Wanderlust

by Roni Loren

He shrugged.

  “You owe me two hours of interview time tomorrow at the location of my choice. I’ll meet you at your hotel at lunchtime.” She turned on her heel and stomped off to get a cab.

  He called after her, but she pretended not to hear.

  ***

  Aubrey slept until ten Sunday morning, exhausted after two late nights in a row. Despite not drinking, she felt hungover. She forced herself out of bed and into the shower, hoping that the hot water would revive her. Even after a night’s sleep, thoughts of Lex continued to assault her. The way he’d looked stripped down to just his jeans, the teasing confidence in his eyes. She hadn’t been able to decide what she wanted to do more—punch him in the face or drop to her knees and rip the rest of those clothes off.

  She groaned and pressed her forehead against the tile, letting the hot water run over her tense muscles. Maybe she just needed to get laid. Two years without sex and five years without a real relationship could drive anyone to the brink. She glanced at her handheld shower attachment, pondering, and then shook her head. Self-help wasn’t going to cut it this time. And she’d be damned if she was going to let herself get off to thoughts of that jerk. He didn’t deserve to star in her fantasy. Not after the way he’d toyed with her to get her to drop the story. Asshole.

  After showering, she wrapped herself in a towel and started to comb the knots out of her hair, but jumped when a loud banging filled the house. The comb clattered to the floor.

  “What the hell?” She tossed her towel and shrugged on her fluffy blue robe. When she reached the front of her duplex, she peeked through the peephole. Her stomach lurched, and her knees threatened to give out from under her.

  Motherfucker, son of a bitch. Every curse word she knew zipped through head. She took a deep breath and briefly considering ignoring the unexpected visitor. But she knew he wasn’t the type of guy who would go away that easily. And she refused to be a coward. She cracked the door open. “What are you doing here?”

  Grayson tucked his hands into the pockets of his chinos and smiled. “Well, it’s nice to see you, too, Aubs.”

  With a sigh, she opened the door the rest of the way, and he strolled past her without an invitation, the familiar smell of his Polo cologne following him in. The scent brought back memories of her crying into one of the sweatshirts he’d left behind at her place when he’d moved. God, she’d been so pathetic after he’d left. She couldn’t even bear to think about that version of herself.

  Grayson sank down on her well-worn couch and draped his arm across the back of it as if he’d never left her life. He looked like he had stepped off a yacht, his hair golden, his skin sun-kissed. She hated that he still looked so good. He was supposed to have developed a potbelly and male pattern baldness by now. Where was karma when you needed it?

  “Hi,” she said, no welcome in her voice. “How’s Florida?”

  “Hot.” He patted the spot next to him. “Lonely.”

  She didn’t move, just glared.

  He sighed and leaned forward, putting his forearms on his knees. “Okay, I shouldn’t have said that. That wasn’t fair.”

  “No, it wasn’t. If I remember correctly, the last time I saw you, you couldn’t get there fast enough.”

  He winced like she’d pinched him. “I know, I’m sorry about how things ended up, but I think we both needed some time apart. I mean, we’d been together since . . .”

  “Since high school,” she supplied.

  “I was going to say since the accident.”

  She dropped into the armchair opposite him with a resigned sigh. “This is all ancient history. Why are you here?”

  He stood and took two steps to reach her then knelt down. “I’ve missed you, Aubs.”

  A stabbing pain shot through her gut, twisting everything inside. How many times had she imagined this conversation? Imagined him crawling back in regret? She kept her expression blank. No way would she show him her hurt. “It’s been five years.”

  “I know, but I’m moving back. I got what I needed in Florida, but I want to be home now. And I know you’re not dating anyone. Your mom was more than happy to supply that tidbit.”

  She smirked. Her mother had always thought Grayson hung the freaking moon. Aubrey had heard many a lecture on how she should have done more to hold on to him. She closed her eyes and took a breath. “Please tell me you don’t think you can just waltz in here after five years and pick up where we left off. All that Florida sun must’ve fried your brain. A lot has changed.”

