Scars of the Present Read Free Page A

about who I am.” My breathing kicked up, and his eyes darted to where my breasts were heaving before he met my glare again.
    “That’s bullshit and you know it. You might be fooling the world, Sydney, but I see right through you.”
    I opened my mouth to deny his statement, but he took another step and we were suddenly so close that I could feel the heat from his body seeping into mine. The electricity I felt flowing back and forth between us made my whole body feel like it was tingling, and I had to fight to keep my hands on my hips.
    David lifted a finger and he brought it to my cheek slowly, running the lone digit down to my collarbone. I let my eyes close and tilted my head back to allow him better access. When he spoke again, I could feel his breath on my lips and I knew his were just centimeters from my own.
    “Do you remember that night, Sydney?” His voice was a whisper and I opened my eyes to look at him. “I do, and some days it’s all I can think about. I can still feel it between us, whatever it is, but it draws me to you.”
    I’m not sure who moved first, but suddenly our lips were pressed together and his warm tongue was flicking against mine. His mouth tasted like mint with a hint of beer and my body reacted at that familiar flavor. His hands tangled into my hair and I moved mine to his chest, taking handfuls of his shirt in my fists. David pushed me against my car and one of his hands moved down to my upper thigh. As he lifted me, I wrapped both of my legs around his waist and I tried to get as close to him as possible. His lips left mine and started to trail down my neck as I let my head fall back against the window behind me. I opened my eyes slightly and rational thinking slammed into me like a freight train.
    “Stop,” I whispered, barely audible as I panted. David didn’t hear me as he continued moving his delicious mouth against my neck. I put both of my hands on either side of his head and repeated myself, louder this time.
    He stopped immediately, bringing his dark blue eyes to meet mine.
    I moved to extract my legs from his waist and pushed against him. “Let me down, please.” My voice didn’t have any anger left in it anymore, but instead it sounded defeated.
    David did as I asked and took two steps to the side to put some space between us. His breathing mimicked mine and his face was neutral, giving nothing away.
    “I feel it too, and I remember that night like it was yesterday. But like I told you then, like I told that asshole twenty minutes ago- family men aren’t my thing. So do yourself a favor and forget about whatever this…” I gestured between us. “Is. Because it’s not going to happen again.
    I turned to climb into my car and stuck the key in immediately, but when I went to shut the door I realized David was holding it open. He leaned down and put his face near mine.
    “You think that you know everything, Sydney, but your assumptions and insinuations are not only old- they’re wrong.” He turned on his heel and walked away without saying another word.
    I sat in the parking lot with my door still ajar for a few minutes, trying to decipher what he meant, before I finally shut my door and headed home.

Chapter Three
    On Wednesday, I walked out of my classroom and through the double doors into the sunshine. The warm rays hit my skin and I immediately tipped my face up to absorb them. My last final exam was done and I had officially completed my bachelor’s degree.
    I should have been more excited, but I wasn’t. I had this business degree now, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. My father, of course, expected me to go work with him and had been the one to push me to get it in the first place. I had applied to get my Master’s degree not because I wanted it, but because that would keep him off of my back for a little bit longer. Hopefully by the time I was done with that I would have some semblance of an idea of what to do with my life.
    I walked down the