did.”
He was quiet so long she thought the connection had broken. When at last he spoke, his voice was even lower, the words so soft she had to strain to hear. “I’d heard you moved back to town. Your message surprised me. I answered you the way I figured you’d expect me to. And then when I saw you that night with that guy…”
She waited, but didn’t say anything, giving him the chance to speak.
He sighed. “I think about you all the time.”
Her breath hitched. “Sure you do.”
Another long pause convinced her he was just playing with her, until Shane said, “I always have, Arden. For a really long time.”
She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what I said.” Shane cleared his throat. “Look, I know I was sort of an ass with the head games in the past—”
“Not just sort of,” she told him, surprised at how bitter she sounded. “You messed with me like it was your job .”
“I was stupid.”
She sighed. All of it, everything, the times he’d stood her up or flirted with other women in front of her, bragging about how they slipped their phone numbers into his hands and left messages on his windshield—all of that had happened so long ago. And…hadn’t she done her share of poking and teasing, her share of half-truths designed to keep him on the edge? “Yes. You were. We both were, I guess. Or maybe just young.”
His laugh sounded rueful. “I told you I’d changed. I mean, at least I’m older. There’s that.”
“We’re both older.” She thought of the life she’d lived since leaving him. Her marriage. Her kids. Her business. An entire life she’d never imagined and wouldn’t change for anything.
“I mean it, Arden. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that night. If you want to know the real truth, I haven’t stopped thinking about you for twelve years.”
She let out a slow, hissing breath, flashing back to the last time she’d seen him. Ugly words exchanged, emotions running high, feelings hurt on both sides. “If you want me to believe you’ve been waiting for me for twelve years…”
His laughter actually soothed her instead of insulting. “Um, not waiting, no. But I have thought about you a lot. I want to see you, Arden.”
“I thought you didn’t have time for dating.”
“I’ll make time.”
She sighed, wanting to believe him but not ready to put her heart on the line even if for the first time ever he’d given her a reason to believe he meant it. “Shane—”
“I want to make love to you again.”
The words slid like silk against her skin, and her back arched like he’d stroked her from shoulders to hips. Her nipples jutted against the thin, damp cotton. Her legs parted. She was instantly, completely, turned-on.
“Shane.” She’d meant to speak his name in protest, but it came out as a purr of longing. She hitched in a breath, trying, without luck, to keep her voice from trembling. “I know you think I’m just out for a quick fuck, but there’s got to be more for me. I thought I could be that way, but I can’t. There has to be more.”
“I want to give you more,” Shane said without hesitation. “Everything you want. Flowers. Walks in the park. All of it.”
This set her back so thoroughly she almost could not speak. “You don’t mean that.”
“I mean it.” He laughed, and she heard a note of vulnerability in his voice. “All of it. I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t sleep. I can’t concentrate at work. I just keep thinking about your smile and the way you sound when you laugh. I think about the way you taste and I can’t stop. I want you so bad I can’t think about or do anything else, and it’s driving me crazy.”
“I don’t know—”
He interrupted. “I know you have no reason to believe me. It’s not just sex. I mean, I want that, too, but it’s more than that.”
“A date?”
“More than one.”
She smiled and pressed the phone to her ear, her eyes closed. “This
He was quiet so long she thought the connection had broken. When at last he spoke, his voice was even lower, the words so soft she had to strain to hear. “I’d heard you moved back to town. Your message surprised me. I answered you the way I figured you’d expect me to. And then when I saw you that night with that guy…”
She waited, but didn’t say anything, giving him the chance to speak.
He sighed. “I think about you all the time.”
Her breath hitched. “Sure you do.”
Another long pause convinced her he was just playing with her, until Shane said, “I always have, Arden. For a really long time.”
She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what I said.” Shane cleared his throat. “Look, I know I was sort of an ass with the head games in the past—”
“Not just sort of,” she told him, surprised at how bitter she sounded. “You messed with me like it was your job .”
“I was stupid.”
She sighed. All of it, everything, the times he’d stood her up or flirted with other women in front of her, bragging about how they slipped their phone numbers into his hands and left messages on his windshield—all of that had happened so long ago. And…hadn’t she done her share of poking and teasing, her share of half-truths designed to keep him on the edge? “Yes. You were. We both were, I guess. Or maybe just young.”
His laugh sounded rueful. “I told you I’d changed. I mean, at least I’m older. There’s that.”
“We’re both older.” She thought of the life she’d lived since leaving him. Her marriage. Her kids. Her business. An entire life she’d never imagined and wouldn’t change for anything.
“I mean it, Arden. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that night. If you want to know the real truth, I haven’t stopped thinking about you for twelve years.”
She let out a slow, hissing breath, flashing back to the last time she’d seen him. Ugly words exchanged, emotions running high, feelings hurt on both sides. “If you want me to believe you’ve been waiting for me for twelve years…”
His laughter actually soothed her instead of insulting. “Um, not waiting, no. But I have thought about you a lot. I want to see you, Arden.”
“I thought you didn’t have time for dating.”
“I’ll make time.”
She sighed, wanting to believe him but not ready to put her heart on the line even if for the first time ever he’d given her a reason to believe he meant it. “Shane—”
“I want to make love to you again.”
The words slid like silk against her skin, and her back arched like he’d stroked her from shoulders to hips. Her nipples jutted against the thin, damp cotton. Her legs parted. She was instantly, completely, turned-on.
“Shane.” She’d meant to speak his name in protest, but it came out as a purr of longing. She hitched in a breath, trying, without luck, to keep her voice from trembling. “I know you think I’m just out for a quick fuck, but there’s got to be more for me. I thought I could be that way, but I can’t. There has to be more.”
“I want to give you more,” Shane said without hesitation. “Everything you want. Flowers. Walks in the park. All of it.”
This set her back so thoroughly she almost could not speak. “You don’t mean that.”
“I mean it.” He laughed, and she heard a note of vulnerability in his voice. “All of it. I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t sleep. I can’t concentrate at work. I just keep thinking about your smile and the way you sound when you laugh. I think about the way you taste and I can’t stop. I want you so bad I can’t think about or do anything else, and it’s driving me crazy.”
“I don’t know—”
He interrupted. “I know you have no reason to believe me. It’s not just sex. I mean, I want that, too, but it’s more than that.”
“A date?”
“More than one.”
She smiled and pressed the phone to her ear, her eyes closed. “This
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