Page 5 of Never Too Late

“Henri wishes,” he said with a slow smile.

Henri was a friend of Laurent’s. One who’d made it clear from our very first introduction that he’d like to get to know me better. So far, charming and handsome as he was, I’d resisted the urge to return his interest.

“You should go out to dinner with him,” Laurent said. “Just the two of you. He’s a gentleman. He won’t try to come home with you on the first date.”

“Maybe that’s what I want.”

Laurent laughed. “You! You’re a romantic.”

I considered his words for a moment. I’d gone home with Cillian on the first night I’d met him. Was that the point at which things had started to go wrong? Had I given him the completely wrong impression of me by letting my attraction take the reins? It was an interesting thought, even if it had me thinking about Cillian again.

Laurent leaned forward and snapped his fingers in front of my face to bring me back to the present. “Seriously though, Henri likes you. Are you going to put him out of his misery and go out with him?”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “He’s a nice guy, but…” A knock at the door had me frowning as I got up to answer it. It was probably my next-door neighbor. If the day ended in a Y, Adeline Girard found something to complain about. I could probably sit in the dark in silence and she’d tell me I was thinking too loudly. No doubt she’d taken exception to me andLaurent being too raucous. People weren’t supposed to laugh. They had to be just as miserable as her.

I steeled myself before I opened the door, ready to paste a smile on my face and apologize for crimes I hadn’t committed, experience proving that penitence and agreeing with her was the quickest way to get her to go away. Laurent and I could go out. We hadn’t planned on it, but it was better than spending the rest of the night whispering.

It wasn’t Adeline Girard.

A simple noise complaint seemed like a dream come true as I took in the man on my doorstep who couldn’t be here, but who very much was.

Still tall.

Still achingly handsome.

Still the physical embodiment of sex appeal wrapped up in an expensively clad package.

My breath froze in my chest, and it was all I could do to keep breathing as I stared at him.

“Hello Finn,” he said, his Irish accent coming through strong. “I hope this isn’t an inconvenient time to call.”

Chapter Three

“Hello Cillian.” My voice sounded calm despite the shock ricocheting around my chest like my insides had transformed into a pinball machine. Hopefully, my facial expression was equally bereft of my true feelings.Stay calm. Be civil. Get rid of him.Those three things became a mantra as I stared at Cillian. There didn’t need to be drama. Not after all this time. And I certainly didn’t intend to be the one to instigate it.

“You look good,” Cillian said.

Had he hoped I’d be a complete wreck without him? “Thank you.”So formal, my inner voice mocked.

A sound from behind had me turning as Laurent joined me at the door.Laurent!How funny that after approximately thirty seconds in Cillian’s company, I’d forgotten Laurent was even here. He leaned heavily against my shoulder, his body a heated brand against mine, as he surveyed Cillian with open curiosity. “This is Cillian,” I said, the words feeling like razor blades in my throat. “Cillian, this is Laurent. He’s—”

I never got to finish what I was saying as Laurent’s slightly chilled fingers fastened on my chin to turn my head his way and kiss me. This was nothing like the kiss on the night we’d both been drunk. Not just in intentions, but also in intensity, Laurent putting his all into it. I knew what he was doing, feelings of gratitude and annoyance warring within me. I was grateful because I knew he was sending a message to Cillian to leave, and annoyed because I hadn’t asked him to. Even though I let him kiss me without protest, I still wasn’t sure I wanted it.

After what seemed like an age, Laurent drew back with a languorous stare that was so over the top that it made me want to laugh. “We were supposed to be having a quiet night in together, chéri,” he said. “Just the two of us. Perhaps your friend could come back some other time when it’s more convenient.”

My ‘friend’ looked more rattled than I expected. A muscle ticked in his cheek and he looked about as uncomfortable as I’d ever seen him, guilt coalescing in my chest.

“I should go,” Cillian said, his gaze fixed on a space above my right shoulder. “It was a mistake to come here. I thought…” He didn’t finish his sentence, giving a small shake of his head instead. “Apologies for disturbing you.”

Whether it was the sincerity in his voice or the fact that he looked like a deer caught in the headlights, the ball of guilt became a landslide, threatening to swamp me if I let it. “Wait!” I called as he went to turn away. To Laurent, I said, “I appreciate what you’re doing. It’s sweet, and it’s protective, and I’d do the same for you, but it’s unnecessary.”

“No?” The question in his eyes begged me to reconsider. He’d provided me with an easy out, a way to drive Cillian from my door without the need to say more than two words to him. I was the one making things difficult.

“I’m sure,” I said with a nod. “I can handle this.”

“Fine.” He went to retrieve his jacket, the two men eyeballing each other as Laurent passed Cillian on his way out. It reminded me of two dogs pausing to take the measure of each other on the street.

And then Laurent was gone, and it was just me and the man I’d worked so hard to forget over the past couple of months. An excruciatingly awkward silence, as heavy as any blanket, settled over us while I looked everywhere but at him. There were questions I knew I should ask, like how the hell he’d gotten my address, why it had taken him so long if that had been his intention, and what the hell did he want? But it was hard to know where to start. So I didn’t. I just stood and waited without knowing what I was waiting for.

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