Heat of Passion
“Shit, I scared you, didn’t I?” Shelby blurted out. She tossed her tissue in the wastebasket behind her and quickly rounded the counter. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to freak you out.”
Holly swallowed again. “I’m not freaked out. Though I am kinda worried now.”
Shelby offered a mild smile. “Goes with the territory. Do you want a cup of coffee?”
What she wanted was to hear Carson’s voice and make sure he wasn’t dead, but she found herself nodding. “Sure.”
The blonde poured two cups of coffee, then led Holly into the café, where the women sat down. “So, how long have you been seeing Carson?” Shelby asked, looking curious.
“A week and a half, but we met about a month ago. At your bachelorette party, actually.”
Shelby’s delicate brows soared north. “Seriously?”
“You look surprised.”
“Well, I am. Carson doesn’t usually stay with one woman for long.” Shelby shot her an apologetic look. “No offense to you or anything.”
“None taken.” Holly sipped the hot coffee. “He told me all about it.”
Again Shelby’s cheeks flushed. “He did? Damn, that’s awkward then.”
Holly blinked. “It is?”
“Well, most women wouldn’t enjoy having coffee with someone their boyfriend has slept with.”
Holly choked mid-sip. “You slept with Carson? Does your husband know?”
The other woman let out a slow laugh. “Uh, yeah, he knows. He was there.”
After a beat, Holly burst out laughing too. Figured. Carson had told her he’d led a pretty racy life, so she really wasn’t surprised to find out he’d had a threesome with his best friend and best friend’s now-wife. Oddly enough, she wasn’t angry, or even jealous.
She’d never been the type of woman who cared about her lovers’ pasts, and the fact that Carson had chosen to leave his causal lifestyle for her was kind of flattering.
“God, I’m an idiot,” Holly suddenly burst out.
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Shelby laughed again. “Um, okay. Care to elaborate?”
Although she didn’t know Shelby at all, Holly couldn’t help but spill everything, from her first encounter with Carson to the fight they’d had two nights ago. “He was just trying to help,” she finished, “and I called him selfish and asked him to leave.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll come back,” Shelby said. “Trust me, if Carson wants a relationship with you, he’ll fight for it. He never gives up. It’s actually very annoying.”
Holly gave a brief smile. “Let’s hope he still wants a relationship when he gets back.” Her smile faded, a quivery breath leaving her throat. “Because of he doesn’t, I’ll kick myself for the rest of my life for letting him get away.”
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Chapter Six
Two weeks. He’d been gone for two weeks. And Holly was beginning to grow more than a little worried. She’d called Shelby every day since her visit to the café, and the other woman hadn’t been able to provide her with any details. Apparently someone from the base had called Shelby to tell her John had been in radio contact and should be heading home soon, but other than that, Holly had no clue if Carson was okay. She hoped he was, because if he didn’t come home in one piece, she was going to have a nervous breakdown.
At least one good thing had come from all the worrying. She’d tried so hard to distract herself that she’d ended up cooking up a storm, and she’d impressed the hell out of her teacher with her dishes. He’d told her he would give her a glowing recommendation letter to any restaurant she applied for, but at this point, Holly wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Shelby had told her a restaurant a block from the café was up for sale, and Holly was seriously considering getting a bank loan and taking the place over herself after she finished school.
But before she made any decisions about her future, she needed Carson to come home already. She missed him. Cooking dinner for him, watching those awful action movies, having mind-blowing sex. If he didn’t come back soon, she didn’t know what she’d do.
“Holly, are you listening to me?” her sister’s voice snapped, jerking her out of her thoughts.
She absently walked around her kitchen, holding the cordless phone to her ear as she opened a few cabinets and tried to decide what she would make to eat. “Sorry, Caroline, what were you saying?”
Elle Kennedy