The delivery guy stopped by the office later on. I’d never received mail at work, so it baffled me when Beverly Vanderson’s secretary pointed him in my direction. He came over and handed me a small packet, then continued on his way.
There wasn’t a return address. The packet only had my name and the address of the company on it. I ripped the seal and looked inside, spotting a folded blue note and a silver bracelet with a leaf pendant.
I shook everything out on my desk. The bracelet was too glitzy for my taste. Tyler knew me better, so perhaps it wasn’t from him. I moved the bracelet aside and opened the note, frowning as I read the unfamiliar handwriting.
You are an untamable fire.
I want to feel every part of you.
Love, X
“Huh?” I sputtered. It definitely wasn’t from Tyler. He’d never write such cheesy things, much less buy me jewelry.
Feeling uneasy, I scanned the office. Everyone looked busy, glued to their computers or talking on phones.
I glanced across at Julian. She was typing away. The glass door to her office made it easy for us to be silly with each other. I waved the note and bracelet to draw her attention, wondering if maybe she or Amber were messing with me. When Julian caught sight of me I mouthed, “From you?”
She creased her forehead, shrugged, and mouthed back, “What’s that?”
It wasn’t her. I mouthed “never mind” then went back to analyzing the note. I had a secret admirer, it seemed, but who could it be? I wondered if it was the same person who’d left the rose outside my door.
It was weird enough that I’d received a suggestive note and bracelet at work, but when I arrived home that evening, I found another rose outside my apartment door.
Swiveling, I stuck my keys back inside my purse, scrambled down the stairs to the entrance, and went outside of the building. I’d forgotten to check my mailbox, and I wanted to see if I had received another packet.
I jabbed my key into the lock and opened the box. It appeared to be only newspapers inside at first, but when I reached in and took them out, I saw a note at the bottom. I snatched out the folded blue paper. My eyes stretched and I scowled as I read the words written in the same script as the one at work.
My sweet, you don’t deserve getting hurt like that.
You are a beautiful woman.
Your heart is fragile and must be nurtured.
If you give me the chance,
I’ll show you how a woman should be treated.
Let me love you.
X
This was starting to bug me. I wasn’t a fan of love letters or sneaking around. I liked people who were upfront, and that’s how Tyler and I had been with each other.
I locked my mailbox and was about to head back inside, but then I glimpsed a familiar red Porsche pulling into the parking lot.
Tyler. How ironic. Maybe it had been him after all. He could have changed his handwriting to try and fool me.
He parked in one of the empty spots and hurried out of the car the instant he saw me. I crumpled the note inside my fist and threw it at his chest when he came closer.
“What the—”
The paper fell to the ground.
“I’m not flattered!” I hissed, not caring about the two guys that had just pulled up. They noticed the tension and didn’t bother to say hello as they headed past us into the building. I recognized them as the couple that lived on the second floor.
“If anything, I’m annoyed,” I went on. “Did you not hear me loud and clear? It’s over. Stop with the roses and poetic notes.”
I opened my purse and snatched out the bracelet, tossing it at his chest.
He caught it before it fell and scrunched up his brows. “What’s this?”
“No thanks,” I said, my tone biting. “You can’t win me back with material things.”
Tyler scrutinized the bracelet for a moment before looking back at me. “This isn’t from me. It’s not even something you’d wear, so why would I give this to you?”
“Please, spare me the lies.” I crossed my arms tightly at my waist while glaring at him.
He shook his head. “I’m not lying, babe. I didn’t send you this or whatever else you’re going on about.”
I knew the look in his blue-gray eyes: honesty. So it really wasn’t him.
Raking a hand through his sandy blonde hair, Tyler closed the distance between us and said in a soft tone, “Babe, we need to talk.”
Damn it. I hated when he got all sweet like that. It did a number on my heart and made my skin tingle. I wanted to rush into his chest like a wild animal and kiss him madly.
