Code Red

by Amy Noelle

  “Sort of. I was young the first time, and stupid. I didn’t see the signs, and I fell hard for him. Later, I found out a bunch of girls had done the same.”

  “He was an idiot, obviously.” He touched my shoulder. “And the second?”

  “I fought it with all I had,” I said honestly, because I was. I was failing, but I was still trying.

  “Why?”

  “It’s complicated” was all I could think to say. Those magnetic eyes of his looked like they could see right into my brain and decipher exactly what I wasn’t saying: that it was him I was fighting. I didn’t have the balls to tell him. “Complicated” wasn’t a heavy enough word for this. He was my coworker. That was strike one. He was gorgeous. That was strike two. And he lived in New York City. Strike three, you’re out. The Code Red was for both of our protection. He’d just never know that.

  “Mine, too,” he said, not looking away. “Did I ever tell you I like puzzles?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I do. The more complicated, the better.”

  “Don’t you mean ‘complex’?”

  “No, I meant ‘complicated.’ ” He smiled. “Makes it worth the effort when the pieces finally fit together, don’t you think?”

  “Sure,” I said, and I bit the inside of my cheek, imagining us as the pieces fitting together.

  “To complications,” he said and held his beer out. I tapped it with my glass and took a drink. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was drinking to, but that sexy smile of his stopped me from caring. He was a giant complication, and I sure liked him right here with me. Just for tonight, I would pretend he was mine. Mine. I smiled back at him. If only.

  Chapter 11

  Had it been a dream? No, if it had been a dream, we’d have been around a lot fewer people and wearing a lot less clothing. He’d really been at the bar last night. And he’d pretty much followed me there. He’d never really explained that. I had my theories, which bordered on fantasies, but I wasn’t sure if I should allow myself to go there.

  It was a direct violation of the Code Red for me even to consider it. If he was into me, and it looked like he might be, it didn’t negate that he was only in town for a short period of time. Not to mention that he was my coworker. I’d never hooked up with a coworker before. Murray the tech guy didn’t count, since we’d only made out. I’d known then what I knew now: it was a dangerous practice to date someone I worked with, especially someone I was holed up with for eight hours a day.

  It didn’t matter if I was the complication, or the puzzle, or whatever he’d said. It didn’t matter that he was the most exquisite man I’d ever seen. Josh was off limits. Code Red was on. That was that.

  I rolled over and pressed my face into Hunt’s fur. As usual, he’d taken up almost my entire pillow. “Pillow hog,” I said and his tail swished and smacked me on the side of my face. I sighed and pushed myself up. Winchester immediately rolled into the space I’d vacated, and I stroked his soft orange fur as he purred contentedly.

  I stumbled into the bathroom and made myself semi-presentable before stepping into the living room. There, sleeping on her stomach, an arm and a leg hanging over the couch and onto the floor, was Jen. She’d been entirely too hammered to go home alone last night, so I’d invited her to stay with me. Josh and Ryan had insisted on bringing us home to make sure we got in safely.

  I still couldn’t believe Josh had been to my place. In my wildest dreams he ended up here, but we were alone. And naked. That hadn’t happened last night, which was probably a good thing, what with me swearing him off and everything.

  Jen and Ryan had continued to gravitate toward one another all night long, with him always touching some part of her. She hadn’t been remotely bothered by it. They’d even exchanged numbers at the end of the night. I didn’t think they’d kissed, but I’d been a little too preoccupied about Josh seeing my apartment and whether I’d left anything incriminating lying around to pay much attention.

  I’d held the door between us to keep from having to hug him, kiss his cheek, or shake his hand. That question had plagued me the entire ride home. In the end I’d smiled, thanked them for escorting us home even though it wasn’t necessary, and told him I’d see him Monday.

  We’d waited approximately thirty seconds before Jen started screaming and we both jumped up and down over her scoring with Ryan. She’d thrown herself on my couch, babbling about how sexy he was, and how she longed to kiss his something . . . she’d passed out in the middle of the sentence. I’d thrown a blanket over her and dragged my sadly sober self to bed. I’d switched to water after the drink Ryan had bought for me, figuring more alcohol would only lull me into doing something royally stupid.

