Snowy Mountain Nights by Lindsay Evans

Author:Lindsay Evans
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-05-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

In New York City, life went on as usual. Or at least, Reyna liked to think so. She went to work at the tattoo studio in Manhattan, took the train back and forth to her Brooklyn apartment, bought groceries and hung out with her friends when their schedules and needs permitted.

She did not think about Garrison Richards and what they had done together. She did not yearn for his touch in her lonely bed. She did not take out his business card, wishing that she was desperate enough to call him.

Days passed since the last time she saw him in that cramped dressing room. Then those days became a whole week. At the start of the second week, she ran his card through her shredder and took the papers to the recycling bin. As if she’d known exactly what Reyna had done, Louisa called to tease her about Garrison.

But she did not give in to the loneliness she felt.

Some nights she wished she had not opened that Pandora’s box of need. After having a lover for the first time in many, many months, her craving—for Garrison, in particular—was a physical thing. Like the jitters she sometimes got from drinking too much coffee.

After a long afternoon and a late night at work, she opened her door at almost 5:00 a.m. to the ringing sound of the telephone in her apartment. Reyna frowned as she reached for it. Only her parents called her on her landline. She actually only had it because of them. Her mother was convinced that if Reyna needed 911, her cell phone would be of no use to her, and she would be dead in her apartment for days before the police came. Her mother watched the news too much. But Reyna kept a phone for her apartment and had an extra bill just because of her mother’s paranoia.

Speaking of paranoia, she didn’t recognize the number on the display. It was a Manhattan area code.

“Hello?”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t answer.”

She lost her breath.

“Don’t hang up.” Garrison’s deep voice caressed her through the phone.

“I won’t.” Reyna’s legs were shaking too much for her to stand up. She sank to the floor and sat cross-legged with the phone’s base in her lap. “I’m surprised to hear from you.”

“Well, you never called me, so I figured it was up to me to make the first move or risk missing out.”

“What exactly would you be missing out on?”

“Your company.” His voice dropped even lower. “The chance to wake up next to you again.”

Reyna took a quiet breath, trying to ignore the memories his words conjured. That morning in the cabin. Sunlight. His mouth on her. The way he’d made her feel.

“This is real life,” she said. “We’re not on vacation anymore. You’re not obligated to reach out to me.”

“Who said anything about obligation? I want to see you.”

“I—”

“Let me take you out to dinner.” She heard the dim sound of papers rustling in the background. He was working. She wondered if he’d been awake for hours already, or like her, just had not gone to sleep.

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