Chapter 8 EIGHT

I was tempted to honk the horn.

My face lit up as I parked my arctic-white BMW M3 in front of Gia's apartment complex. Of course, I didn't want to honk out of impatience, but rather out of a desire to be a jerk.

We used to joke in high school that nothing was worse than one of those guys who'd pull up to a girl's house and lay on the horn, not even bothering to knock on the door. So, of course, I did it to her all the time.

I'd drive up to her house, honk, and then put on this ridiculous act of being completely exasperated. Gia would always do the same thing: she'd come out of her house laughing and give me a little shove as she got into the car.

"At long last," I'd say. "Oh, I don't have any money." Can you pay for dinner? "

She'd laugh as well, calling me an asshole. Then I'd greet her normally, leaning in and kissing her sexy-as-fuck lips, her taste and scent rushing my senses.

That aroma. It was peculiar. Gia had always been a bit of a tomboy, so she wasn't into girly things like perfume back then.

I adored my Drakkar Noir, and she never failed to make me feel bad about it. Despite this, she always managed to smell heavenly. I could imagine that smell, like lilacs and cotton candy and pure sex, even now. Closing my eyes and recalling it was enough to cause my cock to shift.

As a result, no horn. I parked in one of the available spaces and stepped outside to take in the view of the apartment complex. It was one of those newer establishments, three stories tall with entrances on the outside of the buildings. I trotted up the stairs and into her apartment, knocking quickly once I was in front of the door.

Nothing. There was no response. fucking hell . Is she really going to ignore me? It's not surprising, but it's a huge letdown.

To be honest, she had every reason in the world not to accompany me. But my strategy was simple: ignore it and pretend it never happened. After all, it had only been a weekend. There's no point in dwelling on the past. We could have a little fun in Bora and then split up. As simple as it gets.

That is, assuming she answered the door.

I waited a few more minutes before knocking again, this time a little louder. This time I received a response.

"Wait a minute!

"An irritated voice came from inside the apartment. "Please give me a freaking second!" "

"Take your time," I said, laughing.

I looked at my Omega diving watch and saw that it was exactly eight o'clock – right on time.

I heard a soft patter of footsteps approaching the door, followed by the lock clicking open and the knob turning. And then she appeared.

Sure, I'd seen her at the gala, and she'd looked ridiculously good. Gia in that low-cut, dark green gown would undoubtedly be a recurring image in my solitary fantasies for years to come.

But something about her dressed in a casual outfit of slim, dark jeans, a fitted navy-blue hoodie, and white Converse low-tops...she had an unexpected effect on me.

She was dressed like Gia, the adorable awkward tomboy I'd fallen in love with in high school.

Even her slightly impatient "what are you looking at?" expression was pure Gia. Her mere presence in front of me was enough to make me not only outrageously aroused, but also to instill in me a strange longing for a woman that I hadn't felt in years.

"Right on cue, huh?"

" she inquired.

"Are you expecting something else?"

"

"I'm not sure what to expect from you these days," she said, her face filled with skepticism.

"You can expect an incredible weekend in Bora," I said, still smiling, "assuming you're still planning on coming."

"Aren't I standing here with my suitcase?" "

Her voice and words had a distinct edge to them, which was understandable. It was up to me to keep the resentments from our past from erupting and ruining an otherwise enjoyable weekend with old friends.

"That's the spirit," I said, noticing two small bags on her kitchen table. "Is that all you're bringing? "

She returned her gaze, and the moment she took her gaze away from me, my gaze dropped, locking onto her perfect, round ass – it was as if I didn't have any control over myself. Before she turned around, my cock twitched again, and I gave myself a quick internal scolding.

"Bora is only two days long. "It's not like I need to bring much."

I hadn't dated much over the years, but I could easily imagine some of the other women I'd dated bringing half their wardrobe.

"You know you've never been a typical woman?"

" I told her with a warm smile that it was a compliment.

She didn't say anything and just stared at me as if I'd just insulted her.

"Wow, tough crowd," I said after clearing my throat. "Do you mind if I come in?" "

She furrowed her brow, as if weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the idea. "Fine. But don't get too comfortable – the flight is leaving in a few minutes."

"Private jet," I explained. "They will leave whenever we want."

Curiosity flashed across her beautiful face. "What? I assumed the tickets were for a regular flight? "

"They were," I explained. "However, I decided to give us a slight upgrade. It's a short flight, but I believe we can outperform coach."

Another perplexed expression, as if trying to figure out what I was up to. She took a step back, and I took her place. It was a nice, cozy little apartment with a beautiful view of the lake next to the complex and the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

There was also that scent, which I'd always associated with her. It filled the room, making me dizzy just as much as if she'd pumped some sort of gas into the vents. Part of me wanted to wrap my arm around her waist, lift her off her feet, and carry her into the bedroom. But something told me that wouldn't go over well.

I took a look at her bags. "Why don't I go get them for you?" " I stepped over to the table and prepared to pick up both bags without waiting for her response.

She, on the other hand, was not having any of it. Gia flew to the table, arriving just as I wrapped my fingers around the handle of the first bag. She grabbed the other and yanked it away from me.

