He gave me one last smile and then turned and left.
“Holy crap,” I mumbled to myself, willing my heart to stop beating so quickly. I rubbed my hands together, realizing they were clammy. He made me nervous. God, he looked good. Even better than I remembered, and I had a damn good memory. I turned and sat on the couch, hardly stopping my body from flopping down, my bag falling next to me. My head leaned back and I was looking at the ceiling, wondering if I’d made the right decision. My heart really wanted to see Riot—it had quite nearly leapt right out of my chest at just the sight of him. But my mind, now that the image of him was gone from right in front of me, was warring with my heart.
I took out my phone and sent a text to Ella.
**I’m in Riot’s dressing room. **
I bit my bottom lip, running it through my teeth, waiting for her reply. Just as I knew it would, her reply came in just seconds.
**What?! What happened? Are you horizontal?**
**No, I’m not horizontal. I just worked up enough nerve to see him, so I went and found him. But he’s working, so I’m waiting in his dressing room. **
**And then what? **
**I don’t know. I’m hoping you can convince me to stay. The longer I sit here by myself, the stronger the urge to run gets. **
**Don’t you dare run, Kalli. No more running. Give him a chance. You both deserve it. **
I sighed because I knew she was right. I also grinned because I knew I could count on her to help alleviate some of the uncertainty. So, instead of stewing and worrying about what might come when he walked through that door again, I pulled out my laptop and started working. I needed something really specific for a scene we would be shooting in a few weeks, and I hadn’t managed to find it yet, so I was on the hunt.
Forty-five minutes later, I looked up from my screen when I heard footsteps enter.
There he was. Just as beautiful as he’d been earlier that day, still smiling.
“I was worried you’d leave.”
“I almost did,” I admitted, smiling. “Ella talked me down, told me to stay.”
“I always liked her,” he said softly.
“I think the feeling is mutual.”
“Have you had dinner yet? Can I take you?”
I felt relief at his words. I needed to get out of this small confined space. A public dinner was a good idea.
“That sounds great.”
He came farther into the room and closed the door behind him, then walked to his armoire and before I realized what was happening, he’d pulled his t-shirt up and over his head and I was left looking at the incredibly muscled back I could so vividly remember running my hands over. My mouth gaped and my eyes worked quickly to take him all in before the sight was taken from me. Just as quickly as he’d removed his shirt, he pulled another one on, and I made a silent plea to the ex-boyfriend gods that he’d leave his pants on. Thankfully, he bent and slipped off his shoes, exchanging them for the Converse I’d seen on the floor earlier, then removed his fake badge and left it on the counter of his vanity. Then he turned to me.
“Ready?”
“Sure,” I said, closing the lid to my laptop and shoving it in my bag. I stood and followed him out of the building, walking straight to his truck. He opened the door for me and I smiled at him as I slid in, letting him close the door behind me. I took a deep breath as he rounded the bed, trying to calm my nerves.
Once it was started and we were on the move, I was able to relax a little.
“So, you got my note.” He said it like a statement, only the tone of his voice indicating he wanted me to elaborate.
“I did. A few days ago.”
“And yet you haven’t been there since.” He didn’t sound angry, but maybe a little disappointed.
“I’d kind of been lying to myself since I moved here. I told myself that I probably wouldn’t see you, and if by chance I did, I would be able to handle it.” I saw his head turn toward me out of the corner of my eye, but couldn’t bring myself to stare into his eyes while so close to him. Baby steps.
“So, you came and found me?”
“No. Well, yes, I guess so. I spent the last three days working up enough nerve to sit at that coffee shop and wait for you, and when you never showed I was a little pissed. So I went on a mission. Luckily, you weren’t hard to find.”
“Erin, the girl you bumped into with the clipboard? She helped me find out where you were working. You happened to literally run into the only person in the world who knew I was looking for you.”
“You never came. To the coffee shop, I mean.”