Any slower and she might fall asleep.
“I’m good, sir. Really. Please, continue.”
He hesitated but returned to his spot behind and slightly beside her then resumed at the same careful pace. But excitement and the warmth of desire didn’t build. The steady thwap of leather on her skin wasn’t doing anything for her but stinging.
She couldn’t do this. Adequate wasn’t enough. Not after she’d had Leland—her ideal.
Julia exhaled, saying firm and final, “Red.”
Daniel stopped immediately. “Okay. We’re done.” He became even more attentive. “What do you need? Water? Space?”
She straightened, hoping she looked steadier than she felt. “It wasn’t anything you did. I shouldn’t have come tonight. It was too soon.”
He stilled, concern turning to relief. “A bad breakup?”
You can’t break from something that never really was.Which didn’t stop her from being absolutely wrecked by it.
But she nodded, offering him a small smile as she smoothed down her dress. “Something like that.”
His frown returned as she rose from the bench. “I’m sorry it didn’t go as planned. No hard feelings?”
“I should be asking you that.” She paused, meeting his gaze. “You don’t seem like you belong here.”
He chuckled softly. “Noticed that, huh? I’m new to the area. This is only my second time here. Probably my last.” His amusement faded. “Are you okay? And I mean that genuinely, not as a formality.”
“I’m fine. It wasn’t you.”
“I know,” he said simply. “Bad timing. Someone else.” He shrugged, like a man filing something away rather than dwelling on it.
She almost smiled. “You’re a nice man, Daniel.”
“High praise in a place like this.”
“If you’re looking for something better, there’s a community in Deerfield Beach. They have a monthly munch and can get you out of, well…” She waved her hand. “This.”
“I’ll check it out. But if you don’t mind my asking, if it’s so great, why aren’t you there?”
“That’s a long story.”
“Right,” he said slowly.
Clearly, an astute man too. He recognized dismissal when he heard it. She was ready to go home.
“What about aftercare? Are you sure—”
“It’s unnecessary.”
“That’s what I figured but still wanted to ask.” He picked up his bag, pausing as a shadow of something crossed his face—rueful, a little amused, mostly good-natured about the whole absurd thing. “For what it’s worth, whoever he is—I think he has missed out on something special.”
She didn’t answer, not even to agree with him.
“Be careful going home, Julia,” he said, and walked away.
Alone again, the club felt more confining, louder. She quickly headed for the door.
Outside, the heat and humidity wrapped around her. Traffic moved. Music drifted from somewhere down the block. The world hadn’t paused because hers felt off-kilter.
When she got behind the wheel, she locked the doors and sat there, hands in her lap, engine still silent.
