Unexpected Packages Read online

  I found myself actually chuckling and went back into the apartment and to the kitchen. I took out a knife and chopped off most of the two carrots and then bit off the ends to make them look gnawed on. Then I grabbed a pen and added something to his note. I stared at my handiwork and grinned as I let myself back out of my apartment.

  My stomach quivered with nerves as I went down the stairs and hoped I wouldn’t see him. The coast was clear, and I slipped down the hall toward 106. My ears were perked for any sound that might alert me to a door opening or someone approaching, and I quickly taped the note and what was left of the carrots to his door before I hustled away, my heart beating in my throat. It had been a long time since I’d been bold like that, but hey, why not. If he wanted to play games, fine, let’s play some games.

  I rushed out to the street and was heading down the sidewalk when I spotted someone off in the distance jogging, heading this way. My heart jumped, and I quickly slid between two cars and hunched over so I wouldn’t be seen. A few moments later, Alex ran past, and I sucked in the brief view of him before hustling out the other side of the cars and on to work.

  Maybe that was childish to hide from him. I chided myself as I strolled along. I was almost thirty-three. It wasn’t like I’d slept with him, and I was embarrassed about it, no, I’d only used his image to get myself off last night. I winced at how bad that sounded. My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out to see a message from Clare.

  How did it go last night? Did you get lucky?

  I shook my head as I wrote her back. You do know that I’m capable of getting myself home. I didn’t need an escort.

  I was hoping your escort would do more than escort you. I was hoping he’d give you a free ride too.

  Sorry to disappoint you.

  You are totally no fun. I’m heading into class; I’ll talk to you later.

  I said goodbye, and then as I let myself into the building where I worked, I put aside thoughts of Clare and Alex as I prepared myself for the day.

  Three hours later, I was in my office when my boss, Ralph, joined me. “Hey, the meeting has been moved up. We were supposed to meet with the company on Thursday, but it’s going to happen today to confirm the details. I’d like you to be there so we can finalize numbers for the program.”

  “Sure, just let me know what time.”

  “Right after lunch we’ll meet in the conference room.”

  “Sounds good,” I told him as my mind began to switch from the current client file that I was working on to the new one. “I have almost everything ready for it, so I’ll have lunch delivered here, and I should have it done by the time the meeting is ready.”

  “Thanks, Alexandra.”

  “You’re welcome,” I told him as he stood to leave, but he paused by the door. “Do you need something else?”

  “I was just wondering if you’d like to grab a drink after work.”

  For the last two months, Ralph had been asking me out at least once a week to have that proverbial drink, but every time I honestly did have something else going on. He was a nice man, a little older than me, and attractive. I knew he was divorced and had three kids, but I didn’t know much else about him. Maybe it was time to change that.

  “I think tonight might actually work, Ralph.” He looked happily surprised. I think he had started wondering if I was just politely declining to avoid him, but I really wasn’t.

  “Okay, great. Did you need to go home after work first, or do you want to do a happy hour right from here?”

  “I should probably head home first, but I can meet you someplace around six if that’s alright.”

  “That’s perfect. I’ll let you get back to work, and we can decide on a place later.”

  “Okay,” I told him as he lifted a hand in goodbye.

  As I pulled out the file for the new program we were going to be starting, I frowned as Alex came to mind. Yes, I was attracted to him, but he wasn’t the type of man that I wanted to get involved with. The fact that he had been in the military should have been enough for me to brush thoughts of him aside. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, though. Was it wrong to have a drink with another man, when Alex was in my thoughts, too?

  I admonished myself as I pulled up the spreadsheet for the finances; it wasn’t like Alex and I were dating. We’d had some casual flirtation, and that’s it. We hadn’t even kissed, so there should be no reason for me to not go out with Ralph.

  I had a sandwich delivered and worked through lunch, updating everything, printing copies of the projected costs, and making sure that I had all the bases covered. A few minutes before one, I collected everything and made my way to the conference room. There were already several voices inside as I neared and when I got to the door, my feet stuck to the floor as I heard one distinct voice.

  Four men turned to me, having realized I was there, and my gaze skimmed the first three before landing on Alex. I gulped as the memory of my note flashed like a neon sign in my head, and a broad smile slipped over his mouth.

  “Well, hello, Lexi, I didn’t expect to see you here.” He held his hand out, and I juggled my laptop and other stuff to my other arm so I could shake it. I sure as hell hoped that he couldn’t feel the instantaneous quiver in my hand as he held it just a moment longer than necessary.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Miller.” He gave me an odd look when I called him by his last name, but I turned my attention to the other two men with him, dismissing him quickly.

  “Hi, I’m Alexandra, I’m the accountant assigned to this project.” I shook their hands as they introduced themselves, then I scooted around them to the far side of the table to set up my things. It was also to get as far away from Alex as I could, and I had no doubt that he noticed.

  In fact, as they began to get seated, he came around the table and took a seat directly beside me, leaning slightly toward me as he lowered his voice. “Glad the carrots came in handy for someone.”

