Page 94 of Implode

Claire glances around my room, taking it all in. This is where I spent my childhood and teenage years sleeping. While the decor has changed some with the upgrades, the structure of the room is pretty much the same.

“You seem deep in thought,” I point out.

“Just wondering what stories these walls could tell.”

I huff out a laugh. “Not nearly as interesting as I’m sure your mind is cooking up.”

Claire shrugs. “How many women have you brought here?”

I take a slight step back, as I get a better look at her face. Is she being serious? I’d be lying if I said her question didn’t catch me off guard. Do I see a streak of jealousy? And over what—my past? My past doesn’t matter, when my future is with her.

“Should I round to the nearest hundred?”

“Damn.”

“I’m teasing, Claire.” I think women give men too much credit to think that we are organized enough to count things like this. “Have you met my mother, Donna Hoffman?”

“I have.”

“Then you would understand how intrusive she would be if I brought home a girl back in high school. Graham and I were both smarter than to add fuel to her already stifling personality.”

“Do you feel deprived of that missed opportunity?”

I think about the question. “No. Not when I can make better memories now at my current stage of life.”

She seems to accept that answer, as a shyness coats her body. Arms cross around her midsection, and her gaze drops toward the floor. I can only hope she is imagining what it would be like for us to be together. Really together.

The house is completely hushed with everyone already in bed. It is just after midnight and even though I haven’t gotten any rest yet, I feel a new sense of rejuvenation and energy. That is what Claire does for me and doesn’t even realize it. She lights a fire inside me that only she has the power to do.

Once I get everything I need, we exit my room and head downstairs. I lead Claire through the back door and onto the patio. We pass by the flower garden on our way to the field of grass on top of the hillside. As we get farther and farther away from the house, it gets harder to see. I pull out my phone from my pants pocket and shine the flashlight so we can avoid tripping.

When I get to the perfect spot, I lay out the blanket and invite Claire to join me on it. She hesitates but eventually settles into my arms, as we lie back and look at the stars. I check the time and then relax, as we wait.

“I just saw something,” she says, sitting up to look at me. “You saw it, right? Like a shooting star.”

I smile at her in the moonlight. “Tonight is a meteor shower. I wasn’t sure if we would have too much light pollution to see anything. But the sky is clear and we are far enough away from the house.”

More beams shoot across the sky and Claire bursts with excitement as she points out every meteor she sees, as if I somehow am not watching myself.

“Wow,” she gasps, wiggling around on the blanket and trying to see in all directions. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“Then I am glad I could give you this,” I say softly.

“Do you ever wonder if we would have been attracted to each other if we didn’t have so many hang-ups? I mean, we are pretty much on opposite ends of the personality spectrum.”

I roll so I can look at Claire’s eyes. That’s where I see her truth and vulnerability, even in the darkness. “I was attracted to you long before you walked in with Angie for her first meeting at Entice. I knew all of my employees, even if I didn’t have a lot of direct contact with them. I remember when I saw your profile and your picture for the first time too.”

“You actually remember that?” she asks, narrowing her eyes in disbelief.

“Damn straight, I do. You had a sunflower in your hair and a denim dress on. You were a mix between a sex goddess and an innocent hummingbird.”

“But you never acted like you even noticed me. As a boss, you were pretty boring.”

“I was living a hermit life then and was balls deep into the FBI’s inner workings. I had a job to do, and I would have stopped at nothing to get it done. Plus, I didn’t date.”

“Just fuck and forget, right?”

I swallow. “Before you? Yes. After you? I don’t think I will ever be the same man I was. You aren’t a game changer, Claire. You are a game ender.”

---