Just A Kiss (Angel Sands 4)

“Always the worst part. It’s like being a kid again and waiting for exam results. I swear it doesn’t get any easier. When do you find out?”

“They said I’d get an email by next week, but I’m guessing that’s when the loser will find out. If I haven’t heard anything by Tuesday I’ll assume the worst.” She couldn’t shake off how strange this was, standing in the lobby of her hotel talking to the man she’d dreamed about for the past few night

s. Him being here couldn’t be a coincidence, L.A. was way too big a city for that.

“You’ll get the job.” His voice was certain. She wondered what it would be like to come home to him every day. To unload her worries and hear his reassurances. There was something so strong about Breck, so certain. He was a rock in the middle of a tempest. “And if for any reason you don’t, you know you did your best. It wasn’t meant to be.”

“You sound like my mom.”

“Deenie’s a wise woman.”

“She thinks Elvis is still alive. And the moon landings were all a conspiracy. Wise isn’t always the first word that springs to mind when talking about my mother.”

Breck laughed. Why did he have to be so handsome? It was really distracting. “Elvis is definitely alive. I saw him driving a truck in New England last year. White suit and all.”

Another wave of exhaustion washed over her. She reached out to steady herself against a chair. Breck stared at her white-knuckled hand, frowning. “Sorry, you must be tired. I was in L.A. for meetings and wanted to make sure you were okay. I’ve left you a few voicemails.”

Caitie bit her lip. “Oh yeah, I’m sorry, I’ve been so busy this week…”

Busy avoiding thinking about him and Rachel.

“It’s okay. I know how it can be. But I didn’t want you going back to New York without us having a chance to talk.” Breck shifted his feet. “Can I take you out to dinner or something?”

She swallowed hard. There was nothing more she wanted to do than spend time with him, but that would be crazy. It was already impossible to get him out of her mind. She didn’t want to make things even worse. “I’m supposed to be going out with Harper. It’s our last night here.” She looked around nervously. “Maybe you could join us?”

He put his hands in his pants pockets and shook his head. “It’s okay. I don’t want to butt in.”

“You should come, Harper will be pleased to see you. I just need to take a shower. Do you want to come up to our room? We’ve got a living room and a minibar. You can sit down and wait while I get ready.”

“If you’re sure I’m not putting you out.”

“Not at all. Follow me.”

As they walked across the lobby, Breck took her laptop bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He pressed the elevator button, putting his arm around her as they waited for it to arrive. She stiffened at his touch.

“Breck?”

“Yes?”

“Does Rachel know you’re here?”

“What?” He dropped his arm from her waist. “Why would she need to know I’m here?”

“Because you should have told her you were coming.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. “Why would I tell Rachel where I am?”

“Because if you’re dating somebody you should be honest with them. And I know this is really innocent between us, just two friends meeting each other, but Rachel might not see it that way.” She tried to smile to show him it didn’t hurt, but her muscles wouldn’t play ball.

The elevator arrived with a ping. The doors slid open, and they were both silent as the overfull car emptied. It was only when they were inside, with the doors closed, that Breck spoke again. “You think I’m dating Rachel?”

“Aren’t you?”

“What makes you say that?”

The elevator started to ascend. Caitie leaned back against the handrail, her eyes on the digital display. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? I’m so embarrassed about what happened between us last weekend. Did she figure it out? Does she know? I can’t believe we did that when you’re with her.”

“Jesus, Caitie, do you think I’d cheat on her? Or on anybody? Is that what you think of me?” The expression on his face said it all.