Page 35 of On One Condition

Yes. No. Maybe.

All I know is, he has been nowhere for fifteen years and now, all of a sudden, he’s freaking everywhere—in my town, in my thoughts, in an assisted living facility for God’s sake.

I square my shoulders and head back to the table where he still sits.

“Thanks for amusing Gran. That was nice of you, but you can go now. She won’t be coming back out for some time.” The smile I offer him is strained. I then pick up the checker pieces and board.

“That’s all you’ve got for me, Ash? Shame, I don’t think Gran would be very receptive to such hostility.” Why does he say things like that with a smile? One that says I’m being ridiculous, and he’s not annoyed or fazed or anything in the least?

“And I don’t think she’d be receptive if she knew who you really were,” I grit out as I close the box on the checkers and head to the game closet down the hallway without looking back at him.

I don’t realize my mistake until I’m at the far end of the long, narrow walk-in type closet, and his footsteps sound behind me. I put the game on the shelf in its place and turn to find Ledger standing there, his broad shoulders eating up the small space.

“What are you doing here, Ledge?”

“Talking to you.” There’s that disarming, I’m not doing anything wrong but annoying you grin again.

I blow out an exasperated sigh. “No. I mean here. At the facility. In this closet. Here.”

“Talking to you,” he repeats.

“Well, I only talked to you because of Gran. Now she’s gone, so I don’t have to be polite anymore.”

“So that means you don’t want to talk about what happened?” He takes a step closer to me.

“No. I told you I didn’t. Let it go.”

“Only if you will.”

He’s trapped me in my own words. If I let the past go, then I have no reason to be angry with him and every right to want that kiss he almost gave me—and that I’ve thought about way too much.

“Go away,” I mutter. He steps closer to me and reaches out to play with a strand of hair that’s fallen over my shoulder.

“Pin the girl down and kiss her. Weren’t those Gran’s words?” he murmurs.

The space closes in all around us. I shift to get out of the confined space and his undeniable presence that eats it up.

He’s close.

Too close.

I can see the flecks of gold in his eyes. Feel the warmth of his breath whispering over my lips. Feel his fingertips as they release my lock of hair and trail ever so softly down my bare arm.

My nipples harden.

He’s the one who walked away and didn’t look back.

My fingers itch to touch.

He’s the one who broke your heart.

My mind wants to forget.

Walk away, Ash.

He leans forward. The hitch of my breath fills the room. “This isn’t over, Asher. Not by a long shot. I’m not a patient man, but I’ve waited fifteen years to kiss you again . . . what’s a few more days?”

A lifetime.