Chapter 21: The Distraction
Kelvin
The burn of whiskey hit my throat like a punch I didn't flinch from.
The bar was dim, loud enough to drown out the thoughts that had followed me all the way from the rooftop. I'd barely said a word to the bartender when the first woman leaned over, smiling like she already knew what she wanted.
I smiled back—automatic, hollow.
She wasn't Anna.
And that was the damn problem.
I swirled the amber liquid in my glass, watching the ice melt like the fire in my chest refused to.
I'd kissed her.
And she'd kissed me back like she'd missed me every goddamn day of those five years. Like she remembered everything our late night talks, the laughter, the silence after that night that ripped us apart.
And then she said it was a mistake.
Again.
"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, knocking back another shot.
"Rough night?" the brunette beside me asked, tilting her head.
I gave her a crooked smile. "You could say that."
She was pretty. Confident. Her dress clung to curves that would've caught my eye if I wasn't already haunted by someone else's mouth on mine.
"Eli Carter," I said smoothly, extending my hand.
Her eyes widened just enough. Recognition flickered there. Most people didn't know me outside the industry, but in this city power whispered louder than money.
"You're with Cavendish & Blake, right?" she asked, sliding a little closer.
"Among other things."
She leaned in, breath tinged with sweet liquor. "What else do you own?"
I smirked. "Let's just say I have a few side projects. Cavendish & Blake is one of three."
She laughed, like I'd told a charming secret, but it was just the truth. I didn't talk about it most people assumed I was just the CFO. Anna certainly did. But my name wasn't just on the office door. It was on the company charter.
Co-founder. Co-owner. And CEO-in-waiting.
Everything I'd built in the last five years had been fueled by that one night by her. Every hour I poured into Cavendish & Blake, every risk I took launching our West Coast investment firm, every calculated move into private tech ventures... it had all been to prove that I was more than just the boy she left behind.
And still, the second she came back, it all felt like ash.
"I live close," I said, finishing my drink.
Her eyes lit up. "Then what are we still doing here?"
I led her outside, jaw clenched the entire time. She chattered as I ordered the car, her fingers sliding around my arm like she'd already decided the night's ending. I didn't care.
I wasn't looking for love. I was looking for silence.
The penthouse was dark when we arrived, the city lights painting gold against the tall windows. She walked in like she belonged, heels clicking against the floor.
I poured us another drink, handed her a glass, and watched as she sipped and smiled, her hand brushing my chest.
But I couldn't feel anything.
Not her touch. Not her laugh.
All I could see was Anna.
The way her lips trembled after the kiss. The way she looked like she wanted to stay… and run at the same time.
I didn't stop the brunette when she leaned in to kiss me.
But I didn't feel it either.
It wasn't her mouth I wanted.
It wasn't her name I whispered when I closed my eyes.
It was Anna's.
Always Anna.