I jump in my truck after stopping by the diner for a cup of coffee, and head to our work site.

My crew steps out, arms loaded down with tools, just as I pull in the driveway.

“What’s going on? Did you finish already?” I ask them.

“Yeah, just finished with the last coat of paint. Go check it out, it looks nice,” Jordan says as he tosses supplies into the back of the trailer.

The house was an extensive remodeling project, and the kitchen was the last room that we did. I step through the front door and make my way to the kitchen in the back, scanning my eyes over all the work that has already been done.

It looks even better than I hoped. The cabinets match perfectly with the tile, floor, and paint color. The countertops are a dark granite and they reflect the overhead lights as if they were shined just minutes ago.

I slowly walk back through the house and take it all in. My first job is completed.

When I turn out the lights and lock the door, I find the guys standing around the truck and trailer, waiting for my approval.

“Good job, guys. I’m going to go drop off the key and pick up our final payment. I’ll meet with you this evening to celebrate.”

The guys nod and pat me on the back as they walk off to their vehicles.

Jordan walks up to me and hands me a piece of paper. “This morning, I got a call. Someone in the city is wanting an estimate on expanding their store.”

I look at the paper. “How’d they get your number?” Mine is the only one listed on the business cards.

“I have no idea. She said it was passed along from a friend of a friend. She went on and on and finally I just told her I would have you call today to set up an appointment for the estimate.”

I laugh. “This is exactly why I don’t give out your number.”

He shrugs and moves to get in the truck.

“I’ll give her a call after I drop off the keys and get paid from this job. It’s still early, I can probably get it out of the way today. Did you happen to catch her name?”

“Hannah, I think.”

I nod at him and slip the paper into my pocket before jumping back into my truck and driving across town.

The young couple is ecstatic to have their first home finished and move-in ready. They give me the check and rush away to go check out their house.

I run by the bank and deposit the check, noticing they gave me a bonus with a note saying thank you.

As I’m sitting at the old-school drive-in restaurant, I pull the paper from my pocket and dial the number while I wait for my food.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Hannah?”

“Yeah, who is this?”

“This is Striker Murphy, I got your message about needing an estimate for an expansion on your store.”

The carhop places my tray of food on my window and I pass her a twenty and wave off the change.

“Oh, yes. Great, when can you come by and check out the store?”

“I actually just finished the job we’ve been working on, so I can come today if you’d like.”

She practically squeals. “That would be fantastic.” She rattles off the address and as soon as I finish my lunch, I’m on the road.

The two-hour drive seems to drag on forever. Whenever possible, I try to avoid the city. I hate the craziness of it all. Everything moves too fast for me.

The radio in my truck is busted, so the drive is quiet. It leaves my mind free to wander and, as always, it wanders to Lex.

I haven’t seen or heard from her since that day at the country club. My heart tells me to go after her, but my head says to stay away and let her come to me.

Luckily, I follow my head’s advice, because the tug of Lex’s presence and close proximity in the city is hard to fight.

I knew Gemma had to know where Lex lives. Even if she didn’t have an exact address, she knew something. I wanted to go to her many times and pry out any information I could get, but restrained myself - I didn’t know if I could handle seeing her and challenging her again.

I’ve always had to challenge her, but this last time, she was stronger and harder to break. She’s never been that way with me, she’s always unfolded and opened up completely to me, even if she was closed off to everyone else.

For the first week after she left, I had myself convinced that one day I would show up at home and find her on my doorstep. It didn’t happen though. Then I thought, Give her a month or two, let it all sink in, she will fold and come back to you. That hasn’t happened either.

When I pulled away from her, after our last kiss, I could have sworn I saw her walls crumble. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she hadn’t felt it after all.

I shake the thoughts from my head and pull up to a purple brick building. I check the address scribbled on the paper to confirm that this is the correct place, and climb out of the truck with a shrug.

The store is filled with clothes, shoes, furniture, and random stuff. The only common theme amongst everything is goth. Everything is black, and hard rock music is blaring over the speakers.

“Hey, can I help you?”

I look in the direction of the counter. A girl is standing behind it, dressed, unsurprisingly, in all black. Her rainbow hair is pulled up high on her head, falling all over in a messy sort of way.

“I’m Striker. Are you Hannah?”

She bounces around from behind the counter, giving me a chance to see her full outfit. Black leather pants, a black tank top covered in rips and held together by safety-pins, black shoes with a three-inch platform. “I’m so glad you made it. Did you have any trouble finding the place?”

