Page 66 of Running to You

The kind of man he was.

She’d moved in close, drawn by pink lips in their almost smile.

Just one little kiss.

He’d never know.

Don’t do it.

Her mother’s voice rang in her head, but she ignored it. One little kiss wouldn’t hurt anybody.

She kneeled beside the couch. Leaned in. Brushed her lips against his.

Let herself linger there, reveling in the closeness, pretending it was real.

About to back away.

But his hands came around her. Pulled her closer. He’d deepened the kiss, and all the love she felt for him exploded inside. Her fears dissipated. Everything would be okay because her Sam was back. Holding her. Loving her.

And then he’d pushed her away.

Even after, as she’d stood in front of the fireplace, heat burning her face like the glowing embers warmed her backside, even then she’d thought, But you wanted me.

She’d felt it. She’d known it to her core.

Only later, lying in bed and replaying the moment on a loop, did it occur to her that he probably hadn’t been dreaming of her at all.

He’d probably been dreaming of someone else.

That was when the tears started.

In the bright light of morning, the somebody else took shape in her mind, not just a phantom female but a woman with long blond hair, a perfect face, and a figure to make a monk swoon.

Images of Sam with the blonde flipped through Eliza’s brain like a slideshow. Posing for a camera. Caught in a laugh. Dancing. One of the pictures felt like a gut-punch.

And the memory supplied a name.

Kayla. No, not that. Cadence? Kaylee?

Kylee.

Kylee Trubridge. Of the Trubridges.

Sam had introduced her as a friend at one of the events Eliza attended with him—a dance, a fundraiser. Who knew? But whenever Eliza and Sam went to anything, Kylee was there.

Always laughing a little too loudly at Sam’s jokes. Touching him a little more than was appropriate—but not enough that Eliza wouldn’t look like a jealous shrew if she said something.

Though Sam had laughed off her concern—we’ve been friends for years—Eliza had sensed that Kylee wanted more than friendship.

Eliza didn’t remember exactly why she and Sam had broken up, but Kylee had played a part. That felt heartbreakingly true.

Kylee was the woman Sam had been dreaming about the night before. No wonder he’d pushed Eliza away. She’d never stood a chance next to the rich, model-gorgeous blonde.

Now Eliza covered her face as shame burned her skin.

This was what she got for disobeying. She should have listened to her conscience, even if it sounded like Mom’s voice in her head. She should have followed the rules. Every time she broke them, the world fell apart.

Mom had told her not to hire Sam to consult on the sale of the business. “You need someone older. Someone with more experience.” She’d offered her choice, of course, a sixty-something friend from the club. But Sam’s proposal had blown the other man’s away. Sam had courted Eliza’s business—and he’d courted her. And in the end, he’d made good on his promise, finding a buyer who paid more than she’d ever dreamed for Dad’s business. A seven-figure deal that set Eliza and her mother up for life.