Chasing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 4) (27 page)

“Let me throw some things into a bag.” Alexa hesitated before standing up. “Are you sure Kyle won’t mind?”

“Of course not. He cares about you as much as I do. Come here.”

Melissa circled both hands toward herself, prompting a welcome hug. The tight squeeze comforted Alexa while, at the same time, concentrating her will. After taking care of the protective order and getting the locks changed, she would come home. The sooner she got back to the easy life she had before this mess, the better.

A
crowd
of high schoolers chattered and cackled, filling every table in the sandwich shop. Stopping to pick up dinner, Graham had to dodge a teen bouncing between tables from one unimpressed, whispering girl to another. His cringeworthy antics reminded Graham how desperate the lovesick can get. It didn’t look great on a guy.

The kid danced backward with zero self-awareness and ran smack into Graham’s chest. The boy spun around, red-faced and stuttering.

“S-sorry, man.”

“You might want to watch where you’re going.” Nothing like a grim, paternal tone to scare the shit of a teen-age boy. Two young girls fanned their eyes at Graham, tittered, and whispered to each other. The boy, no longer preening, slid back into a seat, dejected.

So much drama.

“Hey, if you guys can’t hold it together, you’re going to have to leave.” The stern threat from Toby quieted the room.

“Graham, what can I do for you, sir?”

“Can I get a couple of chicken salad sandwiches to go?”

“You have company tonight?”

Graham waved off Toby’s suggestive question. “Nah. Just getting an extra for lunch tomorrow. Nothing so exciting. What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing much. Planning Poppy’s birthday party. We’re doing pony rides and getting a magician. Expect an invitation. I’m also doing some promotional stuff for the spa. We’re printing up some coupons for her clients.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Alexa?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. Of course, she’s been lying low since the whole Adam situation came to a head.”

“What Adam situation?” Graham’s neck tightened at the obvious seriousness of whatever this ‘Adam situation’ was. “Is she okay? I mean, she has to be. I talked to her at her party the other night.”

“You were there? We must have missed you.”

“What’s going on with Adam? Obviously, something, but she swore it wasn’t serious.”

“Oh. This was after her party, but I shouldn’t say anything if she hasn’t.”

“Say anything about what?” Sarah joined her husband behind the counter.

“The whole thing with Adam.”

“There’s not much for us to do anyway except keep an eye out for him and call the police if we see him hanging around the gym.”

Graham’s mouth went dry. “The police? Did he hurt her or something?”

Sarah’s face flamed. “She’s fine. She didn’t tell you?”

“No. What happened?”

“You should ask her. If she hadn’t already mentioned it to you, I don’t think we should— I mean, we should stay out of it.” Her eyes slanted with sympathy, but her mouth stayed shut.

“Hold on.” Graham pulled out his phone and dialed Alexa. Each ring of the phone turned the screws on his chest, squeezing and shortening his breath.

“Graham, hi.”

“Are you still in your office?”

“Yeah. I just finished with a client. Why?”

“I’m next door. Can I stop in?”

“Er, sure.”

Graham paid for his sandwiches, plus one of the energy smoothies Alexa liked, and hurried to the gym. His mind ran wild. He combed through the few snippets he gleaned from Sarah and Toby. Sarah hadn’t denied that Adam had attacked Alexa. She had only said that Alexa was fine.

Reaching her cracked office door, he knocked and entered when she called to him from her desk.

“Hi.”

“Hi. I come bearing refreshments.”

“Come in.”

Graham dropped the smoothie in front of her and claimed the seat opposite her.

She sighed and straightened in her chair. “That’s not why you’re here. What’s wrong?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you. Toby said something happened with Adam, but he wouldn’t tell me what.”

Alexa’s expression shuttered closed, and worry propelled him forward.

“Adam,” he prompted. “Just tell me because I’m imagining the worst scenarios.”

“We had an argument—before the party. I told him I needed time to think things over. He kept calling. Pushing. A few days ago, I came home from work, and his was at my house—or in it. He’d taken my spare house key and let himself in. I don’t know what he was thinking. The whole thing was so strange. He was cooking me dinner, and he decorated the whole house. I guess it was supposed to be romantic. He—”

“He broke into your house?”

