Crossing the Line (The Baltimore Banners Book 1) (12 page)

     Sharp banging echoed somewhere nearby, startling AJ out of her restless sleep. She pushed up on her elbow and brushed the hair out of her eyes, squinting against the light streaming in through the open doors. The muscles in her neck protested when she looked around, trying to clear her mind of the last remnants of sleep. She untangled her legs from the blanket and slowly sat all the way up with a groan as her stiff muscles protested sleeping on the sofa all night.

     AJ frowned. She didn't remember falling asleep here; she must have dozed off after Alec stormed upstairs last night. So where had the blanket come from?

     Sounds of movement and more banging came from the kitchen. Alec was obviously awake already and fixing something to eat. He must have been the one to cover her with the blanket sometime during the night. AJ thought she should probably go into the kitchen and thank him, but she couldn't bring herself to do more than prop her elbows on her knees and lower her head into her hands.

     "There's coffee if you want some." Alec spoke from the doorway, and AJ briefly wondered how he had known she was awake. It didn't matter. What mattered was that his voice sounded even more distant and chilled than it did last night.

     She bit back a sigh and pushed herself off the sofa then shuffled to the large gourmet kitchen. It didn't matter that one leg of her sweatpants had pushed up to her knee, or that Alec's shirt was twisted around her waist. She focused only on making it to the coffee pot, on pouring the dark brew into a large mug and taking a deep sip. It burned as it slipped past her tongue, the heat hitting her system before the caffeine. She took another sip then cautiously searched out Alec above the rim.

     He was standing by the stove, throwing things into a frying pan, his back to her. There was no doubt he was still mad, not if his clipped motions were any indication. She took a few more sips of the coffee, topped off the mug, then walked over to the center island and pulled out a stool. A newspaper tossed on the counter caught her attention, and she paused before finally taking a seat, her eyes on the bold headline above her byline.

     Under that was a full color picture of Alec in the net, his helmet tipped back, his mouth slightly open as he drank from a water bottle. The picture was a great one, capturing the angles of his face, the depth of his eyes. AJ figured that a large portion of Baltimore's female population were now members of the Alec Kolchak fan club. Not that she had any room to talk, since she qualified as club President.

     She shifted on the stool to get comfortable, hooking her feet around the legs and reaching out to pull the paper closer. She had read it yesterday, of course, but there was still a small flutter of excitement at seeing it in full color, at the sight of her byline, so prominent and—

     Suddenly pulled from her hands and tossed to the counter by the sink. AJ tucked her chin down and took another sip, not daring to look at Alec. He hadn't said anything since letting her know about the coffee. After ripping the paper out of her hands like he just did, he didn't
have
to say anything for her to know he was still upset.

     So AJ sat there, sipping her coffee and swinging her foot back and forth, staring at the island countertop as Alec finished cooking. His back was still to her, so she watched as he pulled the pan off the stove and tilted it over a plate.

     Her stomach suddenly grumbled, loud enough that there was no way Alec could have missed hearing it. She ducked her head and pretended to be focused only on drinking her coffee, then jumped in surprise when a plate and silverware were pushed in front of her.

     "Eat."

     AJ looked up, but he had already turned around, giving her his back once more. Which, she guessed, was fair enough, since he had gone back to mixing more things in the frying pan. She sighed and reached for the fork, taking a small bite of the omelet and trying not to groan in satisfaction at the taste.

     "This is good, thank you."

     Her words hung in the air, eliciting zero response from Alec. She took another bite and chewed, staring at his back, willing him to turn around and look at her. Several minutes passed until he tipped the pan over a second plate and slid his own omelet out, then tossed the pan into the sink with a bang. He grabbed his own fork then finally turned around, leaning against the counter to eat, his legs casually crossed, not even looking at her.

     But he didn't have to look at her in order for her to see the cuts and bruises on his face. They looked worse than they did last night, and she didn't know if it was because of the time that had passed, or if it was because she could see them in the light now.

     She inwardly winced as Alec took another bite of his breakfast, watching as he made sure to stay away from the cut on the side of his lip. How he was eating at all without writhing in agony was beyond her. It hurt just to look at; she couldn't imagine how it actually felt.

     "I can do without being stared at while I'm eating."

     AJ started then looked back down at her own breakfast, feeling guilty at being caught staring. Then she just felt irritated. She finished her omelet and pushed the plate away, then took a few more sips of coffee before looking up at Alec.

     He was still leaning against the counter, his legs still crossed, still eating. Still ignoring her.

     "Okay, I get that you're pissed off. Are we going to talk about it or not?"

     He looked up at her, his eyes dark, a spark of irritation flaring in their depths before he looked away again. AJ let out a sigh, deliberately loud and impatient, just to see what he would do. Again, he gave her another dark look before turning away, placing the empty plate in the sink.

     "What? Didn't feel like throwing that in like you did the frying pan?" AJ wished she could take the words back as soon as they left her mouth. They were sarcastic and immature. It didn't matter that they relieved some of her own frustration. At least, it was obvious it didn't matter to Alec. He again turned his dark gaze on her and just stared at her, a muscle twitching in his clenched jaw.

     A few long, quiet seconds stretched between them before he stepped to the island counter and reached for her plate. His eyes still locked on hers, he stepped back and threw it into the sink, where it landed with a shattering crash as it hit the other plate and frying pan. "Like that?"

