Simply Irresistible
Page 32
“Really?” Her lips were quirking, as if they wanted to smile but she had her doubts.
“Oh yeah. They were throwing panties at us for a month.” Kyle heaved a sigh. “It was serious endurance training to make sure everyone got a turn in just eleven weeks. Big lecture hall.” He saluted her with his Scotch. “But I tried. I really tried.”
Lauren leaned across the table. “And how did I fit into that schedule?” she asked, a challenge in her eyes. “I seem to remember that was around the time of that one night.”
Kyle sobered and for once in his life, he decided to tell the truth. “You ended it,” he said with conviction. Her skepticism wasn’t the best response, but Kyle knew he deserved that. He’d cultivated a reputation and let others make their conclusions, but there was one thing he knew without doubt.
It was why he’d taken on this job.
Maybe it was time to say it out loud.
He drained his Scotch and set down the glass on the table, his gaze unswerving from hers. “Because after you, Lor, there could be no other contenders. That’s why this pisses me off so much. You’re the most admirable and beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”
She opened her mouth to protest but he held up a finger to silence her. “I’m not shitting you. This is the truth. That night was the very best night of my life, and you were the very best thing to ever happen to me.”
To his surprise, he saw her tears rise but he carried on. Once the truth worked its way free, there was no stopping it. “I’m not just saying that. There have been women, lots of them, but it’s never ever been like that night. Not even close. I’m not good enough for you, and I know it, but this bastard had the best and just threw it away. For cheap thrills.”
He stood up as she looked at him in astonishment. “You need any help making Mark’s life miserable, you just let me know.” Before he could reconsider his choice, Kyle pulled out one of his cards, wrote his cell phone number on the back, and snapped it on the table in front of her. Lauren stared at it, as if it might bite.
As if everything he said was a lie.
That was the price of honesty. He wasn’t even going to have a chance to throw himself at her mercy. She was too stunned. That was why there was no point in screwing around with telling people the truth. Kyle marched to the bartender and paid the bill. When he turned to leave, Lauren was already gone.
So was his card, but Kyle didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not.
* * *
Three weeks after Kyle had given her the news, Lauren stood in Times Square, just letting the city flow around her. For the past few weeks, she’d felt raw inside, but now she felt empty.
Desolate.
Lonely.
It had been better when she’d had a list of jobs to be done. She’d cleaned out and sorted possessions. She’d removed Mark from her life with surgical precision. She’d parted their finances and hired lawyers and severed every connection. The work was done and she was alone again.
With the truth, that the past few years had all been an exercise in futility. She’d been stupid to hope for the best even when she knew her marriage was falling apart.
That was the worst part: she felt stupid for believing in happily-ever-after.
She was standing where she could see the enormous poster of Kyle. The perennial surfer boy, his hair tousled and his skin wet, a laugh just beginning to curve his lips. Honestly, she could see the twinkle in his eyes even from here.
Of course, the billboard was twenty stories high.
Get wet at F5.
Didn’t she wish.
Lauren thought of one perfect night, of the weight of those hands on her skin, of the thrum of anger in his words when he’d told her about Mark. She hadn’t thought that Kyle could be impassioned about much of anything. She hadn’t thought he even remembered her much.
But she’d replayed his words in her thoughts a thousand times since.
That night was the very best night of my life, and you were the very best thing to ever happen to me.
She wanted to believe him, but she knew better.
It wouldn’t be forever.
It would only be for now.
But that just might be enough.
Lauren pulled out the business card that she’d worn to softness and turned it over. She didn’t really need to look at the number. She’d memorized it weeks ago. She liked the way Kyle wrote. Every character was filled with his confidence.
She wanted some of that.
She punched his number into her cell phone, and her heart leaped when he answered.
“Kyle here. What can I do for you?”
“You didn’t look at the number,” Lauren accused and felt his shock when he recognized her voice.
He recovered well, of course. Kyle always did. “No. I would have answered faster if I had, Lor. Where are you? It sounds noisy.”
“Times Square.”
“Oh.” It had to be the first time ever that she’d heard Kyle at a loss for words.
“I’ve just been thinking that sometimes one thing of beauty isn’t quite enough to provide joy forever,” she said. “I’ve just been thinking that another one would be good.”
For once in his life, Kyle was silent. She could feel him there, hear the faint sound of his breathing, and was aware of his attention.
“I know you can’t give you what I really want, Kyle,” she whispered. “But I also know you can give me what I need. I feel dead. I hate it. I want to feel alive again.”
