Breathless (3 page)

“Yeah, I like
her.”

She twisted her
purse strap between her fingers. “You think you’ll see her again?”
For the first time in as long as she could remember, Eli was
looking for a serious relationship, and that scared her. She knew
she was selfish, but she didn’t want to lose him.

“That’s the
plan.”

“Oh.” She
looked out the window, mortified that he might see her cry again.
She was never so emotional when she was sober. She had been getting
drunk to forget about losing Brent. She never expected to be
shedding tears over losing Eli instead. She propped her elbow on
the door and covered her mouth. “I’m so stupid.”

“Don’t say
that, baby. You’re one of the smartest women I’ve ever met.”

She may have a
high I.Q., but she was clueless when it came to men. “Here I am
crying my eyes out over a guy who hasn’t loved me in years, if he
ever did at all.”

“You needed to
get it out of your system.” He smiled. “Do you feel better,
beautiful?”

No, she felt
worse. She’d finally realized Brent had never been hers to lose,
but what about Eli? How would she cope when she eventually lost
him? She was so confused by her sudden possessiveness.

Eli’s cell
phone rang, and he smiled when the name “Belinda” appeared on the
screen on his console. “You don’t mind if I take this, do you?”

“No, go ahead.”
She did mind. She didn’t want to listen to him flirting with
another woman, but it was his car and he clearly wanted to take the
call.

“It won’t take
long,” he said. “Hey, beautiful, I was gonna call you when I got
home.”

Jasmine covered
her mouth with her hand. She didn’t know if the alcohol or the way
Eli talked to the woman on the phone was making her nauseous, but
she suspected it was the latter.

“I missed you.”
Belinda laughed. “God, that’s just sad, isn’t it? I’m supposed to
be playing hard to get. Isn’t that how these things work? I don’t
know anymore. I’m so out of practice since my divorce.”

Eli chuckled.
“You don’t have to play games with me, sugar. You can say
whatever’s on your mind. Always.”

If they hadn’t
been barreling down the Interstate, Jasmine would have considered
jumping out of the car. She was stuck there listening to another
woman seduce her… what? Her friend? Ex-boyfriend? Former lover? Eli
had been all those things and so much more.

Belinda said,
“I just wanted to let you know I cleared my schedule tomorrow. I’d
love to go to your parents’ barbeque.”

Jasmine
couldn’t believe her ears. The Rea family was like her second
family, and he was sharing them with a total stranger.
Would
Belinda take her place? Would she play dolls with his niece and
share recipes with his mom?
To her knowledge, Eli had never
taken a woman home to meet his family. What did it mean? Was he
ready for a commitment?

“That’s great.”
He cast a quick look at Jasmine. “Hey, I’m just dropping my friend
off at home. Can I call you when I get in so we can arrange the
details?”

“Sure, I’ll
wait up.”

“Talk to you
soon.”

Jasmine didn’t
want to question him about his relationship, but the curiosity was
eating her alive. “How many times have you been out with her?”

“A few.”

“Why haven’t
you mentioned her?” Jasmine knew she was coming off as petty and
jealous, but she couldn’t help herself.

“I don’t know.
Like you said, we haven’t seen that much of each other lately.”

Jasmine
realized with sickening certainty that Eli had been keeping his
distance on purpose. “Is that because of her?”

Eli rounded the
corner to Jasmine’s condo. Her building was just down the street
from his luxury townhouse. He didn’t say anything until he eased up
to the curb at the front door. “I guess, maybe. It’s tough to think
about starting a new relationship when you’re living in the
past.”

Jasmine reached
for the door handle. Her heart was breaking, but she couldn’t let
Eli see that. He jumped out of the vehicle and rounded the front.
She was already standing on the curb, closing the door, when he
approached.

She couldn’t
look at him. If she did, she might burst into tears all over again.
“Thanks for the ride home. I’m sorry I pulled you away from your
date.”

“No worries,”
he said, reaching for her hand. “That’s what friends are for,
right?”