“No!” I barked, snapping out of it. I unfolded my arms and marched off.
Tyler hurried after me and gripped my arm, slowing me down. He stepped in front of me. I stared at the ground so he couldn’t see the truth: that a part of me wanted to give in and take him back.
“Please, Bristol,” he pleaded. “Look, I made a stupid mistake. She didn’t mean anything, I promise. Babe, I’m sorry. I’ll do anything to fix this.”
The whole time he was talking I didn’t meet his gaze. His voice rocked me to the core, and I didn’t want to risk succumbing to my emotions. I refused to be weak. I had to get away from Tyler. He’d hurt me. Now he wanted a second chance.
No. He would only cheat on me again, and I hated that ‘fool me twice, shame on me’ thing.
Finally, I looked up, gritting my teeth as I snapped at him, “If she meant nothing, then why’d you do it?”
Tyler ruffled his hair. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “We work together. She knew it was my birthday so she came over and…” He groaned in frustration. “It just happened.”
“Pathetic excuse,” I jeered. “Whatever. You can go to hell. We’re finished.” I tried to walk past him.
He stopped me again. “Please don’t do this, Bristol. I love you and I want us to work it out.” He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. A familiar haze of lust darted through me.
I slapped his hand away. “Go work it out with your sex buddy. Apparently she took better care of you than I did.”
He knitted his brows. “What? What do you mean?”
“Ask my mother!” I stalked past him and entered the dark brick building, hurrying up the wooden stairs to the second floor. Tyler was close on my heels.
“Bristol, come on,” he implored.
“Go away! I’m not letting you back in my life.”
Reaching my apartment, I hastened to unlock the door. Tyler came up to it just as I slipped inside. He held the door so I couldn’t close it.
“Baby, I’m not leaving until we work this out. Tell me what to do—”
“There’s nothing you can do to make me forgive you,” I spat at him, irritated.
Shocked, his jaw twitched. “You’re seriously going to throw away what we have just like that? It’s as if you never loved me.”
How dare him. “You threw away what we had when you cheated on me. God only knows how many other times you’ve cheated on me before.”
“Seriously?” He stared at me like a deer in headlights. “I’ve never cheated on you before; this was the first time. It won’t ever happen again, Bristol.”
“I don’t believe you,” I said, stressing my words. “I’ll never trust you again.”
Surprisingly, Tyler straightened and moved his hand away from the door. “I’ll give you some time to stop being so angry,” he whispered.
“I don’t need time. I’ll never stop being angry at you. It’s over, Tyler.”
“We’ll see,” he replied, matter-of-factly. He gave me a once over, then turned and walked away.
Relief flooded me. My heart was hammering from trying so hard to resist Tyler. I started to calm down only after he left.
Letting out a long sigh, I started to shut the door but glimpsed the red rose still lying on the floor. I bent down and picked it up then locked the door, making sure to fasten the chain.
&nbs
p; Going into the kitchen, I tossed the rose into the trash. I was at a loss as to who was leaving me roses, not to mention the notes and the bracelet.
I leaned against the granite island and rubbed my temples. I didn’t need this right now. I was having a hard enough time trying to fight off going back to my cheating boyfriend. A secret admirer would only complicate things more.
I wanted to forget my troubles, so I vowed to have a good time with Amber and Julian that night. We met up at my apartment and primped in the bathroom before Amber drove us to a lounge in downtown Newport.
We were killing it in our sexy heels and curve hugging dresses, and our hair and makeup were on point. I curled mine, letting my long strands fall freely in my back, while Julian and Amber wore theirs in ponytails.
The lounge wasn’t too packed, but the dance section looked turned up. After ordering martinis, we sat at one of the dark tables and chatted while enjoying the sophisticated ambience of the place. I had to tell them about the shit I’d been receiving.
“You sure it’s not Tyler trying to win you back?” asked Julian.
