Page 16 of Endurance

The reaction he’d sparked in me was so out of character, and my response was unexpected. It had been near impossible to ignore the chemistry that threatened to knock me off my feet.

As a result, I was now a cheater.

I’d never cheated on anyone in my life. I knew what that betrayal felt like, and it sucked. It didn’t matter if I’d already been questioning my relationship with Dean. I’d crossed a line by welcoming a kiss from Sloan.

While I had no intentions of repeating what happened in the doorway to his house, it didn’t mean I could escape my guilt. I had to tell Dean the truth—and not just about the kiss. I needed to be honest with him about everything. One kiss with Sloan confirmed everything I already knew to be missing with Dean. What I’d felt with Sloan in just the briefest of moments was something I’d never experienced with the man who wanted to marry me. I now knew that Dean and I were not meant for each other, and I owed it to him—to both of us—to be truthful.

When I finally arrived at the house Quinn & Wilkshire arranged for me to stay at, I was a ball of nerves over the phone call I knew I had to make sooner rather than later. So, when I entered the quiet house, and my cellphone began to ring, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Fumbling through my purse, I pulled it out and saw Austin’s name on the caller I.D. I sighed with relief. I wasn’t ready to talk to Dean yet—at least not until I could get my thoughts together.

“Hey,” I answered.

“Hey, Kals. I’m just calling to check in and see if you’re all settled. Dad was telling me about the house he set you up in, and it sounds nice.”

I looked around the spacious two-bedroom home. The owner was a financial advisor who had recently accepted a consulting contract working in Europe for a year. Rather than sell the house, she decided to rent the fully-furnished home. She’d been explicit in the rental agreement—she would only rent to a business professional, and no kids or pets were allowed. The minute I walked through the front door, I could understand why. The house impeccably maintained house, and had everything from custom drapes and luxury furnishings to an inground swimming pool in the back yard surrounded by immaculately manicured landscaping. Not a single detail had been missed, and it was easy to see why the home was the owner’s pride and joy.

“The square footage is about the same as my townhouse in Georgetown, but it’s all one level here, so it looks bigger. I like it a lot. It’s very chic and a whole lot better than the hotel I was staying at. What a creep show that was!”

Austin laughed.

“You’re so dramatic. I highly doubt your two-day stay at the Hilton was that bad.”

“Trust me. You weren’t there. The hotel itself was fine—it was the people in it. I went down to the gift shop my first night there to get myself a bottle of wine. I smacked right into someone wearing a lime green rubber bodysuit. Everyone else was decked out in weird garb too. You know me—I’m all about individual expression, but this was extreme on so many levels. I don’t know if there was a costume event of sorts going on or what. All I know is that I felt like I was walking through the Capitol inTheHunger Games.”

Austin laughed again, this time harder and longer, and I smiled. I missed him so much already, and I’d only been gone for a few days.

“Alright. I get the picture. L.A. is weird,” he granted after he finally stopped laughing.

“Not weird. It’s just different in a way I didn’t expect. I mean, I was in Southern Cali for college for four years, but I never ventured north much. It’s a whole different world here—the sounds, the smells, the air.” I paused and looked out the large glass patio door. There had been an air quality alert today, and seeing the gray smog blocking the otherwise blue sky hurt my heart. “I guess I’ll get used to it.”

Austin fell quiet for a moment before speaking again.

“What’s up, Kals? You alright?”

“I suppose so. Why?”

“Normally, you get excited to experience new things—even if they are weird. You seem hesitant right now… I don’t know. Off, I guess you could say. I just want to make sure you’re doing okay out there.”

I sighed. Austin had the uncanny ability to read me—even from twenty-six hundred miles away.

“I met my client today.”

“And?”

“He’s an arrogant jerk, but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Is that it?”

“No…” I hesitated. “I have to call Dean later. I’m going to break things off with him.”

“Oh, really?” He tried to sound surprised but had difficulty masking the glee in his voice.

“I know you aren’t a big fan of his, but you could at least try not to sound so happy about it,” I said dryly.

“I’ll be honest. I can’t say I’m disappointed, but I do wonder what brought this on.”

My hand automatically moved to brush my fingertips over my lips. My mouth began to tingle as I remembered Sloan’s kiss. I didn’t understand my reaction to him, and I couldn’t stop the rush of need that engulfed my senses as I recalled the memory. There was a reason I was drawn to Sloan in a way I’d never been to anyone else, and I was determined to find out what it was. But I couldn’t tell my brother any of that for obvious reasons. Austin would think I’d lost my mind.

“There’s always been something missing in our relationship. I just think it’s the right thing to do. I feel like I’m being pulled—like my destiny is shifting by cosmic force. I just can’t tell which direction I’m supposed to go.”

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