Page 34 of Better Than the Beach
“No shit, I’m angry, Nolan.” My voice is raised, but I quickly lower it to a whisper. “You ghosted me. Why say you’ll call? Why act like you cared at all? You ghosted me, and now you’re acting like you think I’m going to be some sort of threat or something. Like my being here is a liability because you don’t think I can handle myself.”
“I didn’t ghost you,” he says, and I realize he still has a hold on my arm, but his touch is soft, and his thumb is caressing my skin.
“Bullshit,” I spit out.
“It’s true,” he says, and he tugs me closer. “I didn’t have your phone number, and I couldn’t get it from Mallory because after dropping you at the airport, she lost her phone, and the most recent contacts hadn’t backed up. I didn’t even know your last name. I had to get that from Mallory, too, and even then, she told me she thought it was Carson. I didn’t know your last name was Larsen until I saw it on the roster just now.”
I narrow my eyes and look away, running his excuse through my head, looking for holes. He’s right. I never gave him my phone number, and I guess I never did give him my last name, either. I just assumed his was the same as Nan’s. It’s almost comical. How is it that we learned so many intimate details about one another during my short stay in Golden last year, but we neglected to do something as simple as exchange last names.
But still...
“I texted her several times after I left,” I argue. “She could have gotten my number.”
He shakes his head.
“She couldn’t get a new phone until January. She has phone insurance, but she’d used up all of the replacement coverage for the year. Mallory goes through a lot of phones...”
I do remember her saying something about that.
“But...but I called her...”
“You did?” he asks, confused. “When? Did you leave a message?”
“Yes,” I say. “One. And then after that her inbox was full.”
“If she heard your voicemail, she didn’t tell me. Honestly, with Mallory’s luck with phones, I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened, and she lost all her voicemails before she even got to listen to them. I don’t know why, Cassie, but as far as I know, no one had heard from you after Mallory dropped you at the airport.”
My shoulders fall, and I frown as I try to once again pick apart what he’s telling me.
“I tried to find you, Cassandra.” He puts his free hand on my other arm. “Do you know how many Cassandra Carsons there are in the United States?”
I shake my head.
“Eight hundred and fifty-two.” He laughs. “The fifteen listed in Indiana weren’t you. Trust me. I called them all.”
I can’t help my surprised smile. “I’m from Ohio. I only went to school in Indiana.”
“And your last name isn’t Carson,” he adds with a wry grin, and I shrug.
“That, too.”
“I even made my Facebook searchable in case you tried to reach out to me,” he says, and we’re so close now that I can see every fleck of green and gold in his eyes.
“Why would I? I thought you were done with me.” I shrug, and he puts his hands on my waist, pulling me so I’m standing between his legs.
“I wasn’t, Cass,” he purrs. “Not even close. I almost hired a PI, but my psychology degree told me that was going too far.” He chuckles and presses his forehead to mine, smiling, lips whispering over my own. “I can’t believe you’re here. I thought I’d lost you. How are you here?”
I shrug.
“I shuffled the deck,” is all I can say, but his smile grows.
“I’m glad,” he says.
My fingers are trembling so much that I have to dig them into the fabric of his shirt to still them.
“I know we said no strings,” he says, his voice a low rasp. “I know you weren’t expecting anything beyond our tryst in Golden, but I want more. I wantyou. Do you want me? Do you want this?”
“Yes,” I breathe out, and he wastes no time taking my mouth in a passionate kiss. I tug him closer, pressing myself into him.
