Too many questions railroaded her mind, and she wasn’t sure if it was the wine, the lack of sleep from pulling an all-nighter last night at work, or her ex’s presence, but she was growing dizzy.
She’d been working nonstop since last Wednesday. Porter had forced her to head home and try and relax that morning. He told her to remain calm. Not panic. He said it would all be okay. But she had needed to do something, to finally unpack and clean her rental, and Adriana had offered to help.
“You know Porter?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“No, but I was at the office today, expecting you’d be there, and, well, you know as well as anyone, when a section chief decides to leave D.C. to go out into the field, news travels fast. People were talking.” Kyle knew something. She could feel it, but he was waiting to see if she’d divulge. “Everyone in your unit is fairly tight-lipped about why he left, though.”
Because we’ve been ordered to be close-mouthed about it.
“Lock up when I go,” he said after a quiet moment passed between them.
She followed him to the door. “Kyle?”
His back was to her, a hand resting over the doorknob. “Yeah?” He glimpsed her from over his shoulder.
She lightly shook her head, unable to get the words out. His mouth tightened, and he returned his focus to the task of leaving.
He stepped outside and said, “Watch your back. D.C. isn’t the safest of places.” And then he left without looking back.
She locked up once he was gone and brought her forehead to the door, palms on each side as she grappled with the unexpected news her ex was in town, and from the sounds of it, they might have to work together.
The generic ringtone from her cell had her backing away from the door and tracking her personal cell to the kitchen.
Maybe it was Adriana checking up on her?
She snatched her phone from the counter, but the call had already gone to voicemail.
An unknown number. She wouldn’t have answered anyway.
She waited to see if a message was left, then pressed the speaker to listen.
“Hi, it’s me.” A throat clear followed. “Sorry, I mean, it’s A.J. Hawkins.” The sexy, Southern accent had her throwing a palm to the counter. “I’m about to hop on a plane, but I had a few drinks. Maybe you can tell? I managed to scrounge up your number a month ago but haven’t been drunk enough to work up the nerve to call you until now.” He unleashed a string of semi-mumbled curses. “Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Well, anyway, I wanted to tell you that I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we met. Can’t get you out of my head, and well, when you’re ready . . . maybe we could go to dinner? I can head to Charlotte. I’m flexible.”
Oh, God.
“I’d love to see you again. You know, sooner rather than later. If you’re up for it and you even remember who I am, I thought it’d be nice to get together. So, well, I should probably go. Jet is about to take off.” He swore again. “I better erase and not rerecord this message. I’ll try calling again when I’m sober. Not that you’ll even hear any of this. But since I’m deleting this, I guess it doesn’t hurt to say that I’ve had you in my head so much I can’t even ask another woman out. Months and months of no sex.” He paused as if thinking, and her entire world was spinning off its axis at his words. “It’s strange, right? It must mean something, the fact I can’t even think about another woman. But I better go delete this drunk message and try you again another time. Take care, beautiful. Goodnight.”
Ana stared at the phone, shocked. Stunned. All the synonyms on the planet that meant holy shit. She pressed play and listened to it two more times, still not sure what to think about it.
“You didn’t erase it,” she whispered to herself at the end of the next listen, and with that, she went in search of her wine.
She wet her lips at the memory of the first time he’d introduced himself.
“I’m Alexander James.” He’d reached for her hand. “But you can call me A.J.”
“His mom couldn’t decide on a name. Don’t mind him,” Wyatt had chimed in.
“I haven’t forgotten about you, either, A.J.” But I can’t think about you, she reminded herself. Not now. Not