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Alex looked as startled to find her there as she was to have been caught on her way out.
“Where are you going?” he asked, a box resting on his forearm. “I got us food. No salad, I promise.”
“I have to go,” she said as he pushed the door further open. “You have a visitor.”
“I have a…”
The rest of the apartment came into view and Lance stood up from the couch.
As Alex slid the food box onto the small kitchen island, she grabbed his opposite forearm to bounce up and kiss his cheek.
“Have fun,” she whispered.
He grabbed her wrist before she could retreat. “You don’t have to leave.”
That was funny. “Are you kidding?” She grinned. “If the man I loved surprised me by coming home from his business trip early, I wouldn’t want some third wheel gooseberry friend cutting into our reunion time.” Giving his arm a squeeze, she liberated hers from his grip and retreated to the door. “Enjoy each other, lovebirds.”
Although part of her envied their love, another part was over the moon for them. Love had to be celebrated. The more those in it could rejoice, the better.
7
“What are you doing here?” Xander asked Lance after Rainie closed the door behind her. “And what the hell is she talking about? Why did she call us lovebirds?” His friend’s smile was both contrite and ashamed enough to be concerning. “Lance?”
“I don’t think you could get a woman so different from your usual type. She’s something.”
His avoidance of the question wasn’t a good sign.
Giving the food box another push, he strode toward his friend. If he could still be called that.
“What…” he growled, “did you say to her?”
“You used my last name. I didn’t know that.”
Restraining his anger wasn’t easy. It was necessary. The longer he could stay calm, the more he’d get out of Lance.
“You were the last person I spoke to before she asked for my name. I was on the spot,” he said. “You told her your name and she thought we were married? Why not brothers?”
“Maybe ‘cause I’m so much more handsome—” He lunged and Lance leaped back. “Okay! Okay!” He took a breath. “We talked the day you met. She answered your phone, said you were getting coffee.”
“So?”
Shaking his head, Lance seemed to search his recollection. “I don’t know. I made some comment about her answering my guy’s phone and she took it to mean…”
The anger faded as he absorbed the gravity of what his friend was actually telling him. “The day we met…” he murmured.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that she was… that you liked her. I mean, honestly, what was the chance of you meeting a woman you’d want to date in the first minute you were out in the world? I was just messing around. She said it and I just didn’t… correct her.”
Sealing his lips tight, his breathing grew so shallow that it came out in harsh pants.
All the time he’d known her… Since they’d met, nineteen days ago, every time he’d thought he was flirting, when he believed they were growing closer, she’d believed he was…
“Oh my God,” he exhaled, backing off. “She doesn’t have a damn clue.”
The only reason he’d gone out to pick up lunch, as opposed to taking her somewhere, was he’d planned to make his move while they were alone in his place. Not that he’d expected they’d get naked, but he had the chance to ask her out properly… to kiss her. Yet, all the time, she’d believed he didn’t… that they couldn’t…
“Doesn’t have a damn clue who you are? No, she doesn’t, but she was never supposed to,” Lance said, coming to lay a hand on his shoulder. “This was a game from the very beginning.”
Throwing Lance’s hand off, he wasn’t amused or interested in platitudes. “Not with Rainie. She doesn’t like games. You fucked up the first real relationship I ever had.”