  “Of course I don’t expect that. I know I hurt you with how I left, but we were kids. Neither of us was ready for something serious back then. But now that I’m back, I thought maybe we could start fresh.” He took her hands in his and rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles. His hazel eyes sparkled in the sunlight that streamed in from the window behind her. The picture of sincerity. “I know things have changed. For one thing, you’re even more beautiful than I remember.”

  “Seriously. Stop.” She extracted her hands from his grasp and stood, fighting that old urge that used to make her preen under any attention Gray gave her.

  He followed suit. “I’m sorry. I’ll be good. It’s just I’ve missed you and couldn’t wait another minute to stop by and see you. We can take things at whatever pace you want. Be friends. How about we start with going to your dad’s event tonight? That’s really why I was stopping by.”

  He smiled his charming smile. Damn that smile. It still softened her in a way she couldn’t control. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of the boy who had been her first love, the boy who had helped her through the most difficult time in her life. She relaxed her shoulders, too tired to fight with him right now. She’d had her guard up for two days straight hanging around Lex. She didn’t have the energy this morning.

  And whether she would or could give Gray another chance wasn’t something she wanted to tackle right now. But they were both going to the event anyway, so what did it matter if they went in the same car? “Fine, we can talk more tonight. Pick me up at seven. I have a work thing I have to take care of before that.”

  “Great.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “It’s a date.”

  A date. With Gray. Her mind didn’t even know how to process that. She glanced down at her robe, searching for an excuse to push her confusing thoughts and emotions right out the door with him. “I hate to be rude, but I really need to get ready.”

  He raised his hands. “Say no more. I have to go meet with your dad anyway. He’s hired me for a position on his staff.”

  Aubrey groaned. “Seriously?”

  “Yep, so get used to seeing me around.” He grinned, gave her another quick kiss on the cheek, and slipped out the front door.

  Aubrey sank onto the couch and ran her hands over her face. She shouldn’t be expected to handle this before coffee, right? Maybe that’s why her brain was so scrambled. The guy she’d pined over for the last five years had offered himself to her on a silver platter. Why did she feel so nauseous? This should be good news, right?

  There was another tap on the door.

  “God, give me a second to breathe, would you?” She reluctantly dragged her butt off the couch, not wanting to face another conversation with Grayson quite yet, but knowing she couldn’t very well leave him on the doorstep. She swung the door open. “What now?”

  Lex slid his aviator sunglasses down his nose. “Damn, is that how you greet people? What happened to Southern hospitality?”

  Great, just what she needed.

  “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.” She gathered her robe more tightly around her when Lex’s gaze flicked downward to her state of dress. “What are you doing here? Wait. How do you even know where I live?”

  He held up a greasy paper bag. “I come bearing beignets and an apology.” He gave her a grin bordering on boyish. “And I know where you live because I ju
mped in a cab and followed you last night to make sure you got home okay.”

  “How chivalrous—and stalker like—of you.”

  He set his sunglasses on top of his head. “That’s me. Like you said, I try to make my mother proud.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure you do. Come on in, but those better be from Café Du Monde and not some knockoff.”

  He sauntered in, openly appraising her living room. He leaned to the side and looked through the open doorway, which provided a straight-shot view to the kitchen at the rear of the house. “Your house is cool. You can see every room from here.”

  She grabbed the bag from him and indicated that he should follow her. “It’s a shotgun house. They’re pretty common around here.”

  “A shotgun house?”

  “It’s named that because you could shoot a gun through the front door and the bullet would go straight through all the open doors and not hit anything.”

  “That’s morbid.”

  She smirked. “Yeah, I guess, especially for those standing in a doorway.”

  “I’ll be sure to stand clear then.”

