True Loves (A Collection of Firsts) Read Free Page B

real, why did you walk away from it?”
    I can’t look at him. My reasons for leaving him that night on the dock are unbelievably selfish. Noel twirls a strand of my brown hair just like he always did when we were a couple. I slap his hand away. His touch is just too soon.
    The corners of his lips turn down. He tucks the loose strand behind my ear. His fingertips linger on my cheek. “Why do you always fight the inevitable? You’ve always made things so difficult.”
    I step away from him, but he closes the gap even tighter—his chest against mine. “There is no inevitable with us,” I say.
    “Sure, there is. Fate brought you here, didn’t it?” Noel cradles my face. I try to pull away, but he doesn’t let me go. A smile flirts along his lips. “You look exactly the same. Still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” He brings his lips toward mine. His warm breath touches my face, and all I can think about is kissing him. Would it be just like old times? “How about a kiss? Don’t you remember how hot things were between us?”
    My heart thunders with anticipation, and I bite my bottom lip. He runs his nose along my jaw, and I close my eyes and inhale his spicy sent. He smells delicious. Noel’s eyes search my face while his lips hover over mine. I feel his heat against my face, and my legs tremble.
    He leans in closer but stops just short of my lips. “Now you know what it’s like to want something you can’t have.” His hands drop away from my face. There’s no emotion on his face, but his eyes look pained, and knowing I have this effect on him crushes me. Noel steps back and runs his hand through his shaggy hair before stepping around me and walking out the door.
    The breath I didn’t even realize I was holding expels from my chest when the door closes. I feel as though I should have said something, maybe even apologized for what I did to him four years ago, but I couldn’t. The ground holds my feet steady when I hear the door open behind me. My heart falls around my ankles, and I think about how easy it’ll be for him to stomp on it. I don’t deserve any kindness from him, but the emotional smack in the face of still hurt like hell. This is Noel’s payback—to hurt me.
    A small pair of hands rest on my shoulders. “Did you get your answers?”
    I nod but can’t bring myself to face Aubrey. “Everything I needed to know.”

4
    T his is the first time since the start of my internship a month ago that I hate being at work. Admitting I failed will be hard. Noel didn’t tell me jack crap about his charity. The only information I have is that it’s some type of children’s charity. I pinch the bridge of my nose. He knew what the job meant to me. He’s taking this away from me on purpose, and it pisses me off. Aubrey leads us into the conference room for our meeting with Diana and the rest of the executive staff at Center Stage. My stomach rolls as I sit and scoot closer to the table. I fold my hands on top of the notepad I brought and take a deep breath.
    Ms. Swagger takes her seat and looks at me before slipping on her glasses. “Ms. Vance, would you care to fill us in on how your meeting with Mr. Falcon went?”
    The fingernails of my left hand dig into the skin on the back of my right. Telling her I screwed up will be like nailing my coffin shut, but what other choice do I have? I readjust myself. “Actually, Ms. Swagger, I—”
    She holds up a finger before she pushes a button on the intercom in front of her. “Jillian, dear, there isn’t any water in the conference room. Could you see that some is brought in immediately?”
    “Right away, Ms. Swagger,” the secretary replies. I can tell by her response that Diana always gets what she wants.
    Without skipping a beat, Diana returns her attention to me. “Ms. Vance, can I just say I’ve never received a call quite like the one I got from Mr. Falcon yesterday.”
    My heart leaps into my throat. Oh God. Here comes the boot. I need