Page 23 of Backdraft
"So here we are," he murmured in a low voice and then took a drink from his cup.
"Uhm, yup…here we are."
I could have died from sounding so dull.
Drea sitting across the table in the middle of a coffee shop seemed very surreal to him. This woman had dropped back into his life and thrown him right off-kilter. He thought she couldn't appear sexier than when they were in Denver, but she was just as hot in her work clothes.
But maybe that was why he found her attractiveness even more powerful today, now that they’d spent time together and shared the kind of passion they shared. To see her now years later was very compelling.
He'd thought about her a lot since the fire, almost to the point of distraction. Through the grapevine, he’d heard about the note she’d received. He wanted to ask her about it but chose to wait and see if she’d say anything.
"So are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?" Drea said and lifted the coffee to her lips, peering at him over the rim of her cup.
He knew exactly what she was referring to. "Sure." He returned her smile and waited for her to make the first move.
"We can't let this be awkward." She held the cup closer to her mouth.
He followed the rim of the cup to where her lips reached the edge, and he hardened, remembering the sweet torment her lips had put him through.
"No, it definitely can't be awkward."
"Nor can we ignore that it happened." Her voice lilted up in somewhat of a question.
"No, I couldn't ignore that. It was a very special weekend for me," he admitted, and it was as if admitting his feelings, meant being vulnerable and vulnerability only led to emotional pain.
Her eyebrows rose, and he wondered what was racing around inside her brain.
"It was for me too, and not something I expected to happen. Nor did I ever expect to see you again."
He shook his head. "Me either. How we handled it at the time, our conference fling, was satisfactory to both of us, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was. More than satisfactory, in fact"
They sat in silence for a few minutes, and he wondered what she was thinking.
"These are really good." She held up one of the pastries from the bag and held it out to him. “”
“Thank you." He reached in and took out one of the tarts.
"They taste like vacation." She closed her eyes in exaggeration.
He laughed, enjoying their banter and her humor. "They certainly do. Have you been to Hawaii?"
"No, it's always been on my list. But after being here, I think it's just been bumped to the top."
He had to stop himself from saying that maybe they could go there together for another weekend. He couldn't believe it crossed his mind. Way too soon for that!
She finished her tart and licked her fingers glancing at her watch.
"Oh, I have to go." She gathered up her things and stood. He did as well.
"I'm glad I bumped into you. I suppose I'll see you when the report is finalized." He told her as he walked out the door. He nodded to some people he knew sitting in a booth near the exit.
"Yes, for sure. Let me know when it’s ready and I can come by to get a copy."
"Sure. Not yet though, but I have your info if you want them emailed."
"Okay, thanks." He walked her to her truck and ran his finger along the scratch.