“Took my spare key and helped himself inside.”

She ran her hands through her hair, squeezing her temples.

“Did he hurt you?” He held his breath, and his stomach pitched.

“No, but…I’ve never seen him that angry. He got angry before, and it scared me a little. That’s why I wanted to take get away for a few days. He couldn’t let it go though. He was just…I don’t even know how to describe it.”

“Obsessed. Controlling and obsessed with you.”

She leveled her eyes with his. “I’ll say it. You told me so. You saw it. I didn’t.”

Graham slid his hands across the desk, aching to be closer, but anchoring himself in place. “I don’t have any I told you so’s. Honestly, even I thought maybe I was just jealous.”

Alexa closed her eyes for a few seconds before speaking. “I’m trying not to think of it. He got my temporary protective order. In a couple of weeks, it’ll be permanent.”

“Is that going to be enough to keep him away from you?”

“I think so. I blocked his number on my phone, so he started calling the gym. The calls have stopped since he got served. That’s a good sign.”

She managed a meager smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Graham’s protective streak raged. “He’s here on a work visa. Maybe we could get that revoked.”

“I’m not trying to ruin his life. I just want him to respect my space. If he does that, I don’t care what he does.”

Doubt tugged at him, but Graham didn’t want to agitate her. “I’m sure your dad can help you sort this out.” At least, she had someone she trusted to look out for her.

“He would. I haven’t said anything to him yet.”

Graham swore. “You need to tell him. He can help you talk to the police and tell you what you need to do.”

“He’s still recovering, and there’s nothing he’s not going to tell me that I don’t already know at this point. If I say anything, he and my mom will be down here in a heartbeat. I’ll let them know in a few weeks after I get the permanent order. Until then, they’ll just worry.”

“Where are you staying? You’re not still at your house.”

“I stayed with Mel for a couple of days, but once I knew he had the order, I went back home.” Alexa returned Graham’s astounded glare. “I had the locks changed, and I have an alarm system. Plus, he hasn’t done anything except break into my house with balloons and flowers and make me dinner.”

“You and I both know that it was more than just making you dinner.”

“I know!” Her chest rose, her tank top tightening then relaxing. “I’m sorry. I don’t need more advice right now. I’m trying to put one foot in front of the other and move on.”

Graham leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sure you don’t need another man pushing you try to tell you what to do. But I’ll be worried until that jackass gets back on an airplane and flies home to the motherland.”

“You and me both, but we can’t always get what we want.”

“No, but that doesn’t stop us from trying does it?”

Alexa stared at him, silent.

“You haven’t heard anything else from him?”

“Not since the order. I really think that’s enough to scare him. He can’t afford the embarrassment of getting arrested.”

“If he’s capable of thinking about consequences, maybe.” Graham lightly pounded his fists on the desk. “Staying at your house by yourself. That just…It doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

Her jaw flexed. “It’s my home. I’m not going to let someone scare me out of my home.”

“You’ve been okay there?”

She clasped her hands behind her neck and sighed. “I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“It’s a little creepy. I drive up to my house and I half expect to see him standing in my doorway, looking…not like himself. Sometimes, I get all the way there, and then pull off and go…anywhere else for a while.”

“That fucking guy.”

“Yeah. It’s over though.”

The unease in her eyes wasn’t over. The stiffness in her shoulders. The tremor in her hands when she talked about him.

“Are you headed home now?”

“I was planning on it.”

“Let me take you to dinner.”

“I don’t know, Graham. You and I—”

“A friendly dinner.” He smiled at her.

“Friendly, huh?”

“Always.”

She exhaled. “Okay. Can we pick someplace quiet? I have a teeny tiny headache.”

“I know just the place.”

A
n hour and a half later
, Alexa sipped a sparkling water and looked at Graham over the table at a quiet French bistro. Her longing to avoid going home landed in her the uncomfortable situation of dodging the expectation in his eyes while trying to squeeze a nervous flutter out of her gut.

