Seducing The Boss (Pulse #2) - Mari Carr Page 0,52

had been so much better with her.

He had logged long hours at the hospital in an attempt to avoid the memories at home by burrowing himself in his office. Even at work he was forced to avoid the cafeteria and the lounges, and obviously, he wouldn’t step foot near the emergency room. The only other place he would venture to in the hospital was his father’s room, and even then, he scoured every hallway on the journey to and from, fearing a tiny glimpse of Sara.

The only positive thing to come out of the week had been his dad’s recovery. He was so much better the doctor planned to release him tomorrow.

After leaving Sara alone at this table last week, he’d gone directly to his father’s hospital room. Mercifully, Dad had been awake and coherent. Kellan had talked to him about the past and apologized for harboring the bad feelings for so long. When faced with the possibility of his dad’s death, Kellan realized how little the affair mattered.

God, it had been one moment of weakness—something both his parents had managed to move beyond. Kellan had given it too much importance, let it almost destroy the love he felt for his family.

“Well hello, stranger.”

Kellan looked up at the sexy female voice. For a second, his heart leaped, thinking it was Sara. Instead it was Veronica. He had never texted her back, his attention and desires all focused on Sara.

“Veronica. It’s good to see you.” It wasn’t. In fact, she was the last person he wanted to see.

She gestured at the empty chair across from him. “Is someone joining you?”

He wanted to lie and say yes. He wasn’t interested in company. However, it was obvious he was alone, so he shook his head.

She claimed the seat, then waved the waitress over to order a glass of red wine. As she did so, Kellan took the opportunity to study her appearance, wondering what he’d ever found attractive about her. She didn’t hold a candle to Sara. No one did.

“You’re looking good,” Veronica said, leaning forward slightly. The action was premeditated and meant to capture his attention as her deep red silk blouse hung open so that he had an ample eyeful of her cleavage.

He had indulged in a dozen or so hookups with Veronica over the course of the last six months. Like him, Veronica understood his desire for no-strings encounters and professed herself only interested in the sex.

However, he’d noticed lately that she was the one doing most of the calling. In fact, he hadn’t reached out to her in nearly four months. Of course, he hadn’t turned her away either. If he was serious about driving Sara out of his head, a night with Veronica might be the best way to go.

The moment the idea occurred to him, he dismissed it. He wouldn’t sleep with Veronica tonight. Or any other night for that matter. The attraction—or whatever he had initially felt for her—was definitely gone, and it had been for months. The only reason he had continued to answer her calls was because he had considered the sex good. One weekend with Sara had blown his encounters with Veronica out of the water.

She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. “I texted a couple weeks ago. Never heard back from you.”

Kellan didn’t want to be here. While he had originally come out hoping to find some company, the hard truth was he had really only wanted to indulge in his own personal pity party and avoid his house. He’d taken to sleeping on the couch because his pillow still carried the faint scent of Sara’s shampoo.

“I was busy.” It was a vague answer, but Veronica never failed to read between the lines. She felt like the female version of him. Eternal party girl, looking for a good time between the sheets and nothing else.

She smirked knowingly. “So, are you busy tonight?”

He paused. Not because he was going to say yes, but because he simply didn’t have the energy for this conversation. “Actually, I am.”

Veronica narrowed her eyes. “With the same woman?”

Who he spent his nights with was none of her business. “Veronica, I think perhaps it’s time we move on.”

“Move on?” Her tone was decidedly chilly. “Are you serious? What the hell did I do wrong?”

He frowned. There was no right or wrong in this scenario. They were occasional lovers, nothing more.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m simply not interested anymore. We both agreed—”

“Spare me!” she yelled.

He