Kissed Blind (Hot Pursuit #2)(68)

I grunted a few times before I could speak. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about that.”

“Look, it happened, and I know I tease you and push you.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know why I do it other than I like joking around with you. I thought it was a fun thing we did, like it’s a part of who we are together. But I never meant to make a joke out of you. If it bothers you, I’ll stop.”

I chewed on my bottom lip. The thought of him not joking around with me anymore didn’t sound like fun. “No, it’s fine. I only wished you hadn’t pretended you didn’t know. I’ve wondered all these months. It’s weird knowing you chose not to say anything.”

“But you didn’t say anything either.”

“I know but that’s different.” I couldn’t quite articulate how, but it was. “Did, um…”

“What?”

“Did you regret it?” I stared down at my hands.

He stepped closer and tipped my chin up. “No, not for one second. I loved kissing you.”

“You loved kissing me?” I had to repeat it because I couldn’t quite believe he’d said it. “But, why keep it a secret.”

“Because.” He paused and deliberated with himself. “Because you belong to someone else and I can’t have you, so what’s the point?” His gaze was a soft caress, but it was the low, rich timber of his voice which threw me off kilter. His breath was hot against my lips, and I couldn’t move. If he was ever going to kiss me again, this was his chance.

A car door shut off in the distance and pulled our attention toward the street. Vance stepped away from me, and I squinted to make out a female figure approaching. I recognized it instantly.

Cici.





Twenty-Two





Vance walked toward Cici and met her on the sidewalk. “Hey, you made it.” He escorted her back to my car in the driveway.

A breeze blew, and the chill ran straight to my bones. I rubbed my arms in a self-embrace. “Hey, how’s it goin’?” On the outside I smiled, but inside I wanted to cry, though I wasn’t sure why. My heart felt like it was going to break.

“Hey.” She grinned and seemed to be assessing something. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Vance chimed in. “No. Di was getting ready to take off.”

His words stabbed me in the gut. “Uh, yeah, I was just leaving. Where are you two going?”

“I’m showing Cici the town. She’s been cooped up and runs errands for other people all day long. I thought she could use some fun.”

Cici hooked her arm around his. “I live my life for someone else every day. Vance insisted I get out for me. You have the best partner. He’s like a mind reader or something. He just knew how I was feeling. Not to mention everything that just happened with Oliver. I had to get away before I went crazy, you know?”

I gave a tightlipped smile. “Yeah, he’s great that way. Very perceptive.”

“Be careful getting home, okay?” Vance said, opening my car door.

I huffed. “Sure. You two have fun.” I slipped into my seat, and before I shut my door, Cici giggled at something Vance had said, and the sound made me cringe.

My stomach churned on the drive home. Had Vance admitted out loud for the whole world to hear that he liked—no, loved—kissing me? His words replayed like the most annoying earworm of all time, playing over and over, driving me to the brink of insanity.

Had I missed something way back when? We’d been friends long before Gabe ever came along. He never hinted he was even remotely interested in me. Ever. Or, had he? He’d had plenty of chances when we first started training together.

I cranked up the radio to drown out my thoughts. I pulled up to the curb in front of my building and retrieved the food from my back seat. Walking to my apartment, I was in a fog. I fiddled with my keys in the lock and was finally able to open the door. I kicked it shut, depositing the containers of food on my kitchen table. I had to talk to someone. I shoved everything in my fridge and went next door to Becca’s apartment.

“Hey.” She glanced down at a fancy watch on her wrist, donning a classic Rolling Stones t-shirt with the tongue sticking out. “It’s kind of late, what’s up?”

“So, I just heard the craziest thing, and I can’t make sense of it. Can I come in?”

“Of course. Oliver Pierce hasn’t confessed his undying love for you, has he?” She held her door open and laughed as I walked in.

The layout of her apartment was the same as mine: a small kitchen with an eating area just off from it, a quaint living room that led into the bedroom and bath. Her style, though, was a stark contrast to mine. She had scientific posters all over the walls: the DNA double helix, a portrait of Albert Einstein, and a magnified image of some type of virus. Science was her life.

She took one look at me and stopped. “I guess not. You look like you saw a ghost. Can I get you a beer?”

“Uh… yeah, actually I would love one.”

She left and came back with two open bottles and sat down next to me on her couch.

“What happened?”

I took a large swig of beer and turned my legs toward her. “Vance knows.”