Thoughts of him flooded my brain the entire ride back to my house. I really wished I knew what had happened to make him so guarded, so afraid of intimacy.

I shook my head. I wasn’t supposed to be analyzing Hollis. I was supposed to be looking forward to my date with Benito.

When I got home, I realized I’d never responded to Benito’s text about picking me up at eight, the one Hailey had seen on my phone.

I typed out a response.Elodie: Sorry for the delay. Eight is great. Looking forward to it.Benito: Me too. I still can’t believe you finally agreed to meet :-) Do you like sushi?Elodie: I love it.Benito: I know this great place not too far from you. There’s a jazz bar around the corner that has really good drinks, too. Maybe we could hit that after.Elodie: That sounds perfect.Benito: Can you text me your address?After I typed out my address, I second-guessed whether it was safe to have him pick me up here. But then I remembered his background check was clean and decided not to stress over it.

It was four o’clock. The time would fly by before I knew it. Even though I never had a chance to get the mani-pedi I’d originally planned for today, I thought helping Hailey pick out her first nice dress was a much better use of my time.

I thought about the fact that she would be spending the night at her friend’s, since the opera was on the other side of town. That meant Hollis would have the place to himself. He’d likely be calling one of his concubines to fix the mess he’d started with me the other day. The thought of him taking out his sexual frustrations on someone else really irked me.

And here I am thinking about Hollis again.

Why? Why couldn’t I rid my mind of him for one night?

Deciding to take a relaxing bath to clear my head, I filled the tub and threw a bath bomb into the water. Slipping inside the bubbles, I took my time as I applied a face mask before shaving my legs carefully. While I was pretty certain there wouldn’t be any sex with Benito on the first date, I had to prepare for the unexpected.

Once out of the tub, I slipped on my black lace panties and immediately, of course, thought of Hollis. This, after all, was the thong that had started our infamous game. Pretty sure I selected this particular one as an extra fuck you to him tonight.

After blowing my hair out and applying my makeup, I put on the red dress I’d chosen and tilted my head as I looked at myself in the mirror.

There was still a ton of time before Benito would be here. I decided to pour a glass of wine. My palms were sweaty, and my heart was racing. It had been a damn long time since I’d been out on a date.

At seven forty-five, my doorbell rang.

Holy shit. He’s early.

My heart now pitter-pattered as I dumped the remainder of the wine into the sink. I straightened my dress and rubbed my lips together before taking one last look at myself in the hallway mirror.

I’m ready for this.

Or so I thought.

But when I opened the door, it wasn’t Benito standing there.Chapter 26* * *ElodieMy racing heart came to an abrupt halt at the sight of Hollis on my front porch. I hated the effect the man had on me. The wine I’d just consumed burned in my throat, threatening to come back up, and I swallowed to speak.

“What are you doing here?”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “Can I come in?”

I folded my arms across my chest as my initial shock started to turn to anger. “What for?”

“I need to speak to you.”

“That’s not a good idea. My date is going to be here any minute.”

Hollis’s jaw flexed, but he did his best to keep his voice steady. “It will only take a second.”

Last week, him getting angry at the mention of my date would have thrilled me. But I was done playing games. He didn’t get to be angry, and he certainly didn’t get to be possessive, because I wasn’t his. Lord knows I’d given him ample opportunity, and he’d made it clear that anything that happened between us was a mistake. I was no one’s mistake.

I straightened my spine. “Say what you have to say right here. And do it fast. You’ve already ruined the first plans I had with Benito. There’s no way I’m letting you mess up tonight, too.”

Hollis looked down and just kept shaking his head. After a long minute of watching and waiting, he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry.” His voice was barely a whisper.

“For what?”

“For making you miss your date the other day.” He looked up and caught my eyes. “For acting like a jealous asshole.”