Chasing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 4) (18 page)

“I had a date with him over the weekend. It was crazy. While we were waiting at the bar, some woman came over and started yelling at him and at me. And I’m, like, ‘I don’t have anything to do with this. It’s just our first date.’ So she calls him a bastard and goes on and on. I guess they hooked up, and he never called her back. She tossed a drink over his head and everything.”

Alexa pressed her fists against her thighs. “I’d steer clear of that drama if I were you.”

“Oh, totally. I mean, we’re supposed to go out again, but he’s not someone to get serious with.”

“Why go out with him at all?”

“You saw him. He’s smokin’ hot. And he looks like a lot of fun.” Shauna shrugged. “He’s taking me to that new restaurant in East Austin. It’s impossible to get a reservation. He’s obviously connected.”

“All across the city, it would seem.” Lips pursed, Alexa smoothed her ponytail with a tense hand.

“But he really owns the building?”

“He and his business partners. Yes. Listen, I need to get back to the office. I have a ton of stuff to take care of. But I’ll see you tomorrow for your training session?”

“Bright and early. It kills me to get up, and you kill me when I get here, but a girl’s gotta keep it up, right?” She swept her hand up and down in front of her indicating the body she fought to keep toned.

Alexa forced a smile. “Your health is everything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She stormed away, figuring she could talk to Trista later.

Graham had the attention span of a demented cat in a yarn factory. Sexy, brown eyes and charming smiles. As special as it might feel in the moment, those looks and those grins were for any woman he could find.

A
lexa tried
to avoid meeting at the development office, and on the rare occasions she did, she would sneak past the hallway to Graham’s office. Being a coward bothered her less than having to make small talk with him when she was still so angry. And knowing he still got to her only made her more furious.

However, Charlie had called and told her the release she needed was ready, and Melissa had clients. She didn’t want to wait for a messenger, so she drove over herself.

“I wasn’t expecting this to get done so fast.”

“We knew it was important, so management put a rush on it.”

“Management?”

That could only mean Graham.

“When the bosses say do it, it gets done. Between you and me, it kind of pissed off the legal department. They want to put the magnifying glass to every dot of ink. But I guess, people have to justify their existence sometimes.” Charlie grinned. “Anything else we can do?”

“No. That’s plenty. Thank your boss for me.” She stood and scooped up her bag. Charlie followed her to the door, opening it for her to step out.

“Thank him yourself. He’s in the office today.”

“I don’t want to bother him.”

Alexa stopped, and Charlie’s brow lifted in mischief. “I don’t think he’d consider a visit from you a bother.”

His insinuation seared Alexa’s cheeks. Did people at Graham’s office know that they’d had a…thing? Her silent discomfort made Charlie blush.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply anything or make you uncomfortable. I’ve just, you know, noticed you two. I—I’m going to shut the hell up now.”

“He and I are friends. I have a boyfriend.”

Alexa forced a smile. Was that the first time she’d called Adam her boyfriend? The word put Charlie on his heels, which served Alexa’s purposes even if it made sweat trickle down her back.

“Oh, well, that’s too bad for everyone else, isn’t it?” He chuckled to dispel the awkwardness.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Alexa shook Charlie’s hand in goodbye and rushed to the elevator, pressing the down button twice.

“You’re in a mighty hurry.”

She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was, but she did. Graham wore his usual look of sexy bemusement that melted the panties off women within a five-mile radius.

“It’s getting late in the day. I’m hoping to get out of here before the traffic gets too snarly.”

“Traffic is always snarly.”

She shrugged. “Are you heading home?”

He hesitated and glanced at the elevator. “I was. I need to go back to my office and grab my bag. Walk with me?”

Was he pretending to be leaving just to follow her out? A loud ding reverberated off the marble tile. “The elevator is here.”

“The thing about elevators is that you can let them go, and they’ll come back again later.”

He’d been helpful, and she didn’t want to come across as irascibly snarky. “Sure. I’ll walk with you.”

“Perfect. Then, we can stop next door for a drink.”

She strode next to him until they stood in front of his office, which shone with glass and chrome. He went to his desk and threw some papers into his messenger bag, which already held his laptop. Alexa hovered in the doorway.

“I should thank you in person for helping out the release paperwork. I appreciate it.”

“Not a problem. We want you to have what you need.”

