Hot SEAL, Heartbreaker - Cat Johnson Page 0,36
that he was gone she poured another to drink in solitary.
But she could not let herself get used to him being around. Couldn’t get used to the sex either. Theirs was a fake relationship—she reminded herself.
Things with Brian were on an as-needed basis. Only if necessary to perpetuate the lie.
That was all.
Except for last night. But that had been just two adults scratching an itch.
Even so, they probably shouldn’t do that again.
Or at least not too often.
Brian had only been gone an hour when Alicia’s cell rang, sending her sprinting toward the sound.
She felt the tug of sore muscles as she went. Sex with Brian was a work-out.
Alicia managed to make it to the bedroom in time, but had to search for the phone. She found her cell under the T-shirt she’d been wearing before he’d pulled it off her and tossed it onto the nightstand.
She extricated the device from the cotton but wasn’t rewarded for her efforts. Because it wasn’t Brian calling to say he’d had a great time. It wasn’t Shelly so she could tell her all about her night.
Hell, it wasn’t even Jen, who Alicia would have definitely preferred over who was on the other end of that line.
It was her ex.
Crap.
She hadn’t texted him back and now that pigeon was coming home to roost because he was calling her.
Staring at the phone, she held her breath, not daring to touch it lest she accidentally answer it.
This was one call that needed to go to voicemail.
Bastard.
Why was he trying to talk to her again after all this time? After breaking her heart.
Finally, the ringing stopped but the wait to see if he’d leave a message seemed eternal. As agonizing as when she’d waited, refreshing the screen over and over, to see if her test scores had been posted in grad school.
As agonizing as that one time she’d been late and had to wait for the pee stick to show a negative or a positive. In hindsight, thank God it had been negative. The break-up was painful enough without having a baby connecting them.
The beep of the voicemail had her jumping, she’d been so deep in her own head.
Still she didn’t tap the screen to listen to it.
It was as if it were Pandora’s box. If she didn’t open it, everything would remain the same and she’d be okay.
Backing away from the phone she’d placed on the nightstand, she returned to the kitchen.
There, she saw Brian’s empty mug in the sink right next to the counter where she’d abandoned her own full mug when the cell had rung.
His mug, as much as that phone call, was a very real reminder that it was more important than ever she remember there could be nothing real between them.
They weren’t serious. Couldn’t get serious. It was the only way she wouldn’t get hurt.
The phone rang again and Alicia narrowed her eyes. She was starting to hate the damn thing.
If it was Greg again—
That thought and the anger had her striding to the bedroom, ready to give her ex a piece of her mind, until she saw on the caller ID that it was Shelly.
She dove toward the phone and swiped the screen. Picking it up and pressing it against her ear, she said, “Shell.”
“Hey, I finally have a day off.”
“Thank God.”
Shelly laughed. “I know I’ve been putting in a lot of overtime but I’m not that overworked. But thanks for the empathy.”
“It’s not that. Greg called. And I slept with Brian.” There was silence for long enough, she said, “Shell?”
“I’m here. I’m just trying to decide which of my dozen questions to ask first.”
“Let me know when you come up with one.” She would just be there waiting, trying to breathe.
“I guess my first one is, what did Greg have to say?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t answer.”
“Did he leave a message?”
“Yes. I didn’t listen to it.”
“Wow. Okay. You know what? You’re under no obligation to answer his calls or listen to his voicemails. Not after the way he left you.”
She blew out a breath. “Thank you.” Not that she needed her friend’s permission, but she felt better having it.
“Still, I’m kind of wondering what he wants after all this time.”
“I know but I can’t do it. I can’t even hear his voice again. I don’t need to know what he wants badly enough. I can live with not knowing.”
“Good for you. I’m proud of you. Now, on to that other bomb you dropped on me. You slept with Brian?”
“Yes. I’m afraid