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He cursed, squeezing her hands hard. “No. Fuck no. It isn’t like that.”
She remained unmoved. “Tell me what it’s like, then? Because from what you just said, you’re with two women—”
“Would you let me explain before you jump to conclusions? Jesus! You’re the one pushing me to open up to you, and the first thing you do is jump down my throat.”
She thinned her lips, her expression changing from righteous rage to chagrined.
Sally clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, squeezing his hands back.
“Fine. Speak. I’ll listen before passing judgement.”
He huffed a small laugh. “Well, thanks for that, sis.”
She shrugged. “Go ahead, then.”
“There’s this woman…I’ve been speaking with her for the last almost four months. She’s amazing, smart, funny, sexy, and she gives me thoughtful gifts—things she knows I like from the conversations we’ve had. When I think about her, I see a future—kids, the house with the fence, a happily ever after like I’ve always wanted. With her, I want it all, Sally.”
At least until he actually met her, that was. Now…he didn’t know what the hell he wanted. The memories of their conversations and then the reality of that kiss in the dark, the feelings those things elicited and what being with Denise elicited were discordant. Like two different songs playing at the same time. Like a harpsicord and a banjo, battling for musical supremacy. Neither of them coming out winners.
Her expression thoughtful, her eyes wistful, Sally offered him a smile. “She sounds wonderful, AJ. So what’s the problem?”
Here we go….
“We hadn’t actually met face to face. Until this week.”
“But you said she’s amazing and sexy and she gives you gifts…. How is that possible if you only just met her?
“It’s the typical girl sends guy email, guy gets intrigued and emails girl back, and their romance is letters and couriered packages and a single kiss in a dark conference room, then a surprise visit by said woman. A TV dating show reveal, if you will.”
Sally’s face froze, her eyes wide as hell.
“We’ll get to that kiss thing in a moment, but first….” She closed her mouth, clenching her jaw. She turned away from him, closing her eyes, and breathed deep.
Finally, after a few moments of tense silence, she opened her eyes and looked at him.
Green gemstones glittered darkly.
“Let me get this straight…you got an email from a stranger who says they are a woman, and you email her back. You start some sort of reckless romance via the company email server. You probably share personal, private, intimate information with this stranger…and this person sends you packages.”
“Yeeesss?” he answered with a question, fearful of what she would say next. He was a grown ass man, staring down the face of his little sister, and a shame he hadn’t felt before pricked at his conscience. There was no reason to be ashamed of what he had with Swan. They hadn’t done anything wrong.
Why do I suddenly sound like a teenaged girl trying to explain the same thing to her dad? Because the situation was fucking ridiculous, something he refused to acknowledge.
“What, exactly, was in those packages?”
He tried to play off his mounting tension with a nonchalant shrug. “Books, movies, cookies—”
“Tell me you didn’t actually eat the fucking cookies, AJ.” Damn, in that moment she sounded just like a pissed off Lisana, ready to tear his ass a new one for being a little shit in her kitchen.
“I did, but I felt like I could trust her. I never, not once, felt like she was a danger to me.”
She growled. “You’re a romantic idiot, bro. At least you didn’t die,” she grumbled.
“Don’t sound so put out,” he teased. “Yes, I ate the cookies, and they were delicious. Ask Blaze, he’s had a couple, and he didn’t die, either.”
She grunted and shook her head. “I will not be telling Anna that her man is eating a strange woman’s cookies.”
AJ snickered, glad that his sister wasn’t pressing him as much as he thought she would. Then again, Sally had made a few reckless choices in her love life, including a one-night stand with a billionaire who then turned up in Jackson Key as Blaze and AJ’s business partner. Thankfully, everything worked out between Sallina and Sly.