“No, not at all,” I answer, looking around the store. The walls are painted black on the bottom and a bright shade of purple on the top. The small amount of exposed floorspace is done in a black and white checkered pattern, but most of it is covered with the random junk packed around the store.

“So, you mentioned an extension?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s not really an extension, but come here and I’ll show you.” She leads me to the storage room in back.

She spins around and faces me. “I’m wanting this room cut in half. I want to make the sales floor bigger so really we just need that wall removed,” she says, pointing to the wall separating the sales floor from the back room, “and moved further back. That means the floor back here will have to be done to match the rest of the sales floor and then paint. What do you think?”

I shrug and look at the wall. “Sounds easy enough.”

“Great! How much do you think it will cost?”

I shake my head. “Not much really. A few grand, tops. I will have to shop around for the same floor tiles, that may be the biggest factor. It depends if they are still being made, and if they are considered specialty or not. Tile can get pricy. I can give you a final estimate in a day or so after I shop around.”

She beams a smile my way. “That sounds great.”

We walk back out onto the sales floor. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a few pictures of the tile to make sure I get an exact match,” I say as I slip my phone from my pocket.

“I don’t mind at all. I’ll be behind the counter if you need me.”

She walks away and I bend down low to snap a few pictures.

The bell above the door rings as someone enters the store. I don’t pay much attention, but the voice behind me suddenly brings on goosebumps.

“I know I don’t have to work today, but I was out and figured I’d bring you a coffee.”

I look over my shoulder from my crouched position. There she is, leaning over the counter and handing over a paper cup. She doesn’t see me, but I see her shoulders and back tense up. She feels me.

As if she senses me watching her, she turns toward me. Her mouth drops open as her eyes land on me.

I’m just as shocked as she is, but I muster my resolve and keep my cool. I walk slowly up to her, eyes locked on hers the whole time, until only a few feet separate us. “How you doing, Lex?”

Hannah gasps as the words leave my lips. “You’re that Striker?”

I smile. “I see you’ve heard of me.”

Suddenly, Lex’s mouth snaps closed. “What are you doing here?” She wraps her arms around herself, like she’s falling to pieces. She probably is, and I know I’m the only person who can put those pieces back together.

“I got a request to give an estimate. You work here?”

She slowly nods. “I’m part owner.”

My eyes take her in. She’s beautiful, but sad. Her eyes shine, but they don’t burn like they usually do. Something is clouding them. I turn and look at Hannah, who is leaning on the counter, holding her chin in her hands while she watches us.

I clear my throat, thinking maybe it will snap her out of the trance she’s in, but she doesn’t get the hint.

“Can we go somewhere and talk?”

Her eyes bounce around the room, trying to think up an excuse.

“Don’t make something up, Lex. Let’s just go somewhere private and talk.” My eyes flash to Hannah, who’s still watching us.

I see her eyes fall to Hannah and a small grin tugs at her lips. “Okay.”

She leads me from the shop and heads toward her car, parked directly behind my work truck. “Follow me to my place.”

I stop dead in my tracks. She’s actually going to let me see her place? Is this smart? Walking into the lion’s den so I can be teased with no chance of getting what I want?

My eyes find hers behind the wheel of her car. She lifts her eyebrows and motions with her hands, telling me to come on.

I take a deep breath and get in my truck.

* * *

Ten minutes later, I park next to her in the parking lot behind a multistory, brick building. The building looks to have five floors and each window has potted plants setting on the windowsills. The whole building has a charm to it that reminds me of home.

She silently leads me through the lot, avoiding eye contact and conversation alike.

We step inside the building’s main floor and I look around, noticing the inside of the building is missing the charm the outside has. The walls are a plain gray and the floor is made up of painted brick. One wall is lined with mailboxes while the other side of the room holds the staircase. I follow her to the elevator directly in the center. The confined space of the elevator quickly becomes thick with tension. She doesn’t know what I want. Fuck, I don’t even know what I’m going to say. I didn’t think she would give me the time of day.

The elevator dings at her floor and the doors open up for us to step out. She leads the way, turning right down the hallway until coming to a stop at her door and inserting the key. I intently watch her every move. She turns the knob and walks in ahead of me.

Her place is tiny, only furnished with the bare minimum. A small, unadorned table resides in the kitchen, and the living room furniture consists of just a plain brown couch, a low coffee table, and a small flat screen TV. The light gray walls are bare, like she just moved in. Nothing about the place even indicates that this is her apartment.

A cat brushes up against my leg and I gently push it away before taking a step toward her while she sits on the couch, watching me with unmoving eyes.

I sit down and continue to look around. “So this is where you’ve been all these years?”