  She led him through a narrow hallway, passing her bathroom and bedroom, and then stopped in the kitchen. She dropped the bag onto the small bistro table that served as her dining area and hit the on button for the coffeepot. “Go ahead and sit down. I need to get dressed. Be right back.”

  He opened his mouth like he wanted to make a comment—lewd, she’d guess—but he refrained and shut his mouth. She grabbed a tank top and shorts from her dresser and then hurried into the bathroom to change. When she returned to the kitchen, he was rummaging through her cabinets.

  “Make yourself at home, why don’t you?”

  “Coffee cups?”

  She stepped around him and grabbed two mugs from the cabinet on his right. Her arm brushed against his, and she cursed inwardly at the electric current that raced across her skin. When he touched her shoulder, the cups almost slipped from her hands. He turned her toward him. “Hey, I’m sorry about last night. I was an asshole.”

  She put the mugs on the counter and eyed him suspiciously. She wasn’t sure what to think of this version of Lex. He had to be up to something. “You were, but I can accept your apology and move on if you’re actually going to give me a proper interview.”

  “Of course, I always keep my promises.” He lifted the coffee carafe and filled both their cups. “So what was up with you at the door? Who did you think I was?”

  He followed her to the table. She considered lying to him, but what did it matter? He’d be gone in a few days and wouldn’t remember her name, much less her personal business. May as well be honest. And maybe it’d be a good way to start open conversation between them so he wouldn’t be so guarded in the interview. “My ex-boyfriend showed up at my door this morning after five years of no contact.”

  “Fun.” He blew across the top of his coffee. “Was that the Mercedes parked in front of your house?”

  She bit off a big chunk of beignet, getting powdered sugar all over her fingers, and lifted a shoulder as she mumbled, “Probably.”

  “Blond guy?”

  She nodded.

  “That douche almost took off the front bumper of my rental car when he was pulling away from the curb. I didn’t curse him out ’cause I figured he was your neighbor. I should’ve let him have it.”

  Aubrey couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Lex lighting into Grayson. Gray wouldn’t have known what hit him. He probably would have taken one look at Lex’s inked-up arms and called the cops.

  “So what’s the deal with him?”

  Aubrey licked powdered sugar off her fingertip. “It’s a long, boring story.”

  “I’ve got time. Plus, you want to dig into all my dirty closets. It’s only fair I get to see some of your clutter, too, right?”

  She stirred her coffee. “Fine. The gist is I met him when I was in high school and dated him through college. I thought we’d be together forever. So when he asked me to dinner the night of his college graduation, I assumed he was going to propose. He broke up with me instead.”

  “Ouch. Harsh. How come?”

  “He was going for his MBA at the University of Florida and wanted breathing room. Of course, he decided this after I’d already made plans to transfer to Florida with him.”

  “Thoughtful of him. Sounds like he did you a favor.” He split his beignet into two and shoved an entire half in his mouth.

  “Didn’t feel that way at the time. Now he’s moving back and wants to work his way right back into my life like he never left.”

  Lex coughed and a puff of powdered sugar came out of his mouth. “Now that’s a jackass move. Like you were supposed to be waiting around until he decided to come back? Screw that.”

  “Yeah,” she said half-heartedly. Wasn’t that exactly what she’d been doing? Sitting around waiting for him or some clone version of him to appear and sweep her off her feet. “I agreed to go out with him tonight.”

  “What the fu— hell?” he said, catching himself at the last minute.

  “Seriously, don’t worry about watching your language around me. I work at a magazine. As for the date, my dad has a thing I have to go to at the Fremont Hotel tonight, so I’m letting Grayson take me.” She shook her head and waved a dismissive hand. “Never mind. Why am I even talking to you about this?”

  He licked the tip of his finger, capturing the sugar there. “Because you like me and want to tell me all your deepest secrets. Or fantasies. Let’s start with filthy ones, shall we?”

  The last bite of beignet tried to lodge in her throat when she saw the flash of mischief in his eyes. Dammit. No man should look that tempting. She dragged her gaze away. Focus, woman. “I finally have you alone in a quiet place. I should be interviewing you.”

