“Not just as friends, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
I jerked back in my seat at his blunt reply. “You’re not even going to pretend to want to be just friends so you can try a sneak attack for more?”
Marco stared at me with serious determination. “I’m not going to hide that I want to get to know who you are now. I’m also not going to hide the fact that I think you’re still the classiest, most fucking beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, or the fact that I remember the taste of you and it still makes me hard.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“Hannah?” He frowned at my silence.
I reached for my beer and took a long swallow, trying to collect myself.
“Hannah?”
My eyes clashed with his. “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to say ‘Marco, I forgive you and, yes, I want to get to know you again.’”
“I don’t know if I can do that,” I whispered.
For a minute I thought he wasn’t going to say anything, but suddenly he stood up. I tilted my head back, watching warily as he strode around the table to tower over me. I sucked in my breath as he leaned down, his heat hitting me, his cologne wafting over me, and I couldn’t suppress the shiver that cascaded down my spine when he pressed his warm lips to my cheek. My eyes round with surprise, I gaped at him as he straightened and said, “I’ll give you a couple of days to think about it.”
CHAPTER 11
I stared woefully at the wall in front of me decorated with Cole’s tattoo art. The buzz of the tattoo needle next door played a sound track to Saturday lunch with my best friend. Cole was working at INKarnate and I’d stopped by with food so we could hang out on his lunch break.
I could feel his eyes burning into me.
Giving in to his silent question, I turned to meet his gaze.
He sipped his coffee and continued to stare at me without saying anything.
“What?” I shrugged before biting into my sandwich.
“As grateful as I am for you bringing me lunch, I am wondering if I should count on silence from you from now on?”
Swallowing my food, I rolled my eyes. “What, we can’t just sit in comfortable silence?”
“You didn’t come here to sit in comfortable silence.” Cole relaxed into his seat, putting his feet up on the part of the tattoo chair my arse wasn’t covering. “You came here to talk, so talk.”
“But that would make me the whiniest best friend on the planet.”
“I’ll take whiny over mute.”
I snorted, and turned slightly to face him. “You know exactly what I’m going to say.”
“Hmm.” He crossed his arms over his chest with a mock pensive look on his face. “Is it Marco in the drawing room with the candlestick?”
“Har-de-har-har.” I made a face at him.
Cole grinned unrepentantly.
“I had dinner with Marco a week ago.”
My friend’s eyebrows rose. “And I’m just hearing about this now?”
“Well, I’ve been taking some time, going over and over everything he said. He wants a second chance. At everything.”
“Everything as in… a relationship, not just friendship?”
“Yes.”
“Did he explain why he left?”
“His grandfather died. He went back to the States to be with his grandmother. He has a lot of self-esteem issues because of his grandfather and he just thought… basically he thought I was too good to be in his life and that’s why he never told me he was leaving, and that’s why he never got in touch when he came back.”
“So why the change of heart now?”
I sighed. “He’s changed, Cole. He’s not the guy he was back then, and he says he misses me.”
It was Cole’s turn to sigh. “I’m just going to say to you what I said before. Everyone deserves a second chance. It’s not like what he did was so awful. He left without saying good-bye, but you weren’t together. I think you’re making this more complicated than it is.”
We bloody well had sex!
I frowned. “We were friends, and he knew I cared about him.”
“And he explained his reasons. You may not like them, but that’s the way it is sometimes. We all do stupid things. Marco is trying to make up for his mistakes. He’s been pulling out all the stops to see you. Surely that counts for something.”
Yes – I want it to count for something.
I need it to count for something.
“I just don’t want to get hurt again.”
Cole surprised me with a warm smile. “Then just try the whole friends thing first. It’s not like anyone is forcing you to offer him more than that.”
“Hannah.”
I shivered involuntarily at the rich sound of Marco’s voice in my ear. My hand tightened around my phone. “Hi.”
“I’m glad you called. I was beginning to think I’d need to go to Plan B.”
“Plan B?”
“Much like Plan A but with increased work hours.”
I smiled despite myself. “Well, no need. Your stalking days are over.”
“That sounds like good news.” He practically purred it, and my eyelashes fluttered closed before I could stop them.
Damn him!
“Just as friends!” I found myself blurting out.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m willing to try to be friends again.”
He was silent a moment.
“Marco?”
“Friends,” he finally answered. “But with the hope of becoming more.”
The butterflies were back in my belly. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no.”
“Fine. Friends will do for now.”
“Marco —”
“You can’t take it back. We’re friends. We’re officially spending time together.”
I sighed, willing the crazy fluttering inside me to die down. “How does next weekend sound?”
He hesitated. “I can’t do next weekend, I’m sorry. How about this Tuesday, after work, for drinks? I swapped shifts with a colleague. He’s doing my Wednesday shift if I do tomorrow for him.”
“That’s good for you. You can have a drink and not have to worry about work the next day. However, a weeknight doesn’t really work for me.”
“Oh, come on, it’s not like you’re surrounded by heavy machinery. We’ll have one drink. Or are you too old to go out on a weeknight?” he teased.
I grimaced. “You’re such a child. Fine, Tuesday night. One drink.”
Walking into the bar on George Street on Tuesday evening, I almost tripped over my own feet at the expression on Marco’s face when he saw me.
He stood up from the small booth he was sitting at, his eyes moving from my face, slowly down my body and back up again. The funny thing was there was nothing much to see except for my legs ending in a pair of fur-trimmed ankle boots. I was wearing my favorite green military-style winter coat with fur-trim cuffs. It fitted my body well, but it wasn’t exactly sexy.
Marco’s gaze made me feel sexy.
Damn him.
When I reached him he surprised me by bending slightly to press a kiss to my cheek. My cheek was rosy and cold from the freezing wind outside, but as soon as his lips touched my skin a blaze of heat radiated out from the spot. I must have looked befuddled because he seemed amused and pleased with himself.
Self-consciously I shrugged out of my coat, glad I was wearing a conservative navy wool dress underneath. However, I might as well have been wearing a nightdress for how hot I felt in close quarters with him.
Sliding into the booth beside him, my whole body hyper-aware of his, I knew I had to at least be honest with myself: I had never stopped being attracted to Marco and I’d once been in love with him. Despite the complicated past between us, despite the truths I was withholding, I knew that I could never just be friends with him on the inside, even if I could pretend it on the outside.