Ultimate Kill (Book 1 Ultimate CORE Trilogy) (CORE Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

into the night or pulled her into his arms for a quick hug? When they’d been together, she’d taken those moments for granted. After being separated from him, after years of living with bittersweet memories, she realized she should have soaked up every second. Cherished those moments as they’d happened. Memories alone couldn’t fill her lonely days and nights.
    He looked down to where he touched her arm and rubbed the pad of his thumb along her skin. “We never had an issue with talking,” he said and met her gaze. “No reason to start now. So let’s just get a few things out of the way.”
    “Like?”
    He reached for her left hand. “No ring. Boyfriend?”
    She could lie and tell him there was someone and instantly create a safe barrier between them. The hope and longing in his dark eyes, and the way simply being near him tugged at her heart forced her to be honest. “No boyfriend. And you?”
    His face softened as a playful smile tugged at his lips. “No boyfriend for me. I’m still straight.”
    Grinning, she squeezed his hand. “You know exactly what I meant.”
    “I know.” His smile fell as his gaze drifted to her lips. “And no, I’m not married, engaged or with someone.”
    “So now what?” she asked, freeing her hand from his. Knowing there wasn’t anyone else in his life scared her. She could easily see herself falling back into his arms, falling back into their old routine, only to face the constant worry and fear of losing him. Permanently. And death, she knew too well, was permanent.
    He let out a low chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. “Hell, I don’t know. When I was driving here I tried to come up with what I’d say when I saw you and even then I didn’t know. I figured I’d wing it, but now that I’m standing on your front porch barely able to spit out a few words, I feel like a jackass. I’m sorry, Naomi, I didn’t come here to make you uncomfortable.”
    “You’re not,” she lied. “Actually, I’m the one who should be apologizing. I invite you to my house, make you stand on the porch…made you uncomfortable. Come inside.” She unlocked the front door. “Hungry?”
    “I’m good, but something cold to drink would work.”
    She led him from the foyer down the hall and into her kitchen. Sunlight streamed in through the opened windows, bringing with it the aroma of lilac and lavender. “Iced tea, beer, water, soda…?”
    “Iced tea would be great, thanks.” He glanced from the updated kitchen into the small family room. “This is a great place.” He moved to the sliding patio door and looked out into the backyard. “That’s a lot of yard to maintain. How big’s the lot?”
    Holding two glasses of tea, she stared at his rigid back. She didn’t want this reunion to be painfully awkward and from what he’d said on the front porch she knew he didn’t want that either. Yet neither one of them could relax or let their guard down long enough to move past inane small talk. Born and raised in Virginia by a mother who had strong roots in the South, she’d been schooled with proper Southern etiquette and had been taught to never let a guest feel uncomfortable. Then again, she’d never had a former fiancé in her home.  
    Deciding to embrace the short time she would have with him and anxious to hear how he’d been, she handed him the glass of tea. “Three quarters of an acre. But it’s not too bad. When I moved in I bought a riding mower.” She opened the patio door. “Let’s sit outside.”
    He took the seat next to hers, probably because it offered the best shade from beneath the umbrella. Still, the close proximity was more than she could handle. The last man who’d touched her, held her, loved her body, sat less than a foot away. Time and distance might have separated them, she might have separated them, but she still couldn’t help longing for his touch. She’d never loved any man the way she’d loved Jake.  
    When she’d met him, the attraction