She presses her lips into a tight line and nods.

I let out a loud breath and lean back, running my hand through my hair. “Why haven’t I heard from you?”

This takes her by surprise. “I didn’t think you would want to hear from me after I snuck out of your house.” Her voice is timid and hushed.

I turn to look at her. “That’s fucking bullshit. Why haven’t you called?”

“I don’t know your number,” she shoots back.

My eyes narrow in anger, and my I can feel my face flush as my blood pressure spikes. “Why haven’t you called?”

She just looks at me. Her eyes are cold and emotionless.

“We both know that if you wanted to talk to me, you could’ve gotten my number. So why haven’t you?”

She takes a deep breath and pushes up from the couch. “Because it’s too hard.” Her instincts are clearly telling her to run but her movements are confined to the small living room, so she resigns herself to restlessly pacing back and forth. “Being with you, it’s too hard.” She stops and her eyes lock on mine.

I stand but remain still, not moving any closer to her. “What’s hard? I love you and I know you still love me. Why won’t you admit it?”

“I don’t have to admit it, we both know it!” she shouts. Her hands fly to her hair and start gently tugging at it.

Her words cool my blood a little bit, reducing it from a boil to a simmer. I take a few deep breaths to ground myself.

“Why is it so hard being with me? What did I ever do to make you think you can’t trust me? Why do you keep fucking running from me?”

She shakes her head. “I can’t.”

“You can’t what?” I ask, moving closer. The closer I get to her the more of a pull she has over me. It’s like I’m not even moving my feet anymore, she’s pulling me to her.

“I can’t tell you what you want to know.”

“Why?” I whisper as I continue to move closer. Heat radiates from her, and I can smell her shampoo. We’re chest to chest, eyes following each other’s every movement. Her breathing speeds up and her lips part.

“I can’t tell you. Can you please just accept that? I can’t tell you, I would if I could.”

I place my hand on her hip and let my fingers trail up her stomach. “Can you feel this?”

She tears her eyes from mine, but I don’t stop. My fingers make their way over her breast and up to her neck. “Can you feel me now? I’m here, standing in front of you, wanting you like I’ve wanted you even after all these years. Can you feel me?” My fingers slide over to her shoulder and down her arm where I grab her hand and place it on my chest, over my heart. This intimate touch makes it pound even harder.

With her palm flat against my chest, I say, “It’s beating for you, only you, and I need you to feel it. Can you feel it?”

Suddenly, her blue eyes find mine and light up again with burning desire and determination.

She nods her head and her lips start to turn up.

“Don’t think of anything but us. Just you and me, right now. Feel my heart pounding for you. Do you know how much I love you?” As I’m talking, I’m walking her backward.

She nods her head again.

“Do you still love me, Lex?” My voice is filled with emotion, it sounds strange to me. This is me. Bare and raw in front of her. She’s seeing a side of me that I seldom see myself. I’m throwing all my cards on the table with this one, but I have to make her see it, feel it.

She nods.

“Then say it. I want to hear you say the words.”

She swallows and takes a calming breath. “I love you, Striker.”

I have her pinned to the wall while the words are still forming on her lips. Our chests press tight together as her legs wrap around my hips, arms around my neck, and our lips collide.

This time isn’t like the last. She’s feeling everything. She’s grabbing my shirt, pulling me closer, scratching my skin and biting my lip.

I move my hands to her ass to support her weight as we move through her apartment and open the first door I come to which, luckily, is a bedroom. I press her back to the door and move my hands to the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head.

When the shirt hits the floor, I move us to her bed and cover her perfect body with mine. Her skin is so hot pressed against me, it’s damn near burning me.

My lips move from hers, down her neck, and to her chest. Her fingers are digging into my skin as I make my descent. I suck her hard nipple into my mouth and flick my tongue against it. She breathes deep and lets out a sigh.

I lean back on my knees and look at her as my hands work on freeing her from her skin-tight jeans.

Her chest rapidly rises and falls with her erratic breathing, her knees tremble with anticipation, and her eyes… fuck, her eyes are showing me more emotion that I thought was possible with Lex. They are so blue, without a hint of doubt or fear. Just love and a hint of needing.

She loves me and needs me, and is finally letting herself feel it. Emotions are so thick that, when I finally slide into her, a tear runs down her cheek. I wipe it away as I thrust into her, slowly but forcefully.

She’s holding my body as close as she can get me. Her arms are wrapped around my back, legs tight around my hips as she moves into my thrusts.

“I love you, Lex.”

“I love you too,” she whispers as she shatters around me.