It had been 6 weeks since she'd seen Eliot, so she was shocked to see him leaning against her car as she walked across the parking lot leaving work. Her heart started racing. He was wearing a tight blue denim shirt and dark blue jeans. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail. As she approached, she tried to read his expression, but it was difficult as he was wearing those damn dark shades.
"Eliot? What's up?" she asked casually. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
"Just came by to see how you were doing. Can we talk?"
"Sure." Something about the tone of his voice made Carly suspicious. She unlocked the car and he opened the door for her. Then he walked around and got in the other side. He took off his shades and turned to face her.
"Carly, I wanted to apologize for the way things went down. I should have told you about the cameras. Truth is, we didn't know about them until the day before we left. Hardison doesn't think they were turned on when Parker swept the room."
She drew another deep breath to steady her nerves and was greeted with the smell of his cologne. A woodsy smell with a hint of orange.
He watched her too closely for her comfort. She looked down at her hands, not knowing what to say, or how to react. This was way too intimate for this setting. She wished she was at home, or at the park, or anywhere but the tight confines of her small car, which until that moment had been just the right size for her. Now it felt like a coffin.
He sighed. "I guess I got the wrong impression. That first night we spent together at the resort, I thought that ..."
"That I was just playing along with the con? The pay off was good, but not that good." Her voice was edged with tension. She was ready for this conversation, this situation, hell…this relationship or whatever it was to be over. She hated confrontation of any kind.
He snorted and shook his head. "I should have known. Typical."
Carly laughed bitterly. "Oh, no, don't play that 'it's not my fault; she's a female' card with me. That road goes both ways, Mr. Spencer. No man's going to buy me. Not like that!"
"What…you think this is about money?" He stared at her in disbelief.
"Isn't it? You said…."
"Would you listen for a minute?" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I was trying to tell you…"
Suddenly he fell silent and stared at her. His eyes darkened for a second. "Naw, this is a bad idea…" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Carly. I can't do this. Have a nice life." He opened the door and got out of the car.
Carly watched, stunned as he slammed the car door. Then what he was about to say came to light, a bright blinding light. She was out of the car and around to the other side before he opened the door of his truck. He froze and turned around when he heard her behind him. Before he could react, she grabbed him by the back of the neck and pressed her lips against his in a brutal kiss. He instantly wrapped his arms around her and pressed himself against her. His mouth opened against hers and captured her bottom lip, biting it playfully. Then his tongue sought the soft inside of her mouth and caressed her tongue passionately.
He gradually broke away from the kiss, ending with a soft gently whispering brush of his lips against hers. He looked at her, his expression a mix of confusion and passion.
"I couldn't let you go without letting you know how I really felt," she explained. "I know you don't want to be tied down and that's okay. I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you.
As he smiled at her, he had a sad look in his piercing blue eyes. "I can't do that to you. I travel too much. I never know in my line of work . . ."
"Aw, screw your line of work. Can't we at least try? Don't we deserve a little happiness? We're adults, Eliot, not dewy-eyed teenagers expecting a happy-ever-after love story. Can't we give ourselves a month or two, maybe longer? We owe ourselves that much."
She was shivering in the heat, the strength of her emotions taking over. She watched for his reaction. "Eliot, I don't know about you, but I'll spend the rest of my life wondering how it would have been. I'll always wonder what I missed."
He smiled that crooked smile of his.
"Yeah, me too." He tilted her head back and kissed her softly and gently on the lips.
"I only have one question," Carly said.
"What?"
"Where are we going for dinner?"
"I've got a better one. What's for dessert?" he asked, his blue eyes dancing mischievously.
