I straighten up as the door opens and Astrid walks back inside alone. Fuck me. She’s so fucking sexy with curves she didn’t have the last time we were together. Every time I look at her, I’m remembering so many good times, and it’s killing me all over again.
I’ve never gotten over losing her.
I know I never will.
My fingers are twitching with the need to touch her because they haven’t gotten the memo that she’s no longer mine. She’shis. He drilled that point home, and it’s obvious he knows who I am.
“Could we talk in private?” I ask, pushing off the wall.
“No.” She cuts me down to size with a look that accompanies her sharp tone. “We all have a job to do, so let’s do it.”
I don’t push her, understanding how difficult this must be, and she’s right that we need to keep things strictly professional at work.
We spend another couple of hours walking the rest of the hotel, and I hang back, answering a few questions but mostly quietly observing as she speaks passionately about the signature design she’s created for the communal areas. Confidence bleeds from her tone, and her face comes fully alive as she’s talking. I’m happy she’s living her dream and pursuing her passion. At least one of us got to do that, and I’m glad it was her. It makes the things I had to do more bearable.
“If that’s all for tonight, I’ll head home,” Dave says, dragging me out of my head. He’s leaning against the old front desk in the lobby, facing Astrid. “It’s my wife’s sixtieth birthday tonight, and I’m taking her to a new steak restaurant in town.”
“It sounds like she’s a lucky woman.” Astrid smiles affectionately at him, and I’m glad they seem to have hit it off. “Have an enjoyable night, and I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early.”
“The same to you, Astrid.” He tips his head in my direction. “Night, boss. Reva says thanks again for the flowers.”
“It’s my pleasure. Have a good night.”
Astrid ignores me as she gathers up her things. I wait for Dave to disappear through the front doors before I clear my throat. “Could we talk now?” I softly ask, walking slowly toward her.
“Unless it’s work-related, there is nothing we need to talk about.” Her voice lacks all warmth, and she won’t even look at me.
“We both know that’s not true.”
She closes her briefcase before turning to me. Fire dances in her eyes, and she’s rolling her jaw like she’s biting and grinding her teeth. “Nothing has changed between us, Callan, just because we’re now forced to work together.”
“You need to know the truth.” I stand in front of her, letting everything show on my face.
“I already know the truth.”
“You don’t.”
“Whose fault is that? I tried talking to you, but you blocked me and then shut me down in the cruelest way.”
“I had no choice, Astrid. Everything I did was to protect you.”
She barks out a laugh. “Right, sure.” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t even matter now. I don’t care what the truth is. I have fought too hard to restore my self-worth after you shit all over it, and I have zero desire to revisit anything to do with the past. Just let it go.”
She turns to move, and I briefly touch her arm to stall her. Delicious tremors shoot up my arm from the flesh-on-flesh contact, confirming our spark is still alive. I’m not surprised. Our chemistry was electric, and it’s not like our love died. It was forcefully terminated due to circumstances. I’m not a fool. I know she loves him. She wouldn’t agree to marry him otherwise.And she hates me. Of that, I’m sure. I am under no illusion. She doesn’t love me anymore, and I don’t blame her for it. She had no other choice.
“Don’t touch me.”
“I’m sorry.” I shove my hands in my pockets to avoid the temptation. “That was out of order, but please, Astrid, just give me a few minutes of your time. There are things you need to know.”
“It’s ancient history, Callan.” She wraps her arms around herself. “It’s better for everyone if we leave the past in the past. We have to work together, and I don’t want to make it awkward for our colleagues. We’ve both moved on. Just tell that backstabbing bitch to stay the hell away from me.”
She still believes I’m with Gwen? “I can’t. We’re not together. We never were. I haven’t seen Gwen since Darcy was one, and I found a way to get rid of her from our lives.” Shock splays across her face, and I forge on while I seem to have claimed her attention. “You don’t need to worry about her. She’s in jail in L.A. She can’t hurt you anymore.”
She audibly gulps. “In jail for what?”
“Drug trafficking and running a prostitution ring.”
Shock registers on her face again before she laughs. “Well, if that isn’t karma, I don’t know what is. I hope they lock her up for life and throw away the key.”
