Vindicate (Recovered Innocence #1)(53)

Is he joking? “Why not? All you have is casual sex. This wouldn’t be any different.”

“Except that it is. And thanks for calling me a man-whore.”

“I’m not judging. In fact, I like that you’ve had a lot of experience, since I don’t really have any.”

“So you want to use me for sex?”

“Well…yeah.”

He stares at me for a moment. I wish I knew what was going on inside his head. I didn’t think he’d get insulted over me pointing out the fact that he’s slept with a lot of women. He always seemed pretty open about that.

“Okay, I’ll do it. On one condition—you can’t fall in love with me.”

“What? Why would I fall in love with you?”

He shrugs. “It happens.” His phone rings. He glances at the display, his brows bunching together, and hits the accept key. “Hello?” His body language changes, going from curiously annoyed with me to alert. “I’m so glad you called, Zelda.”

I jerk upright in my seat. Finally something is going our way.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he tells her. “Yeah, I can meet you anywhere you want. Twenty minutes? See you there.” He ends the call. “She wants to meet at that new coffee shop on Baker.”

We jump in the car and hightail it across town. Leo parks with less than a minute to spare. Through the window I can see that Zelda isn’t here yet. We climb out of the car and go inside.

“Find a corner booth that’s out of the way so she doesn’t see you,” Leo says. “There.” He points to the far end of the café. “That one over there.”

I slide in and try to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. Leo, on the other hand, chooses a spot where he can see and be seen. We don’t have to wait long. Zelda comes in and looks around. Leo walks up to her. They exchange some words and then take a seat at a table by the window.

Zelda looks different than she did the last time I saw her. I might not have recognized her except for the small red birthmark on her cheek. She looks tired and sad until Leo works his charm on her, then she becomes all smiles and coy looks. I sure as hell hope he’s able to get something out of her about her and Cassandra’s old neighbor Mrs. Wheeler.

The waitress arrives at my table. I order a pot of Earl Grey and take out my cellphone to look busy. The conversation at Leo’s table gets chummy. Twirling a strand of hair around one finger, Zelda narrows the distance between them across the table. Leo does the same. They look like a couple having an intimate discussion. They’re more evenly matched than Leo and me. I can almost see them together. I slump in my seat and try not to let that thought get too far.

What Leo said back at the taco place about me not falling in love with him comes back to me. He shrugged it off like it happens to him all the time. I can see it. He’s nice to look at, funny, sexy as hell, dependable, and easy to be around. I imagine a lot of girls have fallen for him. But he’s also stubborn, immature, and arrogant. Those should be negative traits, and yet mixed in with the rest they work. At least for me. And for Zelda too, by the looks of it.

I’m not jealous. I’m not. Leo’s free with his affection and charm. His personality more than his looks make it hard to resist him. When he turns those chocolate eyes on you you’re the only girl in the room. It’s just the way he is. I wouldn’t change him for anything, and yet…uhh. I want him all to myself. It’s going to be difficult to say goodbye to him at the end of the summer.





Chapter 24


Leo


I’m trying really hard to focus on getting Zelda to tell me about Mrs. Wheeler, but Cora is sitting across the room in my line of sight right over Zelda’s left shoulder. I can’t believe Cora sexually propositioned me. And I can’t believe I almost didn’t take her up on it. She’s more than a quick summer fling to me. What am I to her other than a means to gain some sexual experience? If I give her what she wants, then what? Where does that leave me?

Because if I sleep with her I know it’s going to mean more to me than it means to her. And if I don’t she’ll eventually meet someone else and they might not make her first time everything it should be. She should be loved and cherished and cared for and have orgasms that shock her. She should be with someone who will take care of her and be there for the hard stuff. Not someone who will leave her.

But what choice do I have? I want her past August. She apparently wants me only for the interim. There is no place for me in her life unless she makes a place. Or I somehow make it hard for her to live without me. If I make the sex so good she won’t be able to live without it or me. Three hours away isn’t that far. People make cross-country relationships work all the time.

I smile at Zelda, pushing back all those thoughts. There’s another way I can make myself necessary to Cora—help her free her brother.

I leaf through the notebook I brought with me, looking for the entry about Mrs. Wheeler. It holds all the notes I’ve taken on Beau’s case and supports my story of a student studying a local case. Zelda’s curious about it. I catch her trying to read it upside down.

I start with easy get-to-know-you questions. I’m good at getting women to feel at ease with me. Before I know it Zelda’s opening up about a lot of other things.