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He slid off the rock and tucked the cigarettes and lighter into the inside pocket of the leather jacket he was always wearing. “Don’t sweat it, kid.”
There was the almost.
He seemed to think of her like a little sister rather than someone he’d be interested in, even though they were the same age to the day.
“We’re not kids.”
“Yes, we are.” He closed his eyes for a moment, reeling in his emotions like he always seemed to do. “But we’re kids together.”
And there went her heart doing its stupid dance.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Together.”
***
It took Katrina lessthan an hour to get through her presentation, one that she’d put painstaking detail into. Lorenzo hung on every word, and when she finally finished, he was grinning.
“It’s brilliant, Trina. Absolutely brilliant.”
“You think so?”
“I think it’s going to really build the customer base.” He stood before her, so close in the cramped office space that she could smell a hint of his cologne.
Damn, he smelled good.
He looked good.
He looked as if he were finally sleeping.
“You and Judith seemed very friendly.” Katrina cringed inwardly at the slight hint of jealousy she felt, the pang of wanting to be the one Lorenzo took into his arms.
Again.
It was happening to her all over again.
His eyes were on her, drinking her in from top to bottom and back up again before holding her gaze.
He wasn’t going to say a thing.
She knew that about him, just as she knew their friendliness was just that. She could only hope that Judith was helping him in the way Judith had been helping her, making her feel less lost, less alone.
“I owe you an apology,” he finally said. “A real one. I’d...I’d like to talk to you.”
“I’d like that, too.”
“I was thinking...” He reached for her hand and held it gently. “I owe you both an apology and my gratitude. You could have told me to fuck right off, but you didn’t.”
“I couldn’t.” She again could feel the heat brandishing her cheeks, showing him his affect on her.
“You could have, but you didn’t.” He stepped in a little closer, swallowing as he entwined his fingers with hers. “You held my hand when I had no one. When I was the new kid, when I damn near killed myself in that wreck, when...when I told you the truth.”
“Almost.”
“Almost?”
“You were planning to leave.” Her choked voice gave away her emotion, and she felt his thumb caress the back of her hand.
“I had to, Trina.”
