She worried her lower lip and took a step forward as the line moved like cold molasses through a labyrinth of ropes. Maybe he hadn’t been as blown away by their encounter as she was.
Or maybe he didn’t—
The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she turned to survey the crowd. Three tall, dark, and very handsome men strode across the gravel parking lot.
Sabrina’s body went on red alert. Shoulder to shoulder, they moved smoothly, backlit by a billboard, emerging from a cloud of dust.
Heat raced over her shoulders, swirling downward around her breasts before sliding down into her belly. David’s eyes latched onto hers and her breathing shallowed. The dark sports jacket clinging to his muscular torso looked tailor made. Jeans clung to his thighs and black boots ate up the distance between them.
Gracious, he was gorgeous.
His beard was a little longer than it had been a week ago, but the predatory gleam in his dark eyes was just the same. Her body softened at the sight of him, preparing for whatever he might have in mind.
Reya sighed and Jill giggled.
“I’d say our friend has definitely caught someone’s eye,” Reya murmured.
“I’ll never get tired of seeing that look in a man’s eye,” Jill added.
Sabrina dared a glance at the two women. Their gaze darted from her to David and back.
“I feel like we need to give them a cigarette and make ourselves scarce,” Baby said beneath her breath and fanned her cheeks.
Joe picked that moment to sweep in and steal her away. A second later, three sets of boots stopped to their right. Reya stepped into Dylan’s arms. Teo reached for Jill.
Sabrina’s stomach tied itself into knots. She’d been waiting for this reunion, perhaps more than anything in her life.
She’d learned to make her own success, to take charge when need be. It wasn’t like her to sit around and wait on a man to ask her out. If Ethan had taught her anything, it was to take life by the horns.
And David Jameson, well, she definitely wanted to grab ahold of him and hold on tight. This was her second chance.
In her fantasy, he swept her into his arms.
But in reality, he nodded at her.
“Come on lady, you’re holdin’ up the line,” a voice said from behind her.
She spun around to see a scrawny looking guy in a hoodie. He had his arm slung over a girl with spiky orange hair and he looked really proud of himself.
Sabrina opened her mouth to apologize but she felt David step closer. She glanced up to find him staring down at the kid. He didn’t say a word. Didn’t have to. All six feet plus of him was hard as a rock and danger rolled off him in waves.
The kid audibly gulped. Both hands came up in a placating gesture and he tripped over himself to apologize. When David didn’t move and didn’t say a word, the younger couple took a step back, then another.
Sabrina laughed softly and put a hand on David’s arm.
He turned, slid a palm to the small of her back and propelled her forward. They caught up with their friends and she turned to look up at him, trying to read his thoughts. The man had a stone-cold poker face.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“How’ve you been?”
“Fine.”
She waited for him to ask how she’d been, but he remained silent.
“You didn’t have to scare the hell outta that kid,” she told him a minute later. Not that it hadn’t been a little funny to see the cocky teen practically swallow his tongue.
“Sure I did. Little fuck isn’t an alpha.”
“And you are?”
He nodded.
“Oh-kay…”
Silence stretched. Why didn’t he say anything?
She couldn't exactly come out and talk about their rendezvous. There were too many ears around.
His hand dropped, and she immediately missed his heat. More than that, she'd relished it, and she missed the connection. It'd been too long since she'd felt like a part of a couple. Until that moment, she hadn't realized how much she'd missed it.
The secret looks. The private jokes. The intimate touches. She'd taken it for granted and now her body was remembering just how wonderful it'd been to have someone to lean on.
“How's work?”
A safe topic, right.
He shrugged a massive shoulder. “It's work.”
“Jill says you're almost done with this project.”
“Three more days.”
Three.
Panic crept in.
He couldn't be done so quickly, that didn't give her any time to— to what?
Buck up, Sabrina. You can talk any time. Right now, even.
Somehow all the words she'd rehearsed over the years deserted her.
“Where will you go next?” Yeah, that sounded like normal conversation.
“New Orleans.”
“Will you leave right away?”
His jaw clenched and released. The stoic stance and brief answers soured her stomach. This wasn't the same man who'd made her toes curl. Something'd happened, but she couldn't imagine what would cause such a hundred and eighty-degree turn.
“Maybe.”
Jill kept glancing over her shoulder, obviously checking on them. But Sabrina's heart was sinking fast and she gave the other woman a slow shake of the head.
She'd been so excited to see him again, eager to talk about the monsters and scares. Anxious to relive their favorite haunted houses and costumes from their childhood. They hadn’t had much in those early years, but they’d had each other and wild imaginations.
Her impatience was wasted, and she had no idea what to do. What could she say to get him to open up? There hadn’t been much talking last time and she really wanted to hear about his life, his dreams.
As clear as if he'd been standing next to her, she heard Ethan's voice. “Be yourself.” That was the advice he'd given her before he'd died, and it had served her well, once she'd learned how to do it.
Sabrina Duncan was a go-getter. She didn't settle. She didn't take no for an answer. And she didn't stand around agog, waiting for a man to get his head out of his you-know-what.
Reaching out, she closed a hand around his forearm. Ignoring the deliciously corded muscles,