“Yeah, sure.”
She tried to pull her hand from his grasp, but he wouldn’t let go.
“You should get home. Belinda’s expecting your call.” She suddenly
realized how Eli must have felt watching her fall in love with
Brent. If he felt even a fraction of what she felt, it must have
been torture for him.

“She can wait,”
he whispered. He held the side of her face. “You know you can tell
me if something’s bothering you, right?”

Could she?
Could she tell him watching him fall in love with someone else was
killing her?
No
. That wouldn’t be fair. If Belinda was the
right one for him, Jasmine had to let him go. “It’s nothing.” She
pressed a hand to her head when she stepped back. “Just a little
headache, that’s all.” And a huge heartache.

“Are you
sure?”

“Of
course.”

“I’ll call and
check in on you tomorrow, okay?”

“Don’t bother.”
She smiled. “It’s my day off. I may not even get out of bed. You go
and have fun with your family… and Belinda. Give your parents my
love.”

“I will.” He
kissed her forehead. “You sure you don’t want me to walk you
up?”

“No.” She
pointed to the security guard posted in the lobby. “John’s sitting
right there. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” he
said, waving at John.

Jasmine
realized there wasn’t a single person in her life who didn’t know
and love Eli. Her family, friends, and business associates all
asked about him because Eli was just that kind of guy. Personable,
fun
… unforgettable.

***

As Eli drove
his car into the garage, it took everything in him not to go back
and demand Jamie tell him what she was thinking and how she was
feeling. He knew her too well to believe her excuses. She wasn’t
tired, and she didn’t have a headache. Like she’d said, she was
lonely. But did that mean her feelings toward him had changed? Was
she finally ready to take another chance on him? They risked a lot
if a relationship didn’t work out, but they’d made the transition
from boyfriend/girlfriend to friends once. They could do it again,
if it came to that.

But what if it
didn’t? What if they were finally mature enough and experienced
enough to realize they belonged together? Was she so despondent
about Belinda because she felt it might be too late for them?

Eli slammed his
palm into the steering wheel. He had too many questions. What he
needed was answers, but it wasn’t the right time to pump her for
information. She’d had too much to drink. She was emotional and
wasn’t thinking clearly. His questions would have to wait. He ran
into the house and locked the door, calling Belinda as he ran up
the stairs. He was tired. He wanted to slip into bed and escape his
thoughts for a while, but he’d promised to call Belinda and Eli was
a man of his word.

Belinda picked
up after the first ring. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten
about me.”

Going from
talking to Jamie to talking to Belinda felt like stepping off the
plane after a tropical vacation and facing a harsh blast of winter.
Even when Jamie was sad and needed a shoulder to cry on, there was
no one he’d rather be with. He sank down on the end of his bed
before toeing his shoes off. “Sorry that took so long. I know it’s
late.”

“I didn’t mind
waiting up.” She paused before asking, “How’s your friend?”

“She’s okay.
She just had a bit too much to drink.”

“She must be
pretty important to you if you were willing to drop everything and
run to her rescue.”

He hadn’t
explained his relationship with Jamie because he suspected Belinda
wouldn’t understand, but it was time. She needed to know the truth
before they took their relationship any further. “Jamie’s been a
part of my life since high school.”

“I see.”

He knew she was
waiting for him to explain. “We dated back in high school, but
we’ve just been friends ever since.” He didn’t tell her about their
one night together while Jamie was still with Brent. That was
private, and he didn’t know Belinda well enough to trust her with
his secrets. Ironically, he only knew one person that well:
Jamie.

“Are you sure
about that?”

Eli had to be
honest. She had every right to know what she was getting herself
into. “I still love her. I probably always will, but she just wants
to be friends, and I’m okay with that.”

“Are you sure?”
She sighed. “Look, Eli, I know all about being in love with your
ex. I still have feelings for my ex, but I’m ready to move on. Can
you say the same?”

Could he? He
chuckled to lighten the mood. “I just told you Jamie and I haven’t
dated since high school. Are you suggesting I’ve been saving myself
for her?”

“I don’t know.
Have you?”

