You’re delusional, you idiot. He’d never look twice at someone like you. Not seriously anyway. She might be good for some laughs and hot kisses but a man like Chris deserved someone much more sophisticated and worldly. Not some girl from a small Podunk town in Pennsylvania for Pete’s sake. Hardly the metropolis of the country. And she was studying to be a teacher. An important job, yes, but in his eyes probably mundane and boring. The most excitement she’d likely get was calling the custodian to clean up when a kid got sick.
She took a deep breath wondering if it was a good idea for her to see him again. It might not have been wise to keep in touch with him during her time here. She should have started weaning herself away from any thoughts of him. Though it would take a very long time before she would forget him, if that was even possible. A man like Chris was hard to forget.
“You ready, Miss O’Hara?” George, one of the agents who had been a constant here, interrupted her reverie. She turned around nodding, not sure she was but knowing she had to be.
He picked up her bag and she followed him into the living room saying, “How many times do I have to ask you to call me Meg?”
George smiled and said, “I’ll put your bag in the trunk. You and Agent Shaunessy can come out when you’re ready.” He looked past her into the kitchen and left.
Meg’s head whipped around. Chris stood near the counter in the kitchen sneaking one of the cookies she’d baked last night. Her heart pounded louder in her chest and she wondered if he could hear it. The sound was almost deafening in her ears.
Turning around with a sheepish expression, he shoved the rest of the sweet in his mouth then grinned at her.
“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he mumbled chewing quickly. “You must have made these, right? The goons you were with this week couldn’t bake themselves out of a paper bag.”
She held herself in check when all she wanted to do was throw herself in his arms. Then she would press her lips to his and kiss the living daylights out of him. Maybe they could even forget about the trial and go back into her bedroom to finish what they’d started a few months back. She’d be okay with that.
But Chris, ever the professional FBI agent, cleared his throat and tilted his head in the direction of the door. “We should probably go. Don’t want to be late for the hanging.”
Meg made a face at his absurd comment but moved after him to the door. He didn’t open it though, merely turned around gazing down at her as she came up behind him.
“You look nice today,” he said almost shyly then reached down and pulled her in for a quick hug. “It’s great to see you again.”
His familiar embrace was comforting and she wanted it to last forever. But it didn’t. He released her far too soon and opened the door to lead her out to the waiting car.Deep breath. Here we go.
* * * *
Chris watched out the window as they drove south down Route 95 to the courthouse in Miami. He was trying to keep his mind off the gorgeous woman sitting next to him in the back seat of the car. All the old feelings he’d had for her when they were living together started to stir. Not that they’d ever actually gone away. Not by a long shot. But he was still in full professional mode and needed to keep the feelings tucked safely inside; for now. Once this trial was over, or at least their part in it, all bets were off.
He snuck another glance at her, looking quite different from what he was used to. She fidgeted with the hem of her prim skirt. Reaching over he took the hand closest to him.
“Nervous?”
She looked up, startled at his words. They hadn’t said much since they’d gotten in the car almost an hour ago.
Her eyes darkened and moisture welled inside. “Yeah, a little,” she fibbed then her mouth crooked and she rolled her eyes. “A lot.”
“It’ll be okay, sweetie,” he said, the endearment rolling naturally from his mouth. “You and I are up first for testifying, so it’ll be done and over with for you soon. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Are you sure?” she asked her eyes darting around the back of the vehicle. She gripped his hand tighter. He scooted closer and pulled her in to his shoulder.
“I’m positive,” he whispered into her ear and felt her shiver. Was it from his touch or because she was afraid? He wished it was the former. “Once he’s in prison for good there’s no reason for him to hurt anyone.”
“What about revenge for the people who put him there?”
“Honestly, I don’t think there’s a big chance of that happening. There are dozens of people testifying against him. Dave and Tina will both be there along with many others. We’ve frozen all his assets so he doesn’t have any money to hire someone to get his revenge and it would take a lot to get rid of all of us. Once this is over, it’s over.”
“You don’t know how glad I’ll be for that,” she replied softly leaning against him. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm and enjoyed the last few minutes he had alone with her.
They pulled in to the courthouse so he leaned down again and when she looked up at him with her bright blue eyes, he gave in to his desires and kissed her. It wasn’t a big kiss, or a passionate kiss, but it was a connection to her, letting her know he was here for her.
“You’re going to be fine,” he promised and helped her undo her seat belt as George opened the back door for them.
* * * *
Once their part was over and the judge dismissed court for the day, Meg followed Chris out to the parking lot and gave a puzzled frown as he unlocked the door of a dark SUV.
“It’s mine,” he said as he ushered her into the passenger side. Walking around he got in beside her then started the car. “I drove it down from Baltimore yesterday but left it here because I wanted to be with you when you rode to the court.”
