Already I was trying to think of what I’d wear. I was halfway to the bathroom to plug in my ceramic curling iron, thinking I should go ahead and call myself a cab now, when he added, “Mind if I come pick you up?”
A very specific memory returned. I remembered the rush I used to feel sneaking out of the house to run to his car in the middle of the night. The hours we’d spent together in school never seemed to be enough, leaving us with no choice but to defy our parents’ rules and sneak off to our spot. Just like it used to do back then, my body nearly overheated and I smiled extremely hard.
“Sure…I’ll be waiting.”
*****
A strapless, brown and navy maxi-dress with a denim jacket to cover my arms was what I settled on. I grabbed my gold hoops and necklace because Angel said gold accessories made the highlights in my hair ‘pop’. I put on a light layer of bronzer, lip gloss, and gold sandals. AJ texted about twenty minutes ago acknowledging the address I’d given him to my apartment and I was expecting him to arrive any second.
When I heard the knock at the door, I froze in place.
‘This isn’t a date, Sam,’ I chanted internally, trying to settle my nerves. With my hand on the knob, I blew out a breath and then pulled the door open. There he stood, staring back at me, and I took him all in – his towering height, those smolderingly dark eyes….his body. I finally looked up at his face again after catching myself blatantly checking him out in his dark jeans and white t-shirt – looking casually sexy just like always. He looked and smelled absolutely amazing. When I realized that I’d practically undressed him with my eyes, I cleared my throat.
This felt strange and familiar all at the same time. Strange because I never imagined that AJ, the man I wrongfully walked away from years ago and left to wonder what had become of me, would ever speak to me again, let alone did I expect him to be standing at my door. However, here he was, in the flesh.
“Ready?” AJ asked after what felt like a lifetime.
I couldn’t speak, just nodded my head. I turned to lock the door behind me and adjusted the strap of my purse over my shoulder before following him to the stairwell. We descended in silence and then walked out into the night air where his car sat parked along the curb. He unlocked it as we approached, stepping forward to open the door for me. As I passed in front of him, he stared down on me with a familiar look in his eyes. A look that I knew very well.
Lust.
Chapter Twelve
AJ
“There’s a place I love a few blocks away. I think that’s where we should go if you’re looking for good pizza,” Sam suggested, fastening her seatbelt.
“Sounds like a plan. Just tell me where to go.” Watching her as inconspicuously as I could, I pulled out onto the street.
I knew beforehand that coming to see her was a bad idea. In the very least it was disrespectful to Kira, given that I’d just promised her that I wouldn’t have any kind of contact with Sam. However, for some reason, I didn’t have the will to deny myself another chance to at least see her again – not even when I thought of what it’d do to Kira if she ever found out.