Eli had
intended it as a joke, but she was taking him seriously. Rightly
so. “I’ve been with plenty of women since Jamie and I were a
couple.”

“There’s a
difference between giving your heart to someone and having sex with
them.”

As if he didn’t
know that. Eli was too exhausted, emotionally and physically, to
have that conversation. “Can we talk about this tomorrow on the way
to my parents’ place? That’s assuming you still want to come.”

“I still want
to come. She may have been stupid enough to give up on you without
a fight, but I think you’re worth the effort.”

Eli’s first
impulse was always to defend Jamie, but he knew he had to let it
go. “I’ll text you in the morning to let you know what time I’ll
pick you up.” Maybe after a good night’s sleep, his life would make
sense again.

***

Jasmine woke up
with a heavy head, cursing the person pounding on her door. Whoever
it was knew the building’s entrance code, so the options were
limited to family and a few close friends. She immediately thought
of Eli. Pausing to run her hands through her tangled hair, she
pulled open the door, wishing she’d taken the time to brush her
teeth. When she saw her twin brother, she groaned. “Go away.”

She loved Den,
but he should know better than to show up at nine on her day off.
Since he’d bought a unit in the building next door, he made a habit
of dropping by at the most inopportune times to check on her. She
suspected her parents put him up to it, but he refused to give them
away.

“I brought
coffee,” he said, raising the take-out tray. “I thought you might
bite my head off if I didn’t.”

“You thought
right.” She took the tray from him and backtracked to the coffee
table. She settled into her deep, microfiber sectional. “Mmm, do I
smell blueberry scones?”

“Yeah, I
thought you might wanna join me for a run to work them off?” he
said, chuckling as he closed the door.

Jasmine
wrinkled her nose. He’d hauled her butt out of bed on her day off
and he expected her to go for a run? Not gonna happen. “You know I
work out every day before work. I’m not going for a run on my day
off. I’m not in training for the Olympics, ya know.”

Den was a
firefighter and since physical fitness was a job requirement, he
often spent his days off in the gym. That was a luxury Jasmine
couldn’t afford working sixty hours every week.

Den said, “It
wouldn’t kill you to get a few extra miles in.” He laughed when she
glared at him. “Not that I’m implying you need to lose weight. The
exact opposite, in fact. Mama thinks you’re not eating enough. She
said I should invite you over and feed you.”

Jasmine rolled
her eyes and bit into her favorite indulgence, warm with butter,
just the way she liked it. Her parents meant well, but they were
too overprotective. When she’d announced she was moving to Los
Angeles to pursue a modeling career, they’d nearly had a collective
coronary. They called her every night to make sure she hadn’t
“fallen victim to one of those crazies.” “I hope you told them I’m
fine.”

“Are you?” Den
sat at the other end of the sectional. “I heard about Brent getting
engaged.”

“So that’s why
you’re here?” Den was usually too busy juggling his own active
social life to give much thought to hers, but he knew how she’d
felt about Brent. She smiled as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“I went out and got drunk last night. Tequila shots at Jimmy’s with
Nellie.”

“Oh God,” Den
groaned. “That must have been a disaster.”

She laughed,
wincing when it hurt her head. Jasmine didn’t have much experience
with hangovers. If her brother really wanted to help her, he could
give her a few pointers on how to feel human again. “Eli came to my
rescue.”

“Doesn’t he
always?” Den said and gave Jasmine a pointed look. Eli and Den had
been friends since high school. It was no secret Den wanted his
sister to stop dragging her feet and make Eli an official part of
their family. The new woman in Eli’s life meant both Den and her
parents would have to let go of that fantasy.

“He’s seeing
someone.” She ignored the little pang in her chest. “A divorced
lawyer he met through Brent’s fiancée’s dating service.” They
exchanged a look and Jasmine knew they were thinking the same
thing: Eli didn’t need help finding dates. There was no shortage of
puck bunnies willing to keep him company. If he was tiring of them,
it could only mean one thing: He was ready to settle down.

“Is that so? Is
it serious?” Den snagged the last scone before taking the second
cup of coffee from the tray.