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Sly cleared his throat, his gaze flicking from Maeve, whose mouth was hanging open, her cheeks as red as fire, and AJ, who was unaware of their audience. Before Sly could open his mouth and call Maeve in and end the awkward moment of naked truth, AJ continued.
“When I find her, she’s gonna love me more than she loves anything else, and I’m gonna love her the same. I just got to find her. I’ll know her when I see her—at least that’s what I want to believe.”
Hell…where had all that deep, introspective, true love bullshit come from? AJ was hiding some painful longing.
Like you aren’t, asshole?
Maeve, having closed her mouth, hugged some files to her chest and moved into his office, her gaze still on AJ, her cheeks still on fire.
“Ex-excuse me, Mr. White,” she stammered, finally breaking her gaze from AJ, who’d turned around at her voice and stiffened. “Here are the files you emailed about.”
As he watched, Maeve’s gaze bounced to AJ…who gave the woman a quick, friendly smile, and turned back to Sly, efficiently acknowledging her then dismissing her.
His assistant hastily dropped the files on his desk, threw one more glance at AJ, then shuffled from the room like the hounds of hell were on her heels.
Hmmm…that seems interesting….
Minutes later, once AJ bid him goodbye with a silent but admiring Maeve staring after him, Sylvester picked up his phone, determined to find the nearest florist for a big ass bouquet of apology flowers.
Shit, I should have asked AJ what Sallina’s favorite flowers are.
His phone pinged with a text, stopping his thoughts.
“Shit,” he spat, staring down at the text on his screen, the heavy sigh rising from his chest.
Loni: Sly, baby. I really think we should talk.
Loni: I’m at the Bungalow. Rm 317.
Loni: We can do dinner and catch up.
Dammit. Loni was in Jackson Key? Why the fuck was she there? What could she possibly want to talk about?
Sucking in a frustrated breath, he tossed his phone on his desk, fighting the urge to text her and tell her that no matter how many texts or invitations or wishes or dreams, he couldn’t give her what she really wanted. But he couldn’t. As always, his hands were tied. And he couldn’t ignore her for long before she came looking for him, probably in the most public of places, at the busiest time, knowing he hated making a scene.
“Shit!” The last thing he wanted when trying to get Sallina to give him the time of day was to have his ex-wife showing up and enacting a daytime drama where all the small-town gossips could see. Loni hadn’t always been so…needy. She’d once been a fun, bright-eyed, hopeful, energetic girl with stars in her eyes and a heart as big as Jupiter. But, that changed the same night Sly crashed into the guardrail after clipping an 18-wheeler, killing her brother, breaking his own arm, and leaving Loni and her parents grieving.
Sly knew it was ridiculous to think he was solely responsible for how Loni turned out, the woman she became after Jake’s death, but he also knew he had a big hand in it. He’d foolishly thought that marrying her, giving her what she said she’d wanted all along—a relationship with him—would exorcise the ghosts in both their eyes. He’d been wrong, of course. And now, he couldn’t be that guy, the one who turned his back on his ex-wife, his once best friend, the sister of a man he loved like a brother.
So, when Loni texted, he texted back. When she called, he answered. When she showed up in town to see him, he slunk to her like a puppy eager to see his master smile because when she was smiling, she wasn’t crying about Jake.
Maybe this is a sign. Maybe you shouldn’t be doing anything with Sallina. Maybe this is part of your penance—wanting something so much but not getting to have it.
Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes, spouting every filthy word he knew in his head five times each until the sick that rose into his throat abated.
Picking up his phone, he texted Loni back.
Sly: I’ll meet you in the hotel bar. 9PM.
Loni: See you then, baby.
He dropped his phone, punched his desk, and—for the million and one time in his life—wondered how much more he’d have to take before he felt…peace.
You’ve felt peace….He sucked in a breath, realization slamming into him like a truck.
Sallina. That night. In her arms, in her bed, with her breath caressing his cheek, her body curled up beside his in the dark. His body sated, his mind focused on her like a lighthouse beacon on a raging sea. There, in those moments, he’d felt…peace.
And fuck if he was going to give that up.
