Anger rolled off this guy, but now it was directed at Simon. The guy’s focus was broken.
“Simon?” whispered Marianna. The shock on her face was unmistakable.
His heart twisted in a fresh, painful squeeze. Goddamn. That voice. He couldn’t get distracted. He couldn’t even look at her. Not until this asshole was far away.
“Take your hand off her.” Simon kept his voice calm but wedged himself between William and Marianna.
The guy was a bully, but up close he didn’t look like much of a fighter. It took another moment for William to register that Simon had every advantage here. Height. Weight. Technique. Scowling, William let his arm drop and stepped back.
“You don’t know what the hell you’re getting involved with,” William spat.
Actually, Simon knew exactly what he was getting involved with.
“She asked you to leave,” said Simon.
Every time William hesitated, Simon inched over, putting himself farther between the two, keeping Marianna shielded behind him. William shook his head in disgust, backing away toward the car. “Stay the fuck away from the piers, Marianna. You’re already in too deep.”
William climbed into the red sports car and revved the engine. He skidded back onto the pavement and drove away.
Simon stood absolutely still as the noise from the engine faded away. Then there was nothing left except the din of neighborhood traffic, the gentle brush of the palms in the wind and Marianna’s breaths. Slowly, he turned around.
She gaped at him. “Simon?”
His name was both a question and a sigh. Her voice, soft and raspy, awoke something that was supposed to be long dead, dead and buried. Simon searched for words, but nothing came.
Get your shit together and get out of here.
But neither of them moved, their eyes locked. Slowly, he drank her in. Full lips, parted. Eyes wide with surprise. She hadn’t changed much physically. Maybe a little rounder in the hips, her breasts a little fuller, but he knew that expression well. And for a second, a wave of nostalgia hit him so hard it nearly knocked him over. How had he not been prepared for this?
Brushing a strand of hair off her face, she looked away.
“What the hell was that?” he asked. The words came out gruffer than he’d intended.
She didn’t say anything. Just held very still.
“Mari?” he said, softer.
Her shoulders rose, and she brought a shaky hand to her mouth. Damn. Bold, strong Marianna Ruiz was about to lose it.
Instincts took over. Simon took a step closer—to do what exactly he didn’t know. She shuddered and turned away a little. Just as he started to step back, she slowly faced him again. Her shoulders dropped, and she buried her face in her hands. She breathed in and let out a long, deep sigh. Was she shaken by William, or at seeing him again?
“It’s really you, Simon,” she said, finally meeting his eyes. “What the hell are you doing here?”
The scent of her perfume was cracking the dam he had built to hold back these memories. He shook his head. He had to get ahold of himself, but now that she was so close, it was impossible to not reach out and touch her.
No, it wasn’t impossible. Because he had spent the last eleven years doing just that. Still, the sight of her hazel eyes, soft and dewy with unshed tears, was killing him.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on, Mari?” he said, his voice raw.
Marianna glanced away again, shaking her head.
“I gather that was your husband.” The man who was good enough for her to marry. He swallowed back all the bitterness that was flooding in. Time to focus on what was happening right now. “It’s not my business, but he looks like an asshole. An abusive asshole. You’re in a bad situation, aren’t you?”
Marianna’s eyelashes fluttered closed. “It’s a long story, Simon.”
“I’m not in a hurry,” he said, coaxing her softly. “I see this kind of thing in my line of work.”
She bit her lip. “I know.”
