Page 33 of Unforgettable

She’d also left before she’d given a good explanation of her side of the story. It was something all of us wanted to hear. Blakely, as headstrong and stubborn as she was, wouldn’t have thrown innocent Hazel under the bus to Luke’s murderous and vindictive ex-wife for no reason. I refused to believe it.

But her absence didn’t keep me from reaching out. Occassionally I would send her an email to which I’d undoubtedly never receive a response. And then, I’d text her and call her or send her a message on social media. All went unanswered, but I still tried. I didn’t want to give up, but my messages had become fewer recently.

Hope was hard to come by, and as a group, we didn’t really talk about Blakely anymore.

A light rap on the door drew me from my thoughts, and the ache in my chest was replaced by the nervous roll of my stomach. I glanced at myself one last time in the mirror and sighed—it was as good as it was going to get.

After a final shaky breath, I tried—and miserably failed—to also steady the shaking of my hands. As I approached the door, doing a substandard job of faking confidence, I chastised myself for my nerves. I knew Reed, and I knew even if we weren’t romantically compatible, we would still have fun.

In one swift motion—like pulling off a Band-Aid—I swung the door open, and the chilly January air greeted me.

“Hi,” I said quietly, the words catching in my throat. I started to step back and wave him inside but wasn’t prepared for the sight of him. A black button-down shirt fitted around his chest and abs with the top button undone. And his jeans were nearly as dark as mine, as was his long black coat. My lips curled slightly when I noticed his dark-brown boots as his weight shifted. Texas boy through and through.

And gripped tightly in his hand was a bouquet of lilies.

He lingered in the doorway as his eyes raked over my body. From head to toe, his appreciative gaze sent a delicious shiver down my spine. It was like he was seeing me for the first time again.

In one second, we were staring at each other, and in the next, Reed mumbled something under his breath in Spanish and paced toward me like a man on a mission. He dropped the flowers on the table next to the door, and before I knew it, his hands were twisted in the hair at the base of my neck. The scent of his body wash, his cologne or whatever the hell it was, was heady and so potent I worried it would inhibit my cognitive abilities.

Our lips only an inch apart, he paused just long enough, I realized, for me to push him away or tell him no. But watching his intent, desire-filled eyes bounce back and forth between my eyes and my lips and the quickness of his shallow breaths against my skin, I knew I wouldn’t say no.

And when he realized the same, his mouth covered mine in a totally different kiss than I was expecting. It was soft and purposeful. When his tongue pressed against my lips, I opened for him and the brush of his tongue against my own was thoughtful and languid.

I’d expected a heated, aggressive kiss filled with tension and the desperate clash of teeth. But for some reason, the delicate, meaningful kiss felt like so much more. Like with our lips pressed together, I could feel how much he wanted it. How much he wanted me.

It was too short. The second he pulled back, I missed the warmth of him, and it was altogether more terrifying than anything else I’d felt. It was too early to be feeling anything so intense—we hadn’t even left my apartment.

“I couldn’t wait until the end of the date to do that,” Reed murmured against my mouth, still so close that his lips brushed against mine. “You’re beautiful.”

And with one final, gentle caress of his lips, he pulled back and retrieved the discarded flowers.

“Covered all your bases?” I laughed.

“Of course, who do you think I am?”

In the kitchen, I found a vase in the cabinet above the oven and filled it with water quickly.

“So, where are we going? What are we doing?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the motion of Reed shaking his head. A nearly black piece of hair fell into his eyes with the motion as a playful smile tugged at his lips. Even the slightest movement of his mouth made my lips tingle with the memory of his stubble against my chin and his lips against my own. Trying to curb the tingling, I tugged my lower lip between my teeth, clamping down harder than usual, but it didn’t stop the sensation.

Reed’s smile widened, and I pulled my eyes from his mouth to his brown eyes, which mirrored the playfulness in his smile. Of course, he’d caught me staring at his mouth and knew the exact thoughts that were at the forefront of my mind.

I knew it was going to be a long night since the man knew my every thought with only a quick glance at my face.

“It’s a surprise, but I promise you’ll enjoy it,” he said with enough confidence that I nearly believed him.

“Hmm, if you say so,” I said with a shrug as I grabbed my purse and turned out the kitchen lights.

“Is this absolutely necessary?” I asked for the third time since we’d left my apartment only a few minutes earlier. Reed had come prepared with one of his ties and fastened it firmly around my eyes. Apparently our destination was so top secret that it required additional precautions.

“For the millionth time, yes, Amanda, it is necessary.”

“But why?”

He huffed out a laugh, and I shivered when his warm fingers gripped my thigh. His thumb rubbed back and forth over the denim.

“Because you would know exactly where we were going if you were able to see.”

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