Wherever You Are. Elle Wright

the waiting limousine with her security following close behind. Avery could hear the cheers from the auditorium as she walked, and she felt a pang of guilt for leaving before she could shake the hands of the graduates.

      “Duty calls,” she mumbled to herself with a quick roll of her eyes.

      “No time to greet your fans?”

      Avery tripped and almost hit the floor. Fortunately for her, that smooth baritone voice belonged to someone whose reflexes were unrivaled. His smell wrapped around her brain while his strong arms snaked around her waist, preventing her fall.

      She backed out of his warm grasp quickly and tugged on her suit jacket. When her gaze met his, she knew he’d felt the spark, too. It was like a bolt of lightning whenever they were within arm’s distance of each other.

      Dr. Elwood Jackson. Still fine as ever.

      A sexy smirk flashed across his face before it was replaced with...apathy. “Avery,” he greeted her.

      “El,” she replied, willing the warmth that had pooled in her belly away. “What are you doing here?” Avery gestured to the guard, and waved him off. The burly, six-foot-two man stepped back, giving her and El some space.

      “Maybe I just wanted to come and see for myself if you were real. Or if you were a figment of my imagination.”

      The barb hurt, but she didn’t blame him. The last time they’d seen each other hadn’t been pleasant. In fact, she’d rate it as one of the worst moments of her life. Three years hadn’t been long enough to erase the hurt or the longing she felt simply being in his presence.

      Massaging her aching temple, she answered, “Touché.”

      They stood in silence, each of them taking the other in. His gaze traveled down the length of her body, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end and her stomach to do the crazy flips it always had when he was near. Like a magnet, his pull made her want to step forward, right into his arms. She wouldn’t, of course. Too much had happened between them to ever go there again.

      “Are you okay?” he asked, concern now shining in his dark orbs. “You look like you don’t feel well.”

      “I’m fine,” she lied, knowing he wouldn’t believe her. He’d always been able to see right through her. Except the one time he didn’t.

      “Good speech,” he told her.

      “Thanks. I was nervous.”

      “I couldn’t tell.”

      This wasn’t right. Awkward conversation wasn’t something she’d ever have associated with the two of them. Not even on the day they met had their conversation consisted of averted gazes and start–stops.

      “Why did you really come, El?”

      His tongue darted out to wet his lips and she followed the motion intently. “Honestly, I don’t know. I heard you were asked to give the keynote speech, and I know it’s something you’ve always wanted to do. I guess I was just curious, interested in hearing what you had to say.”

      “Well?”

      He edged closer to her. “You said exactly what I thought you’d say.”

      Avery sucked in a deep breath when he inched even closer. Swallowing, she croaked, “And what’s that?”

      He shrugged. “Be open to possibilities. I wonder, though...” He brushed a hair off her forehead. His touch was feather soft, yet Avery felt like he was winding her up, pulling her at all ends.

      She wasn’t sure what he was about, but she needed to do something, say something, that would put them back on an even footing. Because right then he was in control and she was...wanting him to be in control—of her body and her mind. The thought was sobering, considering it had been several years since they’d even conversed. El was still the only man who had that effect on her.

      “What do you wonder?” she asked, leaning forward against her better judgment.

      Sighing, El glanced at his phone. “Nothing.”

      Avery knew El well enough to know that whatever he’d been going to say would never be said. And she just had to be okay with that.

      She allowed herself another glance at his tall, lean frame, his brown skin and curly mane. Everything about him was still perfect. She glanced at his wrist and her heart swelled.

      “You’re wearing the watch I gave you,” she said, changing the subject.

      El shrugged. “I’m not even sure why. It’s just a reminder of the time we’ve been apart.”

      Avery remembered that Christmas morning, waking up next to him after making love all night. She recalled how excited he’d been when he opened the gift. The Banneker watch was made using luxury wood, but she knew the significance of the timepiece would mean more to El than the watch itself. That was why she’d saved up and purchased it for him. Banneker Inc. was a minority-owned watch and clock company, named after African American scientist Benjamin Banneker. It was also one of the only watch companies operated by people of color. Each watch was original and the packaging included information about Benjamin Banneker’s many accomplishments.

      Avery smiled sadly. “El, I guess I understand why you feel the way you do, but can we—”

      The loud blare of his phone interrupted her attempt to...what? Talk? Make amends? Start over? At this point, she wasn’t sure what she wanted.

      El turned his back on her as he answered his phone. The low, serious tone of his voice told her it was the hospital. Her speculations were confirmed when he turned around and told her, “I have to go.”

      Before she could stop him, he disappeared around the corner.

      When she arrived back at the hotel, she pulled her suit coat off and kicked her shoes off. Usually there was a flurry of activity around her at all times, but the suite was relatively quiet, which was exactly what she needed. She’d only been in Michigan for a few hours and it already felt like a lifetime.

      Although Ann Arbor was her home for most of her life, it had been months since she’d been back. The last visit was incognito. She’d flown in for a family funeral and left again before the day was out. It wasn’t that she hated her city. It was just the opposite. Even though Avery now called Georgia home, as beautiful and happening as Atlanta was, it paled in comparison to her hometown and her home state in her mind. She’d often dreamed of the tree-lined streets, colorful people and Blimpy burgers. But life had taken her in a different direction—away from everything she’d thought she held dear, including El. Her town had been good to her today, though. The temperature was a comfortable seventy-five degrees, with a light wind and blue skies. It was a beautiful May day, one she wished she could have enjoyed.

      “Avery?”

      The familiar voice of her best friend called to her, jolting her out of her memories. “Jess? You’re here? Yay!” Avery embraced her friend Jessica Brown in a tight hug. “I thought I was going to see you at the graduation.”

      “I know. I tried to get there,” Jess said. “My meeting ran longer than I thought it would.”

      Avery waved her friend off. “It’s okay. That, I definitely understand.”

      Work was always hectic for Avery, and it seemed her life was one big meeting. If she wasn’t implementing last minute script changes with her staff, meeting with network executives or running from one interview to the next, she was writing until the wee hours of the morning.

      “No worries,” Avery told Jess. “You can probably watch it on YouTube right now.”

      Jess eyed her. “Avery?”

      “Huh?” she answered, squeezing her eyes shut. The headache that she’d woken up with that morning had seemed to intensify after her run-in with El. However, there was no time built into her schedule for sickness. Unfortunately, no amount of pain reliever