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I rose to greet her and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. She smelled like she always did—something floral. Christian Dior, I remembered from the times she stayed over at my place in Dallas, or I at hers.
Elena never wore perfume, yet she always smelledlike wildflowers. She still did. Just the thought of her lifted something in me, and I found myself wondering—again—how I’d survived a decade without her.
Fiona slid into the booth across from me, crossing her legs, then tilted her head. Assessing. Calculating.
“Well, well,” she purred, lifting the menu but barely glancing at it. “Didn’t think I’d hear from youso soon.”
I forced a slow, sheepish smile. “You look good, doll.”
She arched a perfectly sculpted brow. “You don’t look so bad yourself now that you’ve cleaned yourself up. Are you back in Dallas?”
“Almost,” I lied.
A waiter, dressed crisply, came by and took our orders. Fiona ordered the rare filet mignon, and I ordered a medium-rare ribeye.
When we were alone again, she sipped her wine. “Nice.” She checked the bottle and nodded approvingly.
I ordered a Burgundy, knowing the price tag would make her happy. Elena wouldn’t give a damn.
“How are you? I hear Piper Novak has hired you.”
She strutted with pride. “Yes. Novak Enterprises is about five times the size of your company, and I’m their lead counsel on all land development projects in the South and West, where the bulk of their business is.”
“Impressive.”
How had this woman kept my interest for a year? I mean, sure, the sex was good, but it wasn’t what Elena and I had, which was almost a spiritual fucking experience. Fiona was all business and no heart—but then I’d wanted thatthen. Now, I wantedeverythingfrom awoman. Her heart, her soul, her dreams, her tomorrows—as long as the woman was Elena.
“You’re not the kind of man to second-guess himself, Duke. So, tell me what this is really about.”
“I screwed up, Fi.” I let my voice go low, regretful. “I…you were right when you said I’d regret losing you.”
She didn’t respond right away, just studied me, those sharp green eyes of hers flicking over my face like she was picking me apart piece by piece.
“Just like that?” She tapped a manicured nail on the table. “You’re too damn stubborn to admit you were wrong. So, what changed?”
We’d prepared for this. “You know, I was thinking the other day about that time we went to the Bahamas?”
Her eyes softened. “It was a special time.”
We’d been there for a long weekend and spent most of our time fucking or working on a deal that hit a crisis. It hadn’t been relaxing at all, but then I didn’t expect that those days. Now, I wanted time with Elena where we could lay on the grass and look at the endless sky, count the stars, or do something as mundane as being silent.
There probably came a point in a man’s life, if he was as lucky as I was, where he realized that there was more to life than the pursuit of money. I saw the ranch hands who didn’t have much, but they seemed more content than I’d ever been. I think it came from being connected to the land, to being part of nurturing nature, from growing and caring for animals, plants, and people.
“I miss you, Fi.” I raised my glass to her. “I bet you miss me.”
Kaz thought that it would be too arrogant for me to say that, but I knew Fiona—she wasn’t going to accept that I’d suddenly become a lapdog.
She smirked, swirling her wine. Amused. Pleased. “Do you now?”
“I miss working and being with you; I miss…everything.” I knew I was pulling it off because I knew how to do this. I did it all the time. I had the skill of driving my agenda by being whomever the person I was negotiating wanted me to be while remaining true to my core, and I was good at wielding it.
She shook her head. “I…you hurt me, Duke?”
“And I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness.”
She licked her lips, unsure.
I gripped her hand. “Doll, look at me. Look at me and tell me that the past weeks haven’t been complete shit for you. Because they’ve been for me.”