What He Wants (Second Chances #1.5)(7)

“I agree,” I said. “Give me one minute and I’ll be right back.”

Off to the side of the bar there was a door that opened up to a patio where a little courtyard sat nestled in between the massive high rises in downtown Charlotte. Most people went out there to smoke, but it was a better choice to go out there instead of out the front where everyone waiting in line could hear me cussing out my ex-husband.

When I got outside, most of the tables were occupied … except one. Immediately, my skin grew damp with the summer heat as I started toward it, dreading even looking at my messages. With my head down, glaring at my phone and the gazillion text messages, I strolled in the direction of the vacant table and took a seat.



Daniel: I need you. Please let me make it up to you.

Daniel: I want you back, baby. I’ve changed. I love you.



“You have got to be kidding me,” I hissed under my breath, disgusted.

What a bunch of bullshit.

“You know, if it’s that bad to sit beside me I can move,” a voice to my right spoke out.

Gasping, I fumbled with my phone and it fell to the ground. I didn’t even know someone was there. Instantly, I bent down to pick it up, but the other person got to it first, holding it out to me. When my fingers brushed against his it was like a jolt of electricity coursing through my veins, sending shock waves up my arm.

What the hell?

Quickly, I grabbed my phone and sat back into my chair, clenching my tingling hand as I glanced up. The breath left my lungs the second I looked into the most gorgeous set of stormy gray eyes I’d ever seen.

It’s him.

“Hey,” I stammered awkwardly, my cheeks burning in embarrassment. “I honestly didn’t know you were sitting here. I swear I thought the table was empty.”

His lip tilted up in a mischievous smirk. “It’s okay. I think you were a little too preoccupied with your phone to notice me. I was about to go back inside, anyway. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

Smoothly, he stood from his chair and gazed down at me before straightening the jacket of his gray suit and walking back to the door. Say something to him.

Each step he took, my body screamed at me to go after him; especially when he looked back and tilted his lip up in a smirk. My body froze, and I all I could do was watch him walk away. Once the door shut and he disappeared, I wanted to kick myself in the ass for not asking him to stay.

What the hell? I never go after men.

Other than my ex-husband, I had never been flustered by a man before, but with this one it felt like a whole new ball game. Daniel pursued me with a passion and it was impossible not to fall for him. I didn’t know the first thing about making the first move. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter anyway because if he was interested in me he would’ve stayed … right?

The thought of getting attached to someone else scared the shit out of me.

Sighing, I glanced down at my phone, but all I saw was a black screen; it must’ve turned off during its crash to the ground. Knowing the messages were probably all from Daniel, I’m sure it was best that I didn’t look or listen to them. His incessant badgering to get me back was bordering on a psychotic level. Obviously telling him I didn’t want him wasn’t getting through his thick head.

After putting my phone in my purse, I headed back inside where April and Lia sat talking to a couple of guys. Like always, it didn’t take long for them to get noticed. The guys were pretty cute, but a little young for my taste judging by the popped collars and their fraternity insignia on the front of their polo shirts. College boys were a definite no-no for me. I was twenty-eight years old and I figured out pretty quickly that men in their early twenties had a lot of growing up to do.

After Daniel and I divorced, I let April set me up with one of her cousins … who happened to be twenty-two. I felt like I was his babysitter. I wanted a man who was experienced and knew where he was going in life, not ones who only cared about drinking and having a good time.

Thankfully, there were just two guys with April and Lia and not three. When I approached, both girls waved excitedly at me while Lia slid another tequila sunrise my way.

“Thanks for ordering me another one,” I stated happily. “You have no idea how bad I needed it.” I wasn’t about to go into detail about my psychotic ex-husband with the guys around.

“I didn’t order it,” Lia said, shrugging her shoulders. “Ryan came by and dropped it off. He said someone bought it for you.”

I glanced down at the drink, then around to the people in the room to see if anyone acknowledged me. No one did.

“Ryan didn’t give you a name or point to anyone?” I asked.

Lia shook her head. “No, nothing. But hey, it’s a free drink, right?”

Yeah, but it’d be nice to know where it came from.

The young guy beside her—the one with blond, spiky hair with the purple polo shirt—leaned in and whispered something in her ear, making her giggle. They flirted back and forth, and I couldn’t help but wish I could be like that. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t. Lia was only twenty-four years old and completely single with no attachments. Sometimes I envied her and April because they didn’t have ex-husbands who gave them problems.

Lia giggled again when frat boy asked her to dance. Before getting out of her chair, she squeezed my hand and smiled. “Enjoy the drink, and I’m sure whoever sent it to you will come by and say hello. I’ll be back later. I need to show this guy how I get down.”