by Levine, Nina
Her eyes found mine, and I saw everything I needed to see to know I hadn’t misread this.
Birdie wanted this as much as I did.
“Winter,” she said breathlessly, but the way she didn’t make any attempt to wiggle out of my embrace betrayed any argument she might attempt. “We can’t—”
I pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. “I’m just asking for a few drinks. We can go for a coffee somewhere else if you don’t want to drink anymore.”
She remained silent, staring up at me like a deer caught in headlights. Still not moving out of my hold.
“You wanna go grab coffee?” I asked when she didn’t respond. It was actually my preference. It’d be quieter, and I’d have a better chance at getting her talking.
Shaking her head, she stumbled over her words in her haste to get them out. “No, I’ll stay here and have a drink with you. One drink.” It seemed she wasn’t confident about being somewhere quieter with me. That knowledge only confirmed my thoughts that she was trying to shut down her feelings.
I held her for a few moments longer, not wanting to let her go. But I eventually did and then motioned to the bartender for two more drinks.
She moved closer to the bar and placed her clutch down, still doing everything she could to avoid looking at me. I ran my gaze over her while we waited for our drinks.
Fuck, she was beautiful. I’d never found a woman who even came close to matching Birdie. With her blue eyes that captured me every damn time, flawless tanned skin, curves, and legs that went on forever, and those lips I’d spent too many fucking hours thinking about, she had everything that got my blood pumping. But it wasn’t just her physical attractiveness that took my breath away. Birdie was the complete package with a soul that far exceeded any beauty she had on the outside. Everyone who met her was drawn to her in inexplicable ways. She was like that song you loved and couldn’t get out of your head, but for the life of you, couldn’t figure out why you loved it so much. Kind and thoughtful in ways many weren’t, Birdie marched to the beat of her own drum, and I was powerless to do anything but hang off every vibration.
I paid for the drinks and slid hers across the bar, finally finding her eyes. I caught her off guard, and she quickly looked down. Before I could stop myself, I leaned in close and said, “Remember that night in Hobart when we got blind drunk and you ended up in that water fountain half-naked before I could stop you? It was so damn cold that night and I—”
“You dragged me out of it, wrapped me in your T-shirt and jacket, and threw me over your shoulder so you could carry me to the taxi. And you froze your ass off—”
I held her eyes. “Because I loved you and I would have done anything for you.” I paused, my fucking chest squeezing with love for her. “I still would.” I didn’t need to remind her of the long night of sex we’d had that night. It had been the kind of sex no one would ever forget. But then, we’d always had that kind.
She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly before taking a sip of her drink. “What are you doing, Winter?”
“Remembering the good times we had.”
“Yeah well, they’re just memories now. Dragging them up only hurts.”
“So you don’t ever think about us? I call bullshit on that.”
“You can call bullshit all you like, but it’s been five years and I’ve moved on.”
“You’re dating someone at the moment?”
She tensed like she used to when she tried to evade my questions. “I’ve just started seeing someone.”
The idea of another man’s hands on her tore me up, but it wasn’t anything I hadn’t thought of over the last five years. I pushed my displeasure down deep, locked that shit up because it wouldn’t get me anywhere tonight. “So he means nothing to you yet is what you’re telling me.”
“No, Winter. What I’m telling you is that we’ve been out a few times and I like him.”
I’d really fucked up our relationship when I hadn’t listened to her needs all those years ago. She had never demanded I walk away from the military, but if I’d stopped for just one moment and seen her and the struggles she’d been going through, I would have left a helluva lot sooner. And we’d still be together today.
This dickhead she was seeing had fucking nothing on what I could give Birdie. We had history, and that had to count for something. I knew everything about her. That her favourite singer was Eminem and her favourite colour was pink; that she reserved Sundays for family and meal prep; that she organised her clothes for the entire week on a Sunday night; that she always fell asleep watching TV at night and never usually made it past 9:00 p.m. because she was always up at 4:30 a.m. to go running. I knew her heart, and who had trampled over it. And all the regrets she’d ever had.
I might not have known her for the last five years, but I knew more than this new asshole did.
“How’s your mum, Angel?”
Her eyes widened a smidge, and she gulped down her drink. Placing the empty glass down, she picked up her clutch. “We’ve had our drink, and now I’m going home. My mum is good and no, she doesn’t ask about you anymore.”
My lips twitched at the attitude she threw my way. It was a low blow, me asking about her mother. Jennifer had always loved me and had rooted for me after Birdie ended our relationship. She’d kept in touch with me for a long time, keeping me updated on her daughter and the fact she was still trying to make her see sense.
Didn’t hurt to remind her of my ties to her family, though. At this point, I’d use every weapon in my arsenal.
When she took a step away from me, I reached for her. The spark of our skin touching couldn’t be denied, not even by her. I saw it in the flare of her eyes when they met mine again.
“You can run and you can try to hide, but eventually you will be mine again.” I leaned in close. “I’m going to enjoy the fuck out of the chase, just like I did the last time we played this game.”
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About the Author
Nina Levine
Dreamer.
Coffee Lover.
Gypsy at heart.
USA Today Bestselling author who writes about alpha men & the women they love.
When I’m not creating with words you will find me planning my next getaway, visiting somewhere new in the world, having a long conversation over coffee and cake with a friend, creating with paper or curled up with a good book and chocolate.
I’ve been writing since I was twelve. Weaving words together has always been a form of therapy for me especially during my harder times. These days I’m proud that my words help others just as much as they help me.
www.ninalevinebooks.com
Also by Nina Levine
Storm MC Series
Storm (Storm MC #1)
Fierce (Storm MC #2)
Blaze (Storm MC #3)
Revive (Storm MC #4)
Slay (Storm MC #5)
Sassy Christmas (Storm MC #5.5)
Illusive (Storm MC #6)
Command (Storm MC #7)
Havoc (Storm MC #8)
Sydney Storm MC Series
Relent (#1)
Nitro’s Torment (#2)
Devil’s Vengeance (#3)
Hyde’s Absolution (#4)
King’s Wrath (#5)
King’s Reign (#6)
King: The Epilogue (#7)
Storm MC Reloaded Series
Hurricane Hearts (#1)
War of Hearts (#2)
Christmas Hearts (#3)
Battle Hearts (#4)
The Hardy Family Series
Steal My Breath (single dad romance)
Crave Series
Be The One (rockstar romance)
Billionaire Romance
Ashton Scott
www.ninalevinebooks.com
Copyright © 2020 by Nina Levine
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Editing by Becky Johnson at Hot Tree Editing
Cover Design by Romantic Book Affair Designs