Delivering Sin

My knees buckle when I step up to the counter. Okay. College has some advantages. A young man with wild, curly brown hair smiles at me. Be still my heart.

“I’ll have a Veggie Delight. Hold the mayo. Extra mushrooms. And I’ll have a bottle of sparkling water.”

I want to ask him for his phone number, too. Instead, I pay for my meal and scan the room for an available seat. Maybe I should have gotten my food to go. Just when I’m about to get the employee’s attention, an empty table catches my eye. I turn to snag it. My mad dash causes a collision with a hard body.

“I’m so sorry.” I bend down to help pick up the textbook—something on Egyptian archeology—and the slew of papers scattered across the painted concrete floor. The fresh scent of Versace Pour Homme filters past my nose. I remember that fragrance. My heart stutters. Please, don’t let it be who I think it is.

“Not a problem.” Disbelief slides into his deep voice. “Sinatra? Sinatra Neeley?”

The familiar voice washes over me. I release the breath I don’t realize I’m holding and glance up. Gray-green eyes and wavy ash-blond hair come into view. The scruffy beard, something he didn’t have before, is a nice touch to his handsome face.

I force a smile and stare up into the face of the only man I’ve ever loved. A man I swore I’d stay away from. “Jake Carter. It’s been a while.”