“Thank God you’re here,” she whispers into my neck. “I’ve missed you.”
Chapter 16
“Hello.” I smile as she leads me into her house by the hand. Her touch is warm . . . familiar. “How are you?” I ask.
“Good now that you’re here.” She takes me in her arms, and I smile down at her. There’s a bond between us that can never be broken. Realizing what I’m doing, I pull out of her arms and stand back. Being in her arms wasn’t on today’s agenda.
Her face falls before she quickly recovers. “Any news on the sabotage?”
“No, none yet.”
She watches me for a moment, and her knowing eyes hold mine. “You have something on your mind. What is it?”
“I’ve met someone.”
“Don’t.” She turns her back to me and walks to the kitchen and puts the kettle on.
“I couldn’t help it.” I walk up behind her and put my hand out to touch her and then recoil it. I take a safe step back.
“Don’t tell me you couldn’t help it when we both know you can.”
“The pull to her is strong.”
“Physical pull?” she asks flatly.
I roll my lips as I watch her; she’s going to go postal any moment. “At first, yes. I thought it was just physical.”
Her eyes come to mine. “How long ago did you meet her?”
“Twelve months.”
Her face screws up in fury. “You’ve been seeing someone for twelve months?”
“No,” I snap. “I met her on a flight a year ago, we spent a night together on a layover, and I’ve recently run into her again.”
“Big deal, Jameson. You’ve slept with a lot of women while we’ve been on this break,” she fires back angrily.
“This one’s different, Claudia,” I say softly.
She rolls her eyes in disgust and turns her back to me once again.
“I’ve thought of her”—I pause, unsure how much to share—“a lot since we met, and then it was as if I . . .” My voice trails off, and I stare at her back as I wait for her reply.
“As if you what?” she eventually asks.
“It was as if I willed her back into my life.”
She turns sharply. “Meaning what?”
“She’d been on my mind a lot . . . and then she showed up in my office.”
She rolls her eyes, unimpressed. “Of course she would—you’re Jameson Miles.”
“She had no idea who I was when we met. I gave her a fake name.”
“So why are you here, Jameson?” she demands.
I swallow the lump of regret in my throat. “I’m here to end it with you.”
“Don’t you.” She points at me. “Don’t you dare throw away everything we’ve worked so hard to keep together.” Her eyes fill with tears.
“Claud.” I sigh softly. “We’re no good together. We’re both workaholics, we live on other sides of the world, and unless one of us loses our job, that’s never going to change. I can’t be anywhere but New York.”
“What if I moved back?” she offers.
“And give up your dream job?” I sigh. “I wouldn’t let you do that for me. I know how hard you’ve worked for this job.”
She stares at me, and I take her in my arms. “You need to fall in love with someone who can support you in your role.”
“I have,” she whispers as she clings to me.
I close my eyes as I kiss her temple. “Two people who are wired the same way can’t be in a forever relationship. We need to be with opposites, Claud.” I squeeze her a bit tighter. “Two workaholics will never work. We’re both too focused and too stressed out to properly look after one another.”
She stares at me, and I know that deep down, she knows I’m right. Her eyes well with tears. “What happened to our five-year plan?” she whispers.
“It was good in theory, but come on. We both knew when we made the break that there was a big chance we wouldn’t make it through to the other side.”
“I’ll move back,” she pleads.
My eyes hold hers, and I know there’s no easy way to say this. “It’s too late. I have feelings for Emily. It’s her that I want now.”
Her face screws up in anger. “Emily, is it?” she sneers.
I clench my jaw as I watch her.
“Who is she? What does she do?”
“She’s just a normal girl from the suburbs.”