  I gave him a droll look before turning back to my laptop and signing on. He didn’t seem bothered by my look and laughed huskily as he shifted in his seat. The sound of his voice brought back memories from last night, and I felt my cheeks begin to warm. Oh, please, don’t think about that! I admonished myself.

  There were a lot of people at the meeting, and we had to squeeze in as close to one another as we could to fit all twelve of us around the table. Sadly, that meant I was close enough to Alex that I could smell his aftershave every time he moved. As the meeting got underway, I tried to forget he was there, but once in awhile, he’d shift in his seat, and his elbow would brush mine, or his thigh would push against my leg.

  Each time he did that, my train of thought went right out the window, and I was back to last night on the stairs with his arm wrapped tightly around me, and his lips only an inch from mine.

  When I had to add something to the conversation, I could feel his gaze on me as if he were touching me, and I forced myself not to look in his direction. It was only as he began to talk about the training that the employees would undergo that I found myself drawn to stare at him.

  He was wearing a dark-gray suit, with a black and silver tie, and the jacket made his shoulders look more extensive than I knew they were. His focus moved around the table from time to time but mostly stayed directed toward Ralph on my other side at the head of the table, and Tony, the assistant to the program. As I watched his profile, and the way his mouth moved as he spoke, I found myself oddly turned on and wondering what his lips would feel like on mine.

  He turned to me at one point, locking eyes, and a small, sly smile began to slip over his lips as my cheeks began to warm. It was like he knew exactly what I was thinking, and I wanted to crawl under the table and disappear.

  Chapter Six

  Alex

  My mind was all over the place this morning, and I hoped that my run would put it back on track. From the moment I’d woken up, Lexi had been my every other thought. As much as I tried to focus on the business for the day, she kept sne
aking into my head. Before I left for my run, I taped a couple of carrots to her door with a note and wondered what she would think.

  I was going over the training that we would discuss today at the meeting and forced thoughts of her out as I did my four miles. When I returned home, I stopped abruptly when I saw the half-eaten carrots taped to my door. I grinned as I removed them and unfolded the note.

  The rabbit wasn’t hungry, but I sure was. Thanks for a healthy breakfast.

  I laughed as I let myself into my apartment, and then immediately began to wonder why the rabbit wasn’t hungry. Had Lexi taken it out and used it last night? If she had, was I on her mind? That train of thought had me throbbing, and when I climbed in the shower a few minutes later, I took hold of myself again, imagining her using her toy while I watched.

  The woman was going to be the death of me; that was for sure. I had to find a way to get her out of my mind or sleep with her and get her out of my system. That had to work.

  I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt while I did work at home, and then changed into a suit for the meeting. Imagine my surprise when the little vixen who wouldn’t stay out of my mind stepped into the room. Well, damn, she looked good enough to eat, and my thoughts went back to the carrots and her note.

  It took everything in me to remain calm and not get a raging hard-on, but I managed. I probably shouldn’t have sat next to her in the meeting, but I was drawn to her. Every time our arms brushed, I remembered the feel of her in my arms the night before, and the ache would start to grow in my groin again.

  I enjoyed hearing her talk the numbers, although most of that didn’t mean much to me. That was all information for Jake, and as I flaked out and imagined her using that mouth on me and not on talking about thousands of dollars, I had to adjust the way I was sitting.

  The topic came around to what I would be teaching and how it would work, and I could see her watching me out of the corner of her eye, but it wasn’t until I was done that I finally stared at her and was shocked by what I saw. The desire was so vivid in her liquid brown eyes that I had to bite the inside of my cheek to control the urge to throw her on the table and take her right there.

  After the meeting was over, I glanced at my watch. We’d been in here for several hours, and I wondered what time Lexi got off work. She had just collected her things and was heading toward the door when I blocked her. “What are you doing tonight?”

  She didn’t get a chance to answer me as Ralph stepped up beside her, his hand going to the small of her back. “Alexandra, are we still on for tonight?”

  Her eyes flicked to mine quickly before she smiled at her boss. “Yes, six.”

  “Okay, how about I meet you at Del Marco’s?”

  “Sounds perfect. I’ll see you there.”

  When he put his hand out toward me, I was tempted to yank his arm out of the socket. The two of us shook, and in his gaze was just the tad bit of a challenge. Obviously, he was interested in Lexi, and he must have realized that I was too. Game—fucking—on!

  Ralph walked away, and she peered at me quickly before turning, but I snagged her elbow and stopped her, stepping closer and leaning down. “He can never give you what I can, Lexi.”

  I felt her body shiver, and I wondered if that was because of what I’d said, or something else.

  She stepped back. “I guess we’ll never know.” She disappeared out the door after speaking to someone else on the opposite side of the table. She never even looked back, and it was like a punch to the gut. Maybe she really wasn’t interested in me. Nah, she was. I had seen it in her eyes earlier.

  I walked out with the rest of my group, and Jake said to me, “Were you really flirting with the accountant in there?”

  “No,” I said on a laugh. “I was teasing her about something.”

