even if only by phone, or by mail? I chewed at my lip, finally deciding there was no point in attempting to answer that question. We hadn’t reunited. And that was reality. If we had, in some shape or form, I may not have the life I had now. I may not be with Alex…
I leaned up and looked at myself in the car mirror and frowned. I looked shell-shocked. “Shake it off,” I whispered to my own reflection.
I exited the garage and turned back onto the Strip, blasting my AC. As I traveled to my office—and despite my best efforts—my mind continued to stray to Carson.
I had made dinner plans with him. I groaned out loud, hitting my hands lightly on the steering wheel. What was I going to tell Alex? I had tried to rush out of there—so overwhelmed with the emotions pummeling me, I could hardly think straight. But he had stopped me and I was weak. God, after all this time, I was still affected by him. But holy shit, what woman wouldn’t be affected by him? I had thought he was hot five years ago. Now he was a blazing inferno. That boyishness that had charmed me so completely back then was still there but roughened up a bit—not gone but chipped away, giving him an edge that he didn’t have before. And that damn dimple still worked its magic, entrancing me every time he flashed a smile and it made an appearance.
His hair was shorter, and although he was still lean, I could tell that his muscles were more chiseled, even hidden under the suit he was wearing. And there was something behind his eyes that hadn’t been there before—maybe a worldliness? I wanted to know more. God help me, I did. I stopped at a red light and brought my palm up to my forehead. I shouldn’t be thinking about him like this. It was highly inappropriate.
Not to mention the fact that he was well acquainted with the man I was prosecuting. Was there a conflict of interest there, even having dinner? No, I didn’t think so. It’s not like he was involved in the case. He was just the man’s employer. But still, I wasn’t going to lie to myself and say that it was just two old friends grabbing a bite to eat. We were two people who had spent a weekend having sex…lots of sex…lots of great sex.
My mind started to wander to places it shouldn’t wander and I pulled up short. God, stop, Grace! What is wrong with you?
So… yes, having dinner with him felt more complicated than just catching up with an old friend. But I longed to know how his life had come to the place where it was now. I longed to know how he was doing. I had thought about him so often over the years. So I’d satisfy my curiosity, and then we’d go our separate ways. He lived in the same city I lived in. Okay. That was fine. I would make sure—
A car horn blared behind me and I jolted out of my thoughts, moving forward through the light. I forced myself not to think about Carson the rest of the way back to my office. I had the second half of the workday to get through and I needed to focus.
Alex was out of the office for the rest of the day, tied up in court, and I was thankful. I couldn’t help feeling guilty about making dinner plans with Carson.