Page 29 of Heartless

“Soon,” I said. I hadn’t told him I was moving here. I wasn’t quite sure why. It just hadn’t felt right to bring it up. There was a part of me that was worried if I mentioned the move, he’d think I’d only slept with him because I wanted something. That so wasn’t the way I felt. I didn’t want or need or expect anything from him.

“When are you coming back?” David asked. “I hope it won’t be quite so long until your next visit.”

“Why?” I asked. “Already ready for round two?”

“Spending time with you was incredible,” he told me. “It was seriously amazing.”

I couldn’t let myself get swept up in those words. I knew what it was. This was a fling. This wasn’t the type of thing that was going to go somewhere. Not that I wanted something that went somewhere. I knew better than that. I wasn’t the kind of person who needed a relationship. I definitely didn’t need the complications that came from having a relationship with my brother’s BFF.

“Thanks,” I said. I tried to force a smile. “I had a good time, too.” That was the understatement of the year, and we both knew it. I hadn’t had a good time. I’d had the best time. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept with a guy who made me feel like a million dollars. I couldn’t possibly recall the last time someone had made my heart sing the way David did. It was a dangerous feeling because it meant he had the power to hurt me, and nobody should have power like that.

My phone buzzed and I looked down at it. My ride was outside, which meant it was time to say goodbye. I didn’t want to. I didn’t want this to end. I wanted to stay here forever. It could be the two of us and Percy. Those were dangerous thoughts, I knew. I couldn’t start crushing on the guy I’d just slept with.

“I’ve got to go,” I told David.

“Call me,” he kissed me again and I hugged him for a moment too long. I tried to soak him all up in that moment. Then I turned and left. I went out the front door, climbed into the backseat of my ride, and was silent until I got to my brother’s house. It was empty when I arrived, which was for the best. Felix and Lauren were both at work. I had enough time to take a shower, change my clothes, and meet my realtor. I planned to go to a few showings before catching a flight back to Monterey that night.

The problem was that I found I no longer wanted to go back.

I just wanted to stay.

I wanted to stay in Kansas and just be. Last night had been magical and incredible and he’d made me feel so many wonderful things. I was scared, if I was being honest, because it had been a very long time since I’d felt interested in a relationship with someone. I didn’t know if I’d ever been interested the way I was with David. There was a sort of raw familiarity there, something that made me feel like I was going crazy in the best possible way.

I only had a few more weeks until my lease in Monterey was up. Just a few more weeks and then I’d be able to transfer right here to Kansas City. It was going to be nice to be near Felix and Lauren for the wedding planning, I thought. Would it be nice to be near David? I wanted to say yes.

We’d had some incredible sex. Sure, it had been because I’d “lost” the bet the other night, but there had been more to it than all of that. There had been a connection. That’s what I had really felt. More than anything else, I’d felt at peace when I was with David. It was something I hadn’t really felt or experienced before.

Probably, I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have felt happy and comfortable with myself the way that I did, but that was what had happened. He had taken my heart and he’d made me feel like I was worth a million dollars.

Or more.

Usually when I dated a guy, it was a countdown to when things were going to go south. With David, the only countdown was until tonight because I was flying home. We hadn’t entered any sort of agreement or relationship, so there was no getting tired of each other. There wasn’t going to be a moment when we became annoyed with one another. There definitely wasn’t going to be a period of pissing each other off.

“I’m in trouble,” I muttered to myself. Somehow, I managed to shower and get dressed without losing my focus. I sent my brother and Lauren a group text to let them know I was meeting with the realtor, but that I’d have time to grab a quick bite with them before my evening flight. Felix texted back immediately to let me know it was a plan. He didn’t ask how things had gone with David, and for that, I was grateful. I wasn’t going to lie to my big brother, but I also didn’t feel like being completely honest yet, either. Sooner or later, I’d have to tell him, but I hoped that it would be later.

The day went by strangely fast. Polly was a great realtor who had a solid understanding of the city. She knew exactly where I was going to be working, so she focused on showing me apartments around the area. We looked at three different places and finally narrowed it down. I found one that just felt incredible. It was a high-rise apartment building, and my unit was a 2-bedroom with a full kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Everything I could possibly dream of needing was either in the building itself or within walking distance, including a fitness center on-site. My office was just two blocks away, which meant I would have plenty of chances to walk to work if I wanted to. To be honest, I couldn’t put down a deposit fast enough. It was exactly the type of place I could envision myself living.

Perhaps what was nicest was that I’d be alone. My roommates were fine. There was nothing wrong with them, and I had no real complaints except that at my home in Monterey, I never got to be alone. There was something to be said for having a bit of solitude, and I never really got that in Monterey. Here, I was going to be alone. I was going to have time to just be by myself and think, and yeah, I’d be able to get a pet if I wanted to.

Polly, my realtor, was truly incredible. I thanked her and once I had finished signing all of the information for a background check, we were ready to go our separate ways. Polly chose to walk back to the office, so she waved before turning and heading off. I checked the time. It was nearly five. I was supposed to meet my brother and Lauren at six.

The law office where Felix and David worked was close by, though. Maybe I should go visit. I could drop in and see Felix’s office. I could say hit to David, too, if I happened to see him. I didn’t like acting like a girl with a crush. I was a full-grown woman, after all, but something about David just made me a little bit crazy and excited.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I started walking. I made my way toward the office, and when I reached the exterior, I stood and looked up at the building. The legal office where David and Felix worked was a full-service law firm. I understood what my brother and David did and the type of clients they helped. In many ways, I admired both of them. They were like guardian angels, I thought. Only, they were paid better.

David and Felix worked both together and separately to make sure that their clients had the best representation possible regardless of what their personal backgrounds might be. The thing about an attorney was that your lawyer was going to represent you no matter what. It didn’t matter if you were guilty or if you’d made a bad choice. Your lawyer was going to help ensure that you had a fair judgment.

It was cool. David and Felix were cool. In some ways, they were like superheroes. They spent their days saving the world and helping anyone who needed them. It was kind of incredible, really.

I walked up to the front doors and entered the building. It was a tall building with multiple legal offices scattered throughout it. I checked a little guide near the elevators that told me where to go, and then I took the elevator up to the 10th floor where the firm’s suite was. David and Felix had worked here for ages, and this was my first time visiting the legal office in person.

When I stepped off of the elevator, it was like stepping into another world. Everyone looked great. I was almost embarrassed about my outfit before I remembered that I had dressed business casual, as well. I’d wanted to make a good impression while looking for houses, so I’d chosen a button-down blouse with a dark blue skirt and matching heels. My hair was pulled in a loose, low bun, and my makeup was subtle, but lovely, if I did say so myself.

I thought that when looking at potential houses or apartments, it was important to make a good impression. I didn’t want a potential landlord or property manager to see me and think that I looked like a scallywag or something like that. I wanted them to think, “Wow, she’s really got her shit together.” Hopefully, that was what the receptionist would think when she saw me, too. I took a step forward toward the big desk at the center of the room.

“Welcome to Desmond and Associates,” the receptionist greeted me with a smile. She was very pretty, and she seemed very calm. I wondered if that was important. Did a receptionist need to be calming? Maybe, if she was used to wild clients who got all worked up. “Do you have an appointment today?”

There were a few other people sitting in the waiting room. They were all in suits or business-wear, and most of them were staring at their phone

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