Page 43 of Prelude To You

My thoughts wandered to the tortured path I’d taken to get here. Even if I was spellbound by this beauty, all I really had to do was give it another day or two, and this mania would likely dissipate like fog in morning sun. It was ludicrous to think that one person could make you wonder what really gives your life meaning—other than them being part of it.

There was no chance to put this this train of thought to bed and get my priorities straight, because when I glanced to the left my fucking heart stopped.

The Dancer was sitting in the back of the car beside me, all dressed up and even more exquisite than I remembered. Just the way she sat there in the back seat, with those beautiful legs elegantly crossed like she was at a royal tea party, jangled every alarm bell in my brain.

She looked like she was going on a date. For a frozen moment, I imagined her in the company of another man, and something like jealousy clawed at my chest.

What the everloving fuck. Get a hold of yourself or get a life, whichever came first.

And there was still that kiss. Which made her a very bad girl if she had a boyfriend. Oh God, please let there not be a boyfriend. I mean, what man made his date come to him in an Uber? Unless it was a first date, in which case you couldn’t blame her.

I totally supported her being cautious and protecting herself against any man whose sole intention was to drag her to his bed.

Did you hear yourself?

Yes, I was all-in for her to guard herself against a man like me.

My eyes remained glued to her while I tried to put order to the crazy spiral of thoughts seizing control of my mind. Whatever was holding up traffic, I hoped it stayed put while I considered every option at my disposal.

I could follow the car and see where it took her.

She was texting someone on her phone, and my God when she threw her head back and laughed it sent a rush of blood and heat straight to my cock. This was totally off the wall. I was obviously losing my ability to think clearly, but I was in a bit ofa decision-making crunch here. Did I really want to lose her all over again?

This had nowhere to go. NOWHERE. Which part of that was so hard to grasp?

Suddenly she looked up, as if she sensed someone watching. She glanced directly at me, but there was no way for her to see me through the tinted window. I kept staring for a few paralyzing heartbeats, and I was one moment away from rolling down the window when her attention was snatched by the driver.

Their discussion was fleeting but next thing I knew, she got out of the car in the middle of the traffic jam.Where did she think she was going?

She passed in front of my car, and for the tiniest second she placed her hand on the fender and adjusted her shoe. The idea of her leaving DNA and fingerprints on my car made me ridiculously happy. If she disappeared right now, perhaps I could trace her. I made a mental note of exactly where she touched the car.

So much for bringing this connection to a screeching halt.

She traipsed onto the sidewalk and made her way to the hotel driveway. Then took off her shoes and wafted across the lawn toward the entrance below. I didn’t even know what to think. That had to be a first. And fuck if I didn’t think it was charming.

Another thought struck me.She was going to the Belmont Hotel.

I was stunned.What were the chances? All I could think was that I should have stopped her. She didn’t need to walk across the goddamn lawn. I would have taken her all the way to the entrance. And possibly into the waiting arms of another man.

Get a fucking grip. It's not too late to go home.

Traffic started to inch forward, but the two cars in front of me had to move before I could turn up the drive.

Impatience snaked through me, and once again I wondered where the hell I was going with this. All I knew was that I wanted to see her. Needed to see her. It was madness with teeth, chewing me up from the inside out. And suddenly I was determined to find that one thing that would put an end to my fascination with her.

Since she was perfection on the outside, I’d have to find some inner flaw, whatever it was, that would reveal her as ordinary after all. Because no one could possibly be as extraordinary as I made her out to be in my head.

If traffic didn’t pick up soon, I’d have no problem abandoning the Rover in the street and running after her. That was how far gone I was. I changed the music to something a little more upbeat and took a deep breath. Everything was going to be fine, just fine.

I was, however, still royally fucked.

13

ISABEL

The manicured lawn was damp under my bare feet. It was probably not the best look, approaching a five-star hotel with shoes in my hand. And suddenly all the trepidation I’d suppressed up to that point was magnified a thousandfold.

Judging from the luxurious cars pulling up to the entrance, this was all a bit above my station. I didn’t have long to contemplate this before reality reared its ugly head.

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