Watched (6 page)

He puffed out an exasperated breath, leaning his forehead against hers. “I just want to be sure. We’re both pretty drunk, I think. I want to make sure you won’t regret this later. I know I won’t.”

It was more than okay. She hadn’t wanted a man like this in years, and the pure desire rushing through her sent shivers across her skin. He pulled away, his eyes opening and searching hers with concern. “You’re shaking. Are you-” Hunter’s words broke off when he looked down at her exposed skin and lacy bra. He sucked in a breath, his face a deep red.

Embarrassment lit her from within like a butane torch, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Maybe it really would be best to leave. Alexandra scanned the floor for her cardigan.

A series of sharp raps on the door startled them both from their awkward moment. Hunter cursed, then scooped up the sweater and handed it to her. “I’m sorry. I’ll be right back, okay?”

She yanked the cardigan on, her fingers flashing across the buttons. Hunter stalked to the door, his attention still on her. Alexandra smiled at him serenely, determined to hide her disappointment. Shame and sorrow swirled in her stomach as she tried to smooth the mess which had been her hair. The door creaked and pulled Hunter’s stare away.

“Hello, dear!” Mrs. Dail’s cracked exclamation broke the silence like a cannonball in a china shop. “It’s so good to see you, I’ve been meaning to drop by, is it possible for me to come in and talk to you, it’ll just be for a minute.”

Hunter looked to Alexandria again, but she was already halfway out the balcony door. She gave her most reassuring smile as she slid the glass door shut.

Alexandra hurried across the balcony and into her own apartment, a mirror image of Hunter’s. She sank down onto the couch and scraped her fingers through her hair. Should she even try to make sense of what had just happened?

Her landlord, a man she barely knew despite constant conversation, had given her a glimpse of what he was thinking, told her his problems. He’d never opened up to her before, but all the things he’d said seemed familiar, like she was perusing a book she hadn’t read in a long time. Then he’d kissed her. Or she’d kissed him, she couldn’t really remember.

The way he felt had been so - right. Everything slid into place with Hunter, some more literally than others. Then again, maybe it was just the wine. He was right, they were both drunk. She’d probably be grateful for Mrs. Dail’s interruption tomorrow. Tonight she was just frustrated.

She pushed herself off the couch. It was late. She could deal with all this in the morning.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Alexandra

Alexandra punched the tiny Indian woman in the face. She meant to, at least. The other woman deflected the blow easily, stepping in to strike at Alexandra’s throat. Alexandra barely blocked in time, her breath huffing out in surprise as she turned back to the other woman’s deep brown eyes.

“Keep your hands up.” The copper brown-skinned woman demanded. She flipped her curly black ponytail through her protective headgear while she danced backward on the balls of her feet. Around them, their self-defense class sweated through similar sparring drills.

Puffs of frustrated breath and quiet conversation murmured around them as the students practiced and caught up on news. Their instructor, a rough-cut man with a permanent scowl, insisted they keep conversation going throughout the sparring lesson. He said it helped with breath regulation and awareness, but Alex always privately wondered if he was just making it up to torture them.

Alexandra smiled. “I almost hit you that time, Elise.” She raised her hands higher, concentrating on Elise’s movements. The twenty-six year old before her beat her more times than she cared to admit. It was partly why she sought out Elise as a sparring partner. The younger woman was good at finding Alexandra’s weak spots and targeting them until Alexandra learned to defend.

“So, have you heard from Simon?” Elise asked, looking for another opening. Her bouncy energy was infectious, but trying to keep up with her would just make Alexandra exhausted and sloppy. She watched and waited, sticking to her own rhythm.

“I got an email this morning. He’s really enjoying himself.” She let Elise circle her, then jabbed inward with a quick feint before making contact with a punch to the lower chest.

It bounced off Elise’s padding, and her dark head nodded in approval. “Nice hit. Did he say anything about Hunter or John?”

