“Would you prefer the sidewalk outside?” He shrugged. “I’ve got nothing else to do. I miss cooking, and the time I spent in the kitchen here was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” He caught my eye, and a wicked smile tugged up the corner of his mouth. “With my clothes on, of course.”
Need thundered through me, and heat rushed to my face. I ducked my head, and when Frisco passed behind me on his way to the kitchen, he whispered in my ear, “Hold those thoughts for later.”
Mouth dry and heart pounding, I watched him walk away. How had he gone from the man I loved to hate, to…I shook my head. Not going there.
Two hours later, Mike was serving a table fried sardines coated in crispy cornmeal, with a garlic and lemon sauce and a fresh endive salad. I didn’t need to ask how the dishes and Frisco were working out. Mike’s smile and the empty plates on the tables said it all.
“Babe, you’re looking great.” A wet mouth grazed my cheek.
“What the hell…Pete?” I jerked away. “What’re you doing here?”
I hadn’t seen Pete since he walked out of our apartment. He looked the same—dark hair curling to his shoulders, a green button-down to match his eyes, and skinny jeans. His usual outfit. That restlessness about him hadn’t changed either, as evidenced by his jiggling leg and how his gaze roamed the room, checking out who else was there. He could never be satisfied with only me. Ihadchanged, however, because before, I’d want to do whatever it took to make him happy, while now I wondered what I ever saw in him.
“Looking for you, of course. When I went by our old place, I saw it was dark, so I figured you’d be here.” His eyes ate me up, but it didn’t make me feel wanted like it used to when we were together.
“It’s not ‘our’ old place,” I said, moving out of touching range to wipe my cheek with a small bar napkin. “It’s mine.”
“Semantics,” Pete said airily and sat next to me. “You’re looking hot. Can I get a beer? You want to order some dinner? You can tell me about the new job and what Edward Harvey is like.”
I waited for his mouth to stop moving. “Sorry, but I’m busy. I’m waiting for someone.”
“Oh, yeah? Who?” he challenged.
“A friend.”
“Are you sleeping with him?”
My face flamed. “That’s none of your business.”
“Yes, it is.” He hitched his chair closer. “We were together for two years. You don’t just forget that.”
“You had no problem forgetting it when we were together.”
“I was stupid.” He turned on the smile I used to fall for, green eyes growing warm. “I’m sorry. I was so wrong to let you go.”
“You were. But now I’m gone. I’ve moved on.” I drank more of my beer.
“Don’t say that.” He moved even closer. “We loved each other, babe.” He brushed my cheek, but unlike the trails of fire Frisco left when he touched me, Pete’s fingers left me wanting a facial scrub.
“No.” I wriggled away from him to put space between us again. “I thought I loved you, but you were too busy finding other guys to stick your dick into. You wanted me as long as you thought I could help you, but when I made it clear I wouldn’t, you moved on.”
Pete’s brows shot up. “That’s so crass. Why would you put it like that?”
“Do you deny it?” I lowered my voice and made sure there was no one within earshot. “You were loving as long as you thought I could get you and your travel site visibility, but as soon as I told you it wasn’t working with my blog, you pulled away and moved out, calling me boring in bed and out. Or did you forget that?”
“I said I was wrong. I didn’t mean it.”
“What are you apologizing for?” I folded my arms, the blood pumping through me. I’d gotten my footing, and Pete had no shot at knocking me off balance.
“Look, forget that. It’s not important anymore.” As usual, Pete brushed aside my concerns. “Tell me all about the new job atUltimate. I couldn’t believe it when I heard. Do you get to meet all the other team members?”
I cocked my head, my gaze assessing. “What couldn’t you believe? That my blog was bought byUltimateand they kept me? That my name is on the main page? I had meetings with all the different division heads today, and they respect me. Something you never did.”
His mouth opened and closed so often, I couldn’t help but smile. “You look like one of those big-mouthed basses on the wall that sing.” I hopped off the barstool and picked up my jacket. “I’m not going to put in a word with the head of the travel department for you, so if that’s what this supposed reconciliation was about, you wasted your time. I wish I could say it was nice seeing you again, but I don’t want to lie.”
“You don’t even want to give us a chance? After all the time we spent together?”
“Precisely because of that.” The door to the kitchen opened, Frisco walked out, and as I had from the first, my body responded, recognizing him. “It’s over.”
