Drained but restored.
As if I’d been left spinning somewhere in limbo.
Lost in a blissful kind of purgatory where I’d stumbled upon a man with the skill to bring me to orgasm with a few mind-rending strokes of his body. But there had been so much pained remorse in his expression afterward that it’d sent me crashing to the ground.
No question, he’d needed to run to Frankie. It was exactly what he should do. His child should always be his first priority.
But what hurt was it was clear his regret went so much deeper than the simple fact we’d let ourselves lose control where we’d been hidden by his massive truck. Deeper than the fact he needed to pull away to return to her.
And with Rex?
I felt out of control.
Spinning from a thread and barely hanging on.
He knocked the ground out from under my feet.
Shaking myself out of it, I pushed from the door and locked up before stepping out onto the sidewalk.
The scene in front of me made me wonder how I’d ever left this place. The old buildings built up on each side, massive shade trees grown up through the planters and shading the store fronts that still boasted some of the old shops my grandmother had gone to when she’d been my age.
You’d think the restoration in progress would have stolen from the charm.
It didn’t.
It only amplified.
The renovated buildings bore crisp new awnings and eaves, and the new brick structures climbed up between them to give the exact cohesive feel Lillith had been so proud of the day I’d first met her.
One day soon, Pepper’s Pies would be a part of this rebirth.
I inhaled a satisfied breath and started for my SUV, glancing down to fiddle with my key ring to grab the right one.
Then I smacked right into a firm body.
“Oh goodness, I’m sorry, excuse me,” I mumbled through my surprise.
Hands came out to steady me by the shoulders.
“Whoa, slow down.” The man chuckled, and my attention shot up. My eyes grew round, and my mouth went dry, my heart bottoming out in my stomach.
He smiled at me.
Confused by my reaction.
His head angled to the side, tone filled with an easy chuckle. “Tiny thing like you should slow down before you fall and mess up that pretty face.”
I took a staggering step backward. Still unable to say anything. Still unable to respond.
I couldn’t breathe, my heart locked in the center of my chest.
A rush of dizziness swept through my head, my balance lost.
He didn’t even recognize me.
The bastard didn’t even recognize me.
I pressed a hand over my mouth, trying to keep back the cry that clamored up my throat, just standing there, staring at him.
