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limit.”
    â€œI see.” He turned to the bartender and placed their order.
    Silence loomed while they waited for their drinks, and Austin’s gaze lingered to her right hand resting on the bar. The promise-me ring with the small diamond he’d given her was on her middle finger. He had worked months, saving every penny in order to purchase it before her special day. He couldn’t believe she still had it, let alone was wearing the jewelry.
    He still recalled the day, her sixteenth birthday. He had taken her on a picnic in Roosevelt Park in Edison, New Jersey. The memory made him smile. It was a beautiful autumn day when the leaves on the trees were starting to change and the air was a little crisp. They’d sat huddled together near the gazebo overlooking Meadow Lake as he fed her fruit and entertained her with corny jokes, loving the fact that she’d laughed at all of them. That was also the day he had proposed marriage to her, as only a seventeen-year-old boy could do.
    Austin shook his head, hoping to rid his mind of the unwelcome thoughts. He didn’t want to think about the absurdity of proposing at that age. And now realizing he had proposed marriage twice, to two different women, in the last ten years made him feel like an incompetent loser. Sure, Janna and Zoe had accepted, but he still hadn’t been able to close the deal with either, which in hindsight was lucky for him. Clearly he had a problem making good decisions when it came to matters of the heart.
    â€œHere you go.” The bartender placed the drinks in front of them.
    â€œThank you.” Janna lifted her glass to Austin in a silent toast before taking a sip.
    â€œMy pleasure.”
    Austin took a long drag on his beer, hoping the bitter liquid would tamp down his desire to question her decision to leave him years ago. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for her response, but a part of him needed to know.
    â€œI like a woman who plays hard to get,” Timothy slurred when he saddled up to the other side of Janna. She rolled her eyes and groaned, moving slightly closer to Austin, but Timothy was not to be ignored. “I don’t give up easy.” He dropped his arm around her shoulder.
    Austin’s protective instincts kicked in and he almost grabbed Timothy, but he stopped himself. Janna was no longer his responsibility. He kept quiet, hoping Timothy didn’t go further than a little flirting.
    â€œWhat part of ‘I’m not interested’ don’t you understand?” she ground out only loud enough for those right next to them to hear. She shook his arm loose. “Besides, I’m already with someone.”
    She turned, and before Austin could form his next thought, she stepped in front of him. Her hands rested on his chest, and her mouth covered his.
    Sweet. Soft. Potent. Her kiss was everything he remembered. All rational thought fled his mind and, as if on autopilot, one of his hands went to the back of her neck, the other to the small of her back. He pulled her against his body and his tongue explored the inner recesses of her mouth, tasting champagne. How many times had he dreamed of touching her, holding her, kissing her?
    She moaned into his mouth, spurring him to deepen their kiss. The heady scent of her perfume was even more captivating now that her body was molded against his. Her arms eased around his waist, stoking the fire the kiss had started. She still fit perfectly in his arms.
    Some sane part of his mind screamed, Danger! Stop and slowly back away. He couldn’t. He couldn’t stop the heat that soared through his body as their tongues tangled. He couldn’t stop the desire that singed every nerve ending, making him want so much more than a kiss. He couldn’t stop the possessive thought— mine —that floated to the forefront of his mind.
    He knew at that moment that he would never really be free of her. She would always hold a part of his heart.
    * *