“Still. I’ve been…We haven’t exactly been friendly. I wouldn’t blame you for letting the normal process grind along slowly.”

“I know this is important for you and Melissa.”

“Well, thank you. Again.” Her tone softened.

Graham surveyed her so close, sweat began to trickle down her back. The heat. That’s all it was. The Texas heat.

“You know how you can thank me? Let’s grab a drink downstairs. I can apologize some more over tap beer and pretzels.”

“I can’t.”

“I’m really sorry about that night.”

“I know. It’s not that. It’s…” Alexa’s protestation faded as the entreaty in Graham’s eyes grew.

“Adam. You have plans.”

“Actually, he’s out of town.”

“Perfect. Then, you’re free.”

“I can’t.”

Reaching a truce with Graham in their business relationship was miles away from seeing him socially. She felt guilty that even a small part of her wanted to go. Adam’s dedication should earn him at least enough loyalty that she wouldn’t chase Graham’s attention.

“I really can’t. But I’ll see you around.”

“Okay. Let’s go catch that elevator.”

The thread of disappointment in his tone made her breath catch in her chest. That couldn’t be. He couldn’t be disappointed, and neither could she.

T
he gravelly rumble
in Graham’s voice reverberated in her mind, short-circuiting her sleep and leaving her tired all the next day.

She couldn’t fool herself. Her residual attraction to him didn’t mean they had a future. It meant they’d had a past, which was best left behind them both.

Stepping through the door after work that evening, Alexa collapsed on her couch, too tired to even figure out what to eat for dinner when Adam called. They talked for a few minutes, and then he signed off as he always did.

“Goodnight, beautiful. I’ll be thinking of you.”

Soon, she drifted to uneasy sleep on the couch with Adam on her mind.

Her phone rang her awake with a start. She fumbled for the device shaking on her coffee table, unsure of how much time had passed, and blinked to clear her vision. Her mother’s face and number lit up the display.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Alexa—”

The buzz of a noisy room muffled her mother’s voice, but didn’t hide the strain.

“Something’s wrong. What’s wrong? Where are you?”

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

Alexa shot up, clutching the throw blanket to her thundering chest. “What’s wrong?”

“Your father...” she began.

The rest of her mother’s words blended into remembrances of childhood nightmares. Her father had been shot. Her mother avoided saying the words. She fell back on, “involved in a shooting,” but never, ever, “shot.”

“He’s fine. He’s in surgery. The bullet passed through his arm. It’s nothing to worry about. They have to reattach his bicep. That’s all. The bone is fine. It missed major blood vessels. It’s just the muscle. He’ll be fine.”

“And Jimmy?” Her father’s partner was like an uncle to her.

“He’s in surgery, too. He was…it’s his lung. Gloria said the doctors are hopeful. You know, Jimmy. That man’s probably too stubborn to die. He wouldn’t give Gloria the satisfaction. They’re always bickering…”

Her mother’s voice trailed off.

Alexa pressed the phone to the side of her head to keep her hand from shaking. “Where are you?”

Her mother gave her the hospital details and told her what room they would be in when he came out of surgery. “He’ll be groggy for a while, but you should be able to talk to him tomorrow. He’ll be fine.”

Alexa thought if she heard “fine” one more time, she might look for someone to shoot.

“I’ll drive up tonight, I just—”

“No. I don’t want you driving in the middle of the night. Leave in the morning. Get a flight, maybe. He’s going to be out of it anyway.”

Alexa heard a muffled thumping in the background.

“Oh, hell,” her mother grumbled.

“What?”

“Hang on,” her mother told her and then talked to someone who’d entered the room. “He’s in surgery, and he won’t be able to talk to you until late tomorrow, at the earliest.”

An insistent male voice spoke sharply, and her mother snapped back. “I know you need to talk to him, but if he’s not conscious and clear-headed, you’re going to have to wait.”

They exchanged more words with her mother getting more obstinate by the second. Then, whomever it was left.

“Who was that?” Alexa asked.

“Internal affairs. They’ve been circling like sharks.”

“Why?”

“Oh, sweetie, your dad fired back at the man. He died. There’s going to be an investigation, but that’s routine. Everything is going to be okay. I just don’t like the IA guy.”

“They don’t think that Dad did anything wrong, do they?”

“No. Of course not. Don’t worry about that.”

