Staring at the phone in her hand, Nikki shakes her head, knowing that if she doesn’t arrive in the allocated amount of time, Austin will only come and find her at Avery’s, and he’ll be spitting mad to boot. Not wanting to ruffle any more feathers, Nikki takes her laptop and plugs it into the charger, then places it on the nightstand.
She arrives at Angie’s in forty-five minutes, then heaves a deep breath before moving to open the front door. Before she reaches the handle, a strong hand wraps around her wrist and halts her movements.
“Nikki,” he murmurs hoarsely, his voice desperately close to her ear.
She gasps in surprise, not from her name, but from the shock she feels traveling up her skin from his contact – something she had forgotten occurred whenever they touched.
She turns her head toward the voice, bringing their mouths but an inch from each other, whispering his name in a single breath:
“Austin.”