He watched her walk away, his mind involuntarily going back to Elle. On the way no other woman seemed to capture his attention more than her.
He wanted her back in his life. He just had to figure out how to makeherwant that too.
CHAPTER 2
Thirteen minutes. Thirteen minutes until it was midday, and she was dreading every one of them. Like full-sweats, clammy-hands, would-rather-be-anywhere-but-here kind of dread. Because at midday, Elle was supposed to go on a tour of the skywalk.
Tilly, the center manager, wanted everyone who worked here to be familiar with the skywalk in case tourists asked about it. And most people—normal people—wouldn’t have a problem with that request. In fact, she was sure most people would be excited about it.
But she hated heights. Pounding heart, dripping sweat, could barely breathe.Thatkind of hate.
And sure, she probably could have talked to Tilly about her fear and the woman no doubt would have told her to sit it out…but she hadn’t. She hated people knowing about her fear of heights.
The milk she was heating splattered onto her hand, causing her to flinch. Goddammit, she was so nervous she couldn’t even make a cup of coffee.
Quickly, she wiped the milk off her arm, finished the drink, and took it over to the lady sitting in the corner. On her way back to the counter, her gaze flicked to the time again.
Nine minutes.
Jesus Christ, her hands were shaking. Literally shaking. She should have just bitten the bullet and told Tilly she couldn’t do it. That’s what a normal, sane person with a phobia of heights would do.
The staff of the visitors center were doing the tour in two groups, so the front desk and café could continue running. Molly, the other worker here at the café, was in the first group and would be back any second…then it would be her turn.
Maybe she wasn’t scared of heights anymore. She hadn’t actually tested herself in years. Was that possible? Could someone justoutgrowa phobia?
The door opened, and the second Elle saw Molly’s long blond hair, her stomach did a little twist.
Nope. The phobia hadn’t gone anywhere. She didn’t need to be up high to know that.
Molly’s smile was wide as she came around the counter. “That. Was. Awesome!” The girl was significantly younger than her, having only just graduated high school a few years ago. Sometimes the age gap didn’t feel like much; other times, it felt huge.
Elle raised a brow. “You’re a fan of the skywalk?”
“Oh, the skywalk was fine. It was thetour guideI liked. Jace Walker ishot! And when I say hot, I mean capital HOT. That man will star in my dreams tonight.” She grabbed an apron. “You were friends with him, right?”
“Uh, yeah. But that was a long time ago.”
“Pfft. A man like that probably came out of the womb looking like a heartthrob. And that velvet voice of his!” She fanned herself before looking back at Elle. “Do you know if he’s single?”
Single? Jace Walker? Depended on whether he was still a chronic dater. And this was not a conversation she needed to have minutes from a mental breakdown. “I’m not sure, but I’m running late so I should get out there.”
She started to step around the counter, but Molly grabbed her arm. “Do yourself a favor—touch his biceps.” She giggled and leaned forward, lowering her voice. “They’remagnificent.”
Yeah, she knew they were magnificent. Every inch of Jace was magnificent, like a perfectly sculptured piece of art.
“I’ll see you when I get back.”
The skywalk wasn’t far from the café, and right now, it felttooclose. Despite that, she was running late. Just a few minutes, but who knew, maybe they’d already left without her?
Ha, then she’d probably have to do a one-on-one tour with Jace. No, thank you.
When the start of the skywalk came into view, she saw two of the guys on the search and rescue team, Jake and Hendrix, and Nikita, the new girl who worked at the front desk of the visitors center. Oh, and Jace. Of course, he was the first to look up. He didn’t smile though. In fact, he almost looked angry. What the heck?
He marched toward her, looking so damn big and fierce, she almost stepped back.
“What are you doing here?” he growled as he stopped in front of her.
Her brows shot up. “Excuse me?”
