be an easier thing for you to remember.”
He typed in my ex-husband’s last name, then our fateful wedding date: 2.13.10.
The elevator doors sprung open immediately. “Anything else I can help you with?”
“Not at all.” I stepped onto the elevator, hastily pushing the ‘door close’ button. When I made it to the marketing department’s floor, I noticed it was empty.
I checked my watch to make sure I was seeing things correctly. It was definitely 5:30 a.m, and everyone should’ve been here by now.
Pulling out my phone, I scrolled through my list of contacts and called my new assistant—Summer.
“Good morning, Miss Kennedy!” She was perky as usual. “I know you’re running late, so we already started on the mockups without you. We should be done with the first set within the next hour.”
“Why aren’t you all working on them here at the office?”
“Because Mr. Holmes told us to take the ferry to Bainbridge yesterday. He said he was speaking for you since your email account was messed up or something.”
“Did he now?” I swallowed my anger. “Our first official presentation to the board is this afternoon. I would never tell you all to work some place that’s an hour and a half away.”
“He said as long as we leave from here by two o’clock we’ll make it back in time.”
“Can you please tell everyone to come back to the main campus now?”
“Absolutely, Miss Kennedy. We’re on the way.”
As soon as I ended the call, I let out a pent-up scream. “Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!”
“Hmmm.” The deep sound of James’s voice made me turn around. “That’s a scream I’ve never heard before.” “He moved away from the doorframe and stepped a bit closer. “I much prefer the sound of your other ones.”
“You’ll never hear those again. Trust me.” I glared at him. “Are you really this petty?”
“According to the everyone who works here... Yes. Yes, I am.”
“Are you trying to get me to leave?”
“If I wanted you to leave, I would’ve just asked you to ‘wait’. That’s what worked before, right?”
I sucked in a breath, ready to tell him off like he deserved, but he closed the gap between us and stamped his mouth over mine.
I wanted to push him away, but the taste of him was too much to handle. I hadn’t felt his mouth in years, and the feel of his lips against mine was too good to resist.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hastily kissed him back, leaving my emotions against his lips. Moaning each time he slid his tongue deeper into my mouth, each time he bit down hard on my bottom lip.
“Fuck...” He groaned as his cock hardened against my thigh, as he slid a hand under my dress.
I unhooked my right hand from his neck and slid it between us, reaching for his belt buckle, but I lost my focus.
“Did he ever touch you like this?” he whispered harshly, pushing my panties to the side. He didn’t wait for an answer. He slipped two fingers deep inside of me—making me cry out in instant pleasure.
With a slow and teasing rhythm that I knew all too well, all these years later, he thrust them in and out of me. Bringing me to the edge again and again, but never letting me fall over the cliff.
“Answer my question,” he whispered against my lips. “Did he ever touch you like this?”
“No.” I moaned. “No man ever did...Just you.”
He immediately stiffened.
He tore away from me, his expression a cross between confused and upset. Letting out a breath, he pushed my hair back into place.
He stared at me for what felt like forever, his green eyes rendering me speechless all over again like when we were younger. I saw hints of love and passion in his irises, hints of what we could’ve been.
From the look on his face, I expected him to say that maybe we could talk after this. Maybe we could say all the things we’d wanted to say over the years. Maybe even come to an understanding.
He didn’t.
“This was very fucking unprofessional, Miss Kennedy,” he said, his voice cold. “I’ll change your elevator code by the next hour.”
“James...” I felt exposed, raw. “James, can we—”
“No, Kate.” He’d read my mind. “No, we can’t.”
AT NOON, WHILE MY STAFF was preparing for our first official boardroom session, I walked to Pike Place Market and slipped into the Purple Café and Wine Bar.
Ordering a cup of water, I pressed a finger against my swollen lips—replaying James’s mouth against mine all over again.