"I got it," she declared. "I don't need you to carry my bags."

This was the Gia I'd fallen in love with years before. Even if there hadn't been bad blood between us, she would have done the same thing. Gia had always been the type to do things on her own, scoffing playfully when I'd do cliché gentlemanly things like holding the door open or carrying her things. Always the independent type," I murmured. "The more things change..."

"Do you mind if we go?" " She inquired, nodding toward the door, impatiently.

"Yeah, I think we should go."

Gia went through the apartment quickly, turning off all the lights. I suppressed a grin, knowing what was going to happen in the next twenty minutes or so once we got on the road. We took a step outside, and I watched Gia lock her door before we walked down to the car.

"This is me," I said, motioning to my BMW.

"Nice ride," she remarked, her tone casual. She'd never been particularly taken with material things. "Are you sick of the Jag?"

"I still have it – it's parked in my garage."

Her eyes widened, as if she was perplexed. But the expression quickly faded, and I wondered if she'd been transported back to our time together, to the long drives we'd take during the spring we'd dated, nothing but each other and the breeze in our hair as we drove for miles and miles.

I opened the back door and slid her bag inside, as she did with the one she was carrying. I let her open the door to her side on her own, and we were off in a flash. We drove for about ten minutes, and I was forced to keep my smile hidden as I watched worry creep across her features.

I couldn't stand it any longer.

"You're all right."

"What?

" she inquired.

"You're all right."

"What are you on about?"

"G, you know what I mean; how many times have I picked you up from your house and seen you do the same thing?"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," she sniffed, her voice tinged with impatience.

"Right now you're wondering if you turned off all the lights, if you turned off whatever burner you used to make breakfast, if you left something out."

"That's...not what I was thinking."

I couldn't help but laugh. "No, it wasn't. But, if it helps, every time we went back to your house to check, they were always turned off."

"Can you blame me if I'm concerned?"

" she inquired. "I no longer live with my parents." If a burner is lit, the entire structure could collapse."

"You're all right. "Believe me."

"Do you believe me?"

" As soon as I said them, I realized it was a bad choice of words. I hadn't done anything to earn her trust. "I mean, I saw you go through everything before you left. You're all right."

She opened her mouth to say something, as if she wanted to chew me out, as if she didn't need me to tell her she was fine.

But she clenched her teeth.

We drove the rest of the way in silence, eventually arriving at the airport. I drove through the security checkpoint, the guard letting us in after checking our IDs and confirming we had a flight.

As we got closer to the plane, I could see Gia was impressed.

"Are we really taking this to Bora?" How many other passengers will we be flying with? "

"Zero," I declared. "Therefore, private plane."

I parked near the plane and handed over the key to a valet. He drove away after we'd loaded the bags into the small cargo hold, and Gia and I climbed the stairs and boarded the plane.

"Wow," she exclaimed, her voice genuine. "I was expecting us to fly in a four-person Cessna or something." There's nothing like it."

I'd overspent a little on the plane, but it was well worth it. It was spacious and luxurious, just what we needed for a memorable trip to Bora. We sat down and buckled up, and a half-hour later we were flying through the sky, clouds gathering around the peaks of the Rockies below. Gia sat next to me, her phone in her hand.

"There's WiFi," I explained.

"Oh, good," she said as she took her MacBook out of her bag, opened it, and turned to face me. "What's the password?" she asked. "

There was a brief moment of silence. "Are you sure you're not going to work the entire flight?" "

"What's the harm?"

" she inquired, her gaze fixed on the screen as she moved her fingertip around the trackpad. "What else would I do?" "

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "How about talking to the person you're going on the trip with?" "

For a brief moment, she took her gaze away from the screen. "Why would I do something like that?" What are we going to talk about? "

I reached over and closed the computer slowly with my fingers on the top.

"What in the world are you doing?"

There's no point deferring the question any longer. "Are you ever going to forgive me, Gia?" "

My question appeared to have completely perplexed her. "What are you on about?" What have you forgiven me for? "

"Come on," I encouraged. "It's one thing to still harbor resentment. It's another thing entirely to pretend that nothing happened between us."

"I'm not saying nothing happened between us," she said as she turned to face me. I'm claiming that there is nothing to forgive. We have a past, but it is only that – a past. We're both adults with jobs, bills, and other responsibilities. "Believe me, I don't have time to hold a grudge over a high school fling."

I had a choice at the time. Gia was doing her best to appear unconcerned, as if I was the one who was insane for even thinking there was anything to be concerned about. Gia was a lot of things. She was brilliant, beautiful, and as obstinate as they come. But she was a terrible liar.

I could have called her out on it, told her it was nonsense and that I knew it. No, I didn't. As much as I wanted to mend things between us, I also wanted to enjoy a pleasant trip with an amazing woman I still cared about.

The deception was obvious, but she was giving me a choice. And I knew exactly which one to make.

"How about this?" Let's get a drink? "

She cracked a grin. "I'm out."

I went to the mini bar and got a bottle of champagne. It was open in a flash, with two bubbling glasses in our hands.

"To fresh starts?"

" I inquired.

"I'll raise a glass to that."