Somewhere in the distance she heard a car engine and crickets. Unwelcome awareness forced her to acknowledge the reality of standing on her front porch, kissing the man she worked for.
Inviting him in would be the easy choice, she thought, aware his eyes were bright with wanting. This time he would be choosing her, not taking what was offered. But having sex with Tucker was a long way to go to prove something, and she was tired of having regrets in her life.
“I really like my job,” she said quietly, then had to clear her throat. “I don’t want to screw that up by sleeping with the boss.”
Tucker nodded once, then swore under his breath. She recognized the frustration and told herself at least this hadn’t been a party for one.
“Nevada,” he began.
She cut him off with a shake of her head. “That time before? It wasn’t all you messing up. I knew you were in love with Cat. She told me it was over, and I wanted to believe her. But I knew it would take you a long time to get over her.”
“Don’t. It wasn’t your fault and it wasn’t mine. Cat believed in manipulation as a form of entertainment. We were just ordinary mortals. We didn’t stand a chance.”
She wondered if that was true. “She was so beautiful.”
“She was a drug,” he said flatly. “And I was her fool. I thought losing her would kill me, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Nevada wasn’t sure how things had ended with Cat and decided she didn’t need to know.
“About tonight,” she began.
He cupped her face in his hands. “I get it. We work together. We will for a while. I’m only on-site for a year. So we’ll pretend it never happened.” His mouth curved into a wicked smile. “Until I’m leaving. That’s going to be a hell of a weekend.”
His words made her insides melt. “You’re assuming I’ll still be interested.”
“You will be,” he said confidently, then kissed her lightly. He dropped his hands and stepped back.
“If I change my mind?”
“I’ll convince you otherwise.”
Something to look forward to, she thought, waving at him. She went inside, still caught up in the kisses and the past. Tucker was a complication. But one she could handle, she thought. Now that there were rules in place, it would be easier at work. She wouldn’t be thinking about him all the time.
She climbed the stairs to her apartment and unlocked the door. When she opened it, she reached to the right and flipped on the lights.
They came on, but instead of seeing her familiar living room, she saw another place and time. Cat standing in the doorway of her dorm room.
“It’s over,” the other woman had said, her dark eyes bright with mischief. “Tucker and I. It’s done. I know you’re in love with him. He needs you tonight, Nevada. You should go to him.”
Being around Cat was like looking at the sun. It was difficult to see anything else, to focus. The rest of the world blurred.
It took Nevada a second to process what she was saying. Embarrassment poured through her as she frantically wondered who else had guessed her secret. Did Tucker know? Did he pity her? Because that would be the worst.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered.
Cat grabbed her arms and shook her. “He needs you. Go to him. He’s at home right now.”
“I…”
Before she could say anything else, Cat was gone, leaving a trail of exotic perfume fading at the door.
Nevada spent the next twenty minutes trying to figure out what to do. Go to Tucker? Could she? He loved Cat. He couldn’t see anyone or anything else. But if they’d broken up, then he was available. And hurting.
In the end, her heart had won the battle. She’d grabbed her car keys and fled down the stairs to the parking lot by her door. Sooner than she would have thought possible, she was at Tucker’s door, knocking.
He opened it almost immediately, as if he’d been waiting for her. But when he saw her, the expectation on his face faded to disappointment.
“I thought you were Cat,” he said, his words slurred.
“I heard what happened.” She followed him inside.
“She left me.”
He collapsed on the sofa, rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands.
“She left me,” he repeated, as if he couldn’t believe the words.
Nevada had never been to his place before. She knew where he lived, as she had picked him up here a couple of times, but she hadn’t gotten past the parking lot.
Now she quickly took in the leather sofas, the carved tables. The room was elegant. More GQ than bachelor pad. The artwork looked original and expensive. There was a metal sculpture in the corner, and she had a feeling it had been done by Cat.
In fact, the whole apartment screamed Cat’s name. Not just in the pale gray walls or the textured drapes, but in the stack of books in French and Italian. The London Times resting on the coffee table.
Jealousy twisted Nevada’s stomach. Had the other woman lived here? She didn’t want to believe it was true, but couldn’t ignore the evidence. If Cat wasn’t here permanently, she had spent enough time to leave her mark.