Page 9

Mitch

R ebecca was stunning. He’d heard the term “stops traffic.” Rebecca not only stopped traffic, but he also bet she caused accidents.

Because he was sure having a problem even walking or thinking now that he’d seen her again.

His company didn’t encourage social media, and he didn’t participate.

He wondered if he should have broken the rules to follow her on all her social platforms.

Was she that beautiful six years ago?

If she was, he hadn’t fully appreciated it. Shame on him. He’d really messed up the last years of his life.

Holy shit. Donovan was hiring her for New York.

Mitch was screwed. His world was imploding.

He hadn’t even taken his marriage vows yet, and all he could think about was touching Rebecca in any way that he could.

She was in a red suit, and he knew every inch of the body under the fabric.

He’d held her, kissed every inch of her.

Hell, he’d been her first lover. He hated anyone who had come after him. Why had he ever let her go?

Guilt. A gut punch.

Remember Lily.

He had a fiancé. Her name was Lily. She was pretty.

She adored him. Well, at the moment, she was mad at him because she thought he didn’t respect her values or morals.

Hadn’t she said that in his office but twenty minutes ago?

She was cotton candy, pure and sweet, but Rebecca was fine-aged whiskey. He was so screwed.

They went to some Gordon Ramsey restaurant no one could get reservations to.

Lucien knew Gordon, so a call was made, and a table was found.

They rode in Lucien’s black BMW, driving way too fast down the crowded London streets.

Rebecca rode in the front, Mitch in the back, where he could look to his heart’s content at the back of Rebecca’s head, specifically the complex, inky color of her hair, which was both blue-black and like nothing else he had ever seen.

She had some crystal butterfly clip holding it in place.

It took sheer willpower not to reach up and pull that butterfly away so that her hair would fall in deep cascades down her back.

He knew how the silky locks felt. He’d run his fingers through them at every opportunity.

Some things hadn’t changed. Her hair still smelled like sunflowers, just like it had six years ago.

It was dark, but it smelled like bright sunshine.

They parked with the valet. Mitch followed behind and watched Rebecca as she moved each leg up the steps to the hotel.

She had nice gams, which hadn’t changed.

He knew from personal experience that she had muscles.

Hell, when she’d put her legs on his shoulders when they’d been making love, he felt how firm they were. It looked like nothing had changed.

She was wearing crocodile print high heels with sheer black stockings—at least, he could picture them being—with garters.

She liked fancy lingerie. Under that suit, she probably had black lace panties and a matching bra.

He wished he knew for sure. He wished he could reach a hand inside that suit and touch her breast. She used to like that.

He’d once been able to do it freely, but he no longer had permission.

He had to look at the floor. He had to look at anything but her.

He looked at the pretty floor bouquets. Then he counted blossoms. Too many to count.

Then he pictured running one of those soft blossoms along her skin.

How she’d react and tremble. Hadn’t they done that with a piece of ice once?

Damn it! Getting an uncomfortable erection while having lunch with his old lover and his future father-in-law wasn’t a prudent idea.

They sat, and he could smell her perfume. Damn, she always liked perfume. He liked smelling it on his skin after they made love.

What did he eat? He didn’t know. Lucien ordered something, and Mitch said a creative, “Ditto.” Like an idiot! He hoped it wasn’t something horrible. It arrived and didn’t have any flavor. It probably did, but he was too distracted to taste it.

Rebecca had a salad that she picked at. She would be starting in the New York office in two weeks.

Mitch would be her London advisor, but she would have a New York boss as well.

Great; he hated sharing with New York, especially Bruce Jones, who was a single mesomorph.

Forget that she was who she was. Mitch wasn’t good at sharing.

There would be a lot of training before she was ready to be client-facing, but they had all done it. It would suck, but she was up for it.

They dropped Rebecca back at her hotel, and Mitch moved up to the front seat next to Lucien at Lucien’s request.

“I think she will be good,” Lucien said as they pulled away.

Mitch agreed. “I think she will be fabulous. She’s a very smart woman. She’s a wonderful hire, Lucien.”

“I’m going to say something, and I want an honest answer.”

“All right,” Mitch said, feeling the trap before it had been sprung.

“Did you two ever date?” Lucien said.

“What?” Mitch asked, taken by surprise.

