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“Back in a sec,” he said.
He pushed back his chair and headed for the bar, deliberately slowing his stride when he felt like sprinting. In all honesty, if Cam whistled and crooked her finger at him again with that ‘come and get it’ look in her eyes he’d probably do a mean pole-vaulting impression over the bar too.
“Here you go. One extra snappy espresso.”
She pushed the cup toward him, the saucer sliding across the squeaky clean steel bar.
“You only made it snappy so you can get rid of me.”
Her wry smile did little to detract from the wariness in her eyes. “Looks like you haven’t lost your mind-reading abilities.”
“I guess not. Care to test me out?”
She shook her head and laughed, the familiar low chuckles sending warmth spiralling through him. “Trust me, you don’t want to know what’s going through my head right now.”
“Says who?”
The laughter died on her glossed lips, the same startling shade as her top, as she inched his coffee toward him with a decisive push of her finger.
“Drink up. The clock’s ticking.”
Taking a gamble, he ignored the coffee, placed his index fingers against his temples and narrowed his eyes. “Let me see…you’re thinking how tired you are after working hard all day. You’re thinking you can’t wait to get out of here.”
She quirked an eyebrow and slow-clapped. “Amazing. You should add a bit of fortune-telling to your repertoire too.”
Her sarcasm made him grin. “I also see some cynical thoughts about me whizzing through your head. You don’t want to hear what I have to say. You don’t want to revisit the past. But maybe you’re too scared to admit how good we were together. And how we could have that again given half a chance.”
Her finger convulsed on the edge of his saucer. “Drink up. Then please leave.”
If she pushed the coffee any closer to him it would tip off the bar and splatter on his boots, so he reached across and stilled her hand, vindicated by the slight tremor under his fingers, the flare of awareness in her eyes.
Cam might act like she didn’t give a flying fig about him anymore but he knew better.
He’d seen it when she’d unconsciously leaned toward him a few minutes ago, he saw it now as her tongue darted out to moisten her full bottom lip, the ache to do the same almost visceral.
She’d always done that cute little tongue thing when nervous, like the first time he’d taken her kayaking down Rainbow Creek, the first time she’d tried trail-bike riding, arms clutched around his waist and hanging on for dear life, the first time she’d tried oysters at his coaxing, the first time they’d made love…
The memories filtered across his mind in crystal-clear clarity, sending a shard of pain stabbing at his gut, filling him with bittersweet regret.
He’d walked away from the best thing to happen to him, and while he may not have had a choice back then, he sure had one now and there was no way he’d let her go again.
“I’m not leaving until we talk.”
Her chin tilted up in defiance as she snatched her hand out from under his and took a step back to distance herself from him. “You’re seriously not going to leave me alone until I agree?”
“That’s right.”
“Still as stubborn as ever,” she muttered, with a shake of her head.
“Good to see you remember so many things about me.”
His gaze dropped to the espresso in front of him, extra strong black, just the way he liked it.
She shrugged, but not before he’d seen an answering flicker of understanding as if she remembered plenty.
“My mind has a habit of storing useless information.” She scowled. “Don’t take it personally.”
“I won’t.”
