Page 10 of Viper

The bell rings on the back door and the woman gasps, knocking me on the shoulder.

I look down at her phone with renewed patience. “Did you find it?”

“No,” she pants playfully. “Don’t look now, but the hottest dude ever just walked in.”

I drag in a deep breath. I highly doubt the hottest dude ever just walked in. That said, he might be worth a peek.

I’m not sure if this is the moment my heart stops, or if that’s when he looks at me, but either way, my heart is no longer beating. I’m a statue, unable to move, unable to catch air.

The man stares at me. His hair is grayer, his beard is salt and pepper, but his eyes are the same. A little brown, a little green, a whole lot of wild.

I drag in a breath, but it catches in my throat and the dueling chorus of aerosol and grinders drowns out behind me until all I see is Abe.

At least I think it’s Abe. Oh God, maybe I’m losing my mind. Maybe this man isn’t Abe at all and I’m standing here drooling over some other silver haired, hazel eyed biker.

The woman taps me again. “He sees you staring. You should stop.”

I should stop, but I don’t. I stand perfectly still unable to blink as the man steps toward me.

Panic shivers through me, and suddenly, my body comes back to life. My heart slams against my chest, I’m panting, my thighs ache, and my muscles tighten and relax. I think I even might be sweating.

The man is two feet away. If he’s not Abe, I don’t think Abe exists. “What’s your name?”

“Clementine,” I say, air puffing from my lungs. I never told him my name. How did I never tell him my name? “Are you,” tears spontaneously drip from my eyes, “are you… Abe?”

He nods slowly and steps forward one last time before crashing into me. Hard and fast, his lips land against mine with a growl. His big arms wrap me against his giant frame, and he kisses me as though he’s been hungry since the day we walked away from one another. The coffee shop could be burning down, but I wouldn’t notice. All I smell is him. Pine and leather.

Fuck!

My clit throbs and my heart fills so warmly that my cheeks burn and tingle.

He pulls away, his big rough hands on either side of my face. “Fuck… angel. This isn’t real, is it? It’s a dream. I’m going to wake up and I’ll be alone in bed again.”

I blink up at him as he thumbs away my tears. “No. I’m pretty sure it’s real.”

“It’s real?” the twenty something beside us says. “You guys know each other?”

I turn toward her and hand her a twenty-dollar bill. “Can you grab Jo a large coffee? Treat yourself, too. Let her know I won’t be in tonight. I have some catching up to do.”

Chapter Six

Viper

Lord, she’s fucking beautiful. It’s been ten years, but time has done her well. Her hair is longer, her skin glows, and she has the cutest wrinkles on the side of her eyes. That smile, though. That smile hasn’t changed a bit.

I realize shortly after we’ve kissed, that I don’t know if she’s still married, but I’m not sure it matters at this point. Right now, I’d take her home with me whether she is or not. Right or wrong, there’s no way in hell I’m walking away from this day without this woman. That said, it would be nice to know what I’m dealing with.

We’re in the parking lot behind the shops on Main before my brain thinks to ask any questions. With my hands on either side of her face, her beautiful eyes staring up at me, I say, “Tell me you’re not with that asshole anymore.”

She grins. “I’m not.”

Relief washes over me. “When did you leave him?”

“Six months ago.” She looks away then back again. “I’m a complete idiot. He’d been living a double life.”

“How so?”

Her eyes widen. “He had a family. Another woman, including kids,” she laughs. “He had the whole damn thing with someone else.” There’s pain in her voice as though she hasn’t healed from the betrayal yet.

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