“Oh no, honey, that’s too sweet for him,” Amber answered. She’d observed Tyler a lot while he and I dated. She knew that ‘sweet’ wasn’t his thing.
A sneaky grin spread across Julian’s face. “Then that means you have an admirer. That’s sexy, and it comes at the perfect time, wouldn’t you say?”
She stared at Amber. They giggled with each other, agreeing.
“I don’t do ‘secret’ anything,” I told them. “All I want to know is who this guy is and why he’s hiding. By the way, he knows where I live and where I work. That creeps me out.”
Amber slapped my arm playfully. “Honey, someone’s trying to woo you before revealing himself. Just go with it.”
“Whatever.” I chugged the rest of my martini, then slid off the cozy leather seat. “Let’s not talk about secret admirers or guy troubles. I want to dance and have a good time.”
They stood and swayed with me over to the smoky dance room. We moved through the lively crowd, rocking our bodies to the hypnotic beat of Calvin Harris’ “Under Control.”
The three of us laughed and danced for a while to mix after mix, until we started to feel hot and headed back to our table.
“Whew. I’m going to get a beer this time,” I told them. “You girls want anything?”
“Coors Lite, please,” Julian said as she wiped beads of sweat off her forehead.
Amber added, “Make that two.”
“Coming right up.” I strolled across the flagstone floor over to the craftsman-style bar. Perching against the mahogany counter top, I waited for the bartender to finish serving drinks to the other people who’d been there before me. The music in that section was slow and sensual. I swung my hips and hummed to the beat while admiring the sea stone backdrop behind the whiskey shelf.
“Excuse me,” someone said shortly after I put in my order.
I spun at the deep sexy timbre. Amazingly, my heart fluttered when I saw the charming smile and the most entrancing shade of brown. His eyes seemed to have lit up just for me.
He set his fruity drink down on the counter and turned fully on the stool. The two guys sitting next to him shrugged and continued talking to one another. Maybe they were friends.
“Yeah?” I replied, trying to refocus.
He skated over my face before he asked, “Do you remember me?”
“Right,” I snorted. “If that’s the best you can do, then I wish you luck.”
He raised a thick brow. I swiveled back to the bartender and took the bottles from him. I was about to walk away when the guy slightly touched my elbow to stop me. “Actually, it’s from Mr. Bennett’s algebra class at Middletown High School. You were a junior at the time. I was his student assistant. I did it for the extra credit.”
“Oh.” I bit my bottom lip, feeling like an idiot.
“It’s Bristol Armando,” he said, sounding confident.
“Right,” I drawled and narrowed my eyes, unable to place him in my head. “I’m sorry, who are you?”
“Mason Daniels.”
Hmmm. He remembered my name but his didn’t ring a bell.
I snapped out of contemplating to apologize. “Sorry. I thought you were...”
Mason smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Let me guess, a bunch of idiots have tried that on you?”
“Actually, I’ve had a bad weekend and a long day,” I said with a sigh.
He leaned his head to one side, studying me. “Really? Looks like you were having a good time on the dance floor.”
A warm feeling streamed down my back, and I suddenly felt like giggling. He’d been watching me dance. That aroused me somehow. Tyler hardly ever wanted to dance when we went out. He was always busy talking to friends while I’d be on the floor alone or with my friends.
Mason continued watching me. I couldn’t help but take in his low-cut cinnamon hair as it shimmered under the glowing light hanging over the bar. His sharp gaze, clean-shaven muscular face, and sexy lips were all too enticing.
The way his lips turned upward caused a burst of heat in my stomach and goosebumps erupted at the nape of my neck. Perhaps it was slutty of me, but his grin alone made me want to drop my panties.
Oh Lord! It must be the alcohol.
Collecting myself, I gestured to the bottles in my hand. “Um, my friends are waiting.”
“Of course.” Mason turned to look at Amber and Julian for a second, and then steered his attention back to me. “Sorry to keep you.”
I started back to the table, but was unable to keep from glancing over my shoulder at him.
