Return to You by Samantha Chase Page A

forgotten that he was living with Kent and his family and was embarrassed when she realized she had already known the way there. When they pulled up just a few short minutes later, she searched her brain for something to say to extend their time together. “So, how are you and Kent related?”
    â€œOur moms are cousins.”
    She nodded. “Where is your family?”
    â€œNorth Carolina.”
    â€œHow come you’re—”
    She never got the chance to finish. Without a word, James reached out and cupped a hand behind her neck and pulled her close to kiss her. His lips were firm yet gentle, giving her time to either accept his kiss or pull away.
    She chose to accept. As his lips moved over hers, Selena realized that she had never been kissed like this before. It was so intimate, so intense, she felt as though she would die if he stopped kissing her. Nothing else mattered except getting closer to James and staying there. He seemed completely on board with her way of thinking.
    It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours by the time they reluctantly broke apart. Selena stared up at him, her eyes a little dazed at the intimacy they had just shared. “I probably should have asked you first,” James said softly, his thumb tracing her bottom lip, “but I was afraid you’d say no.”
    She smiled. “I think I wanted you to do that since I first met you.”
    His gaze turned from slumberous to heat in an instant. “All you had to do was ask.”
    â€œJames?” she whispered.
    â€œHmm?”
    â€œKiss me.”
    He was right. All she had to do was ask.
    * * *
    Before her nerves got the best of her, Selena opened her laptop and Googled the number for James’s precinct. Once she had it, not giving herself time to think, Selena picked up her phone and called the number. “James Montgomery, please,” she said as soon as the operator answered. It wasn’t long before James picked up.
    â€œMontgomery.”
    â€œJames, it’s Selena.” Silence. “Are you there?”
    â€œYeah, I’m here,” he said curtly. “What can I do for you?”
    Well, there was a loaded question if she’d ever heard one. “Um, I was wondering if you had time to meet for coffee today or something.”
    â€œYou don’t drink coffee,” he said.
    She was momentarily stunned he remembered that about her. “Well, most places don’t serve only coffee,” she said lightly. “I just thought that maybe, considering the events of the last couple of days, we should sit down and…talk.” There. She’d said it and now the ball was in his court.
    â€œI might be able to get away this afternoon for a bit. Where?”
    Selena could tell by his tone that he wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of getting together with her. “The hotel has a coffee shop. We can meet there if it’s convenient for you, or I can meet you someplace closer to the station.”
    James rattled off the address of a Starbucks in the area of the precinct. “I can meet you there around three.”
    â€œOkay. Thanks.” When Selena hung up, she felt lighter, more hopeful. Maybe this wouldn’t be a bad thing; after all, she’d had ten years to prepare for it. Rising from the sofa, she went about getting ready to meet her friends for lunch. She put a little extra effort into how she looked because she doubted there would be time to come back to the hotel and freshen up.
    Finding the balance between casual and professional, she decided on black slacks with a black silk shell, a teal scarf, and a black flyaway sweater. Black leather ankle boots completed the ensemble, and while she wasn’t sure at first about all of the black, the teal scarf and dangly earrings accented it perfectly, along with a big teal purse.
    A final glance in the mirror had her pleased with what she saw, and for a brief moment, she tried to