He cleared his throat lightly and she knew she’d surprised him. “Your place?”
“No. Mark is circling like a dog, double-checking where he crapped.”
Kyle chuckled. “Not my place. No one goes there.”
“Maybe it’s time to change that,” Lauren replied, wanting to convince him, not knowing what she’d do if he declined. “I’m taking a chance. How about you?”
Kyle didn’t think about it long, much to her relief. He gave her an address on the west side. Hell’s Kitchen, probably. She’d bet it was that shiny new building. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he said, some of her own urgency in his tone. “If you change your mind, Lor, it’s okay.”
“I’m not going to change my mind,” she said. “I’ll be there.” She ended the call and looked up at the billboard, welcoming the flicker of excitement in her veins. She hadn’t even seen Kyle yet, but she already felt herself returning to life.
She knew that was just a hint of what was to come during the night ahead. That made her smile as she stepped to the curb to flag down a cab.
* * *
Addicted to Love
by Deborah Cooke
#2 of the Flatiron Five series of contemporary romances
Coming soon!
About the Author
Deborah Cooke sold her first book in 1992, a medieval romance called Romance of the Rose published under her pseudonym Claire Delacroix. Since then, she has published over fifty novels in a wide variety of sub-genres, including historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, fantasy romance, time-travel romance, women’s fiction, paranormal young adult and fantasy with romantic elements. She has published under the names Claire Delacroix, Claire Cross, and Deborah Cooke. The Beauty, part of her successful Bride Quest series of historical romances, was her first title to land on the New York Times List of Bestselling Books. Her books routinely appear on other bestseller lists and have won numerous awards. In 2009, she was the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library, the first time the library has hosted a residency focused on the romance genre. In 2012, she was honored to receive the Romance Writers of America’s Mentor of the Year Award.
Currently, she writes paranormal romances featuring dragon shape shifter heroes under the name Deborah Cooke. She also writes medieval romances as Claire Delacroix. Deborah lives in Canada with her husband and family, as well as far too many unfinished knitting projects.
Deborah’s Website and Blog
&nbs
p; Deborah’s Newsletter
Books by Deborah Cooke
Paranormal Romances
- The Dragonfire Series -
Kiss of Fire
Kiss of Fury
Kiss of Fate
Harmonia’s Kiss
Winter Kiss
Whisper Kiss
Darkfire Kiss
Flashfire
Ember’s Kiss
Kiss of Danger
Kiss of Darkness
Kiss of Destiny
The Dragon Legion Collection
(including “Kiss of Danger”, “Kiss of Darkness” and “Kiss of Destiny”)
Serpent’s Kiss
Firestorm Forever
- The Dragons of Incendium -
Wyvern’s Mate
Nero’s Dream
Wyvern’s Prince
Arista’s Legacy
Wyvern’s Warrior (2016)
Urban Fantasy Romance
- The Prometheus Project -
Fallen
Guardian
Rebel
Abyss
Paranormal Young Adult
- The Dragon Diaries -
Flying Blind
Winging It
Blazing the Trail
Contemporary Romance
- The Coxwells -
Third Time Lucky
Double Trouble
One More Time
All or Nothing
- Flatiron Five -
Simply Irresistible
Addicted to Love (2017)
* * *
Books by Claire Delacroix
Time Travel Romances
Once Upon a Kiss
The Last Highlander
The Moonstone
Love Potion #9
Medieval Romances
- Harlequin Historicals -
The Romance of the Rose
Honeyed Lies
Unicorn Bride
The Sorceress
Roarke’s Folly
Pearl Beyond Price
The Magician’s Quest
Unicorn Vengeance
My Lady’s Champion
Enchanted
My Lady’s Desire
- The Bride Quest I -
The Princess
The Damsel
The Heiress
- The Bride Quest II -
The Countess
The Beauty
The Temptress
- The Rogues of Ravensmuir -
The Rogue
The Scoundrel
The Warrior
- The Jewels of Kinfairlie -
The Beauty Bride
The Rose Red Bride
The Snow White Bride
The Ballad of Rosamunde
- The True Love Brides -
The Renegade’s Heart
The Highlander’s Curse
The Frost Maiden’s Kiss
The Warrior’s Prize
- The Champions of Saint Euphemia -
The Crusader’s Bride
The Crusader’s Heart
The Crusader’s Kiss
The Crusader’s Vow (2017)
The Crusader’s Handfast
Short Stories and Novellas
An Elegy for Melusine
Beguiled
Audio Editions