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CHAPTER1
Carinna
“I’m telling you, Hattie, I just don’t have time for this!” I wince at the strident tone sneaking into my voice. It never does to piss Hattie off. She’ll just bulldoze over your objections. Which is what she’s currently doing.
“Carinna, you’re the only one of us who has a stay at home job so your hours are more flexible.”
“I’m also a single mom, Hattie. That means I’m a helluva lot less flexible.”
“Pish!” she snorts. “Your daughter is almost ten years old. She’s more than capable of watching herself for a few minutes.”
“Absolutely not! No way she’s old enough to stay alone.” I know I’m a little over-protective. A lot of Maddy’s friends stay home by themselves after school. It’s not that big a deal. Of course, it’s not that. I absolutely cannot do this! I can’t be around Chris. Can’t look into those smoky blue eyes that sparkle like London topaz. Can’t look at those damn kissable full lips without feeling the little twinge that’s always bubbling just under the surface. I can’t watch him sing. Can’t listen to his songs. Not even after all these years.
“Hattie, come on. Seriously. I cannot do this.”
“I hear you used to date him in high school. Is that why? Are you still in love with him?”
“No!” I snort. “I am not. I’m just really busy. You know….deadlines and stuff.”
“I already found out your next book isn’t due for six months. You’ve got plenty of time.” Her sharp eyes study me while she waves her hand around negligently. “You’re not being very civic-minded. I mean, this is your home. You’d think you’d want to have a bit more to do with your civic responsibilities.”
Ouch!That was a direct hit. I have lived here my whole life and although I send some store-bought stuff for the bake sales at the school, I’ve never really bothered with anything else.
“Hattie,” I growl.
“Carinna? Is that you?”
My eyes widen and my blood runs cold then hot.Oh shit!I know that husky, deep voice with just a hint of a twang. The kind that just makes your panties wet with one damn word.
And he said four. So I’m fucking soaked. I refuse to turn around. I close my eyes and swallow hard. This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid.
“Aren’t you going to turn around, baby?” His voice is soft and amused. So damn tempting. I’m fighting everything in me not to turn.
It’s always been this way. As soon as we went to high school together and both of us hit about sixteen, the tension and all these other roiling emotions bowled me over. Just a smile would make me feel on top of the world. The first time he kissed me it was like fireworks and explosions rocketing through my body.
I tamp all that shit down. I can’t deal with any of that. Not when there’s so much at stake right now.
“Hattie,” I whisper. “You have no idea what you’re doing right now.”
A sly smile curls her lips but there’s a slight glint in her eyes that says she’s not as sure as she wants to be.
Neither am I. Hopefully I can get rid of him before…well, just hopefully I can get rid of him for good.
I turn and make my face as cold and emotionless as I can even though the sight of him has my whole body melting into a puddle.
He looks so different and yet the same. Same gorgeous, light blue eyes that are way too familiar. Same dishwater blond hair but now it’s flowing down around his shoulders in a curtain of waves that look so soft and inviting my fingers are itching to sink into it. Tanned and taller than when he was a teenager, his shoulders and arms have filled in and the tight t-shirt he’s wearing shows off every damn ripple, making my mouth water.
“Hello, Chris.” I struggle to make my voice as even and calm as I can but my eyes dart back and forth around the park. I need to get away from this whole situation as soon as possible.
His bright blue eyes slide down my body and that damn ripple of heat snakes through me, lighting up all the nerves that I hoped were dead. A quick flash of desire makes me almost moan. It’s still there. All of the need that we both felt. It’s still alive, banked but still there lying in wait to pounce.
“I-I really need to go, Hattie. I’m so late. I’ve got an appointment and I told you that this wasn’t a good idea. I’m just so damn busy with deadlines and other stuff.”
“Your daughter, you mean?”
I close my eyes, cursing.Shit!When I open my eyes and look at Chris, his eyes have turned wary and cold.
“You have a daughter?” His deep voice makes me cringe inside.
