Read A Second Chance at Forever for Free Online

her mother a quick, fierce hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay now.”
    There for a while it had been touch and go. They’d all had to face the possibility that they might lose her. Having to watch her waste away from the effects the drugs had had on her body had been difficult. Now, seeing her so full of life made Angela’s heart glad. She didn’t know what she’d do without her mother. She’d always been the family rock, what had held them all together after their father had died when Angela was four.
    Her mother squeezed her back, tears glistening in her eyes. Then she turned to the stove and flipped the sandwich in the pan. “Busy night?”
    Angela took a sip of her coffee, savoring the rich flavor. Warmth settled in her stomach, the small dose of caffeine already beginning to awaken her senses. She let out a blissful sigh before peering over at her mother and shaking her head. “Just a long one.”
    Unable to sleep, she’d spent the night staring at the moonlit ceiling, thinking of Alex, of their entire date.
    Of his kiss at the end.
    It had replayed in her mind, over and over, tormenting her. The hot, headiness of his mouth. His strong arms holding her tightly against his warm, solid body. She’d lain in bed wondering what he was doing, if he was in his hotel room thinking about her, aching the way she did.
    She sank onto a padded chair at the kitchen table, warmth blooming in her belly. Yeah, she was more exhausted than she’d been in a while, but that kiss had made her current fatigue worth it. The reality had been far better than anything her imagination had been able to supply. The man could kiss like sin.
    She plunked her chin in her hand as the realization settled over her. It was Sunday. Alex wouldn’t be at the club tonight. More than likely he was already on a plane headed back to his life in New York. For the first time since she’d started the job six months ago, she wasn’t looking forward to going out on stage, because she knew he wouldn’t be in the audience. The experience would never be the same without him.
    ****
    As the change in music announced the beginning of her first set that night, Angela summoned as much of Candy as she could muster before strutting out on stage. At the end of the small runway, she froze.
    Alex.
    She hadn’t anticipated seeing him tonight, but there he sat, like she’d wished him into being. He lounged at a table toward the middle of the room with the two men he’d been coming to the club with. As her body began to dip and sway to the pulsing beat, she found herself caught in the pull between them.
    Once again she danced for him and him alone. Yet, tonight felt different somehow. More intimate than the previous nights. The experience set her pulse thrumming. A luscious, arousing heat built within her that she wanted to savor, knowing this would be the last night she would see him.
    In the middle of her second song, as she stripped off her top, he approached the stage. Standing directly across from her, his gaze locked on hers, dark and intense, a hidden meaning in those depths that she couldn’t fathom. As he slipped a folded twenty into her g-string, his fingers lingered on her bare skin. She couldn’t think much past the overwhelming desire currently turning her limbs to gelatin.
    As the money slid against her skin, she felt the stiff card wrapped within the folded bill. She watched him return to his seat, curiosity pounding in her breast.
    The next song seemed to last forever. Angela found herself caught. She loved the simple act of dancing for him, of allowing herself to savor the moment, but wanted to know what he’d written on the card. Considering how they’d left things the night before, the curiosity was killing her.
    When the last song finally ended, she shot one last longing glance at his form in the audience before turning and striding off stage as fast as her legs could carry her without resorting to running. She made it to the dressing room,