He drummed the table. The noise of it got lost in the crisp white table linens as the patio mister hissed and spewed a cooling cloud over their heads.

“Are you going to Poppy’s birthday party? Toby invited me. I hear there’s going to be a pony.” Graham’s voice pitched higher with forced levity.

“Wow. Maybe I should have let Toby and Sarah plan my party. All we did was get a little drunk and dance. You missed out on the best part of the night, by the way. Trista got up and sang Miley Cyrus karaoke-style.”

“What song?”

“
We Can’t Stop
. We didn’t, either, until three in the morning.”

“Sorry. I missed it.”

“But a pony sounds like fun. I think there’s also going to be magician.”

“They’re going all out.” Graham laughed. “They’re really good parents. I don’t know that I could do that kind of job with a kid.”

“Sure, you could. You’re good with Poppy.”

“Yeah. I’m not really a kid person, though, I don’t think.”

“What makes you say that?”

“A few interactions here or there are quite different from the day in and day out of making sure your kid doesn’t turn out to be an asshole.”

“If you care enough, you’ll do what it takes.”

“Are you ready to take that on?”

Alexa pressed two fingers to her temple. “No, but don’t tell my mom. As an only child, I bear the sole responsibility of giving my parents grandchildren. That it might not happen would be too much for them to take right now.”

The levity she intended fell flat. She didn’t think she would ever have children—a fact that would devastate her mother. Alexa gazed up at the sun, letting the light filter through her sunglasses and hopefully purge her brain of its wayward thoughts and stop her leg from shaking under the table.

“I’m sure they understand. You all seem close.”

“We are.”

“But you’re not going to tell him about Adam?”

“Nope. Not yet. Dad doesn’t need the worry. And neither does my mother.”

Graham leaned his chin onto the heel of his hand, propping himself up on his elbow. He appeared to stare at her, but the mirrored reflection of his sunglasses hid his eyes. She crossed her arms to deflect the energy pouring off of him.

“You think I should tell them.”

“I think you should be more concerned. Going back home? He broke into your house.”

“I changed the locks.”

“Still.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Stay with friends. Melissa or Sarah and Toby.”

Alexa had imposed enough of her craziness on her friends. “Adam knows where they live. He knows where I work. I can’t hide.”

“That’s what worries me.”

“But what other choice do I have? I have to keep living.”

Graham jumped back in his seat and crossed his arms. “My property has a security gate.”

“I can’t stay with you. That, I cannot do.” Her voice and her knees shook.

“Okay. If you’re sure.”

“I am.” She took another drink. “Change of subject.”

“To what?”

She shrugged. What could they talk about? The weather? Giant, lumbering elephants parked themselves on the edges of every conversation, staring and blinking as if ready to trample them both at any moment. “Work. The spa is opening soon.”

“I don’t want to talk about work.”

“Then what?”

Graham rubbed his thumb in the divot above his chin. “You and me.”

“No. And you promised we wouldn’t have to talk about that.”

“When did I promise that?”

“You said this was a friendly dinner.”

“I said I wouldn’t push you into something romantic.”

“Exactly.”

“I took that to mean I’m not allowed to kiss you senseless like I’ve wanted to ever since I saw you at your party. Or—what I’d really like to do—carry you off somewhere safe where it’s just the two of us. That probably makes me sound as crazy as Adam.”

He raised his tumbler to his mouth and drained its contents. At the mere suggestion, Alexa could taste Graham on her lips—sweet and with a hint of whiskey.

“No. You’re not Adam.”

“I’m here for you. Let’s leave it at that. You want something stronger than Perrier?”

His grin couldn’t loosen the shackle of fear constricting her chest. Alexa hated turning into an emotional minefield.

She missed the ease of not caring—not wanting anything more than flirtation and a cocktail. She thought Adam was the one who’d changed things for her. No.

Graham had been right. About her fear. About Adam being a distraction. About how letting her heart go with Graham scared her more than Adam ever could.

The why of her cavernous fear danced outside her mental grasp, taunting her.

