Seductive Suspect - Page 37
My pulse raced as I approached him. He stood when he saw me, but didn’t reach out for a hug or a handshake or anything. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he said, pulling out a second chair. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”
I took a seat. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Oh, I can think of plenty of good reasons.” He sat across from me and frowned. “First, I need to apologize to you.”
“What for?”
“Everything that happened at the lodge occurred because of me. Isabel plotted out her whole crusade because of my actions and decisions.” A lengthy sigh left his lips. “Some of her accusations may have been true. I regret a lot of things and wish I’d handled them differently.”
I shook my head. “You’re not to blame for any of this. She was crazy, irrational, disturbed.”
“Yeah, my therapist keeps telling me the same thing. Maybe one day I’ll believe her.” Adam sat back and rubbed his eyes. “I’ll spare you all the details about what the police learned from searching her home and belongings, how she followed me out here and established her own life, all while waiting and planning for the perfect moment to exact her revenge.” Dropping his fists to the table, he stared at me. “You must think I’m a monster if someone hated me so much. Or because of everything with Mia.”
Some of what I’d heard during our final confrontation had concerned me, but the raw emotion I’d seen from him convinced me he’d never intended to hurt anyone. “I don’t think you’re a monster. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
“Well, that’s nice to hear.” The tension eased out of his face, and he leaned toward me. “Anyway, I didn’t invite you here to soothe my ego and listen to me whine all afternoon. How have you been holding up? And be honest with me.”
“I’m okay.” I raised my palms and shrugged. “Some days are better than others, but I’m not so paranoid anymore. Trina’s been helping me out a lot.”
“About her…” He chewed on his lower lip. “I hope I didn’t bother your sister or freak her out by looking up her address, but I didn’t want to risk causing you any more distress. I couldn’t come up with a better idea.”
“I don’t think she minded.” The familiar flush rose to my cheeks. “And I’m happy you decided to reach out.”
Adam grinned, flashing the genuine smile that had captured my heart the first time I’d seen it. “Veronica, I’m just going to lay it all out here. I knew you must have a hundred reasons why you’d never want to see me again, and why you should forget about all the horrible things we went through and leave them in the past.” He slid his hand across the table and rested it atop mine. “But then I remembered the incredible way I felt with you, and the connection we shared. And I needed to take a chance and see you one more time to find out if it was still there.”
His touch sent a ripple of exhilaration throughout my core. Although the bad memories would never fade completely, when I looked at him, I saw nothing but the man who had made me feel more alive than I had in years. The reminders of our intimate encounter were etched into my soul, their effects undeniable.
I turned my wrist and squeezed his fingers. “I don’t want this to be the last time we see each other.”
He let out a long breath and laughed. “So, what now? It seems everything about our meeting and getting together has been strange and out of order. I’m not sure where to go from here.”
“This is a good start.” I glanced around the quaint café. “The only thing missing is the dumb guitar-playing college kid you told me about.”
“And the coffee. I told the barista to leave us alone until I was sure you were all right.” Adam clasped my hand in both of his, affectionate warmth lighting up his hazel eyes. “We both still have a lot of healing to do. I don’t want to rush anything or ever cause you to feel uncomfortable. You set the pace, and whatever you need, I promise I’m here for you.”
His words resonated pure and heartfelt and let me believe we could accomplish anything together. I trusted him.
