Free What He Really Feels (He Feels Trilogy) by Lisa Suzanne Page A

were imminent as I thought about the truck parked outside my apartment building with all of my belongings on it.
    My buddies sensed my change in mood. I had become introspective, and they knew the emotional toll the thing with Jules had had on me; now I had this new woman to try to get over piled on top of the shit stack that my love life had become.
    While on one hand I would be forever grateful that this woman had helped me see beyond my pain from the Jules situation, on the other hand, I had to face the facts. She disappeared from my life as quickly as she had come into it, and I had no way of tracking her down. Not a name, not a phone number. Not a friend. Nothing except a goddamn earring.
    So I would move to San Diego as planned and start over. Only now I needed that fresh beginning more than ever.
    “You having fun, man?” Bill asked when I drained my third beer.
    I shrugged.
    “Is it because of the girl from last night?”
    I nodded.
    “You want to leave?”
    “Nah. Let’s have some fun. It’s my last night here.”
    “You’ve had a lot going on, bud. It’s okay to take a break.”
    “I don’t need a break. But I do need another beer.”
    Bill called the waitress over.
    We called it a fairly early night so I could get going at a decent time the next day. I could tell Bill and Mike were disappointed that our night didn’t end up being a blow-out, but my heart just wasn’t in it. My heart was too busy being broken. By two different women.
    I was so fucking done with women.
    Except that was a total lie.
    Sunday morning found me turning in my apartment keys and hitching my Silverado to the back of the truck so I could pull it along behind me as I drove to California. I slipped the earring that Gorgeous had left behind into my pocket, holding onto the one remnant from our night together. I walked across the street to Starbucks and grabbed a coffee and some food to sustain me for my car trip. I glanced around the place when I walked in, wondering where she had sat the day before as grief overwhelmed me at the loss of that perfect woman. I was leaving behind Arizona, which meant that I was leaving behind the mystery woman.
    After Starbucks, I headed to Walgreens to stock up on Twizzlers and Dr. Pepper – my favorite road trip goodies. I couldn’t get her off of my mind, but it was about time to head out.
    A glance at the clock told me it was noon, so I texted Dan to let him know I was on my way, and then I thought briefly about Julianne. I had to let Jules know I was leaving. Despite everything that had gone down, I still felt an allegiance to the woman who had held my heart for as long as I could remember. The chance encounter with Gorgeous had left me feeling more sad than anything else, but I was finally able to accept the truth about the other woman who had broken my heart. Jules didn’t want me the way I had always wanted her. And I was okay with that. Now that I had tasted what else could be out there for me, it was time to find a way to move on from Julianne. It hurt like hell, and it would take some time, but I could see that I was going to be okay.
    The problem was that I wasn’t sure if I would be able to move on from the mystery woman.
    I didn’t want to actually talk to Jules, so I didn’t call her cell. I took my mother’s words to heart, and she was partially right. I felt bad that Jules was hurt when I went and told Nick about us, and I had to let her know that I felt bad about that before I left town. I called her landline at her apartment, taking the chance she wouldn’t be home. For once, my prayer was answered.
    “You’ve reached Julianne. Please leave a message at the beep. Thanks!”
    “Hey, it’s me. Um… So I hate how we left things. I don’t want you to be mad at me for talking to Nick, but he deserved to know what happened. Anyway. So, the real reason I called is to let you know I’m going to live with my friend Dan for awhile in San Diego. I just need something different.