A Forever Kind of Love by Shiloh Walker

minute to realize what store—his store. By that time, they were in the back of it, tucked inside his private office.
    “Don’t leave, Zoe,” Chase said, quietly, staring at her.
    Time fell away and she felt like she was lost, staring into his eyes. And she hated it. Closing her hands into a fist, she rubbed her wedding ring with her thumb. Her wedding ring…the ring Roger had put on her finger after Chase had walked away from her.
    She’d been eighteen, and so in love with him…when he’d walked away, it had almost killed her.
    Don’t leave me, Chase… the echo of her voice danced in her mind.
    Clenching her jaw, she blocked that voice out of her mind, locked those memories away. She didn’t have to go back there, especially not right now. She forced herself to take a slow, deep breath, forced herself not to look away from his eyes, forced herself not to turn away— run away.
    Part of her wanted to do just that.
    An equal part of her wanted to go to him, wrap her arms around his neck and just let him hold her. She knew he would.
    Chase wasn’t going to disappear again. Whatever it was that had made him leave all those years ago, it was no longer an issue. He was home to stay and he seemed happy here.
    Leaning on him, though, that wasn’t the answer.
    “Zoe?”
    “I have to go,” she said softly, meeting his eyes. That dark, dark blue stared into hers, unblinking, unwavering.  
    “Why?”
    Sighing, she tucked the information from Mitzi into her purse, then tossed her purse onto his desk. Then she rubbed her temple. A familiar, nagging headache brewed behind her eyes and she wanted, desperately, to curl up somewhere dark and quiet and sleep. For a week.
    She definitely didn’t want to be having this discussion with Chase.
    “Has it occurred to you that it’s fabulously ironic, you asking me that question?” she asked absently.
    She glanced at him, watched the dull rush of blood rise up his cheeks.
    Part of her felt bad about that, but another part of her, that small, petty part she wasn’t proud of, it felt like dancing. Good … feel guilty. You know how much it hurt when I realized you weren’t coming back?
    And deep, deep inside, part of her wanted to hide away from all of that knowledge, but it was bad, bad, and very bad that it mattered at all. If she had ever been able to put him away, if she had ever been able to not think of him, maybe she could get over him.
    “Fifteen years ago, I asked you not to leave me,” she murmured, staring off into the distance, remembering that day. She could remember it so vividly. In vivid, crystalline clarity—
    The way the summer sun beat down on her shoulders as she walked outside when she heard him pull up.
    The way he’d smiled at her—a sad, strained kind of smile.
    His words.
    I’m leaving, Zo.
    And she remembered how she’d begged him. Begged him not to leave, begged him to take her with him.
    There were other memories, darker memories, memories that she needed to exorcise—demons she needed to remove from her life.
    Little slut. Ungrateful slut—
    “But you left anyway.” She looked back at him and said, “I don’t blame you. We were just kids and you had to do what you had to do. But you made your choice, and it wasn’t me. Now I’ve got to make a choice, and it’s to get away from here for a while.”
    She started to walk away then, but the look in his dark blue eyes, it was like a fist around her heart. Slowly, she went to him, pushed up on her toes and pressed her mouth to his.
    It was nothing like kissing him at eighteen.
    And yet…it was exactly like it.
    Hot, wicked and wild.
    His hand came up, caught the back of her head, cradled it.
    A harsh, ragged groan escaped him.
    It was supposed to be a good-bye kiss, quick, light…easy.
    A kiss between friends.
    It was anything but. His mouth opened under hers and as his tongue stole into her mouth, she couldn’t help but open for him. He tasted like coffee, cinnamon and Chase…his taste