Return to You

was going to hyperventilate.
    "Elaine."
    Collecting herself, she turned around slowly.
"Hello, Everett. I didn't expect you here."
    Actually, she hadn't expected to ever see him
again.
    He examined her with a vague frown. "Are you
alright? You look pale."
    "I always looked pale."
    "No." He brushed a finger down the side of her face.
"You're usually creamy."
    She knew she had to be goggling at him but she
couldn't help it. His hand cupped her chin and tilted her head
up.
    "Elaine, forgive me."
    "Why?" Blunt, yes, but she wasn't going to let him
play games with her again.
    "Because I need you. More than I ever imagined." His
thumb rubbed her lower lip.
    She cleared her throat and pushed up her glasses.
"You finally realized this now? After seven years?"
    "I'm a slow learner." He lifted her glasses, folded
them carefully, and put them in his pocket. His hands framed her
face. His thumbs rubbed under her jaw so she wanted to purr. "The
past couple weeks without you have been hell. More than not being
where you're supposed to be, you've haunted me. I tried to get rid
of your scent from my office but nothing would cover it."
    "You did?"
    "Foolish, I know. I should have realized I had the
wrong solution."
    "You did?"
    "The clear answer was to bring you back."
    "Do you want me back?" Hope filled her chest—or
maybe it was love.
    He gazed at her earnestly and smiled. "With all my
heart."
     

Chapter Thirty-four
     
     
    Olivia looked at the clock for the hundredth time.
It was four o'clock. Lainie's flight arrived fifteen minutes
ago.
    She suppressed a frisson of guilt and told herself
everything was going to be fine. After all, it wasn't like she
abandoned Lainie at the airport—she'd sent a reliable ride in her
place. She just hoped Lainie wouldn't turn and run at the first
sight of her father. She hoped Lainie would forgive her
meddling.
    Olivia glanced at the clock again. She may have
planned this, but it was up to her father to carry it off.
    She crossed her fingers.
    Stepping out from behind the counter, she walked to
the door to flip the open sign over. Closed. And she wouldn't be
opening back up for a while.
    "Olivia, dear, I think I need a bigger size in this
contraption."
    Olivia grinned at the distress in Peachie Johnson's
voice. After fifty-some years of wearing only cotton undergarments,
albeit high-end, Peachie wanted to surprise her husband with
something special. "To put the kick back into things," she'd
whispered to Olivia.
    "Be right there." Olivia grabbed a larger size in
the peek-a-boo bra from the back and took it to the fitting room.
"Here you go, Peachie."
    The older woman cracked open the dressing room door.
"You're a sweetheart."
    Olivia heard the front door open and close.
Frowning, she started for the floor. "I'm sorry. We're closed—"
    She broke off abruptly as she saw Michael in the
doorway of her store. Stunned, she stood there and stared.
    "Hello, Olivia."
    She closed her eyes and let his voice rumble through
her. She waited to feel anger, bitterness, disappointment. All she
felt was longing and sadness.
    She'd missed him.
    But it was too late.
    She opened her eyes. "I'm surprised to see you. What
are you doing in San Francisco?"
    "Olivia—"
    "Olivia, dear, this is the one. Harry is just going
to keel over when he sees me in this." Peachie halted abruptly. "Oh
dear."
    "I have just the thing to go with this too." Olivia
took the lingerie from the woman's hand and quickly rang her
up.
    As she was leaving, Peachie leaned close to Olivia.
"Honey, you wear something like this"—she patted her goodie bag
with a wink—"and that boy won't stand a chance."
    Olivia bolted the door behind her. She turned around
to find Michael closer than she expected. Much closer.
    "Why are you here?" She wished her voice wasn't so
husky but she couldn't help it. From this close, she could smell
the leather of his jacket mixed with the scent of him and it was
driving her crazy. She wanted to pin him down and nuzzle his neck
to get closer to it.
    He took another step so they were toe to toe. "To do
this."
    She only had time to think his eyes are so blue before his lips touched hers. The instant they met, her arms
automatically went around his neck. His hands slipped under her
sweater, warm against her skin and she arched into them.
    She broke away from him abruptly, stepping back so
she could breathe. His lips glistened and his eyes were hot with
passion.
    Passion was good but it wasn't enough.
    She shook her head.