“Do you still stop by if you’re in the city?”
“When I can. Though if I’m there on business, I rarely have time.”
“Speaking of business. There’s something I feel I should tell you.”
A tingle sprints up my spine, and I’m suddenly on full alert.
“What’s that?” I ask hesitantly.
“So… Remember my three-day disappearance after running into you earlier this week?”
“Ha…” I practically snort. “How could I forget?”
“Your assumption was right… to a point. Although I’ve officially retired from the Air Force, I haven’t fully clipped my wings.”
“Okay…” I draw out, wondering where he’s going with this.
“In the spirit of full disclosure—or at least to the point I’m allowed to share—you need to know that since I retired, I’ve been working for a private contractor.”
“Good to know my instincts were correct.” I smirk knowingly. “You tried to skate around it when I asked about it earlier. Guys like you just don’t retire.”
“No, I don’t suppose we do….” he muses with an impish grin. “The point I’m failing to make is that I’m transporting my boss to DC. If all goes well, I’ll be gone for less than two days.”
“I assume you don’t disclose this info freely?”
His expression turns stoic. “Nope. Mostly on a need-to-know basis.”
Quirking a brow, I can’t help myself. “And you think I need to know?”
“Yeah. I’m not about to disappear twice on you within a week. I may be out of practice, but I’m far from stupid.”
“Out of practice?” What the hell is he talking about?
His lips quirk to the side, and his eyes never leave mine. “I made a vow to you years ago that I’d always give it to you straight.”
“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” I admit, feeling my chest warm at his sincerity. “But what exactly are you out of practice from? It doesn’t make sense. You fly regularly, I presume.”
Drawing in a heavy breath, he reaches for my hand and squeezes it gently.
“Faye, aside from those few years I was married, I haven’t been in a serious relationship with… well, anyone.”
“Oh.” That’s certainly unexpected.
But where’s he going with this? Why this sudden change of tone?
“What I’m saying is, you’re important. We literally just reconnected days ago, and I don’t want to push you away or have you thinking I’m not interested when I leave town again in such a short time.”
“Okay…” I draw out, still unsure what to say in response.
This earns me an eye roll and a heavy sigh. When I don’t say anything further, he continues. “I’m not sure where you are with this situation…” He slowly points between the two of us. “But I, for one, would like to see where it goes. I’m not trying to sound cocky or anything, but our connection is stronger than I ever could’ve imagined after all this time apart. I can’t be the only one feeling this way… Am I?”
Thank God, I’m not going crazy.
I haven’t wanted to put much stock into our intense connection. I’ve tried keeping things spontaneous and doing my best to just go with the flow. But this is Mark Lancaster; I should’ve known I’d never be able to accomplish casual. It’s like every feeling I’ve ever had for this man has resurfaced without even being aware they existed in the first place.
I always thought it was just because Mark was my first love that I never felt such an intense connection like ours with anyone else. Hell, when I really clock my feelings, I spent nearly a decade with a man I was barely lukewarm with. Nothing has ever measured up since Mark and I broke up.
But after less than a week back in contact with Mark, I know without a doubt, it was simply us. No further explanation necessary. I have no idea what the hell this means, but I’m glad he doesn’t want to see this end just yet either.
