He wouldn’t…
But he was gone.
“Come inside, Evie,” Harrison urged her softly. “This has all been a nightmare, and it’s time for you to forget it.”
No, it wasn’t time to forget.
“You’re home. You’ve come back to your life, and Cole has gone back to his life.”
Her head swung toward Harrison. “Without saying good-bye?” There was too much revealed in her trembling voice. Too much pain.
“Oh, hell.” Harrison’s eyes widened. “Do I need to kick the ass of your bodyguard? Because, shit, he came with high recommendations from a friend. He was supposed to be able to get the job done, no matter what.”
She flinched. I guess he did get the job done.
Then he’d left.
“Come inside, Evie,” Harrison urged again.
Her steps wooden, she followed him in, but she couldn’t help glancing back once more because she was still hoping that she was wrong. Hoping that Cole would appear.
He wasn’t there.
She crossed the threshold.
Harrison closed the door.
And her heart broke.
Chapter One
Or…it’s been two years, six months, and five days…not that Cole was counting…
The door swung open. “No.” The beautiful woman was adamant. She shook her head, sending blond hair dancing over her shoulders. “I don’t want any, but thank you and good day.”
Cole Vincent lifted his brows. “Excuse me?”
“No soliciting is allowed in this building.” Her voice was crisp. Her expression cold. Her dark eyes swept dismissively over him. “I’m not buying what you’re selling, but thanks.” She swung the door closed.
She tried to shut the door right in his face. Well, damn. Cole’s hand flew up, and he caught the door before it could slam shut. “Okay, I probably deserve that.”
“Probably?” Evangeline—Evie—Lake yanked the door back open. “You definitely deserved it. There is no question. Not even a single one. Not even half a question.”
Was half a question even a thing?
“You left me without a word!”
If he’d been the blushing type, Cole knew that he’d probably be flushed crimson right then. “The job was over.”
A determined nod of her head. “I am going to slam this door, and you are not ever going to bother me again.”
“I, um, wasn’t sure that you’d remember me—”
Her eyes—those gorgeous, dark chocolate eyes—widened, and then narrowed with rage.
Uh, oh. He’d obviously said the wrong thing.
“You think I forget the names and faces of the men I have sex with? Is that what you’re saying to me right now?”
Oh, sweet hell. “That is not what I meant—”
“Then you think I forget the people who rescue me from asshole kidnappers?”
“No, that is, ahem…” Cole coughed. “Not what I meant, either—”
“Why don’t you tell me what you did mean?”
God, she was feisty. And even more gorgeous. And he was suffering from the same problem he always had when he was with her. He said the wrong, stupid shit, and he also got instantly aroused. For a moment, he allowed himself to just look at her.
To see what I missed over the last two years.
Not like he’d forgotten her. Not like he could ever forget her.
Her blond hair was shorter now. When he’d met her before, her hair had trailed half-way down her back. Before, too, he’d never seen her with makeup. But now she had dark shadow around her eyes and her full lips were lined with a slick, sensual red. She was beautiful with or without makeup…
To him, Evie was just…beautiful. Always.
She wore jeans that showed off the pure, perfect temptation of her endless legs. High heels that made him swallow twice. Her tight-fitting black shirt hugged her breasts. She had a dancer’s body, delicate in appearance but far stronger than most would ever realize. Strength hidden in delicacy. She was—
“You’re staring at me like you’re the one who’s forgotten.”
As if he could ever forget her. No way, not any damn day. “Your eyes seem even darker.”
“Probably because I’m wearing eye shadow.” Those eyes of hers were still narrowed. “Why are you at my door?”
“I…” Tread carefully.
“You’d better not be about to tell me that—after two years—you decided you couldn’t live without me for even one more moment.”
“What if I did say that?” Again, the wrong words burst from him. Cole had intended to say something else.
“I’d call you a liar.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Lots of people call me that.”
She moved to slam the door again.
And, once more, he caught the door. “Your brother hired me.”
Evie flinched. “I want you to leave. I want you away from my door. Out of my building. I don’t know what Harrison told you, but I do not need you.”
I do not need you. Those words hurt. Dammit. This scene was not going the way that he’d ever so optimistically hoped it would while he’d pictured the conversation on the plane ride from Atlanta to New York. In his fantasy, she’d opened the door. Seen him. Smiled. And thrown herself into his arms as Evie confessed that she’d desperately missed him.
Then they’d kissed and the fantasy had taken a far more adult turn but…
None of that shit is happening. Evie hates me.
“I’m not in danger, and I sure don’t need you to swoop in and save the day. Things have changed since we knew each other before. I can take care of myself.”
He’d read the updated file on her. Knew that after her abduction, she’d taken every self-defense class she could find. She was also an excellent shot now, and she was supposed to be wicked good with a blade. The lady had picked up all kinds of fun, new talents.
But…
Anyone could be a target.
And she was a target. “Harrison thinks the same kidnappers are going to come after you again.”
She swallowed. “He’s always been worried about that. They were never caught. They seemed to just vanish, and Harrison has been obsessed with the idea that they’d show up.” Evie shook her head. “Not happening. I’ve told him that over and over again. He has to let the past go.”
Sometimes, that was easier said than done. Cole was staring straight at his past, and the last thing he wanted to do was let go. Hold tight? Hell, yes. Walk away? Not ever again.
Walking away the first time had ripped his heart out.
He wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to ever leave her again.
“This little meet and greet has been fun. Wait, no, it hasn’t,” Evie brutally corrected. “But I have things to do. Places to go. You know the drill.”
She wasn’t going anywhere without him. “I was hired to be your twenty-four, seven bodyguard.”
At his words, Evie’s cheeks turned a dark shade of crimson. “I didn’t hire you for anything. How could I? You vanished while my back was turned.”
He winced.
“You didn’t exactly leave a forwarding address for me.”