“He asked how Hunter was doing, nothing about John.”

It had been an ordinary email, one she wouldn’t have wondered about if John hadn’t said anything. Simon had talked endlessly about his classes, his roommate and the scenery. The part about Hunter had been too casual, shoved in between two unrelated topics. Simon didn’t want her to pay attention to his question, but still had something to say.

Wanted: One decoder ring. Language - teenager.

Elise lashed out, striking Alexandra on the temple with the side of her hand. The thump on the protective padding around her head startled Alexandra out of her thoughts. She bit back a yelp as one arm went down to protect her side, the other rising to her face. Elise’s next blow landed on Alexandra’s upraised arm, but just barely.

“Cheater.”

Elise grinned, retreating from Alexandra’s uppercut. “Decent recovery. Remember to keep your body alert, even when you’re thinking.” She cleared her throat. “So why not ask Simon? He’s old enough, he can handle a talk about Mom’s new guy.”

Elise had learned about Hunter a long time ago, and was the first person Alexandra told about their kiss the other night. It might not have been a good idea to tell the younger woman so much, because Elise was getting ideas. Maybe-dating-him-wouldn’t-be-a-bad-thing, what-could-it-hurt kind of ideas.

“Well, I don’t know if Hunter and I are serious.” Alexandra said, ignoring Elise’s snort. “Normally I talk to Simon. It’s just… email or phone, it’s so impersonal.”

Elisa laughed, her brown eyes focused even as her mirth echoed through the practice room. “You sound like my sister.”

“Thank you for not saying mother this time.” Alexandra grimaced, then attacked.

“I’m just saying,” Elise blocked twice, landing another hit right before the instructor blew the whistle to mark the end of five minutes. They both relaxed, dropping their guard instantly and bowing. “To someone his age, finding out through email is way better than finding out two months late.” They stepped from the sparring ring. A new set of sparring partners took their place as they trotted to the water cooler for a five minute break. “I still find out late about important news because my family clings to the face-to-face chat tradition. Don’t do the same to your kid.”

After another half hour of class, they trudged toward the locker room. Alexandra wiped back the hair plastered to her forehead. The showers always sprayed cold water, which sounded fantastic right now.

Elise walked beside her, her dark skin only slightly flushed and a grin plastered across her face. There should be a law against being so happy when other people were about to drop from exhaustion. Elise flashed a smile at Alexandra, getting her a drink from the fountain before filling her own cup.

“So how’s the remodel going?” Alexandra asked.

Elise nodded slowly. “It’s going fine.” Her low voice was much higher than usual, and her nose twitched as she sipped from her cup.

“No it’s not.” Alexandra muttered into her own cup, watching her friend.

A mirthless chuckle escaped from Elise. “It’s not.” She admitted. “Delay, delay, delay. I can’t tell if the work crew is dragging this out on purpose. I’ll talk to the foreman today. Again.”

Alexandra didn’t envy the man. Elise was fun to be around, but she had a bottle rocket for a temper. She ran her library like a warship, though, and had carved it into one of the best tiny libraries in Portland. “Well, until you’re back in there, you should feel free to come to the hospital for story time whenever you want.” She drained her cup. “You really make the kids happy when you come around. Parents, too.”

Her mind wandered to Kailea and her family. The girl was still in recovery from her recent surgery. A visit from Elise would brighten her mood. It always had before. Alexandra would make sure to steer Elise in her direction next time she visited.

They entered the crowded locker room together and gathered their shower supplies. “I’m glad to hear it. I’ve enjoyed reading to the kids.” Elise hesitated. “I was thinking of asking; maybe I could keep doing it, even after my library renovation is over?”

Alexandra smiled. “Sounds like a wonderful idea. Let me clear it with the hospital, but I’m almost certain they’ll say yes.”

Elise whooped, making the other women around her jump and slap their hands over their hearts. The two of them hurried to the showers, ducking glares and giggling.

