Not stopping to think, she picked it up and held it to her face. Mary, Mother of God, but it still carried his scent. She closed her eyes and inhaled again.
This was stupid. Why torture herself? They’d had a good time. Some really great sex. No, it had been phenomenal sex.
But she needed to get over it.
She pulled the shirt she was wearing over her head and then slipped into Chaz’s.
Biggest.
Idiot.
Ever.
He’s gone. What can it hurt? She was moving forward, building a new life. She would be independent, a world traveler, editor extraordinaire.
She crept out of the bedroom and across the hall. She’d packed the contents of the office earlier. There was nothing for her to do in there.
The window drew her inside.
She’d not once opened the drapes since coming back. She’d not once allowed herself to peer through the blinds.
She wouldn’t do it. She’d promised herself.
Until now, with the scent of him around her. She would remember one last time.
The curtain was a little dusty so she covered her face with the bottom of the shirt. Ah, yes. Much better.
And then she lifted her hand and pried open the blinds.
His room, as she’d expected, was empty.
Devastatingly so.
No water bottle on the dresser, no flight suit hanging on the door. No masculine god for her to spy on.
Feeling melancholy, she grabbed the string and tugged until the blinds stacked themselves tightly at the top of the window.
It looked as though he’d completely moved out.
And then the door opened.
When Chaz entered the room, she stopped breathing. A suitcase sat on the bed and he looked to be making certain it closed properly. And then he stilled.
He’d seen her in the mirror.
His bandage was gone, and he wore cargo pants and a white T-shirt.
Penny froze.
Chaz had knownshe was home. He’d recognized her car. It hadn’t been there for nearly two weeks.
And now he was leaving.
He’d received orders two days after the doctor released him for P.T., and his parents had surprised him as well. They had temporarily moved up to Denver to take care of Grandma. She didn’t have much time left, and his dad wanted to be with her until the end.
Chaz’s pride, at first, convinced him not to seek Penny out. She was the one who’d taken off. He had no desire to grovel; it wasn’t something he did.
Except, now, seeing her, adrenaline poured through him. She was standing in the window, looking into his room.
