Riders. How would she have felt if Dane had suddenly turned up at one of her hangouts after they’d broken up? Like he should stick to his own turf, that’s how. “Shooters is your place; it’s your world. You were right; I don’t belong there.”
“No, I wasn’t.” Dane doesn’t even hesitate in his response. “I want you to know that you’re welcome there anytime.”
Elyse smiles sadly, pleased that Dane seems to be past the combative stage. But at the same time, she knows that if he’s happy for her to be around then perhaps that means he’s over what they had, perhaps he’s realized that it wasn’t such a big deal after all. The thought of that hurts way more than how he’d treated her the night before.
“Thanks. That means a lot.” Her voice wobbles a little as she fights the emotion threatening to overtake her.
Dane nods slowly, still not looking at her. The silence stretches out between them.
“If you’re here to see Suzi, she bailed a little while ago.” He waves vaguely towards the door before he turns away from her, rifling through a tall toolbox.
Elyse forces the butterflies in her stomach to settle before she takes another step towards him. They’re still a good six feet apart, but that proximity is enough to pull her into his orbit. “I didn’t come to see Suzi. I came to see you.”
Dane abruptly stops going through his tools and turns back towards her, his eyebrow raised in that mock questioning way of his that makes him look like a smartass.
“To talk to you, actually.” Elyse hurriedly changes tack, not wanting to sound like the pathetic ex-girlfriend who is desperate to get back together—despite the fact that the definition sort of sums her up at the moment.
Dane searches her face, looking for something and after a few seconds he leans back against the bonnet of the car that he’s been working on. “I’m listening.” He crosses his arms, looking at her expectantly.
Elyse takes a deep breath, trying not to think how things might have been different if he’d said those words to her that night instead of storming out of her house without letting her explain why she’d lied to him. Instead, she just focuses on what she has to do.
“I want to explain what happened. The story my editor wanted me to write, why I didn’t tell you in the beginning, and why I told him that I wouldn’t write it.” Elyse looks down at the floor during her speech, scared that if she looks at Dane that she’ll lose her nerve.
“I know about the story, the little exposé they wanted about the Demons, and I know why you didn’t tell me right away. You wanted the story; it could have been a big deal for you.” Dane’s tone is measured, calm. There’s no hint of the anger that he had directed at her when he’d found her press pass carelessly discarded at her desk.
He shrugs, his broad chest rising and falling with the movement. “Suzi gave me the headlines last night, right around the time that she told me to get my head out of my ass.” He laughs ruefully, and Elyse finds herself smiling; his laugh had always been contagious. It was one of the sounds she loved most, and she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it until that moment.
“That’s not exactly how I would have put it, but she does have a point.” Elyse looks up at Dane through her lashes, watching as a half-smile tugs at his lips. It was as if they had been transported back to the days before the truth about her had come out.
“You’re not wrong.” His face turns serious. “But don’t push it.”
The smile fades from Elyse’s lips, and she swallows hard. So much for the good old days , she thinks ruefully. “You said that you knew why I agreed to write the story, but what about why I changed my mind?” Elyse throws the question out like it is a
“No, I wasn’t.” Dane doesn’t even hesitate in his response. “I want you to know that you’re welcome there anytime.”
Elyse smiles sadly, pleased that Dane seems to be past the combative stage. But at the same time, she knows that if he’s happy for her to be around then perhaps that means he’s over what they had, perhaps he’s realized that it wasn’t such a big deal after all. The thought of that hurts way more than how he’d treated her the night before.
“Thanks. That means a lot.” Her voice wobbles a little as she fights the emotion threatening to overtake her.
Dane nods slowly, still not looking at her. The silence stretches out between them.
“If you’re here to see Suzi, she bailed a little while ago.” He waves vaguely towards the door before he turns away from her, rifling through a tall toolbox.
Elyse forces the butterflies in her stomach to settle before she takes another step towards him. They’re still a good six feet apart, but that proximity is enough to pull her into his orbit. “I didn’t come to see Suzi. I came to see you.”
Dane abruptly stops going through his tools and turns back towards her, his eyebrow raised in that mock questioning way of his that makes him look like a smartass.
“To talk to you, actually.” Elyse hurriedly changes tack, not wanting to sound like the pathetic ex-girlfriend who is desperate to get back together—despite the fact that the definition sort of sums her up at the moment.
Dane searches her face, looking for something and after a few seconds he leans back against the bonnet of the car that he’s been working on. “I’m listening.” He crosses his arms, looking at her expectantly.
Elyse takes a deep breath, trying not to think how things might have been different if he’d said those words to her that night instead of storming out of her house without letting her explain why she’d lied to him. Instead, she just focuses on what she has to do.
“I want to explain what happened. The story my editor wanted me to write, why I didn’t tell you in the beginning, and why I told him that I wouldn’t write it.” Elyse looks down at the floor during her speech, scared that if she looks at Dane that she’ll lose her nerve.
“I know about the story, the little exposé they wanted about the Demons, and I know why you didn’t tell me right away. You wanted the story; it could have been a big deal for you.” Dane’s tone is measured, calm. There’s no hint of the anger that he had directed at her when he’d found her press pass carelessly discarded at her desk.
He shrugs, his broad chest rising and falling with the movement. “Suzi gave me the headlines last night, right around the time that she told me to get my head out of my ass.” He laughs ruefully, and Elyse finds herself smiling; his laugh had always been contagious. It was one of the sounds she loved most, and she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it until that moment.
“That’s not exactly how I would have put it, but she does have a point.” Elyse looks up at Dane through her lashes, watching as a half-smile tugs at his lips. It was as if they had been transported back to the days before the truth about her had come out.
“You’re not wrong.” His face turns serious. “But don’t push it.”
The smile fades from Elyse’s lips, and she swallows hard. So much for the good old days , she thinks ruefully. “You said that you knew why I agreed to write the story, but what about why I changed my mind?” Elyse throws the question out like it is a
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