Born To Protect

Although already ten o’clock on a Thursday morning, the place remained packed. She was about to give up on getting a seat and simply eat her snack in the car before she headed to the office when a college-aged man wearing a Georgetown University T-shirt left his spot at the counter near the windows.

Before anyone else could snag it, Becca made a beeline for the empty stool. She took a sip of her drink before she did anything else, the heavenly concoction of caffeine and cold milk hitting the spot, and sat. “Do you mind passing me a napkin?” she asked, glancing at her neighbor as she reached into the paper bag for a muffin. Her hand froze inside the bag when the man turned his head in her direction.

“Connor?” She searched for any sign the man recognized her. “Connor Anderson?” It had to be him. She often forgot where she left her house keys or cell phone, but she never forgot a face.

He shifted on the stool, his expression telling her everything. He recognized her but wasn’t sure he wanted to acknowledge the fact. Finally, he nodded. “Becca André, right?”

His deep, sensual voice sent a ripple of awareness through her now, the same way it had when they were in high school. Becca nodded. “I haven’t seen you since…” She caught herself before she brought up a topic Connor most likely would prefer to avoid. In his shoes, she would want to avoid it, anyway. “The summer after graduation. How are you?”