“Order me something. I’m going to run to the restroom.”

Alexa left her purse at the table and fled inside, chased by her own confusion.

* * *

G
raham signaled to the waiter
.

“Another bourbon for me and a vodka soda with lime. And can you bring extra lime?”

“Sure thing.”

Their back and forth felt surreal. Why had he brought her here? Oh, yeah, he wanted to see her. He wanted to spend time with her. He wanted her to know that he cared about her.

Bang up job he was doing. She practically sprinted to the bathroom.

He had to lay off. Give her space. How much? He didn’t know. Graham only knew he didn’t want to be another Adam.

Alexa slipped back into her chair, and with the shifting shadow on the patio, she took off her sunglasses.

He didn’t say anything. He took her in—beautiful as always, but with fatigue weighing her eyelids and creasing her forehead. He realized he was staring, and their eyes locked.

Alexa’s voice floated through his contemplation. “You’re lost in thought.”

“I am. This election season has me baffled.” Graham ran a hand through his hair, letting it rest on the back of his neck before dropping it to his lap.

“Politics, then?”

“Why not?”

“I think I’d rather talk about my crazy ex-boyfriend.”

She flashed the no-time-for-this-nonsense look that he loved.

“We all have crazy exes. I had a girlfriend slash my tires once.”

“What did you do?”

“Why are you assuming it’s my fault?” Graham pouted.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Alexa giggled. “What did you do after she slashed your tires?”

“Oh. I called the police. They talked to her, and she agreed to make restitution. I never did get that check from her. I should have pressed the issue as a matter of justice.”

“Sometimes, it’s better to let it go.”

“True.”

The waiter reappeared with their drinks, Alexa pulled her glass closer, arranging it carefully on the napkin. “I had a neighbor in college who made a bonfire out of her ex-boyfriend’s clothes on her front lawn. She ran around screaming like a lunatic. Luckily, I had a fire extinguisher.”

“That’s very prepared. I don’t think I’ve ever had one in the house.”

“My father made sure that I had all of that stuff when I moved into my first apartment. He was afraid I might leave the stove on and burn down the house.”

“That’s silly. Doesn’t he know that you never turn on the stove?”

Alexa stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ve cooked before.”

“When? When was the last time you cooked?”

“George W. may have been president, but still, I have the capacity.”

“I have my doubts.”

“Are you going to lecture me about my terrible homemaking skills?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Nothing says you have to be little Susie Homemaker. Everyone has their area of expertise.”

“How evolved of you.”

“I’m the very model of a modern gentleman.”

“Of course you are. Are you going to launch into music from
The Pirates of Penzance
?”

“Huh?”

“You now, that song from the musical about being the very model of a modern major general. Knowing about all matters mathematical and what not.”

Graham cracked into his memory bank and came up broke. “I didn’t know I was making the reference.”

“Shoot. Here I was thinking you had an appreciation for musical theater.”

“I’m not
that
modern.”

“Ugh. So macho all of a sudden.”

“I try my best to manly.” Graham flexed. “Feel these guns.”

Alexa reached over and ran her hands over his bicep, which Graham tightened for her benefit. She waggled her brows at him, which tightened something else on his body.

“Don’t get carried away. I’m not a piece of meat.”

He swatted her hand away, and she fell over the table cackling. “I see you’ve been getting in your workouts.”

“I have. Although my new gym isn’t as fun as my old one.”

Her smiled softened. “I’m sorry about kicking you out. I overreacted. Probably out of jealousy.”

Her admission sparked a shock of joy in his solar plexus. “I’d love to come back, if you’d let me.”

“I think I still have your application in my files. I never processed it the first time. You were coming in for free.”

“Send that baby through. I don’t want to be accused of being a gold digger, getting by on my good looks and charm.”

“Wouldn’t think of it. I’ll set it up on Monday.”

She lifted her glass to toast their détente and caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

Relaxed and happy never looked sexier. The desire to protect her and to make sure she could have this feeling last hardened into resolution.

That’s what he wanted for her—with him or without him. All he wanted in the world was Alexa’s happiness.