“I have him on for tonight’s shift. Ten p.m. to six a.m.”
“Okay,” she said, mentally calculating the time difference as she scanned her laptop, scrolling through last-minute flight options to Denver. “Do you have someone in the building at night, a maintenance person maybe?” She exhaled, unsure what to ask. “Is there any chance someone would be at the reception desk to let in visitors, after regular work hours?”
“Tell you what,” he said, and she swore she heard a smile in the man’s voice. “I’ll give you my cell number. When you get here, give me a call. I’ll let you in.”
“Really?” she asked, brimming with gratitude.
“Positive.” His tone held unexpected kindness. “Call this number.” As he gave the digits, she wrote them down. “I look forward to hearing from you, Emma.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said, in monumental relief.
“It’s Slone. I’ll see you when you get here.”
As usual, Shane dragged himself into the office at ten p.m.
Nothing held the same interest, the same passion—even his new job—since he’d stopped talking to Emma. The days blended together in a pointless gray blur.
His world became an empty train that passed through the hours, stopping at each scheduled station with mechanical order but no destination. His chest ached. His brain was dull. The determination that had always driven him had hung up a sign that read out of order.
Even the townhouse he usually kept as neat and tidy as the barracks where he and Emma stayed on their weekend together had fallen into disarray. He just didn’t give a damn, and he didn’t know how to fix his funk.
He went through the motions of canvassing resumes and fact-checking work histories and scanning recommendation letters. His manager, Slone, hadn’t interviewed any of the potentials he’d forwarded in the past two weeks.
If he didn’t step it up, he might lose his recent promotion. He tried to drum up interest, investment in his work. He consistently failed.
Leaning back in his chair, he cracked his neck. A random memory pierced through the present from the past. Donnie’s dad left their family three months after Shane’s dad left his. January, he recalled. Their moms had taken him, his sister and Donnie on a road trip—awesome, because they got an excused week off school—up to Donnie’s grandparents’ farm in northeast Ohio.
They’d learned about maple syrup, and how tapping Maple trees in winter issued clear liquid later boiled into the sweetest, most delicious treats he’d ever tasted. Richer and more flavorful than anything on a candy store shelf. They came to a tree, a gargantuan old one with gnarled branches and haggard bark. Donnie’s grandpa had investigated the bucket and removed the tap spigot. He’d said this tree had given them generations of sap, but it was time to let the giant rest, he told them, patting the great trunk with tenderness and appreciation.
Shane felt like that tree. He was tapped out, his life force dried up in a bottomless bucket.
He missed his best friend, who would’ve told him to quit lurking in his doubts and go after Emma because he knew she was the one. Chasing a feather in the wind was worth it, if he believed it would eventually land within reach. He held no such assurances with Emma.
He rubbed the stunted knuckles on his left hand. They pained him every time he remembered Donnie.
What should I do, man? he silently asked a ghost.
Hard to believe only two weeks ago he’d poured his heart into making love to her. A faint smile touched his lips, a longing ache echoing in his chest. He would never forget the sound of every whisper, every sigh he tasted, every moan he swallowed, taking her into him as she took him inside her. The feel of her in his arms. How she didn’t flinch when he held her and caressed her scars.
In turn, she’d clasped her hands with his, embracing his wounds. She’d accepted him like no lover had.
He was proud of her for all she’d accomplished, even since their weekend ended. Empowered, she was taking charge of her life, even considering moving overseas…while he felt stuck, unable to think about his future without her.
He missed her sweet shyness and sunshine. How her laughter had breathed fresh joy into his hardened heart.
One weekend, they’d spent together. Yet he wouldn’t be the same without her.
His boss’s ringtone startled him out of his suffocating thoughts. He needed to focus on work. His exhale held annoyance, and he realized he’d come to despise the evening conversations Slone shared with his wife. He never purposely eavesdropped, it’s just Slone never shut his door. They talked about their day, the baby, the tiny increments of life measured by closeness with someone else.
Tonight, though, Slone didn’t linger on the phone. “I’ll be right back,” he told Shane. “Going down to the lobby to get someone.”
Shane shrugged an acknowledgement.
Unusual, but maybe his wife had brought him a late-night dinner. Or the baby couldn’t sleep, the two had popped in for a visit.
Shane thought of his week-old nephew in Emma’s arms, perfectly content when no one else could soothe him. I get it, little guy. He sighed, pressing his fist against the center of his chest. I know exactly how you feel.
The door to their office opened.
“Shane,” his boss said.
“Yeah,” he replied, staring at his screen.
“There’s someone here to see you.”
He glanced over and did a doubletake. He stood up so fast his chair wheeled halfway across the room. Emma?
Dodging the chair, Slone moved discreetly past him. “I’ll be in my office.” A conspiratorial grin on his face, Slone and added, “With the door closed.”
Shane barely heard him. All focus narrowed on the woman who took a few hesitant steps toward him.
“Hi, Shane.”
“Hey.” He could barely speak, barely breathe.
Knotting her fingers together, she approached him cautiously. “You traveled across the country to show up on my doorstep, to tell me you loved me.” She swallowed. “I came here to do the same.”
He half-choked, half-coughed. “You didn’t think to call?”
That shy smile melted him. “I could have. But it wouldn’t prove to you what you proved to me.”
His chest expanded with cautious optimism. He spread his hands. “Here you are.”
“Here I am,” she said, looking adorably uncertain. But the truth settled in her eyes when her gaze locked on his. “I’m here to tell you—”
His lips met hers before she could get the words out. His arms came around her, holding her tight, soaking her in, loving her from the depths of his soul.
Gently pushing him back, she looked up at him and traced his jaw with her fingertips. “I love you, Shane. I’m ready. I’ll take the risk. I’ll take every chance, every shot, because you’re worth it.” She hesitated. “If you’ll have me.”
Explosions of gratitude released inside him, fireworks breaking through the loss he’d felt without her. “Baby, you had me at first bid.”
She laughed.
The sound constructed a space where he would feel forever home. He couldn’t live without the joy she brought to his life. And now she was his.
Sealing his mouth over hers, he sealed their fate, destined from the moment they met.
The Universe whole-heartedly approved.
Thank you for reading Emma and Shane’s love story . If you enjoyed this novella, please check out the books in my Billionaire Bodyguard series!
If you’d like to receive email alerts when I have a new book out, please CLICK HERE.
The Billionaire Bodyguard Series
The Billionaire Bodyguard (Book 1)
The Billionaire’s Possession (Book 2)
Bedded by Her Bodyguard (Novella 2.5)
The Billionaire’s Prize (Book 3)
The Bodyguard’s Baby (Novella 3.5)
The Billionaire’s Dare (Book 4)
The Billionaire’s Seduction (Book 5)
The Body
guard’s Temptation (Novella 5.5)
About the Author
A Barnes & Noble Nook best-selling author of the Billionaire Bodyguard Series, Kristi Avalon is passionate about writing romance novels. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing love triumph over adversity, as characters change and grow into better people because of each other. And, of course, happily ever after!
Kristi holds a master's degree in English from John Carroll University. When she's not escaping into fiction or working as a technical writer, she loves catching up with friends over a cup of coffee, as well as sipping new Teavana mixes while daydreaming about her next novel. She lives in Northeast Ohio where she enjoys walking in the beautiful, lushly wooded Metroparks with her enthusiastic Australian Shepherd, Toby.
I love to hear from readers! Connect with me here:
www.kristiavalon.com
[email protected]
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