Storm Front (Reunited Hearts) by Rachel Curtis Page A

the house. “We
made ourselves at home in his house.”
    When
the conversation had ended, he disconnected his phone and looked over at Allison.
“Do you have anyone you need to call?”
    “Yeah,”
she said, staring at the road in front of them. “I suppose.”
    Michael
arched his eyebrows, feeling a familiar flicker of curiosity. Allison was a
puzzle, and she was less open now than ever. “Boyfriend? Boss?”
    “No
boyfriend,” she said, shooting him a strange look. “And I can wait to call my
boss. But I guess I should call one of my friends. Some of them will be worried
about me.”
    Michael
handed her the cell phone he pulled out of her purse, and she flipped it open
to make her call.
    He
could only hear her half of the conversation, but he studied her face as she
talked. Her voice was warm as she greeted someone named Elizabeth.
    Evidently,
Elizabeth had been worried about Allison, because after a minute Allison said,
“I’m fine. Really. It’s been kind of crazy, but I made it through unscathed.”
    Michael
couldn’t figure out what the next question was because all she said was, “Yeah.
Maybe a few.”
    After
another pause, she said, “No. I wasn’t alone.”
    Michael
smiled discreetly at the slightly guilty look that flashed over Allison’s face.
His smile broadened when she added, “I’ll tell you about it later.”
    He
wondered how she would explain to her friend that she’d spent her time stranded
in the middle of the storm having intense, passionate sex with a man she hadn’t
seen in seven years.
    Then
he wondered how she felt about what had happened. Things had ended rather
abruptly between them after the night they’d spent together so many years ago.
Maybe she was expecting something similar now.
    Michael
had to admit that was exactly what he assumed would happen. He’d never
seriously considered calling her up or trying to see her after they returned to
their respective lives.
    But
now he started to wonder why not. The sex with Allison had been good.
Fantastic. And they got along remarkably well. She made him feel…different than
he felt with anyone else.
    Why
shouldn’t they continue having a good time together for a little while longer? Yes,
he lived in New York and she lived in D.C., but they could work around that. They
would just have to avoid the journalists who wouldn’t stop hounding him over
his broken engagement.
    Allison
finished her conversation before they reached the interstate. Once they did, it
was only an hour up to D.C.
    Michael
made an effort to be friendly, and eventually Allison relaxed enough to laugh
and chat with him casually. There was still something odd about her expression,
but he wasn’t particularly worried.
    He
and Allison were good together. She knew it as well as he did, and he couldn’t
believe she’d refuse an extension of their chance encounter.
    He
owned a townhouse in D.C, which his father had bought years ago, so he gave her
directions to the exclusive street on which it was located.
    When
they reached it, he smiled at her and said smoothly. “Maybe I can give you a
call, and we can get together some time soon.”
    Allison
narrowed her eyes and aimed wary green eyes in his direction. “I don’t think
that’s a good idea.”
    “Why
not?”
    “Didn’t
we agree this was just a one-night-stand?”
    “Yes.
But why shouldn’t it be extended? I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
    “Don’t
try that seductive routine on me. I’m way too jaded to fall for it anymore.”
She gave him a teasing smile, apparently to soften the blow.
    Her
reaction confused Michael more than it disappointed him. Allison was smart and
ironic, but she wasn’t jaded. There was still that untouched innocence about
her, despite all her wit and experience.
    So
he didn’t know why she was being so wary.
    She
cleared her throat as she neatly pulled the SUV into an empty space on the side
of the road. “Uh, Michael?”
    He
took a quick breath as he met her eyes.