the lift that would take them up to his apartment, Elena swaying gently in her heels beside him.
Being around her felt right, dammit—as if she were a missing link in his life.
And he was going to do whatever it took to have her back in it.
‘Elena?’ he said, turning to face her once the lift had begun its smooth ascent.
‘I know what happened between us at university. I know we were more than just friends. And I know we didn’t act on it because of Jimmy.’
* * *
Elena swallowed hard as blood rushed to her head and her stomach did a backflip.
His memory had finally returned.
‘You remember?’ she whispered through lips that would barely form the words.
He nodded, his beautiful mouth curving into another of its wolfish, dangerous smiles.
The lift came to an abrupt stop, making her stomach do an extra flip for good measure. She could barely breathe with worry about what he was going to say now he remembered what had happened all those years ago. Would he be angry with her? Shout and swear at her, or just be coldly dismissive again?
Her pulse throbbed in her head. She really hoped he wouldn’t go ballistic and chuck her out on the street now, not after what they’d just been through together. Not now she’d finally met the real Caleb again. She couldn’t bear it.
The door of the lift swished open and he strode out and straight over to his door without another word, slipping the key into the lock then holding the door open for her to walk through it.
She strode into his apartment with her head held resolutely high, determined to keep her cool, to restate her case and hopefully prove to him once and for all that she was sorry about how their relationship had ended.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched him shrug off his jacket and hang it up before finally turning back to face her.
His expression was impassive as his dark gaze bored into hers.
‘We’ve wasted a lot of time leading our separate lives and I think it’s time to remedy that.’
She stared at him in shock. Had she misheard? It sounded as though he was talking about pursuing more than friendship with her. ‘I’m sorry?’ she stuttered, aware that her hands had begun to shake at her sides.
‘What happened was a long time ago, and we’re both free and single now,’ he continued, apparently oblivious to her befuddlement. ‘Without anything standing in our way. No partners, no memory loss—’
‘Do you remember everything that happened between us?’ she asked, her voice sounding shaky with anticipation and hope.
There was a flash of something in his eyes, remembered pain perhaps, but it quickly disappeared. ‘Yes.’
‘And you forgive me for it?’
He took a deliberate pace towards her and raised his hand to touch her face, smoothing the backs of his long fingers gently over her cheek.
‘I’m not going to let some stupid argument from the past get in the way of what we have here—right now. We’re good together, you and I. We fit.’
‘Caleb—are you sure?’ Her voice came out as a low breath of air as sensation rushed over her skin at his touch. Had she really done it? Made up for the hurt she’d caused him in the past? Her spirits soared as the heavy weight of guilt began to lift and she finally felt as though she could breathe properly again.
‘Yes, I’m sure,’ he said with a conviction she felt deep in her chest.
Letting out a breathy laugh, she said, ‘This is all happening so quickly. I don’t know what to think—’
‘I understand why you might be unsure about restarting something between us,’ he murmured, cutting her off. ‘We live in different cities, live different lives, but we can work around that.’
She swallowed hard, her thoughts spinning wildly. Could she finally be about to get her Caleb back?
‘This would make me happy and I think it would make you happy too—you and me, here together, tonight.’ His mouth curved into a seductive smile, making her insides quiver and her heart leap about in her chest.
Heat rose to her face as a strange sort of panic settled in her stomach. Was she ready for this? After all this time, regretting what had happened between them and hoping, wishing she could do something to make it better—that she could go back in time and do it all differently—now that she was actually here in the moment, a moment where her whole life could change, she was afraid. Terrified.
What if it all went wrong again?
‘It seems too soon to be jumping into something, especially after your accident—’ she hedged.
He shrugged away her concern. ‘I’m fine now. You don’t need to worry about me any more.’ He moved even closer, making the air crackle around her. ‘And I thought you were the one who liked to take every positive out of a situation.’
There was no comeback for that.
‘I know you, Elena.’
‘You do?’ she asked breathlessly.
‘Yes. And I know we still want the same thing.’
The look of desire in his eyes made her whole body shiver with longing.
‘And what’s that?’ she said, knowing exactly what he was going to say, but hoping he wouldn’t because then she’d have to make a really difficult decision.
‘That you still want me as much as I want you.’
He was so close now, the feel of his soft breath on her skin making her lips tingle with the craving to feel his mouth on hers again. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware that she should stop this, draw away and be the sensible one, insist they talk about all that had happened between them first, point out that it was too soon for them to fall into bed together. That she didn’t think it was a good idea.
But that would have been a lie. And she wasn’t going to lie to him any more.
So instead she said, ‘Yes, I want you.’
Before she could qualify that with ‘but I still don’t know if it’s a good idea right now’ he’d closed the tiny gap between them and pressed his mouth hard to hers.
Her body responded without conscious thought, her lips opening against his to allow his tongue to dip into her mouth, tasting her, possessing her.
Being careful not to crush his broken rib, she pressed herself against him and felt his arms slip tightly around her back, holding her close to him. His strength enveloped her, making her senses reel with pleasure, and she stumbled backwards as he moved forwards, guiding her gently but purposefully towards the corridor where his empty bedroom waited for them.
They reached the bed in a tangle of limbs, with
