A Cosmic Kind of Love(60)

I wasn’t sure I could give that up for anything.





TWENTY-THREE





Chris


When I returned to Earth, the only thing that took longer to get used to than gravity was New York City. Up there, the humming machine sounds of the ISS were the only source of constant noise, and it was the kind of noise I easily adjusted to.

The first night I spent back in New York after five months in space and weeks in the calm environment of the physical therapy center in Houston was the hardest. I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed how incredibly noisy the city was. How I’d never paid much attention to the almost constant sound of sirens and movement of people and vehicles. It had always just been a part of the city’s soul. Its music. But when I got back, it was too much at first. Too loud. Too chaotic. Too everything. However, eventually the sound of New York City became like the machine noise on the station. It disappeared into the background, and I barely noticed it again.

Waiting outside the restaurant not far from Hallie’s office building, I wasn’t aware of the foot or road traffic, the music spilling out of restaurants and bars, the laughter and conversation of people passing by. I gazed down the street, anticipating Hallie’s appearance.

I hadn’t seen her in a week. We’d only talked through texts, and even then, she’d been off with me.

I’d fucked up with the friend comment.

As soon as it came out of my mouth, I regretted it, but then I’d thought it didn’t matter because until I admitted the truth about the videos, I couldn’t explain I was interested in taking her out on an actual date anyway.

But then she couldn’t get out of my apartment fast enough, and afterward she wouldn’t answer my calls.

Never in my life had I chased anyone. I didn’t know if it was the stubborn pride I’d inherited from my father, but I abhorred the idea of chasing after someone who didn’t want to spend time with me. I’d never done it with anyone, friends or women I was interested in romantically. Not even overtly my father.

Yet I was on the verge of dropping by Hallie’s apartment and telling her everything, laying my cards on the table, when she texted me last night to apologize for not being around. She gave me excuses about her work and then asked if I wanted to have dinner with her the next evening near her office. More relieved than I could say, I of course agreed.

And tonight I would tell her everything.

Hopefully, she’d forgive me long enough to let me kiss her, because I didn’t think I could go much longer without kissing the hell out of Hallie Goodman.

The only distraction I had from the woman was my writing. The book was coming along better than I’d expected.

The sight of pink hair in the distance drew me from my thoughts. The pulse throbbed in my neck as anticipation zinged through my every nerve ending.

I’d never felt like this, I realized.

It stunned me for a second.

Hallie spotted me outside the restaurant, smiled, and gave me that familiar little wave.

I swear that gorgeous smile of hers caused my heart to turn over in my chest.

It was warm enough to move around the city without a coat or sweater now, and she wore a long-sleeved dress that hit her mid-thigh. Despite her height, Hallie’s legs were so perfectly formed they always looked long. This evening was no different, as she walked toward me in sexy high heels. I admired the way she walked in those things, like they were merely sneakers.

Too busy reeling from the sudden overwhelming realization of the depth of my feelings for this woman, I hadn’t responded to her wave and still hadn’t greeted her as she drew to a stop in front of me.

She gazed up at me with those big dark blue eyes, and relief filled me.

Hallie was here.

I’d missed her.

“Captain.” She rested a hand on my arm, brows drawn together. “Are you okay?”

Reaching for her hand, I took it in both of mine. “I just missed you,” I confessed.

Her face lit up, and I knew I couldn’t dance around this any longer. It was obvious what we both wanted, and life was too damn short to mess around. Concerned but determined, I opened my mouth to tell her everything right there and then but was cut off by a booming voice.

“Hallie? Is that you?”

Hallie winced and muttered, “Oh God, no.” Then she pasted on a smile and turned around to look up at the guy and woman who approached us. “George, hi.”

George?

Her ex-boyfriend George?

I moved into Hallie’s side and grabbed hold of her hand. She shot me a quick look of surprise but squeezed my hand.

People made their way around us on the sidewalk as George’s eyes flickered to me for a second in confusion. He pulled the woman at his side closer to him. “Hallie, this is my girlfriend, Reese. She’s a financial analyst.” He drawled it, like Hallie might not understand what a financial analyst was, and with a puffed-up chest like he’d just announced Reese was president.

Also, he bumped into his ex-girlfriend, and the first thing he did was introduce his new girlfriend rather than asking after Hallie’s well-being? Yeah, this guy was some gentleman.

I studied him like he was one of the irritating sand flies that had tormented me and my unit while we were in the Middle East. George was taller than me by a good few inches. There was nothing extraordinary about him physically, and I knew from how he treated Hallie that he was a dick. So what the hell had Hallie seen in this guy?