Page 18 of Enamored
“Hi, I’m Lana Robinson. I’m twenty-eight years old, and I’m an architect. I’ve been at my current job for about a year now, and I love what I do. I also love to read, and my ideal night would be a good book and a glass of wine.” I extend my hand out to him and wait. He smirks and stands, taking my hand in his for a firm handshake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lana. I’m Tristan Ellis, and I tend to put my foot in my mouth. I’m also twenty-eight, and I own a ranch in Wyoming. I lost the perfect girl ten years ago, and I’ve been lost ever since.” He reaches out for me, his strong arm wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer. His other hand tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “Will you forgive me for being such an asshole to you?”
The air around us changes; it’s electric, full of energy. I can almost hear the crackling as he waits patiently for me to respond.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” I whisper, running my finger along his strong jawline.
“I couldn’t lose you again. Not like this. Not when I can fight for you.”
“If I give you my heart, will you promise not to break it this time?”
He drops his forehead down on mine. “I promise.”
Chapter 10
Tristan
This evening has gone better than I expected it would. I honestly had no idea what would happen or how she would react. Her look of utter shock when she saw me sitting outside was to be expected, but I didn’t know if she would invite me in or not.Oh, who am I kidding? I knew she would.She might have been mad at me, but I knew she would give me a chance.
I want to kiss her. I want to push her against the damn wall and make her scream my name. I also don’t want to scare her, so I pull back to look in her eyes. They sparkle, but there’s also a haze of lust swimming around. I take a chance and lean forward, my lips hovering over hers. I feel her breath on me, soft pants as I wait for her to close the gap.
When she does, blood rushes through my body to all the spots I want her to touch. I control the kiss—the speed, the depth, the heat. I don’t want to rush into this. We need to take it slow, get to know one another again. I need her to trust me. I pull back, even though I don’t want to, leaving her panting, wanting more. She blinks her eyes open to look at me, and I see the raw need there. She licks her lips, her chest heaving.
“How about we get something to eat and we can talk?”
She sobers up, straightening her spine, and nods. “Let me get my purse, and we can go. By the way, where are you staying tonight?”
I was hoping with you.I scratch the back of my neck and wince. “Nowhere yet. I figured I’d find something depending on how things went today.” She smirks and nods, forming an O shape with her mouth. “Not that I expect you to offer your house to me. I’ll figure it out.” I shrug and smile at her.
“You could stay here if you want. It would save you some money. I can’t imagine that flight was cheap.” She narrows her eyes at me. “How did you manage to get a flight at the last minute?”
“A bit of luck and a lot of money. I’ve never flown first-class before. The free booze was a nice touch.” I chuckle. “I don’t want to impose unless you’re really sure.”
She smiles, and my whole world lights up. “I am.”
* * *
At dinner, I pretend this is a first date and wine and dine her. I spend the time getting to know her, finding out all the things that have happened for her in the past ten years. She’s amazing. There are no other words to describe the beautiful woman sitting in front of me. She’s worked her ass off to get to where she is, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
“I know you’ve been talking to Holden on and off for the past ten years. Did you ever ask about me?”
She offers a shy smile. “Every time.” She looks down at her margarita, playing with the straw, swirling the pink liquid around. “When he wouldn’t tell me anything, I started following your football career through the school’s website. I was desperate for any information I could find on you. I didn’t want to believe I meant so little to you.”
I place my hand over hers, stopping her fidgeting. “You meant a lot to me. Still do. It took me two years to finally open my heart again and start dating. You consumed my dreams for years.” I feel my ears heat up as I think about the next thing to come out of my mouth. “You were my spank bank material.”
“Were?” she asks, raising her eyebrow and smirking.
“Don’t want to scare you off,” I tease. My smile fades. “Anyway, I got updates from Russ about you, and Ihatedthe fact you two still talked. It was torture, hearing how happy you were from him. I even found out about your trip to England to visit him. Definitely not what I wanted to hear.” I still want to punch him, just thinking about it.
She groans and drops her head to her hand. “He told you about that?”
“Yup.” I take a deep breath and wait until she looks at me again. “Did he fabricate it? Did you sleep with him?”
She chokes on her drink and falls into a small coughing fit. She holds her hands in front of her, keeping me planted in my seat until she can breathe normally again.
“That’s what he told you?” Her voice is a bit higher in pitch than it was moments ago. When I nod, she shakes her head. “Unbelievable,” she mutters. “No. I didnotsleep with Russ. Although, not for his lack of trying. I only ever liked him as a friend, and after finding out what happened at the ranch, I told him off. I called him and told him I never want to hear from him again before I went to the bar.”
“That’swho you were on the phone with?” I ask, dropping the taco I’m holding.
