She seemed shocked that I was being so short, but I didn’t want to say anything stupid that would give her any clues that I wasn’t at school. She’d have a fit if she knew I was here alone with AJ.
“Uh, ok. I guess you can just call us if you need anything,” she replied.
I felt a little guilty for rushing her. “Love you, Mom. And tell Dad that I love him, too.”
“Ok, I’ll tell him. Love you.”
When I walked out of the bathroom I was glad to see that AJ was finally awake. “Good nap?” I asked.
He smiled. “Sorry about that. I didn’t get much sleep last night and I guess it caught up with me.” He stood from the bed and stretched. “I’m gonna shower and change so we can go out and walk around or something.” He kissed me once before disappearing inside the bathroom.
AJ
Sharing a room – and a bed – was about to be pure hell thanks to this whole ‘no sex’ bull Sam insisted on. Five months without it felt more like a year. I mean, I understood where she was coming from, but…..come on. I’d reverted back to having dirty dreams about her like a 12 year-old would have. I had another during the short nap, sending me straight to the bathroom for a cold shower. Not even that helped.
Somewhere on the bathroom floor, my phone started to vibrate in my pants pocket. I already knew who it’d be and decided to ignore the buzzing. When I stepped out, I grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it loosely around my waist before going to sit beside Sam on the bed. It was impossible to ignore the thick heap of sexual tension piled on top of us, but I had to try. Judging by the blank stare on her face as she watched me, I gathered that the same thought ran through her mind that’d been plaguing me since crossing the threshold of the hotel room – We should’ve both been naked by now. She let out a frustrated sigh before retreating to the window, which she perceived to be a safer distance away, I figured.
A good five minutes passed before she was able to look in my direction again. She’d forced her feelings into submission, thinking that would keep me from seeing the truth – the truth being that she was having a hard time with this arrangement too. I stalked her with my eyes, following every movement as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and paced to the dresser for a fresh change of clothes. Her skin shimmered as the sunlight touched it, instantly triggering my senses to recall the feel of my hands on her body – each and every inch of it. Catching me mid-stare, Sam turned and smiled, biting at her full lips nervously as she wondered what I was thinking. The temperature in the room climbed quickly as she read my thoughts through my expression. She looked nervous, like she might give in if I just pushed a little, but I wouldn’t…..not even if I was starting to think she wanted me to.
I continued to watch as she sighed heavily, deciding that she needed to get even further away. She disappeared inside the bathroom and closed the door behind her. I smiled to myself when I heard the lock engage – her attempt to keep me from sneaking in behind her.
Now was as good a time as any to return the call I’d been dreading, so I grabbed my phone and dialed while Sam wasn’t around to hear the conversation. Without so much as a greeting, “Why are you in New York?” was the first question that flew angrily from my father’s mouth. I knew he’d find out eventually; he used the GPS tracking on my phone daily.
“What do you want?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“It’s not safe for you there, Anthony. At least not yet.” He paused and I already knew what was coming next. “She’s with you, isn’t she?” Even when he didn’t refer to Sam by name, I could still hear the hatred in his voice.
“I’m fine. Stop worrying. I’ll call if anything happens.”