Loving On the Edge 5-Book Collection: Crash Into You, Melt Into You, Fall Into You, Caught Up In You, Need You Tonight. Roni Loren
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He checked his watch—fifteen minutes before he was supposed to pick her up at the office. She’d insisted on working late again to squeeze in any last overtime hours she could get. Too bad he couldn’t tell her he already had the apartment she’d been saving up for taken care of. He’d put the deposit down on hers and the one across the hall from it a week ago.
He tucked the box with the key to that apartment and the ring into his jacket pocket and headed out of the house to his car, feeling lighter than he had in days. But as soon as he rounded the corner, the little zip in his step died. Vanessa Thomas was sitting on his hood, a big smile lighting her face. “Ooh, you look nice. But that may be kind of dressy for an outdoor party.”
His brows drew together, still processing her sudden appearance. “What are you doing here, Ness?”
She hopped off the car and brushed invisible dirt from her white tennis skirt. “Your aunt said you’d go with me to the Stevens’ barbecue tonight. Didn’t she mention it to you? Both she and your uncle are going.”
“Um, not so much,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “And I’m really sorry, but I have plans tonight.”
She stuck her bottom lip out as if it held some magic power to change his mind. “But I can’t go by myself—how would that look? Lauren Gates is going to be there and you know she’ll never let me here the end of it if I show up without a date.”
Reid closed his eyes and counted to three. Be nice. He’d been accompanying Vanessa to events over the summer to make his aunt and uncle happy, and she really was a great girl. But she wasn’t Brynn. “Ness, I really can’t.”
Her pout lifted into a coy smile. “Come on. After the party, we can hang out at my place. My parents went to the lake house for a few days, so we’ll have it all to ourselves.”
He had to stifle a laugh. So, Miss I-Wear-a-True-Love-Waits-Ring was ready to have him over for dessert. Guess true love only waits until the parents are out of town. He shook his head. A few months ago, he would’ve jumped on the opportunity to entertain the pretty debutante for the weekend. But the thought held no appeal anymore.
The only person he wanted curled up next to him in his bed was Brynn. His Brynn. Who was going to be pissed if he showed up late for their big date. “Wow, I appreciate the offer, but I can’t break this commitment. I’m sorry you came all the way out here.”
As he stepped past her and hit the unlock button on his keypad, she reached out and grabbed his arm. “Hey, wait. My dad dropped me off. I didn’t bring a car.”
Motherfucker. He glanced at his watch and sighed. The Stevens’ house was at least ten minutes out of the way. “Fine, get in, I’ll drop you off on my way.”
She smiled and lifted on tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Great, and maybe you can just stop in for a minute and say hi.”
Reid took the turn into Brynn’s driveway on two wheels. Vanessa had insisted he walk her into the party, and she’d roped him into a photo-op for the society section of the newspaper and half a dozen introductions. Then, his aunt and uncle had dragged him into a conversation with the mayor. Now he was a solid hour late for his date with Brynn. He’d stopped by the office to pick her up, but she’d already left. And she wasn’t answering her phone.
Damn it. He’d wanted tonight to go perfectly and he’d screwed that up. Hopefully, once she saw what he had planned she’d forgive him.
He hustled up the sidewalk and knocked on her door, praying that she wasn’t too upset with him, but no one answered. Oh, come on. Her car was in the driveway, so he knew she had to be home. Was she mad enough not to answer the door? She usually wasn’t that easily angered.
He knocked again, and the door finally cracked open. He opened his mouth to launch into his apology speech, but when he took in Brynn’s state, the words died on his lips.
Brynn was dressed in gray sweats, her hair damp from a shower, and her eyes bloodshot and puffy.
“Sugar, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked, reaching out for her.
She shrunk back before he touched her. “I… uh… I’m not feeling very well. I think I may have the flu.”
He frowned. “Oh, no, that sucks. Is there anything I can do? Obviously, you can’t go out, but do you want me to go pick up some soup and we can watch movies or something?”
She shook her head, and he had the impression that she may burst into tears. “No, but can you come in for a minute? We need to talk.”
He tucked his keys in his pocket. “Yeah, of course.”
She walked back into her living room and he followed, shutting the door behind him. She curled into the chair and tucked her knees to her chest. He had to stop himself from going over to her, picking her up and holding her. He’d never seen her look so miserable.
He sat on the couch. “Look, before you start, I just want to tell you, I am so sorry for being late. I got hung up and couldn’t get away. And I tried to call, but then I couldn’t reach you. And I feel like a dick.”
She looked up at him, her face emotionless. “We’ve got to end this.”
The words hit him like an anvil to the gut and halted his rambling. “Wait, what?”
Her eyes went watery, and she quickly swiped at her face with her sweatshirt-covered hands. “I’m sorry, Reid. But this—us—has to end.”
“Us?” His heart began to pound in his ears and panic edged in. Where the hell had this come from? “No. I don’t understand.”
She looked down, staring at the now damp sleeves of her shirt. “You knew this had an expiration date. We agreed to have a summer thing. Summer’s over. I’m leaving.”
He sat forward on the sofa, hope entering his voice. “But it doesn’t have to end. That’s what I was going to tell you tonight. There are ways we can work this out. I can go to Austin with you.”
Her head snapped up, her reddened eyes wide. “You want to move?”
He smiled. “Yeah, sugar. I want to be with you. Wherever that is.”
She shook her head, her tears returning. “No, you can’t.”
Screw the flu. He got off the couch and went to crouch in front of her chair, laying a tentative hand on her knee. “Baby, sure I can. I don’t know what the future holds. But all I know is I don’t want to let you go. Nothing is holding me here, and in Austin, we won’t even have to worry about anyone seeing us. We can just be together—wherever and whenever we want.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and stayed that way for a moment before taking a deep, shaky breath. Her voice came out flat. “There’s someone else, Reid. I have a boyfriend waiting for me in Austin. This was just supposed to be a fling. I love him.”
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