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Gage handed back the letter with tears tracking down his cheeks. He looked through the windshield, staring at the field and she could tell he was contemplating the mistakes he made thinking with his dick instead of his brain.
“I’m sorry, Nina. Everything went straight to hell.” He wiped his face before putting the truck in gear. “One day, I’ll find a way to fix it. Until then, I’ll try to become the man she always thought I was.”
Ten minutes later, Gage pulled into the bus station as Rowan’s bus left for Austin.
“She’s gone,” he whispered. “Really fuckin’ gone, Nina.”
Staring at the back of the bus as it chugged down the street, Nina said, “Not forever. Not if we work hard.” He turned to look at her with a frown. “I thank you...for our time together, Gage. From the start, it was Rowan you touched and I understand.”
She leaned close and held the back of his head, kissing him deeply. He moaned into her mouth as she used every skill she’d ever learned.
Pulling back, she whispered at his ear, “That one is from Rowan.” Pressing her lips to the warm skin of his cheek, she murmured, “That one is from me. Goodbye, Gage.”
She hopped from the cab, grabbed her bag, and waved as she walked into the bus station.
Already, she’d fulfilled one request Rowan made. Nina kissed Gage goodbye twice.
Once for Rowan.
Once for herself.
The rest of the things in her letter were going to take a little longer.
Nina wouldn’t stop until she had accomplished all of them.
Chapter Two
1997 - Age 20
Nina was conflicted.
She wasalwaysconflicted but managed to fake it like the excellent actress she was.
Isaiah Zelder was good for an escort to an industry affair, never failed to please in bed, and knew how to treat a woman right in every way.
He came from a dynasty that made money all day long. He and his brother owned the theater where Nina had worked for two years - first as a backup dancer and then as a female lead. She knew her own actions led to his need to have an intervention.
Naturally, Nina was sure to sabotage anythingrealwith the man at every given opportunity. The moment he seemed to look at her as more than a fling, she ran.
After shutting down on him for the fourth time in a year, he took her aside with a frown following rehearsals one day.
“I will never, ever judge you, Nina. You’re beautiful, smart, and incredibly talented. A kinder human than you allow anyone to know.” His huge hand cupped her shoulder. “You’re also hurting so bad on theinsidethat you’re looking for people to hurt you on theoutside. I know we’ve never been serious but...I don’t want anything to happen to you. You need to talk to someone before you self-destruct.”
The way he said it…
The way he looked at her…
The way it made her feel at the core of herself…
Wiping angrily at tears she despised, Nina nodded. “Alright.”
Withdrawing a card from his pocket, Isaiah held it out. “Call her and dump all your shit in someone else’s lap...let her sort it out. You deserve better than you’re giving yourself.”
Reaching up, she hugged him hard. It wasn’t easy since he was six-six. “Thanks, Isaiah. For everything. I hope you get a fuck ton of good karma for all the kindness and shit you put out in the world.”
He squeezed the breath out of her and returned her to her feet. “You get straight and come on back.” He wiggled his dark brows. “You’re like an adventurous harpy.”
Hand on her hip, she said in a clipped British accent, “I’m offended. Harpies were hideous and rather wicked. Also, I willneversully your prestigious line with my common blood, Mr. Zelder.”
