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Maeve: Are you drunk?
Lord, what else could she ask? The man was obviously inebriated. No one who was sober would taunt her with a text like that, and then send her “fuck me” eyes and a wicked smile. Maeve barely noticed when Callie stood to take Lexi to the bathroom, leaving the seats on either side of her empty.
AJ’s phone pinged and his smirk grew into a full-blown grin, one that made her blink at the blinding-ness of it. Holey sheet.
AJ: Sober as a priest, but definitely not as sanctified.
Maeve: We’re all sinners.
She attempted to keep her response light, even though she knew AJ was going for naughty. But why?
AJ: You’re right, and i’m feeling awfully sinful right now.
Her core clenched hotly, her nipples hardening. Ah hell. How was it possible for words to have such an effect on her? Oh yeah. It was AJ. The man owned her, body and soul.
But he was with Denise. So what was with the flirtatiousness and the filthy looks?
Maeve: i don’t even know what to say. What is going on with you?
Sly’s booming laughter filled the room, joined by something Blaze said, startling her. She nearly dropped her phone but caught it just as Sally slid into Callie’s empty seat beside her. Sally’s gaze flit between Maeve and AJ, a knowing smile spreading across her face like the Cheshire Cat.
“You and my brother, huh?”
Maeve coughed, pounding a fist against her chest, desperate to think up werds in response. Sally couldn’t know what was going on. If she figured things out, things would get way more complicated than they already were. Sally, ever perceptive, knew something was up, and she was digging as only a friend and sister would. Her intentions were good, but her methods were diabolical.
“He’s a good boss,” Maeve replied, tucking her phone and the flaming red flag of texts back into her pocket.
Sally wiggled her eyebrows. “Boss? Is that what you call him when you’re alone?”
“I call him AJ all the time, and we’re rarely alone. We work in an office, Sally.” That’s right. Keep your responses flat and unemotional. She won’t figure anything out from the blush on your cheeks or the way you can’t stop looking over at AJ who is not helping. The man was staring at her, his arms crossed, like he was waiting for her to break into song and dance. Anyone looking at them would think something was up, but there was nothing to be up between them. He’d seen to that with his apology and insistence they be work friends.
Work friends didn’t send flirty texts, though. Something was up with him, and Maeve didn’t have the mental energy nor emotional fortitude to deal with it. She wanted to finish the night, take Callie and Lexi home, and settle in.
Sally struck a nonchalant pose, one arm crossed over her chest, one elbow planted on the crossed arm, and a manicured fingernail tapping on her chin.
“You know…my brother told me something last Friday that I just couldn’t believe….”
Don’t show interest.Sally would pick apart any facial expression.
“Oh?” That’s good. Nice and simple.
Sally continued, “He told me he was finally settling down, and that he’d met this woman—get this—through a secret admirer email. Can you believe it? Supposedly this woman is so great and wonderful, he’s moving her to Jackson Key.”
Stunned, Maeve couldn’t hold the mask of indifference in place. She dropped it, and her heart followed suit. She sucked in a breath, her body losing all heat.
No. No! Things were moving too fast. Denise couldn’t possibly have won already.
It’s not like she had any opposition! You’re letting her get away with murder!
“O-oh. That’s good for them. She seemed…nice.” Nice and fucking horrible!
Sally leaned back in the seat and pinned Maeve with a speculative look. Before she could open her mouth to continue her well-intentioned mind fuckery, AJ’s voice broke between them.
“Sally, leave Maeve alone. Whatever you just said to her made her white as a sheet.”
Sally pursed her lips and scowled at him before her expression changed to concern. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“It doesn’t matter what you meant to do,” AJ growled, rising to his feet to hurry around the table to Maeve’s side. “Come on, Maeve. You look like you could use some air.” Her mind trapped in a whirlpool dragging her down to drown her, she didn’t fight AJ as he pulled her to her feet and led her out the restaurant doors, around the corner, and to a red brick wall. He leaned her against it.