  I fed Winchester and Hunt before they could start carrying on too loudly. Jen probably wouldn’t be feeling too well, so it was best not to wake her. I got some water and Tylenol and put it on the coffee table for her, and went back into my room. I picked up my fully charged phone and laughed when I saw Kim had already called. She wanted a report on last night, and I dialed her without bothering to listen to her message.

  “Well?” she asked without saying hi.

  I laughed. “Did you go to the man’s school of phone greeting?”

  “Whatever. I’ve been dying for information all morning. How did it go? Are you alone right now, or are you calling me from some seedy hotel?”

  I rolled my eyes. Her theories on my evenings out never changed, no matter how many times I told her I didn’t do seedy hotels.

  “I’m at home, in my bed, alone.” Hunt hopped on the bed and licked my hand. “Scratch that, I have a very handsome male with me now.”

  “If only that male had two legs instead of four,” she said dryly. “Now, spill. Did Jen even speak to anybody?”

  I smirked. She was going to freak out. “Not only did she speak to a gorgeous guy, she held his hand, put her legs in his lap, let him play with her hair, hugged him goodnight, and gave him her number.”

  Dead silence greeted me until she let out a muted scream. “You’re kidding, right? You’re pulling my leg. Jen probably didn’t even show, and you’re just messing with me. She stayed home and watched Nick at Night, didn’t she?”

  “No, I’m not kidding. If I could have taken a video, I would have.”

  “I might have believed it, once I had the video authenticated by a certified expert.”

  I laughed. Poor Jen. She got out of her dry spell in a big, big way, and nobody would believe it.

  “It’s for real. I’ve never seen her so immediately comfortable with a guy before. She wasn’t even like that with the jackass.”

  “She put her legs on him? How in the hell did that happen?” Kim sounded completely baffled. I couldn’t blame her.

  Jen came into the room, looking horrible. Her hair was sticking up everywhere, and her eye makeup was smeared on her face. I laughed at her, and she flipped me off as she wandered to my dresser, grabbed a T-shirt and sweats, and went into my bathroom.

  “Jen’s awake. She might join us in the next century,” I said.

  “Good, I need to hear all about her guy. But first, explain to me what in the hell happened. Don’t you dare leave out a thing. If you do, I’ll find out and kick your ass.”

  I knew better than to tempt fate, so I spilled the entire night to her, from Scott and Patrick the pool guy right through Josh’s claiming me and calling me beautiful.

  Kim squealed just like Jen and I had after the guys left us last night. “Oh my God, he called you beautiful? And acted like you were together? That’s awesome!”

  My bathroom door opened, and Jen came out looking much better—in my clothes with her face cleaned up and hair brushed—though still tired and hung over. She threw herself on my bed and put her head in my lap.

  I put my phone on speaker. “Jen’s with us now.”

  “Well hello, hot stuff! I hear you scored last night!”

  Jen actually smiled, which spoke of the power of the man. “I think I did. H
e has to call first.”

  “Like he won’t?” I snorted. “You two were practically attached at the hip last night. I swear there were little cartoon hearts dancing around your heads.”

  “Like you noticed? Or were those your own hearts you saw?” Jen said and flicked my leg. “Kim, you should have seen Ms. Cool and Unaffected last night. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the guy, not that I can blame her. And she was flushed and I thought she might hyperventilate a time or two.”

  “As if you were looking at me.”

  “I saw plenty. Like the way Josh looked at you. He had the cartoon hearts, too,” she said. I shook my head and she sat up and jabbed at my shoulder. “Don’t you start that shit, woman. He showed up at the bar to see you. He scared that guy off and he touched you several times. More importantly, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. Admit it.”

  “I don’t know, maybe. It doesn’t matter, though.” Jen glanced at me, and I ducked away before she could jab at me again. “Don’t hit me. You know I’m right.”

  “We know no such thing,” Kim said. “Tell me what went down.”