Alexa fell back against her sofa cushion, tears streaming down her temples into the chenille fabric. “I don’t know how you live like this. Knowing Dad could…”

Alexa couldn’t say it.

“Because I love him. And this is what he was meant to do.”

“It’s not worth it. None of this is worth it. I couldn’t do it.”

“It’s a sacrifice, but it’s worth it because a single day with him—even if I’m afraid—is better than a lifetime of feeling safe, but not having that love in my life.” Brenda’s voice broke, then came back together with resolve.

Her mother’s unshakeable love her father was daunting. All it took was a single moment, and your whole world could crumble. Life gone. The relief and luck she felt at her father surviving while killing another made her queasy.

“Alexa, please don’t worry.”

“That’s impossible, Mom. I’m coming up first thing in the morning.”

“Okay. Call me before you leave so I know when to expect you. And be careful driving.”

“I will.”

Her hands shook as she hung up the phone and dialed Melissa and Holly and then her cousin, Taryn. She tried to get Adam back, but no luck. No one answered.

She flopped back on her sofa and closed her eyes, hoping that shutting out the fading evening light would ease the tension headache beginning to squeeze between her eyes. Getting to the bedroom seemed too much to handle, so she wrapped herself in the soft cashmere of her throw, curling into a tight ball on the couch. Imagined scenes of her father on the job and her mother at the hospital peppered her with anxiety.

When her phone sounded again, she leapt up, afraid to answer. Only, it wasn’t her mother.

“Alexa, hey. I had a quick question. I hope it’s not too late.”

“Hi, Graham. Now isn’t a good time. I need to—” Sobs engulfed her.

“Alexa, what’s wrong? What happened? Where are you?”

“Home,” Alexa choked as she tried to answer Graham’s questions, but couldn’t get any more words out.

“I’m coming over.” The line went dead.

She couldn’t see around her through the veil of tears, so she fumbled her way back to the sofa and collapsed. Half an hour later, she heard a quick rapping on her door. She pushed herself up to answer it.

Graham stood in her doorway, eyes wide and his hair disheveled. “What’s wrong?”

Her throat trembled and she stammered. “My mom…She said my dad…was…sh…shot.…He’ll be okay. That’s what she said….Okay.”

Nothing she said would make any sense to Graham, but it didn’t matter. He encircled her, pulling her face to the crook of his neck. Leaning against him, Alexa could let herself go. She soaked his T-shirt, and her body shook.

Soon, her breathing steadied, and her eyes were depleted. “Sorry. Come in.”

She stepped back and turned to allow room for Graham to come through the doorway. He approached her, and her eyes slipped shut as he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingertips. Relief and desire mixed and made her shiver.

“What happened?”

Alexa didn’t answer right away. Instead, she motioned him toward the couch and then sat herself. She closed her eyes and inhaled, then exhaled, repeating the breath three times before finally speaking.

“My dad and his partner…An apartment…He shot them. Through the door. My dad’s in surgery with his arm. And Jimmy. God, Jimmy got shot in the chest…They were almost retired. Both of them.”

The weight of terror squeezed the air from her chest, and she closed her eyes.

“I am so, so sorry, Alexa.” Graham scooted toward her, wrapping an arm around her.

“I keep seeing him, upbeat and cracking jokes to keep me from being scared. That’s what he’d do.” Crying choked her again. “I’m…I feel like an eight-year-old.”

“No matter how old we get, our parents are still our parents. How’s your mother?”

“Busy. Running around. Telling IA to fuck off…” Alexa’s breath shuddered, yet a tiny smile emerged. “She’d never say that. I’d say that…I have to go up tomorrow.”

Alexa kept her face buried in Graham’s neck as she spoke. She allowed herself to breathe him in and not judge herself. His warmth coupled with the even vibration in his chest when he spoke steadied her emotions. The sudden chiming of her phone made her jump from his arms.

“It’s my cousin.” She gripped the phone tightly to her ear. “Taryn, oh, my God. Did my mother call you?”

“She did, but I missed it. I just got off the phone with my mother. It’s horrifying.”

“I…I can’t…” Alexa’s voice cracked, and Graham put a hand on her knee. “I’m heading up in the morning.”

“I’ll come with you. Stop in Dallas, and we’ll drive the rest of the way together.”

“Thanks. It’ll probably be better if I didn’t drive all that way by myself.”

