pursue a modeling career in Milan. They had both been so young then, but a quick perusal of the guy standing before her showed that he had grown into an extremely handsome man.
Tall, with dark eyes and chiseled features, he had a wide chest and broad shoulders, and he knew how to dress. Austin was clothed in what felt like virgin wool twill, and the jacket, tapered to enhance his athletic build, had high peaked lapels and a single-button closure. The expensive garment looked as if it had been made specifically for him. And she’d bet her last check that it was Armani. If she didn’t know anything else, she knew her materials and designers.
“Janna,” he finally said.
Her eyes met his, and chill bumps scurried up her bare arms at the coldness behind the one word. Not even the deep, raspy voice that she’d once loved could hide the fact that he was less than thrilled to see her. But who could blame him? One of the decisions she had regretted most in her life was the way she’d left him behind. And by the glare in his intense brown eyes, he hadn’t forgiven or forgotten.
Austin’s heart slammed against his chest. Janna. Seeing her standing in front of him didn’t seem real. The moment reminded him of six months ago when he had caught a glimpse of her at the grand opening of a new medical complex there in Atlanta. He’d been caught off guard then, too.
Judging by her wide eyes and her mouth hanging open, she was just as shocked. She wore that same sweet, girl-next-door expression on her face that he had fallen in love with years ago. Her big, innocent eyes were free of the major makeup he’d seen in many of her photos, and her cinnamon-brown complexion was as vibrant as her personality. Assuming she was still the free-spirited, fun-loving person she once was. And those lips. Lips that used to be so soft that he looked forward to kissing her so that he could taste the strawberry lip gloss she’d always worn when she was in high school.
As she stood there, accepting his perusal, her features softened even more. Her long, thick hair with auburn highlights flowed in waves over her shoulders, a few strands flying into her face. His gaze went lower, to her perky breasts hiding behind a pink tank top, and even lower, to her tiny waist that flared out slightly into curvaceous hips. The jeans that hugged her body like a second skin stopped at her ankles, forcing attention to her sexy high heels, showing off pretty feet with painted toenails.
His shaft twitched at the once-over and he cursed under his breath. Damn his body for responding. He didn’t want to like what he saw. He didn’t want to be attracted to her.
Austin tried to look away, but he couldn’t. Gone was the tall, skinny girl who used to wear ponytails on top of her head and get into all types of mischief. Instead before him was an incredibly sexy woman with curves in all the right places.
Anger bounced around in his gut. How could he still be attracted to her after the way she had disappeared from his life?
Besides saying her name a moment ago, no other words formed, especially since he was fighting against some type of magnetic pull. A pull that he’d only ever experienced with her. A pull that made him want to move closer and wrap her in his arms. A pull that could almost make him forget the hell he went through when she left him.
His gaze went to her mouth again. Were her lips as soft and sweet as they once were?
“It’s nice seeing you again, Austin.”
It was as if someone poured a bucket of ice water over his head. Tension gripped his body and his heart rate picked up.
“I wish I could say the same.”
She flinched, and he immediately regretted his words. He could be angry without being a jerk.
“I’m sorry about your jacket.” Her apology snagged his attention when she nodded toward the huge wet spot on his suit coat, tie and dress shirt. “I feel awful.”
You should was what he wanted to say, but he remained silent. Cell phones might be one of the greatest inventions, but there were times when he hated them. Had she not been talking into the device, maybe she would have been paying attention to what she was doing.
He snatched his pocket square and cringed as he cleaned up the mess the best he could, glad he didn’t have any more meetings for the rest of the day.
His attention returned to Janna when she quickly picked up her cell phone, hat and sunglasses strewn on the ground around them. Normally a gentleman, Austin was still in too much shock and hadn’t even thought to retrieve her items and hand them to her.
Once his mind cleared, he bent down and picked up the cup that once held her drink, and tossed it in a nearby trash can.
“I’ll be happy to take care of your dry cleaning. We can exchange contact info—”
“That won’t be necessary.” Unwelcome memories invaded his mind, like how perfect she’d felt in his arms the last time he had held her. That was the night before he and his family had left on vacation, days after his high school graduation. And he would never forget how soft her lips were the last time he had kissed her. Who knew that would be their last time together? Had he known that night that Janna wouldn’t be waiting for him upon his return, he wouldn’t have gone on the cruise. They would have been married with children by now. Instead, she had left him. She had taken not only a part of his heart back then, but also some of his joy.
Austin had operated on autopilot to get through that summer. It wasn’t until his parents had decided to relocate him and his brother to Atlanta that he’d finally started to move on. He’d poured himself into his schoolwork at Morehouse, where he’d double majored in business administration and finance, then had obtained his MBA. For years, he still hadn’t been able to get Janna completely out of his system. Each time he saw her angelic face or that enticing body on the cover of a magazine or on a billboard, he grew angrier, throwing himself into his work. If he were honest with himself, he would have to admit that it was probably because of her that he drove himself to become a multimillionaire at such a young age.
He turned to leave, anxious to get away from her.
“Austin,” Janna called out just before he walked into the bakery. “Can we talk? Maybe over a cup of coffee or—”
“I don’t drink coffee. Besides, we have nothing to talk about.” He stepped into the establishment, trying like hell not to look back.
There was a time when she could have asked anything of him and he would have done it. But he had moved on. Or at least he had tried.
* * *
Janna stared out the passenger window in the back of the town car as her driver headed to the hotel, her heart heavier than it had felt in years. Austin Reynolds. The man she had loved since she was sixteen. The man she had never stopped loving. It wasn’t the reunion she would have preferred, but to see him again stirred memories that she thought were buried and feelings she thought long gone.
She laid her head against the backseat and closed her eyes. Austin’s image immediately appeared. Smooth skin the color of toasted almonds, with intense eyes that seemed to look right through her. At first he’d seemed shocked to see her, but then his eyes had softened the way they used to whenever he looked at her. His slow gaze had traveled down the length of her body, as intimate as a lover’s caress. But within minutes those soft eyes had turned hard.
She hadn’t noticed a wedding ring, but that didn’t mean anything these days. Some men didn’t wear them, but knowing Austin, there was no way he wouldn’t wear one if he were married. When they were dating, he’d often talked about marriage and looked forward to being a husband.
A shiver coursed through her as she recalled how his eyes had darkened like a storm brewing. She almost hadn’t recognized him. She had always seen him as a gentle giant, one of the nicest people she’d ever known, but what had she expected? Despite the fact that she hadn’t forgotten him, of course he wouldn’t be happy to see her again.
“Ms.