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“I know she came in here.”
“I think you’re mistaken.” Isabelle picked up the house phone on the bar. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Nick’s head swiveled zeroing in on the door beyond the bar easing open.
“Isabelle, what’s going on out—” Cheryl stood in the doorway of the adjoining room. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. A wave of vertigo swept over her and she gripped the doorframe as Nick rushed forward, then stopped short.
“Cheryl?”
“Are you all right?” Izzy’s voice echoed through her muddled brain.
“Yea—no—I?—”
Izzy flanked her glaring at Nick.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Cheryl drew in a deep breath as a surreal out of body episode enveloped her. “Can you give us a minute?” she said to Izzy.
Izzy looked between them, shot Nick a quizzical look, then reluctantly entered the other room. “I’ll be right in here if you need me.”
Cheryl walked past him on unsteady legs and slowly lowered herself to the couch. Nick followed her and sat in the chair across from her.
She stared at him blankly as her brain tried to make sense of this outrageous situation. How was this happening? Why was this happening? Ten years, she’d been so careful to erase all andany trace of Cheryl Benson for fear of her past revisiting her. Now, in one single second all her caution, and calculation came crashing down around her.
He reached out to her and she shied away. This man was a stranger to her now, but yet there were so many things familiar. His dark simmering eyes still so full of fire. His lean, muscular build now more developed and filled out in the best of ways. His flawless skin and a neck tattoo he hadn’t had ten years ago.
His lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear his words through the fog of this mind-boggling, beyond belief experience.
She cleared her throat and forced herself to come back to reality and focus. Easier said than done.
“You were at Johnny Russo’s party the other night, huh?”
She zoned in on Johnny’s name and panicked as a whole new wave of anxiety hit. Had he told Johnny about her past with Nick? Was Portia somehow in danger?
She clasped her hands in a tight fist on her lap willing her common sense and usual composure to return but it was useless. Nick unraveled her in the past and now all these years later his power over her seemed invincible.
“Excuse me?”
“You were at Johnny Russo’s house party Sunday night over at Country Club Hills, right?”
Oh shit, he knew where she lived. Maybe he even knew about Portia. Shockingly, her heartbeat kicked up faster, but she self-talked herself into drawing in some deep breaths. The extra oxygen cleared her thoughts and told her she was spiraling. His question made it clear he thought she was just a guest there and had no idea about Portia or her ties to Johnny.
“Yes.” The single word gave away nothing and she mentally high-fived at the small victory.
“Aren’t you surprised to see me?”
Surprised, shocked, stunned, overwhelmed, astounded, and astonished. Those adjectives about summed it up.
“Yes.” Doing great, just keep it simple.
Nick lifted his chin. “You changed your hair.”
“Yes.” Another easy answer but she was starting to sound like a robot.
“It makes you look so different.”
“That was the idea ten years ago, but apparently not different enough if you picked me out in a huge hotel like the Bellagio.”
“So, what are you doing here?” Nick motioned around the suite.
