Page 118 of Fourth Point Of Contact

“We’ll just take it one excruciating day at a time,” Chase laughed, tugging me into the restaurant while Patrick took up the rear.

I followed him inside and was about to slide into the booth beside Chase when Patrick snagged my arm and pushed me into the other side, taking the seat beside me. I was only going to sit there because I wanted to look at Patrick’s handsome face, but I guessed I was sitting beside him.

As soon as the waitress came by, I ordered water and coffee, hoping something would help clear my head before I had to meet his mother. Normally, I could charm any parent into liking me, but right now, I was barely functioning.

“So, Piper, how was New York?” Chase asked.

“Ugh. Horrible. Nobody will hire me as a secretary and I’m still living on my friend’s couch.”

“So, go back to school,” he said, simple as that.

“In New York?” I snorted at the thought of the expenses alone. “I might as well just go live on the streets now. Besides, I don’t know what I would go back to school for.”

“Well, you could always give lessons in how to fight off bears.”

I laughed at that, groaning when my stomach rolled. “Let’s not talk about bears ever again.”

“That’s gonna be kind of difficult,” Patrick chuckled. “My mom can’t wait to meet you, and when I tell her you’re the woman who saved my life, she’s going to instantly fall in love with you, and you’ll have to repeat the story over and over again so she can tell all her friends.”

The waitress returned with the drinks, and Patrick ordered for me, making sure to get me lots of carbs to load up on. I leaned on my hand, sipping my water over the next few minutes. As my eyes fluttered closed, I felt Patrick’s hand on my back, rubbing soothingly. That alone was enough to make me feel ten times better. It was so nice to be back with him again. Not just for the sex, but because of the way he made me feel.

My eyes popped open at that and I instantly stilled.

“Everything okay?” Patrick asked, concern marring his face.

“Uh…bathroom,” I said, needing the excuse to get away.

He was out of his seat in a flash, making room for me to flee. I was feeling sick, but it wasn’t because of the massive amounts of alcohol I’d ingested. No, this horrible feeling coursing through me was because of the realization that I liked Patrick for more than sex. I was comfortable with him and enjoyed his company.

I like him. Like…really fucking liked him.

I pushed into the bathroom and leaned over the sink as panic pricked at my skin. Heat flashed across my face and I bent over, turning on the faucet to splash cold water over my heated skin.

“Oh God. This is so bad,” I groaned, wishing I could go back in time and tell myself not to come out here.

Nothing good would come from this trip. If anything, I would only become more comfortable around him, and then when it was time to leave, it would kill me. Was I in love with Patrick? Absolutely not. I couldn’t be. I was…

Well, I wasn’t in love with James anymore. That ship sailed the moment I caught him screwing another woman. Something inside me had shriveled and died when I realized his love for me was all a delusion. And over the last few weeks, I found myself wondering if I ever really loved him at all, or if I’d been blinded by the feeling of what I thought was love.

Not that it mattered. My situation with Patrick was different in every way. He was a friend and I was helping him out. That was it. There was literally nothing else to it. I splashed more water on my face and repeated it over and over again until I felt confident I could walk out there and not swoon all over him.

Looking into my own eyes in the mirror, I whispered, “You will not fall in love with him.”

If I said it enough, I might actually believe it. This was going to be a hell of a week on my mind and body, but I could handle it. It wasn’t like I was going to get back on a plane and flee the state. I wasn’t sure I’d ever go near another plane again after what I just went through.

“Piper?” Patrick called out from the other side of the door. “Are you okay in there?”

Panic shot through me at the sound of his voice. “Uh…yeah! Just washing up!”

I closed my eyes and bowed my head, taking deep breaths until I felt calm. Warm hands wrapped around my arms, and I nearly whimpered at his touch.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

His breath caressed my neck as he leaned in close to me. Fuck, I wanted to tilt my head back and rest against him—to feel his arms wrap around me and hold me close. But that would only further the delusion that we could have anything together.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I answered, finally prying my eyes open.

His blue eyes watched me, staring at me as if he could read inside my soul. I had to look away before he saw too much and realized I was already falling for him. That would only make this more difficult. At the end of the week, I would leave. He would go back to his life and I would go back to mine. And in the end, I’d have to put distance between us because otherwise, I wouldn’t walk out of here with anything less than a broken heart.

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