His phone buzzed again. Biting out a sigh, he plucked the hideous device from his pocket and glanced at the screen just to make sure the world wasn't ending.
It wasn't.
Not tonight anyway. He tucked the phone back in his pocket and gave her his attention.
“You shouldn't regret anything. Your past brought you to where you are right now.”
The words flowed from his lips as if plucked from the divine.
Sabrina nodded slightly and then took an obviously shaky breath. “You're right. I just—”
Damn. How did she peg him with a glance that had the same power as lead weights? It was as if twin aqua lasers had melted his boots to the pavement.
“Hearing what you said...about the ambush and losing friends. I've thought about you so many times over the years, wondering what you were doing. If you'd left Brunswick, if you'd gotten married and had kids.”
Somehow her words unlocked memories he'd thought were long locked away. The sound of Samuel’s laughter as he'd run around the yard, dashing through the sprinkler on a scorching summer's day. Just being a kid. His little boy had been so good at that. Living in the moment, finding joy in the smallest things. And that giggle of his.
David rubbed his chest as if that could soothe an ache that was so deep it went far past the physical.
Sabrina had no idea how she affected him. No, she continued as if his heart wasn't being ripped into a thousand more pieces. When would he learn? His heart wasn't meant to be whole.
He could laugh, shoot the shit, hang out with the guys and be the epitome of laid back. Fancy free, Dylan had called it not long after he and Reya hooked up. But it was all a charade.
Boomer didn't feel whole. Not since that terrible spring day. And truth be told, the first chisel strike to his heart had come fifteen years ago.
And the woman in front of him had been wielding her sledge hammer with deadly aim.
“What happened?”
The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. They tasted like dry sawdust across his tongue, but he needed to know what had happened all those years ago to drive her away from him.
It was as if she could read his mind, knew exactly what he was asking.
But hadn’t they always had that kind of connection as kids? Finishing each other’s sentences? Reading each other’s minds?
Which was why he just couldn’t figure out what had shut her down, turned her off. What had severed their friendship.
Sabrina licked her lips, staring at the ground. Then she slowly raised her gaze to meet his. The aqua of her eyes had never seemed brighter. Her shoulders pulled back and down and she took another deep breath that once again lifted her breasts.
“I've thought about this so many times...what I'd say if I ever met you again.” She glanced around at the dozens of parked cars and party goers. “I'm not sure this is the setting I had in mind.”
She gave him a slight smile.
Aww, fuck. He couldn't retract his question, without letting her know just how much she'd affected him. And knowing her now, seeing how she’d bitten her lower lip as she concentrated on tending his wound, the gentle wrinkle between her brows, the graceful column of her neck... It was like seeing her for the first time, and yet, somehow, she was achingly familiar.
It struck him right in the chest.
He'd missed her too. All the moments from their childhood. He'd thought they'd go on forever. Even as they'd drifted apart in high school, he'd never expected to drift completely.
And then when she'd walked away from their date and never looked back, when she'd severed all the ties, he'd ached. Not just because he'd been a rebuffed teenage boy, not just because he hadn't gotten his way, but because he'd lost his very best friend.
Thinking about it now, thinking of the loss, the miles and years between them, he swallowed past a lump in his throat. So damn long. So many years. So much history.
For both of them surely.
God knew he had plenty of baggage.
Which was why he should thank her for her bandaging his wounds and say, “it was nice seeing you.”
But when her incredible aqua gaze locked with his, those weren't the words that left his lips.
5
Boomer opened his mouth to tell her good-bye. See you later. So long. Nice seeing you again.
That’s not what came out.
“I know a quiet place not too far from here.” Inwardly, he groaned.
Sabrina's gaze dropped to his lips and seemed to weigh his words.
For the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt anticipation. But there was a hint of something more. Uneasiness. It took him back to missions when all he'd been able to rely on was his gut and his team.
As she tipped her chin up, he realized he was holding his breath.
For a woman.
The woman who'd broken his heart in high school and sent him on the course of his life.
Holy shit.
The revelations just kept coming.
He took a step back, his muscles tensing to bolt. But the smile she sent his way stopped him in his tracks. The curve of her perfect pink lips could have been a target; his focus was locked on.
“That sounds great.” She stepped around him, tucked the first-aid kit back in the glove compartment and then stood. After a quick glance at his bandaged hand, she met his gaze.” Should I follow you?”
A battle waged inside him. He wanted to rescind the offer and at the same time, he was terrified she'd change her mind.
What the hell was wrong with him?
He nodded. What was the worst that could happen? They'd talk. Maybe he'd find out if her lips tasted as good as they looked.
No. Not that. That's not what this is about.
It's about discovery. History.
Right. Discovering if history will repeat itself or if you'll get
