after he left everything went dark.”
“So , it was him?”
“Yea h, but I really don’t want to talk about him.”
“That’s fine . Let’s talk about…Florida.”
“Florida?”
“Yes, Florida. Well, Panama City Beach, to be exact.”
“When?”
“I was thinking this week sometime we can leave. I have a condo there. Don’t worry, there are two bedrooms so you can have your own room and bathroom. I’m thinking we can beat all the spring breakers there so it’s a lot quieter.”
“I have to work.”
“Nope, no you don’t. You told that guy Jared that you were taking a vacation. What are you going to do? Stay here in your loft and lock yourself up? Come with me. It will be so much fun.”
I couldn’t believe we wer e still dancing and he now wanted me to go to Florida with him. “OK, but I need to know where it is and a number just in case Shay can’t get me on my cell.”
“Wow , should I be asking Shay for permission first?” He was grinning, but in all seriousness he should.
“It probably wouldn’t hurt if you talk to her.”
“You are serious.”
“I am. You have no idea how close we are. She is the closest thing to family that I have.” Then I remembered last night and the fact that he had someone here with him, or he went to someone else’s place. “You know, I think this is a little fast. I mean, you were just here last night with someone and now you want me to go somewhere with you.”
“Sloane , no one has been here.”
“Shay sa w you leave with someone else. Please, don’t start off lying to me, because this’ll end badly and I think we’re actually having a great time.”
“I’m telling you the truth. I did leave with someone, but I walked her to the next club next door to meet her friends so they could take her home. Then I came home and took a shower.”
“How do I know you’ re telling me the truth?”
“You don’t. You just have to learn to trust me. I just met you. What reason do I have to lie to you?”
“I don’t just trust people , Viktor.”
“I can see that. How about we hold off on the trip until you know you can trust me, and then we can go and have some fun?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“You can even bring Shay to make you feel more comfortable.”
Even like this he got me. Viktor knew Shay was my comfort zone. As long as she was close, I was OK and he seemed just as ‘OK’ with that. Could he be the one to break this spell I was under? I thought about the possibility of me actually be getting over Declan after all this time.
We continued to dance at a slow pace , turning in circles as he caressed my hand in his that rested over his heart. What were the odds of two troubled souls finding each other like this? This could be the beginning of something good or a recipe for disaster. Either way, something big was going to happen. We swayed to the music playing on his radio, and before I lost who I was, I excused myself. He walked me to the door and I felt him watching me as I left. I never looked over my shoulder to give him one last smile. You always leave them wanting more , I told myself, as I put my key in the door to let myself into my loft.
Chapter 3
Closing my door behind me, I smiled. I glanced at my clock and noticed it wasn’t even noon yet. I was never up this early. Well, I was up and was wired from the Starbucks. I felt like I was all dressed up with nowhere to go. What should I do? Looking around my place, nothing needed to be cleaned because I was never really here; all I did here was eat and sleep. And the image of Viktor was stuck in my head. That incredulous smile he had was intoxicating and the sudden urge to capture it came over me.
I ran to my room and grabbed my camera , and then switched into my riding clothes. It was such a beautiful day today that I just needed to ride and take some pictures. I kept my bike in the studio portion of my building. Walking into my studio, I