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After pouring myself a cup of coffee from the sputtering, outdated coffee maker in the corner, I settled into the chair beside Alexandra's bed. It put me in a direct line between her and the window or the door. I wasn't really paying attention to the rerun cop show on television, but it helped to pass the time. After a few minutes, Alexandra's hand settled on my forearm.
"Do you do this for all the bartenders you know?" she mumbled, her voice slurred with impending sleep.
"Only the pretty ones," I whispered.
As I brushed a lock of hair away from the corner of Alexandra's mouth, her eyes fluttered open and her pale gray gaze locked on me. I lifted her hand from my arm and brought her knuckles to my lips, brushing a lingering kiss there. She didn’t look away, didn't close her eyes, didn't even blink.
Then I moved her hand back to the mattress. With one final touch to her cheek, I settled into my chair again.
"You should get some rest," I said.
Alexandra studied me for several long seconds. She almost seemed as if she might protest. Until she rolled over, turning her back on me.
I wasn't blind. There was an attraction here, on both sides. But for some reason, just when Alexandra seemed ready to lean into it, she pulled back and closed herself off. I chalked it up to poor timing. Maybe if we had met under different circumstances, when a shitty ex-fiancé wasn't looming over us like a thundercloud, we might have had a chance. But Alexandra was skittish now, her trust in men and relationships and love twisted by a man who didn't know how to treat her the way she deserved, and I couldn't blame her for that.
Eventually, Alexandra fell asleep, her breathing slow and even. I pulled the covers up, draping them around her, and continued nursing my coffee well into the early hours of the morning.
It unnerved me that Stephen had been silent for so long. I'd received no word from any of my resources that he was doing anything. That was more unsettling than an outright attack, fueled by rage. I suppose it should have made me wonder if he had really tucked his tail between his legs and made a run for it, leaving Alexandra alone. But that explanation didn't sit well with me. I couldn't bring myself to believe it, let alone lower my guard.
As the clock sidled closer to 9am, Alexandra began to stir. She stretched her arms over her head with a squeak. Rubbing at her eye with the heel of her hand, she sighed.
"Feeling better, sleepyhead?" I asked.
Alexandra peeled one eye open with a bashful – but pleased – little smile.
"Yeah. Who would have guessed I needed a big bad biker boy to watch over me while I slept to get a good night's rest?"
A heartbeat of stillness settled over the room at her comment. The echo ofbig bad biker boyhung in the air, heavy with sensuality. Pink colored Alexandra's cheeks when she realized what she'd just said. I raised my eyebrows, biting my tongue despite the burning desperation to fire off a quip that would make her blush even harder.
"On that note," Alexandra said, shoving the covers back as she rose to her feet. "I’m going to take a shower and pretend I never said that."
"Don't worry, I won't forget it anytime soon."
"Shit," she muttered, scrubbing a hand through her tangled dark brown locks. "Remind me not to invite you over for coffee again if I keep shoving my foot in my mouth and saying dumb things like that."
I chuckled. "I got a kick out of it."
She groaned and shut the bathroom door. A moment later, the drum of water signaled the shower had been turned on. I tried not to think about a naked Alexandra on the other side of that door.
In an effort to distract myself, I set my coffee aside and moved to the blinds, shifting them just enough to look out. All was quiet in the parking lot. An older woman was walking her chihuahua in a small patch of grass next to the lobby. Otherwise, there was no activity and certainly nothing to be concerned about.
After a few minutes, the shower turned off and Alexandra emerged, toweling her hair dry. She'd exchanged her sweats and oversized t-shirt for a purple tank top and snug gray shorts. I knew better than to stare…but my gaze swept up bare legs anyway, to the swell of her hips, to her cleavage, stretching the fabric of her shirt taut.
Alexandra cleared her throat. "You're staring."
I returned to my seat, crossing my arms.
"Don't pretend like you don't know what kind of view you have going on right now," I pointed out.
Alexandra opened her mouth then snapped it shut. She turned away, combing her fingers through her wet hair. A distinct chill came over the room at her lack of response.
"Why do you do that?" I asked, softening my voice as much as possible. I didn't want to come across as interrogative; that would shut her down and she'd never tell me anything.
"Do what?"
But she wasn't looking at me when she spoke.
"That," I said, my voice a little sharper this time in order to get her attention.