  He ran his finger along the rim of his cup, watching the steam rising off his coffee. “I could think of better things to do while we’re alone in a quiet place.”

  Her brain took a moment to sort through his words and the hot suggestion in his tone. She swallowed hard. “Lex.”

  He brushed his hair out of his eyes and attempted an innocent look. “What, not attracted to me?”

  “It’s not that . . .”

  He grinned wide.

  “Dammit, Lex.”

  “See, gotcha to admit it. Don’t you feel better now?” He leaned forward, smile playful. “So I turn you on, huh? Have some dark, bad-boy fantasies hiding in that head of yours?”

  She groaned. “You’re a jerk, you know that? I’m surprised you were even able to fit through my front door with that giant ego of yours. And it doesn’t matter if I’m attracted to you or not. We’re working together.”

  He dropped his elbow onto her table and put his chin in his hand. His clear blue eyes didn’t blink as he met her gaze, all humor gone now. “I won’t tell anyone if you won’t. You’re driving me a little crazy, too, to be honest.”

  Oh. God. Her mouth felt stuffed with cotton candy. She stood, needing to escape his stare, and dumped her coffee in the sink. Pressing her hands against the edge of the counter, she peered out the window to her backyard, not really seeing it. Thoughts raced through her head. It would be so easy to say yes. To let go and follow her impulses. Her body knew what it wanted. Anytime the guy touched her it was like setting fire to hay, the urgent desire consuming her in the blaze.

  Every girl deserved a crazy, ill-advised fling at least once in her life, right? He was gorgeous and so different from any guy she’d ever been with. Not that her list was long, but still. She had no doubt the physical connection with him would be explosive. She’d never had such a visceral, down-and-dirty reaction to any man. Every molecule within her ached to give in to him so she could see just how mind-blowing it might be. She lowered her head. “Lex, I can’t.”

  He rose from the
table and stepped up behind her, so close that she could feel heat radiating from him. Her body gave a little jolt as his hand grazed her shoulder. He moved her damp hair to one side and brushed his lips against the curve of her neck. Everything went white-hot and glowing inside her.

  God, why did he have to have such an effect on her? When she didn’t protest, he stepped closer, pressing himself to her back and changing the gentle touch of lips to an open-mouthed tasting of her skin. She moaned softly as the length of him pressed against the back of her hip.

  “Lex, we can’t,” she whispered, dampness gathering between her thighs, and heat filling every inch of her.

  “Why not, baby?” he asked in that sexy, cajoling tone. “You don’t need to walk the line all the time. Aren’t rules meant to be broken? Isn’t that the point?”

  She shivered and gripped the edge of her sink, his words sending an old, creeping fear into her gut. She remembered saying those same words to her sister that night all those years ago—rules are meant to be broken. The same night she had learned that breaking rules could lead to shattering consequences. She whirled around, put her hands on Lex’s chest, and pushed him back gently. “Just stop, okay? I’m not one of your groupies. I don’t jump into bed with someone I don’t even know. Especially someone I’m working with.”

  His frown was deep as he stepped back and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “Come on, Aubrey, you can’t tell me you don’t want this, too. Don’t you ever let yourself have fun? Do something outside of the neat plan of your life?”

  She shook her head. “No.” Not anymore.

  ***

  Lex almost opened his mouth to protest again. There was no way Aubrey hadn’t been feeling it as much as he had. She’d damn near melted against him. But something in her face made him swallow back his words. She looked . . . spooked. Not exactly the result he’d hoped for. He took a breath, trying to calm his racing heart and his burgeoning hard-on. Putting his lips on her skin had sent his body into instant overdrive, but he knew when to back off.

  “Sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to freak you out. I’ll behave.” He raised his palm in a pledging motion. “Scout’s honor. For the rest of the day, I promise I won’t try again to get my sexy reporter naked.”