Crush(136)

The restrooms were near the back—I’d been here before it changed owners and I remembered. Or I thought I did. I tried to peer through the crowd to locate the bathrooms but the place was way too big to see around the bar or the dance floor.

“Hello gorgeous. Long time no see. I was just coming to say hi,” Lars leaned down and kissed me right on the mouth.

I quickly stepped back, surprised by his close proximity and repelled by the feel of his lips on mine.

He shoved a glass of wine into my hand. “I bought you a drink. Thought we could celebrate . . . you know, moving on.”

I stepped back again.

And when I did, Lars’ eyes widened and his grin was wicked. “Whoa, you look sexy as hell. Did you start celebrating without me?”

I stood as straight as I could, trying to shake off the feeling of bugs crawling all over my body from the prickle of his stare. “No! I’m here to celebrate Danny’s new job.” That wasn’t really the truth, but I wasn’t about to explain to Lars.

“Well, f*ck me upside down, but Phoebe it looks like you want to do more than celebrate.”

I considered his comment. My dress was shorter than I’d normally have worn, and the neckline much lower than I’d ever worn. But Lily had bought it specifically for me, for my unwedding day as she called it, and dropped it off that morning. How could I have refused her?

He lifted my chin. “You changed your hair too.”

“I cut it.”

After I broke up with Dawson I needed a change, so I cut my long tresses to just above my shoulders and darkened them a bit at the same time. My once long, wavy, golden blond hair was shorter, darker, and straighter.

My mother hated it. She said it looked like a bob and she detested bobs. I happened to love it. The whole change made me feel lighter, freer.

Lars tugged on the ends of my hair. “You changed the color too. It looks sultry.” He licked his lips. “You look sexy as f*ck.”

I jerked my head back and just stared at him. Unsure where he was going with this and not really caring, I just wanted to escape his scrutiny.

“You’ve put some weight on too. Not so skinny anymore.”

I shrugged. I couldn’t control my weight. If I lost my appetite for even day, I looked unhealthily skinny. Everyone thought it was great to have such a high metabolism. But it wasn’t. I had to work at maintaining a healthy weight or my frame looked boylike.

“Has Dawson seen you yet?”

Disbelief clouded my narrowing eyes at the nerve of him. Like my ex-fiancé seeing me looking differently would change anything about our relationship?

My vision began to blur at that point and I knew I had had way too much to drink.

Lars’ mouth was at my ear before I could move away. “Your outfit makes it look like you have curves in all the right places though, don’t worry.”

I thought I might vomit.

Was he for real?

Words flew out of my mouth at lightning speed. “You’re such a dick. Go find some other woman to harass who’s into your kind of foreplay.”

An evil grin formed on his lips. “A dirty mouth too, just the way I like them.”

“You like them anyway you can get them,” I spat back.

Bile rose in my throat and I wasn’t sure if it was his attention or the alcohol causing the sick feeling.

“Feisty,” he grinned. “What was Dawson thinking letting you go? I bet you’re an animal in the sack.”

“Get lost,” I told him and turned to walk away.

He grabbed my wrist. “Now that you’re all worked up, what do you say we get out of here? I won’t tell Dawson.”

I tried to free myself of his grip but he wouldn’t let go.

Someone stepped between us. The distressed leather was the first thing my eyes were focused on when my skin started to tingle with a sense of familiarity. The tingling quickly turned into trembling as my gaze lifted and I saw the bluest of blue eyes.

They were soft, concerned, knowing.

They were the eyes of my past.

It was him.

I was surprised.

I was shocked.

I was mesmerized.

My body started to tremble even more and I downed the glass of wine I had been holding to help calm my nerves.

Still, I couldn’t stop staring. He looked the same. No, he looked better, if that was possible. His hair was shorter but his devastating good looks were even more striking.

This time I knew he was real—he wasn’t a figment of my imagination. Just that one look into his eyes and all the hurt was forgotten. It was as if the last five years had never happened. And we’d just met.

I lost myself in his eyes and I couldn’t stop myself from going back to when we’d first met.

It was the day I came alive.





As an extra, included is a preview of Kim’s very first novel. If you haven’t read Connected, you haven’t met River Wilde. Buckle up and get ready for the ride. It’s one you won’t want to miss!



Connected

Next Lifetime



We walked through the open door to the University of Southern California Campus Bar and Aerie pulled her tail up. “At least they aren’t playing that Halloween crap in here,” she yelled a little too loudly. As my ears adjusted, I heard a velvety soft voice singing an unfamiliar yet captivating song.