     AJ bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. This was
not
funny. It really wasn't. Alec was more than just a little upset. Anger and frustration rolled off him as he watched her, the emotions flaring in his eyes. And AJ felt her own anger spark to life under his gaze, an irrational ignition of emotion that had been left to simmer for too long. She leaned back on the stool and crossed her arms, fixing him with her own cool stare.

     "So are we going to have this out or not? Because, like I said, it's obvious you're pissed. Are you going to tell me why?"

     "Am I going to tell you why?" Alec repeated, his voice dangerously low and quiet. He reached behind him and grabbed the paper from the counter, then flung it to the island countertop. "Christ AJ, why do you think? Do you think maybe this could have something to do with it?"

     AJ glanced down at the paper then back at Alec, understanding he was upset about the feature, but not really understanding why. A blade of defensiveness knifed through her, and she sat up straighter. "Do you want to tell me what is so wrong with this?"

     "What's wrong with it? What do you think is wrong with it? This isn't a simple story! It's more like a damned expose in a fucking tabloid."

     AJ jumped back so quickly she almost fell off the stool. A hard slap would have hurt less than the words he had just thrown at her. Her heart hammered deep in her chest, pounding below her rib cage and against her lungs, making her breaths come sharp and quick. She returned Alec's stare, making no attempt to hide her anger and her hurt. Something flashed in the depths of his eyes and he looked away, taking a deep breath and running his hands through his hair.

     "I didn't mean it like that."

     "The hell you didn't." AJ lowered herself from the stool, standing ramrod straight as she faced Alec, her chin held high in stubborn defiance.

     "AJ...this isn't what I agreed to. This," he grabbed the paper and held it clenched in one fist between them, "this isn't an interview."

     "You're right, it's not. It's a feature article. And it's a damned good one."

     "It's not what I agreed to! You've made me out to be some kind of...of...I don't know. Some kind of elite pretty boy."

     "What are you talking about? That is absolutely ridiculous."

     "Is it?"

     "Yeah, it is. The feature doesn't turn you into anything—it just brings out a human side to all the boring stats that you've hid behind all the years you've been playing."

     "Well I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but the general consensus now is that I'm a pretty boy. I believe the term 'henpecked pansy ass' was also used."

     AJ closed her mouth with an audible snap. Had she really heard him correctly? The dark look was still on his face, the flare of anger and frustration still lingered in his eyes. Yes, she had heard him correctly. She swallowed and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as realization dawned on her.

     "Is that what all the fighting was about last night?" The muscle ticked in his jaw again, giving her the answer. "Really? So where did the 'henpecked' come from? Because I don't get that one—"

     "Dammit AJ, this isn't funny!" His shout echoed in the silence of the kitchen, ringing off the stainless steel appliances and granite floor and countertops to bounce back at both of them. Alec met her stare and their eyes locked for several minutes until, finally, his lips twitched upwards. It was the smallest twitch, but it was there. His lips twitched again and he quickly turned away, wrapping his hands around his neck and leaning his head back with a frustrated groan.

     "It's really not funny," he said again. Except this time his voice was muffled and hoarse, almost like he was choking. AJ pulled herself back onto the stool and propped her elbows on the island top as she watched him.

     "So...are you, like, laughing? Or are you choking? Because if you're choking I'm not sure I want to help you."

     "I'm not choking." Alec stood with his back to her for another minute then finally turned to face her with a heavy sigh. She watched him warily as he looked at her, almost as if he was studying her, before he took a step forward and leaned his arms against the island. The move put him dangerously close and she sat back just a little, unable to gauge this new mood and needing to put distance between them.

     "I'm sorry about the 'tabloid' comment."

     "Okay." AJ sat back even further, still cautious, not entirely trusting him. "I'm sorry about the 'henpecked' comment."

     Alec stared at her, the marks on his face making him look even more menacing. "Why? You didn't make it."

     "No, but I figured I may as well apologize since you're blaming me for it."

     Alec hung his head and muttered to himself. AJ couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but she had a sudden suspicion that he was counting to himself. Except he kept counting long past the time he should have reached 'ten'.

     Which she thought was kind of insulting.

     He finally looked up at her, the darkness and frustration gone from his eyes. "I let the trash talk get to me last night. And I believe 'henpecked' came because everyone knows you wrote the article."

     "Everyone who? In case you didn't notice, the byline says 'AJ Johnson'. Not
Amber Johnson
. There's a reason I use 'AJ', you know. People don't take people named 'Amber' seriously."

     Alec looked a little taken aback. He actually pushed himself up on his elbows, putting distance between them, and looked at her. "Is that what you think?"

     "No, it's what I know. Would you read a serious sports piece by someone named 'Amber'? No, you wouldn't."

     "Well it doesn't matter what you think. Everyone knows who wrote it, no matter what name you used."

     "That's because everyone on your team knows who I am."

     "AJ, I'm not talking about the Banners. I'm talking about Pittsburgh."

     She sat up straighter, trying not to smile. People knew who she was? That had to be a good thing. "Really? They knew who I was?"

     "Yeah. The 'henpecked' came from them because I 'opened up' to a 'girl'."

     Her brief excitement died at both Alec's look of amusement as well as his words. "What? Of all the...just wait until they're playing here. I can't believe—"

     Alec's hand clamped over her mouth, stopping her tirade. Their eyes locked and her stomach did a little flip at the instant spark that shot between them. Alec quickly removed his hand and shifted back, pulling his gaze away.

     "I just...why didn't you tell me about it, AJ? If you had told me, I wouldn't have been caught off-guard by the whole thing."

     "I tried!"

     "When?"