Graham cleared his throat and left the couch, heading into the kitchen.

“Is Adam there with you?”

“No, he’s out of town. I have to call him. I couldn’t get ahold of him.”

“Oh, I thought I heard someone. Anyway, I’ll see you in the morning. Drive safe. And if you have any trouble, call us, and one of us can come get you.”

“It’ll be fine. I’ll be okay.”

Alexa hung up the phone just as Graham returned with a glass of ice water.

“She’s going to make the trip with me. From Dallas.”

“Do you want some company? I can ride with you.”

“No, no. You don’t have to do that. I’m pulling it together. I am. I’m my mother’s daughter. We do what needs doing.” Alexa sat back on the couch, pressing the cold, sweating glass to her temple. “Could you stay for a little?”

“Of course. Do you need help with anything?”

“No. I just need to pack. You can keep me company. Talk to me about something stupid.”

“You’re in luck. Stupidity is my expertise.” Graham’s soft grin reassured her. “Did I tell you that my friend’s wife is on the
Real Housewives of Dallas
? I can’t believe he agreed to have cameras in his house. Her, I can totally believe. Sometimes, I think her big, blonde Dallas hair is ingrown.”

Alexa managed a breathy chuckle and went back to the bedroom to pack. Graham followed, regaling her with tales of Dallas’ not-so-high society.

Once packed, she dropped onto the bed in a daze. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Graham leaned over her and pulled her curls out of her face. “You should try to sleep a little before driving.”

“What time is it?”

“Just past eleven.”

Her nerves jangled. “I’m not going to get any sleep.”

“Then, lie down at least.” He moved her bag to the floor.

Alexa rolled to her side and scrambled back on the bed. Flat on her back, she stared at the ceiling.

“Come on.” Graham walked around the bed and yanked back the quilt as far as it would go with Alexa sprawled on top of it. “Under the covers.”

She obliged him. He pulled the quilted bed covering to her chin and sat on the edge of the bed. Their brown eyes met and held as he lowered his head and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Alexa closed her eyes, lifting her hand to the light stubble of his cheek.

His lips grazed hers, and she froze, suspended somewhere between yearning and guilt. Graham pulled back and ran the pad of his thumb over her eyebrow. She sighed, and he jerked his hand back as if he’d been burned. Alexa’s eyes snapped open.

“Good night.” He stood, still staring at her.

“Are you headed home?”

Graham shook his head. “I’ll be on the couch if you need me.”

Relief flooded her. “Thanks, Graham.”

“No problem.”

Their eyes bored into each other, and she lost her breath. The taste of his kiss clung to her lips. He stepped back and turned. All the things Alexa wished she had the energy to say died in the air between her and Graham’s retreating back.

* * *

A
lexa’s couch
offered Graham little comfort. He wriggled and stretched and couldn’t relax. Except for the surge of the air conditioner turning on, silence blanketed the house, and he wondered if Alexa had been able to fall asleep.

He certainly couldn’t. So, he got up and tiptoed down the hall to Alexa’s open bedroom door. He halted with a creak on the hardwood, feeling like a creep.

She’d flung off the quilt and lay on her side with her knees tucked nearly to her chin. The childlike pose made his chest ache. He hoped her father would be all right. He didn’t know what was worse, losing a parent slowly and painfully or suddenly and violently. The heartbreak of both pained him.

He stepped away from her door and ventured back to the living room sofa. The sight of Alexa forlorn was a vision he never wanted to see again. The Alexa he knew stood tall, staring down any challenge and laughing at the notion of defeat. That was not the woman who opened the door to him a few hours earlier.

Nothing compelled him more than the helplessness in her voice when he’d called, but now that he was here, wide awake on the couch at two in the morning, he wondered if he shouldn’t have come over.

If Adam had been in town, he wouldn’t be here. If she’d been able to reach Melissa, he wouldn’t be here. If her cousin lived in town, he wouldn’t be here. A surrogate boyfriend and surrogate friend—that’s what he was tonight. A stand-in.

He inhaled sharply—her scent of vanilla and musk clinging to his memory. Her warm, tired body against his had sparked something inside him. Not lust. Not when she shook with fear and tears. Something better. Something worse.

He shouldn’t have come. The thought plagued him into a light, unsatisfying sleep until he saw the pop of light from her room down the hall and heard the soft thump of footsteps.

“You’re still here.”