  “He sort of admitted he came to the bar because I was there. We drank. We watched Jen and Ryan make googly eyes at each other and he . . .” Just remembering our conversation made me excited and nervous and confused.

  Jen watched me closely. “He what?”

  “Yeah, what did he do?” Kim asked.

  “He asked if I’d ever had that instant connection with anybody.”

  “Oooh,” Kim said, sounding excited. “That’s a good one! What did you say?”

  I sighed and scooped Hunt off my pillow and into my arms. He grunted and tried to get away, but I needed cuddles. “I told him about Damian, sort of.” They both cursed and I glared at Jen. “Listen, both of you, before you get all judgey, please.” Jen gestured for me to continue. “I told him that the first time I’d felt it, I’d gotten burned. And that the second time was complicated and I fought it with everything I had.”

  “No shit,” Kim said. “What did he say to that?”

  My heart sped up just thinking about it. “He said he liked puzzles because in the end they fit together, and we drank to complications while he looked at me like he might want to taste various parts of my body,” I said. My skin felt hot. I released the wiggling Hunt and fanned myself.

  “Holy shit!” Kim shouted. “He wants you. You want him and he wants you and finally there’s a quality guy for you to spend your time with.”

  Jen threw her arms around me and hugged me tight. “Imagine it! We could date best friends! How perfect would that be?”

  Foolish girls. “In another world, it would be great. In the real one, where I live, it’s a bit messier.” I couldn’t let them get too excited. “The Code Red is still in effect, even if none of you are actually supporting it or helping me.”

  “Why in the hell are you so damn stubborn?” Kim asked, sounding like she was about to kick my ass. I was really glad we were only on the phone. “You like each other. You all but admitted it. What’s the problem?”

  “One, he lives in New York, not Chicago.”

  “So, he can move. Or you can, if it gets to that point. Or you could travel. They have these little things called airplanes. Maybe you’ve heard of them.”

  Like it was that easy? “Two, he’s too good-looking.”

  “He’s hot, so are you. That is not a problem, that’s a good fit,” Kim said.

  “Three, he’s my coworker. What happened when Ash hooked up with that guy she worked with at Kinko’s?” She’d practically had to take out a restraining order, that’s what happened. “And we don’t work at Kinko’s. I can’t just wander to the next tech-writing place and get a new job if this crashes and burns. And it’s not like we could avoid each other if it didn’t work out. We share an office.”

  Jen frowned, and Kim sighed. “All right, I admit it’s not perfect, but there are plenty of office relationships that do work out. And even if it didn’t, as you so aptly pointed out, he lives in New York. So you serve your time, he leaves, and you never see each other again.”

  Just the thought of that made me sick. “Kim, come on. This guy could hurt me. I know it’s no big deal to you. Nobody ever hurt you and that’s wonderful, but I’ve enjoyed the past seven years without a broken heart. I really don’t want one.”

  “And what if he doesn’t break it? What if you get what I have with Brian? What if it’s worth the risk?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I just know that being attracted to him isn’t enough. I’m not ready to muddy the waters. He’ll leave in a couple of months and everything will return to normal.”

  “What if it can’t? You didn’t feel anything for the guy who was trying to pick you up when Josh came in. What if that’s because Josh is it?”

  “Then I’m doomed to disappointment, I guess.” It didn’t sit well, but I couldn’t deal with it anymore. “Did I tell you Jen’s guy is a cop?”

  Jen shot me a look and I silently begged her take the ball. She slipped an arm around me and took the phone. “He’s a detective! Can you believe it? And he’s gorgeous, Kim. He’s like a TV cop, not a real one.” And she was off, the excitement in her voice palpable.

  I’d feel that someday for someone else, right? Josh didn’t have to the only guy. Maybe I just needed to broaden my horizons and change my type, go out with better looking guys despite their potential to be assholes like Damian. Maybe it was just his looks that were driving me so crazy. I could go out with Derek, the insurance guy from across the hall. He was decent-looking and seemed like a good guy. Maybe I was just tired of sticking with my type and needed to try something new. It wasn’t a bad idea. Derek had the potential to drive Josh from my mind. It was worth considering.