  He glared at me. “Don’t fuck up this contract for us because you can’t keep your dick in your pants. The guy has it bad for her, so keep your distance.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because when we were having dinner last week, Ralph said that he was divorced and thinking about getting back out there, and there was a woman at work he really wanted to get to know. I’m pretty sure that woman was the accountant that you couldn’t seem to keep your eyes off.”

  Well, fuck! “She’s a neighbor. I barely know the woman.”

  “Good, keep it that way,” Jake grunted and then strode off purposefully toward his car. The wind had picked up, and the temperatures were dropping as I pushed my hands deep into my pockets and made my way back to my apartment. It was nice that she lived so close to work; she never had to worry about getting stuck in traffic or dealing with driving in snowy conditions.

  I frowned to myself as I let myself back into my place. I had to honor my boss’ wishes and forget about her, at least for the time being. I was sitting at my desk when I saw her walking toward the building. I glanced at my watch and saw it was a few minutes after five. The temptation to go talk to her raced through me, but I forced myself to remain there and get back to the video I was watching about a new technique for shooting in low light. When the video was over, it was almost six, and I wondered if she had left yet.

  I wanted to knock myself out for even thinking about her, but then my phone rang, and I saw Veronica’s name on the screen. All thoughts of Lexi vanished as I answered the phone.

  “Hey, young lady, how are you?”

  “Hey, Dad. Mom wanted me to call and make sure I was still allowed to stay with you this weekend.”

  “Of course, sweetheart. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Okay, good. Do we have any plans?”

  “Well, if the weather holds out, I was hoping we could go to the aquarium. What do you think about that?”

  “That sounds like fun.”

  “Alright, then I’ll pick you up Friday after you get out of school.” I paused. “Is your mother around?”

  “Yeah, she’s right here. I’ll see you on Friday.”

  “See you then, Nica.”

  “Bye, Dad, love you.”

  “I love you, too.” The phone rattled for a moment, and then I winced as I heard Annie’s voice. Even after all these years, it still hurt to listen to her voice on the phone.

  “Hi, Alex. You’re still up for taking Veronica this weekend?”

  “Yes, I promised you that I would.”

  “I know that, but I also know you always have a habit of breaking promises.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair, Annie. You know I only broke them because of being deployed.”

  “Yeah, well, she’s thirteen; if you don’t step up to the plate now, you’re going to lose any chance of getting to know your daughter.”

  “I’m not the one that has kept me away from Nica the last six months. You’ve done your damnedest to keep me from her.”

  “That’s not true. We’ve been busy.”

  “Okay, well, instead of giving me a hard time about not seeing her, why don’t you help me out a little and fit me into your busy schedule. I’d like nothing more than to spend more time with my daughter.”

  “Fine, when we get back, I’ll look at our calendar and figure it out. Maybe you can start having her one weekend a month, or something.”

  “I’d prefer two weekends a month.”

  “Let’s not push it, Alex. She has a busy schedule.”

  “Fine. I told Nica I would come to get her after school on Friday. What time does she get home?”

  “She’s home by four; don’t be late.” She didn’t wait for a reply and hung up.

  I dropped my phone to the desk and ran my hands over my head. I’d been crazy in love with Annie, falling for her completely in only a couple weeks. We’d gotten married shortly after while I was on leave, and nine months later, Veronica was born. Sadly, I wasn’t there for it, or much after. Two years after she was born, I arrived home to surprise my family and found another man in my bed. What was worse was it was an Army officer that I knew from base.

 
Annie told me that she’d fallen out of love with me and that she wanted a divorce. My heart had broken, and I’d walked away without fighting. I’d gone back overseas as quickly as I could, signed the papers when they arrived, and hid my broken heart under my sixty plus pounds of gear.

  Every once in awhile, I would get a letter from her about Veronica, and sometimes pictures too. At least she kept me updated on our daughter. I missed out on so many things as she grew, and now that I was back and firmly planted on U.S. soil, I was ready to have whatever relationship I could have with my daughter.

  I pushed my laptop away and went to make dinner for myself. My mind at war with my thoughts. Annie seemed happy, and I was glad for that. Patrick was kind to her, and to Veronica, and although I didn’t like the guy for what he had done, I no longer hated him.

  I turned on a hockey game and lost myself in the voice of the announcer for a few minutes as I finished off not one, but two beers. My gaze kept drifting back to the front window where I had a view of the entrance, and I wondered if Lexi was back yet.

  Was she having dinner with her boss? Had they gone back to his place for a nightcap? Was she home now, and I’d missed her arriving? I started to become antsy and went to change clothes, hoping that another run would calm me down.

  I was just coming back after six miles when I saw a car pull up and stop near the door. Lexi climbed out of the passenger seat and smiled over the roof of the vehicle at Ralph. He walked her toward the door, and I found my hands fisted by my sides. They stopped and faced each other, and then he leaned down and kissed her slowly. It didn’t last very long, but I was still seeing red by the time it was over and noticed I had come closer, sticking to the shadows.

  I heard him say good night, and then she went into the building while he returned to his car. The minute he was heading in the other direction, I sprinted toward the door, hitting the stairs, and taking them two at a time. I got to the top without even realizing where I was going, and Lexi was just pushing her door open.