Clean and refreshed, they hurried out of the gym before the cardio class started. “I’ve never understood cardio class.” Elise muttered, reaching into her bag to find the key to her bike lock. “All that energy on nothing.”

Alexandra laughed. “Oh, it wasn’t that bad.” She’d cajoled Elise into trying cardio once, back when Alexandra was still focused on weight loss instead of protection. “You’re just upset because you didn’t get to punch anyone.”

“Guilty,” Elise grinned, yanking her keys from her bag. “Have a good afternoon!”

Alexandra checked for cars before stepping from the sidewalk to the parking lot, then gave her friend a wave. As she scooped her keys from her purse, the growl of an engine roared in her ears, along with the squeal of tires. She looked up, and her stomach dropped. A big yellow truck. Speeding right for her.

She dove back to the sidewalk as the yellow truck shot past her, missing her by inches. Alexandra could barely hear Elise’s yells over the engine’s rumble.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” Alexandra coughed. The smell of burning oil stung her throat. Had she seen that truck before?

Elyse huffed angrily at the empty air where the truck had been. “Jerk. I didn’t get a look, or catch the license plate number. Did you?”

Alexandra shook her head, both to clear the daze and to tell her friend she hadn’t seen anything. “I checked for cars before I crossed the lane.” The parking lot was full, with no nearby empty parking spaces to indicate where the truck had come from. Her stomach felt like a mass of jello, and her hands shook.

“Yeah, he came out of nowhere,” Elise agreed. Her dark braid swung as she looked toward the gym. “And of course there’s no security cameras to show what happened. Come on.” She helped Alexandra to her feet, then hurried to pick up her discarded bike. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

Too shaken to disagree, she walked beside Elise. The car seemed shrunken, like it was hiding among the others. Little white lines still adorned the driver’s side door, souvenirs from that night in the hospital parking garage. Alexandra squinted at it, then muttered an oath under her breath.

“What, do you see the truck?” Elise’s brown eyes flew wide as she searched for ninja cars poised to strike.

“No.” Alexandra groaned as she pulled out her cell phone. “I have a flat tire.”

“Oh.” As they got closer, Elise got more tense. “Actually, I’d be willing to bet you have slashed tires.”

All four tires, flat as pancakes. Alexandra let her head fall back. “That’s it, someone has a vendetta against my car.” Her voice wavered in her attempt to lighten the mood. After the events of today, her car was the last thing she was worried about.

CHAPTER NINE

Hunter

Hunter surveyed his yard work. The hedges were still untrimmed, but the yard was smooth and green, thanks to long hours with fertilizer and grass seed. That part near the driveway didn’t count. Neither did the one near the fence. Or the part right in the middle.

Sooner or later, he would face facts. He was terrible at lawn care. He kept trying, but no matter how many tips and tricks he read, landscaping around the eight-plex was an eyesore. He was almost ready to try the trick the old guy at the hardware store had suggested, and pour beer on it.

He considered getting the trimmers to start on the hedges, but was saved by the buzz of his cell phone. The caller I.D. read “Alexandra.”

He swiped the accept call button before he thought of something to say. “Uh,” He started lamely, then grimaced.
Smooth.

Alexandra didn’t seem to care. “Hunter, are you busy? I can call a taxi, but if you’re not busy I could really use a ride.” She sounded nervous.

Grass stains covered his jeans, his shirt was soaked through and he probably smelled like a wet puppy. “Sure. Can I get five minutes to change?”

“Hey.” A woman’s voice in the background, sharp and brash, interrupted, crackling over the line. “Is that Mr. Hotness?”

Warmth settled in his chest, much more pleasant than the sun’s oppressive blaze. “Mr. Hotness?”

A brief rustling and a “Wait, what are you-” came from the other line.

“Hey, I’m Elise. You should come get her, she might be in trouble and needs someone to stay with her. Bye!”

Alexandra’s voice came back before he had a chance to answer. “Sorry.”