“Come on, Mitch. I’ve known you for six years.

At lunch, you both looked shell-shocked, and then you both tried to avoid looking at each other.

Anyway, I’d never have hired her if she was going to work in the London office.

I love my daughter too much. And I’ve never seen anyone who could fluster you, well, until today. ”

This was a problem.

“We dated briefly, but it was a long time ago. Really nothing. We were just kids.”

“I can’t blame you. She’s a beautiful woman, but you are spoken for, not that I need to remind you, which I hope she knows.”

“Lucien, please. Yes, she knows. Her brother is going to be my best man. Her parents are coming to the wedding,” Mitch said. “I’m well aware that I am spoken for.” But in truth, he wasn’t sure who he was saying it for—himself or Donovan.

They were stopped at a light, and all the cabs and pedestrians crowded around them. It was one of the reasons why Mitch hated driving in London. He couldn’t get used to the frenzy.

“Well, there is still something there. I could see it. Just make sure it is dealt with before you marry my daughter, or we are going to have a big problem, okay?”

“It will not be a problem, sir,” Mitch admitted reluctantly. But even as he said the words, he knew he had a big problem.

***Rebecca***

She sat on the edge of the bed in her family suite at the Stark Hotel and swallowed hard. She had not only seen Mitch, but she’d also hugged him. It felt better than anything had felt in years. Why had she denied herself for so long? Well, it was too late. What in the hell was she going to do?

Maybe taking this job wasn’t a good idea. She’d be in New York, and he’d be in London, but their paths would cross. The reminder of him, even from such a distance, would be hard.

Why hadn’t she ever felt this way about another man?

The phone on her nightstand started ringing. Her whole body tensed. A distraction was what she needed. She quickly made the time change in her mind. She had told her parents that she would call them later that night, so they wouldn’t be calling. Not yet, anyway.

Picking up the phone, she answered, “Hello, this is Rebecca Stark.”

“This is Mitch. I was wondering if we could have a drink in your hotel lobby.”

It was hard to speak, but she managed. “Sure. That would be good, I think.”

“Good.”

“What time?”

“I’m here now. Do you have a few minutes?”

Her heart skipped a beat. He was here. As in, he was in the lobby, less than two minutes away.

“I’ll be down shortly.” She took a deep breath and counted to five after she hung up. Why were they being so formal with each other?

He hadn’t wasted much time. They had only dropped her off an hour and a half ago.

Rebecca went into the pretty marble bath and checked her makeup.

She touched up her lipstick, added a little perfume to her wrists, and made sure everything else looked good.

She powdered her cheeks to get rid of any lingering shine and to make sure it helped to cover any blush. Too late. She was already blushing.

The ride in the elevator down to the lobby seemed longer than usual. This was a bad idea. Such a bad idea.

Mitch was easy to find. First, it was a little early for the cocktail hour, even in the hotel bar, Windsor. And second, he was watching for her when she walked in.

He stood when she arrived and helped her into her chair.

“It’s good to see you,” she said. “I’ve wondered about you for years.”

“I didn’t like the way things ended. I should have called you and invited you to London. I know it would have freaked out Alex and your parents, but we have unfinished business.”

“Well, you didn’t call, and neither did I. Though, I have to admit, I really, really hoped you would,” she said. “You should have.”

“I’m obviously an idiot,” he said.

“No argument there. And you are an idiot who is getting married to the wrong woman,” she said as the waiter arrived and took her order for a gin and tonic. Mitch indicated that he’d like a refill.

“You might be right. Life has a wicked sense of humor,” Mitch said.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Rebecca asked.

“I blew it, Bex. But you will be in New York, and I need you to be there. I just don’t think I could be around you and be married to someone else.”

“What if I was in London?” she asked, wondering if he was thinking the same thing she was. “Use your words, Mitch.”

“I’ve seen you for two hours today, and it is like no time has passed. It is wrong, but I cannot deny that I still have feelings for you. If only we could go back in time.”

She nodded. “Oh, I’m sure you will get over it.” She was being flip, and she still wanted him. But he had to say it. That is why she hadn’t called him. She needed him to come to her.

“Stop it, Rebecca.”

“What? People who don’t have feelings don’t make love like we did,” she said. “Do you want me to say it?”