Excerpt from ZENITH'S PROMISE.
The look in his eyes expressed… what? Heat? Definitely. Molten heat. But there was more: yearning. He was staring at her like a dehydrated man stares at an oasis in the dry desert. Yeah, he effortlessly drew her to him. Just one look and it was like the gravity field of the earth pulling the moon toward it.
Now he was gone. Not there.
Not there?
She blinked and shook her head. Was that him standing there?
Was she making him up with her shattered heart? Seeing him where she hoped he might be? She grabbed her temple and rubbed it, blinking with disbelief, but no, he was still there. Why the hell was this happening? She didn’t do that, imagine seeing guys who were gone.
But he moved right towards her. Oh fuck. He was real. And he was really there.
Her brain buzzed and she jumped to her feet and pushed back the chair. Never fond of creating any actual diva-drama, Jody finally got it. She wanted to screech out at him. No! Get out! Fuck off! But he still walked closer.
Toward her.
She muttered to Roger, standing beside her, “I have to go.”
Grabbing her purse, she started to exit when Ross seemed to anticipate her departure and smoothly stepped to the left when she cleared the crowd. She was swiftly out the door, and Ross was close behind her.
She pulled out a canister of pepper spray. “I’ll fucking mace you. Get away from me.” She held the can out before her and her words were spoken low and calmly. She was not hysterical. Passersby glanced and one stopped as if to offer their assistance to her. She shook her head and explained, “He’s not dangerous to me. Just an unwelcome ex.”
After the stranger nodded and moved on, Ross stared at the can, saying, “Jody…”
“No. No, you don’t get to come back here and demand to talk to me. You don’t get to ruin my night. You already did that. You sure as fuck aren’t doing it now with my permission. Leave me at once or I will spray this right into your face. Don’t doubt me. There isn’t one thing about me that says I’m kidding.”
He backed up. Farther. “I just have one thing to say. It’s pretty important.”
“Do you plan to apologize? That’s the least I deserve. But since I don’t want to hear it, get back and go away. Don’t come near me again. I can’t believe you dared to come back here.”
“It’s more than that. Please don’t make me yell what I have to say at you on a street.”
There were more glances. Looks of intrigue. A few people stopped. She sighed. With the pepper spray at the ready, she replied, “No. I said no. What gives you the right to say more?”
“Because…” he stopped and pulled out a phone. It must have been a new phone as she was sure he trashed the other. All her texts and JayJay’s and Rob’s and Spencer’s were unanswered, and the list went on. Then he texted her. She tried to ignore it. But she dropped the bottle of pepper spray back in her purse and took her phone out. She glanced at him from across the distance. His gaze was strange. Intense. Dark. Sad? Fuck him. He should be sad. He did this. He hurt her so much. There was nothing he could say to redeem him now. Nothing. Damn him. Screw him. Goodbye, boy, go…
Go…
In a weak moment, she held her phone up to her face and read the words.
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