Gotta Have It

They stared at each other, the past a shimmery ghost between them. Abby realized what was wrong. They’d had no closure. No true ending to the relationship that had budded hot but never bloomed.

Well then, have a fling with the man. She could just hear Cassandra egging her on. That should give you plenty of closure. And whew! Can he kiss. Do it, Abby, do it. Mend fences.

No. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t.

Why not? Too chicken? Too afraid you can’t handle the likes of Durango Creed?

Argh! Why couldn’t she get her mother’s irreverent voice out of her head?

“We have unfinished business, you and I. That kiss said it all.” Holding her gaze, he leaned in close.

“It was the vortex, remember?” She stiffened and tried to the ignore the distinct tickling sensation between her legs.

“And like I told you, the vortex gives back what you bring to it.”

“What are you insinuating, Durango?” Her heart skipped a beat.

What if? What if? What if?

He reached out and cupped her cheek with his palm. His fingers were warm and strong. How easy it would be to get swept up in the past. “What I’m saying, Angel, if you’re interested, is that I can show you how to unearth your passion.”

Go ahead, say yes. Just have a fling and get Durango out of your system once and for all so you can get on with your life.

She gulped. She was in over her head and drowning in ebony eyes that could send a girl straight to hell.

“What precisely are you suggesting?” she whispered.

“An adventure.” Durango’s smile was wicked to the core. “To broaden your horizons.”

She shifted her weight. She was already getting antsy, wanting to kiss him again.

Could the affair start now, please?

She wanted him so badly she was practically panting. But was this the right thing to do? What if she really was like her mother? What if, once released, there was no putting the genie back in the bottle?

“You’re worried,” Durango said, “that this adventure will change you in some elemental way.”

“Yes.”

“There’s no getting around it. Once you taste the thrill of passion, you can’t go back to being the way you were before.”