  Jen laughed at something Kim said and I leaned my head against hers. She was happy, for the first time in years. I’d focus on that and forget all about my way-too-sexy coworker. It was for the best.

  Chapter 12

  It wasn’t right. I shouldn’t be this nervous about seeing Josh. I’d survived the first week in his presence, and we were friends, sort of. Nothing had really changed. Comments and implications had been made, but nothing had happened, so we could just go on like we had been. There was no reason to freak out about seeing him again. These nerves were unacceptable.

  I got to work early, mainly because I woke up so damn early and couldn’t get back to sleep. I thought about calling Jen when I got in, but I just wasn’t in the mood. I realized it was catty of me to be put out just because things weren’t as complicated for her and Ryan. And I’d been thrilled for her when she’d called me last night to tell me he’d already called her and they had plans for the weekend. Naturally, that had made me wonder what Josh would be doing while Ryan was out with Jen, and that had pissed me off all over again. But that wasn’t her fault. It was mine. I just needed to get him out of my head once and for all.

  Of course, I wasn’t quite sure how to make that happen, but I was working on it. I could ask Derek out, but the idea made me feel bad, which also made me angry because I shouldn’t feel guilty over a guy I wasn’t even with. Though maybe I should feel guilty about using another guy to get over my attraction to Josh. It was all so complicated. I missed my mundane existence.

  It was time to distract myself. I smiled when I saw the e-mail from Mandy, and I opened it right away.

  Why didn’t you call me? Why did I have to hear from Kim that you saw Mr. Perfect on Saturday night? What was he wearing? What did he say? What did he do? Did you kiss him? If you don’t do it soon, I’m going to come to your office and do it for you. One of us has to know what those lips feel like. Call me!

  She wasn’t helping at all. That’s why I hadn’t called her. I could almost hear her screaming about it, despite her living in Mt. Prospect.

  If your lips go anywhere near him, I’ll tell Kurt. After I beat you bloody. Calm the hell down. Neither one of us is kissing him, so you just get t
hat idea out of your head and go be a normal wife and mother, will ya? I’m not calling you, because I hate you now.

  PS. He looked amazing in jeans and a leather jacket. I’m only telling you that to torture you, not to make you happy. Good-bye, my former friend.

  “Good morning.” His voice made me jump, and I turned and scowled at him.

  “Do I have to get you a bell to wear so you’ll stop scaring me every five minutes?” He was wearing gray slacks and a white polo shirt and carrying a light gray jacket. It was annoying that he looked so fresh and amazing on a Monday. I always wanted to crawl back in bed for at least two more days before I could deal with the beginning of the week.

  He chuckled and handed me a cup of hot chocolate. Was it any wonder I couldn’t get the man out of my head? “Did that work with your cats?” he asked as he slid into the chair across from me. He usually started the morning going through his e-mail before moving next to me to work on the manual. It was strangely comforting that we already had a routine of sorts with one another.

  “No. They always managed to get the collar off somehow.”

  He grinned. “Well, I think I’d manage to get my bell off, too, so it wouldn’t do you any good.”

  “You’re such a contrarian. The least you could do is wear it, especially if I gave it to you. It’d be a present, after all.”

  He chuckled. “I’d love to get a present from you, but I love sneaking up on you too much. If you give me a bell, I promise to hang it somewhere to remind me of you.”

  Where would he hang it? In his bedroom? I sighed. That was exactly the line of thinking I was trying to swear off.

  “Forget it,” I muttered and pulled up my work e-mail. When I finished the corrections Chris needed for the vacuum manual, I looked up and saw Josh staring at me. “What?” I asked. Did I have a chocolate moustache? Oh, God, did I?

  “Are you mad at me?”

  “What? No. Why?” I was mad at myself for being so affected by him, but I wasn’t mad at him for existing. That would be ridiculous, and his nonexistence would deprive the world of beauty. That wouldn’t be fair at all.