Page 11 of Love Me Fierce

We stare at each other. She’s breathing hard and her eyes are dark in this crowded space. Her long hair is tousled about her pretty face, and her lips are a soft, glossy pink.

“Sorry about that,” I manage, and release her.

She was already starting to push away from me, so it takes her a step to get her balance. “It’s okay,” she says, her nostrils flaring.

Why is she lying to me?

I turn away and weave through the crowd, then grab one of the glasses of iced water set up on the table and guzzle it down.

But it does little to quench the heat coursing through me.

It makes no sense. Vivian obviously wants nothing to do with me. But if that were true, why that intense look on her face? Why is my pulse pounding out of control after barely touching her?

Chapter Four

VIVIAN

Matty falls asleep barelyfive minutes into the drive home. As I wind down the mountain road, the bright moon slipping in and out of view through the trees, I try to release the tension in my shoulders. I knew it would be hard to avoid Everett tonight, but I didn’t expect him to grab me like that. Or for my thighs to clench together while my heart jumped into my throat.

It’s wrong on so many levels.

Am I just really hard up?

Okay, yes, he’s hot. He ticks practically every box. Tall. Broad shouldered. Killer smile. Deadly in that navy suit. I’m no longer impressed by a man in uniform, but he looks pretty fantastic in his. He even smells good. Like pine and pepper.

How can I even be entertaining the idea that I’m into him?

He’s. A. Cop.

That’s a non-starter for me. Not after being married to one for six years. Not after watching the job destroy the man I fell in love with and turn him into someone I can’t even look at, let alone trust.

So, what is actually going on here?

At least there was no awkward conversation. Everett let me go, then vanished. Like he couldn’t wait to get away from me.

Then why did I feel his eyes on me all night? I think I even caught him once.

Maybe it’s time to get a vibrator. I can play out whatever’s got me so worked up in the privacy of my own bed. Alone.

The single-wide’s walls are thin, but I can be quiet.

Once I get home, I coax a sleepy Mateo from the car. He’s getting too big to carry, but I manage to lift him up. He rests his cheek on my shoulder and drapes his arms around my neck. The Meadows is quiet, the other units dark. Most of my neighbors are older, though there’s another single mom on the far end of the park. Both of us are too busy to chat, but we wave when we see each other.

Cradling Mateo with one hand, I manage to get the door unlocked with the other. Inside, the night light plugged into the wall casts its pale glow across the blue shag carpet leading into the kitchen slash living room. It’s stuffy inside after the warm day, even with the box fans running. I kick off my shoes and lock up, then carry Matty to his room. After navigating his train set taking up most of the floor space, I pull back the covers and help him change into his pajamas. With a huge yawn, he curls up with Walter, his favorite Squishmallow.

“Night, bug,” I say, and kiss his forehead.

“Night,” he mumbles.

I make sure his window is open to let in the cooler night air, then return the way I came into my room and change into pajama shorts and a tank top. Washing my face and brushing my teeth in the little bathroom doesn’t help settle my restless energy, so I grab my phone and pad down to the couch, click on the lamp, and pull my current knitting project from the basket on the floor. My phone lights up with a text from my sister as I’m queuing up my downbeat lounge tunes.

You still up?

I set my knitting aside and call her. Because of the time difference, we’ve only talked sporadically since she left for Europe.

“Hey!” she says, her voice bright with enthusiasm. Traffic whooshes in the background, and I imagine her walking London’s busy streets, coffee in hand. “How was the wedding?”

My thoughts skip back to Everett’s arm around my waist and the way I practically panted as I stared him down. “Beautiful. And fun.”

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