“Nope.”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “I know when to mind my own business.”
“You were always good like that,” I agreed.
He glanced over my shoulder. “Maddox, can you watch the bar for me?”
I didn’t bother to look and see who the hell Maddox was. I just scrolled down my IG timeline. I needed to laugh at a few Reels before Dallas’ pick got there. A few minutes later, I watched a short video of a woman telling her man to “bring that dick here.” Laughing, I picked up my glass of water and gulped it down.
“Can I get you anything else?”
My eyes flew to the man who’d asked the question, certain he wouldn’t be who I thought he was. Unfortunately—or fortunately—I was wrong.Oh damn. I pushed myself back because I forgot I was indeed sitting on a small barstool, and nearly fell on my ass. Good thing I had great reflexes because I gripped the edge of the bar, did a quick twist maneuver, and landed on my feet. My phone wasn’t as lucky, though. It crashed to the floor and rolled somewhere behind me. Dropping to my knees, I scrambled to grab it before someone stepped on it.
Bliss was faster, though, and she picked it up. “Get your ass up off this floor, cousin,” she murmured. “Someone is probably recording your calamity as we speak.”
I stood and smoothed a hand over my hair. “Right.” I took a few deep breaths before glancing back over to the bar. Yep, he was still there. Still staring.Still fly. Turning away, I struggled to gather my thoughts. “I…”
“How many drinks did you have?” Bliss tilted her head to meet my gaze. “Are you drunk? The date couldn’t have been that bad.”
I swallowed, torn between telling Bliss everything and taking my secret to the grave. I chose to unburden myself and pulled her toward the Ladies Restroom. Once inside, I blurted out, “He’s here.”
She arched a questioning brow. “Who?”
“Airport guy.”
Bliss blinked. “I don’t know who that is.”
“I never told you this before, but I had a little fling before I got married.”
“You had alotof flings before you got married,” she said with a shrug.
“No, I—” I glared at her. “I didn’t have alotof flings.”
“Focus, Sloane.”
“Fine.” I paced the small restroom and prayed there was no one in the closed stall. I bent low to check for feet. When I didn’t see any, I continued, “Before I married Marv, I hooked up with this guy I met at the airport.”
It had been ten years, but it was still the single most impactful encounter I’d ever had with a man. We didn’t share much about ourselves that night, but our intense connection had been unforgettable. I’d thought about him many times, wondered where he lived, what he was doing, if he’d continued his photography? Did he have children?Is he married?
“Wow,” Bliss said after I’d told her an abridged version of the story. “That’s deep.”
I pointed toward the door. “How is he here?”
She shrugged, pulling her phone out of her purse. “I don’t know, but I’m telling.”
“No the hell you’re not.” I snatched it away from her and held it up. Bliss was four inches shorter than me, so I knew she wouldn’t try for it. “I need to think here.Youneed to help me.”
With a smirk, she said, “I got nothing. I just know I don’t want to be stuck in the bathroom for hours while you think about it.” She held out her hand. “Can I have my phone back?”
I let out a slow breath and handed her the phone. “You’re no help.”
Bliss giggled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”
With my hand on my hips, I said, “Did you see him?”
Maddox was fine as hell. Tall and lean and hard in all the right places. Smooth skin, sincere eyes. And his locs were styled in a sexy-as-hell ponytail. And those lips…Damn. I still remembered the way they felt against mine. Shit, I remembered everything about that night like it had just happened yesterday. Our bodies were in sync. While we didn’t exchange a lot of words, it felt like we were destined to be in that place, at the same time. When I walked away from him, I’d hesitated. When it was time to marry Marv, I’d paused at the threshold to the sanctuary. And not just because my ex-husband was a sorry-ass cheater. Instinctively, I’d known that I would never have the passion for my husband that I had with the mystery man. And I didn’t. Not even close.
“He is hot,” Bliss conceded. “But what are you going to do about it? Hide in here for the rest of the night?” Her phone buzzed. “Oops. Your second date is here.”
