Page 37 of Blind Attraction

“Wait!”

He stopped and pivoted back around. Blake and Tony did the same. The woman stood on her tiptoes, glancing over their heads. “I think the lady over there was with him.”

The three of them followed her gaze. In the third table back from the window sat a woman with gray hair, her head bowed, her hands resting in front of her.

Without a backward glance he headed for her, ignoring the excited stares that followed wherever he went.

“Excuse me.” Mitch knelt beside the table, and her reddened eyes turned to face him. “Have you seen a young woman, chocolate brown hair, green eyes? She would’ve had trouble with her vision.”

The woman’s gaze became distracted with something behind him, outside the window. He began again. “I’m sorry to bother you, but—”

“Mitch.” Tony tapped him on the shoulder.

He peered up at Tony, who was staring in the same direction out the window. His heart skipped a beat as he turned and moved to his feet.

There she was, bathed in a halo of sunshine, her hand clasped around the crook of an elderly man’s elbow as they walked past the coffee shop windows.

“Thank fuck for that,” Blake muttered.

Mitch held back from running to her. He didn’t mind being called pussy whipped, or under the thumb, or whatever his friends wanted to classify him as. The thing that settled uncomfortably in his chest was the addiction clawing his insides. After only one night together, the thought of losing her had turned his limbs into shaking clumps of lead.

It wasn’t normal.

Or natural.

“Why are you so happy?” he asked over his shoulder.

Blake shrugged. “I’ve been feeling spiritual today. Was hoping to listen in on another prayer session later.”

“You’re a dick.” Mitch shook his head and took the first step forward to claim his girl. He ate up the distance, his pace quickening until finally he reached the door, yanked it open, and stood a yard before her. “Alana.”

Her head turned in his direction, her focus aimed at his face, but not directly on his eyes. A smile tilted her lips. “Mitchell.” Her voice was breathy, exactly the way he felt. She took a step away from the man at her arm and paused. “Mitchell?”

He went to her, grasped her in his arms, and held her to his chest. “Where the hell have you been?” he whispered into her hair.

She hugged his waist and squeezed tight. “There was a bit of...drama.”

“It was entirely my fault,” an aged voice informed him.

Mitch raised his gaze to the man standing directly behind her. After hearing about the issue in the coffee shop, he wanted to castrate the seemingly harmless stranger, no matter how much regret the man held in his eyes.

“No, it’s not.” Alana shook her head and pivoted away from Mitch’s chest. “I was just...stunned.”

The old man’s eyes glistened with unshed tears when he looked at Mitch.

“What’s going on?” He rubbed his forehead, trying to hide his face and brush away some of his anxiety. He couldn’t wait around in the wide open for hours. They needed to leave.

“I don’t want to discuss it now. I’ll tell you about it later. I just want to get out of here.”

The man bowed his head in defeat.

“Mitchell, can you please get Mr. Bowen’s phone number for me.”

Mitch glanced at Mr. Bowen, who now had a hopeful smile on his face, his hands shaking as he rifled through his wallet. “Sure, sweetheart.”

“Here are my personal contact details.” Mr. Bowen shuffled forward and handed the card to him, before turning to Alana. “Rose and I would love to hear from you. Please, don’t hesitate to call at any time.”

Alana inclined her head. “I’d like that. Hopefully we can meet up again before I leave Richmond.”

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