Page 20 of Unsure in Love

“Later, you weirdo,” I teased.

He chuckled, and I shook my head. I thought I’d be used to Ken’s eccentricities after so many years as friends and business partners, but he still caused some shake-my-head moments.

I scrolled through my phone, checking new messages as I leisurely walked down the hallway away from Ken’s private office. I looked up to give his assistant, Julia, a smile and stopped in my tracks.

My heart did a little flip thing. I wasn’t sure if it was caused by just shock or if there was a sliver of excitement mixed in there. Standing in front of Julia's desk was the woman who plagued my dreams and thoughts. My brain temporarily went out of commission at the sight of Cass. She hadn’t seen me yet. I studied her profile, my mind racing. When my confused fog cleared, I put it all together. Ken’s client, his smug expression when I revealed Cass’s full name…

Holy shit.

“That asshole!” I hissed.

He could have given me a heads-up. I shook my head, still frozen in the same spot. I thought the chance of seeing Cass again was mighty slim, yet here she was. Massive, crazy coincidence or fate? I shook my head again because where the hell had the thought of fate come from?

“Welcome to Allied Private Security, Miss Bennet.” Julia beamed.

“Thanks, Julia. It’s nice to put a face to the voice I’ve been chatting with for months,” Cass replied.

I stood there like an idiot, listening to the women. It was Julia’s voice that pulled me from my stupor.

“Mr. Alvarez.” She gave me a worried look. “I see you and Mr. Hudson have finished your meeting. I can send Miss Bennet right in.”

My lips twisted. Our “meetings” usually only consisted of guy chat. We were mostly too busy to hang out and have “real bro-time,” as Ken called it, so we did it at the office.

Cass whipped around, wearing a small frown. Her eyes widened and her lips parted. The look of terror on her face chipped away another piece of my pride. As if she hadn’t wounded it enough already… Never had a woman seemed so horrified to see me. Still, I drank her in, her stunning features and the dark green eyes that still had me mesmerized.

Julia’s eyes swiveled from me to Cass. We must have looked foolish just staring at each other.

“Right this way, Miss Bennet,” Julia said, stepping around her desk.

I stopped her. “I’ll escort her, Julia.”

She studied Cass and me with a light of curiosity in her eyes. “Thank you.”

Cass hiked her handbag higher on her shoulder. She gave Julia a look of disapproval as if accusing the secretary of leaving her alone with me. I made a conscious effort not to show my annoyance with her reaction.

“Miss Bennet, follow me.” I gestured down the passage to Ken’s office.

She gave Julia a smile that seemed forced and stepped forward. When we were out of Julia’s sight and hopefully earshot, I turned to Cass. “Cassandra, hi.” I gave myself a mental kick in the ass. Hi? After four months, that was all I had?

“Damian…” That was all she said and then continued to stare at me as if I’d spurted another head.

Well, it was good to know I wasn’t the only one affected by our unexpected reunion. The night I’d spent with Cass, I’d gathered that she was a cool lady, not bothered by much—kind of like myself. I learned fast that we had a lot in common but enough differences for me to be super intrigued by her.

“You remember my name. That’s great.”

Her eyes widened, and then the corners of her lips twitched. “You remember mine, that's great too.”

I snorted inwardly. As if I could ever forget the woman who rocked my world. She popped up in my thoughts every damn day. I frowned when she shoved her fingers through her long dark, burgundy-streaked tresses. Her fingers trembled, and she looked paler than I remembered. Maybe she was nervous about meeting with Ken. I’d learned her family history from my partner and now I felt bad for adding to her anxiety. My presence was obviously a problem.

“Running into you like this, here of all places...” She gave me a once over in my three-piece suit and asked, “Do you work here?”

Lifting one shoulder, I held back my smile. “Yes.”

“Oh,” she breathed. “What a crazy coincidence.”

Crazy indeed. She stopped walking, and I did too. When she turned to face me, I frowned. She really looked like she’d keel over at any second. I even prepared myself to catch her. No way was she that nervous about meeting with a private investigator. This had to be about me. Our last interaction didn’t go smoothly, which was my fault. I started to reassure her, “Look, Cass—”

“It’s good to see you, Damian, as awkward as this is.” She smiled. It was one that reached her eyes, and I relaxed.

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