Page 65 of Heart Taker

“I guess I do.”

Darby tapped the counter. “Like I said, I hope things work out. Relationships are hard. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Honestly, I had no clue either.

The familiar buzz of the front door opening had me looking up. I greeted a returning customer and handed them off to Darby.

Then I pulled out my phone and texted the source of my distraction.

Silas: What did you do?

I smiled when my phone pinged a second later.

Damien: Me? Don’t you mean what did you do?

Silas: You teased me with that gym outfit, Coach. I thought nothing could top the game day suit, but I changed my mind. You should wear shorts year-round.

Damien: I’d prefer not to freeze my balls off in the winter LOL. And look who’s talking. Do you always wander around the gym half naked?

Silas: I’m proud of this body and I work hard for it. But no, only in front of you. As soon as I spotted you, the shirt came off. Did you like it? Tell me.

Damien: Yes, I did. More than liked. And you’re bossy. Normally that’s my role.

Silas: We’re not talking about hockey, baby.

Damien: Fuck. We’re skating on very thin ice. Pun intended.

Silas: We’re both skilled players.

Damien: I don’t know about me.

Silas: Never mind a phone call, how about meeting someplace nearby when my shift is done?

Damien: Did you want to drop by my place? My house is a short drive from campus. We need privacy to talk.

The office phone rang. I needed to get back to work.

Silas: Send me the address. I’ll be there around nine.

I pocketed my phone and got on with my shift. But I was flustered, unable to focus on any one task at a time.

Thank fuck I wasn’t the one handling the needles around here.

Six hours later, I logged off, locked up, and got in my truck. I tapped on my direction app and entered Damien’s address.

What do you know?

It turned out he lived only a few blocks from my house.

The sun had set earlier, but the sky remained vivid with shades of orange and violet, a dramatic contrast to the lush green mountains. God, I loved the long June days in Vermont. I just wished I had more time to actually enjoy them...

I pushed aside my longing, and headed for the highway. The roads were empty, but unlike my usual drive home, I was filled with nervous anticipation.

Damien’s place turned out to be a rustic log cabin, nestled at the end of the street and surrounded by a huge piece of property and lots of trees. A familiar black SUV sat in the driveway. I pulled up next to it and parked.

Stepping out and glancing around, I was relieved to see that his neighbors were a long distance away.

My nerves were running high but the closer I got to Damien, the more confident I felt in my decision.

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