Our eyes locked. I spun and continued to the table. Amber and Julian had curious expressions.
“Who’s that?” Amber asked, giggling her ass off as I handed them their beers. “He’s hot. I’ll take him if you won’t.”
“Shut up.”
Briefly, I stared at Mason. He was chatting to the two guys again.
“You talked a bit,” Julian piped in. I drifted back to them. They eyed me intently, eager for me to spill the details.
“Mason Daniels,” I told them, then asked Amber, “Do you remember him? Apparently he went to Middletown High School.”
“Oh, really?” She looked at Mason and then turned back to me. “I don’t remember him, but his name sounds familiar.”
“He was a class ahead of us, I believe. He said he was a student assistant and only seniors did that for credits. Humph,” I pondered. “You guys think that maybe Mason is—”
“The secret admirer?” Julian blurted.
“Ooh. Let’s find out.” Amber stood and sauntered off before I could stop her.
Julian tittered. “This should be fun.”
I wanted to melt in my seat as Amber traipsed over to Mason at the bar. Confused, he turned his head and smiled nervously as she questioned him.
“Uh-oh,” Julian muttered as he excused himself from his friends and started over with Amber.
“Christ, I wish I could disappear right now,” I mumbled.
Reaching our table, Amber said, “Ladies, I asked Mason to join us. Hope you don’t mind.” She nudged him toward the empty seat beside me while she settled back on hers.
“If it’s all right with you,” he confirmed.
Julian answered fast, “It’s no problem.”
I stared at my beer, running my index finger around the tip of the bottle as he sat.
Amber filled us in. “Mason was telling me that he moved in his senior year and didn’t graduate from Middletown High School.”
“Oh.” I stared at him. “Where’d you go? And what brings you back to Rhode Island? Newport, at that?”
Yikes. I must have seemed interested in him, interrogating him like that.
Mason smiled as he answered, “My family moved to New Hampshire, but I love Rhode Island. This is my home. It’s like I was being called back.”
“What do you do, Mason?” Julian probed.
&
nbsp; “I’m a police officer here in Newport,” he replied, looking at her. “On the force for almost two years now.”
“So cool, and you’re only twenty-four, just a year older than me and Bristol.” Amber seemed intrigued, and I was too.
“What made you decide to be a cop?” I asked.
“It’s…a long story,” he said. Uneasiness screened his face. He finished his drink and looked around the lounge.
“Bristol’s single,” Amber announced. “In case you’re wondering.”
“Amber!” I yelped and bumped her knee under the table.
Julian chuckled before taking a drink.
I peered down at my lap, embarrassed.
“That’s good to know,” Mason said. I felt him watching me. “Bristol?”
The sweet and sincere way he spoke my name made me hold my breath. It pulled back my undivided attention.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked in a hopeful tone.
I almost said yes, but then I thought of Tyler and my feelings for him rushed back. Regardless of Mason’s intention, I wasn’t ready for anything. “I can’t, Mason. Sorry.”
Amber kicked my leg. When I met her gaze, she flashed me a “what the hell” look. I turned to Julian. She twitched her mouth as if fighting to resist saying something. She drank her beer instead.
Had they forgotten that this night was supposed to be about having fun and not about guys?
An awkward silence engulfed us for a moment, then Mason got up from the seat. “Well, it was nice meeting you ladies. I’m the driver tonight and my shift starts in the morning, so I gotta head out.”
Staring at me, he said, “Good seeing you again, Bristol. Take care.” I noticed the disappointment in his demeanor as he spun away.
My stomach sank. Strangely, it felt like regret was stabbing me in the chest.
“Bye,” Julian and Amber said in sync, both pouting.
“Damn, Bristol,” Amber scolded as she cut back to me.
I crossed my arms. “What?”
“Look, I know you just broke up with Tyler and you loved him—”
Chasing Bristol (The Finding Trilogy Book 2) Page 2
