Crossing the Line (The Baltimore Banners Book 1) (13 page)

     "Friday. As soon as I walked through the front door, I told you we needed to talk but you didn't want to hear it." He frowned as he thought back, and she could tell when he finally remembered by the spark of realization that flashed in his eyes. Alec stood up and walked around the edge of the island, coming closer to her. She scooted further back on the stool, wary, not quite sure what he was planning on doing. "And then, later that night, I said I wanted to talk but you—"

     "Yeah, I remember." He stopped inches from her, towering over her, his eyes burning as he looked down at her.

     "I really did try—" Alec didn't let her finish, just wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, claiming her mouth in a searing move of possession. She placed her hands against his chest, not pushing him away, but not giving him the leverage to get any closer, either. He gentled the kiss then broke away, pulling back only a few inches to stare at her.

     She reached up and gently touched her fingertip first to the cut at the corner of his mouth then to the cut under his eye. He winced just the smallest bit but didn't pull away. "Does it hurt?"

     "Would you kiss it and make it better if I said yes?" She thought he meant for the words to come out as a teasing joke, but his voice was a hoarse whisper instead. Heat simmered in his gaze, settled between them, smoldering. AJ leaned into his hold and tilted her head up, placing the lightest of kisses against the cut under his eye then moving lower, gently kissing the cut at the corner of his mouth.

     His arms tightened around her and he pulled her closer, his mouth claiming hers in a kiss as light as hers had been. His touch was gentle, a feathery caress of his lips on hers. AJ curled her hands around his arms, feeling the hard muscle under her touch, the heat of his flesh through the thin cotton of his t-shirt. She ran her hands up his shoulders then down his back, her fingers tracing the sculpted ridges of his body.

     Alec's kiss became bolder, possessive, his tongue seeking and finding hers as his hands moved along her body, down to her waist, her hips, her thighs. His touch ignited a trail of heat as his mouth continued its seduction of hers, unleashing any hesitation she had felt only minutes ago. She slid her hands lower down his back, into the waistband of his sweatpants, along the firm muscle of his ass.

     Alec groaned and broke the kiss, his own hands reaching for the hem of her shirt and pulling it up, the palms of his hands skimming her flesh as he pushed the shirt up and pulled it over her head. "By the way, you look great in my shirt. But you look even better out of it," he whispered, his breath warm against her neck. AJ tilted her head back, her eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of his lips against her flesh, of the feel of his hands as they caressed and molded her breasts.

     "You noticed, hm?"

     "Hm-hm." Alec nuzzled her neck, his hands heavy and warm along her flesh, teasing. AJ swallowed against the sensation, wanting to lose herself in his touch, but needing to hold herself back. She slid her hands from his backside to his chest, finding the strength to grasp his wrists and pull his own hands away from her.

     Alec lifted his head the smallest bit and stared down at her, confusion mingled with the heat in his dark eyes.

     "I...does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?" AJ's voice sounded more like a desperate croak but she didn't bother to clear her throat and repeat her question, not when Alec smiled at her.

     "No, I'm still a little mad. But I think this might go a long way to making me get over it." His own voice was as raspy as hers had been. He leaned forward, intent on kissing her again, but she pulled back, just a bit.

     "Alec, I'm—"

     "Shh. It doesn't matter."

     "But I didn't mean—"

     His mouth closed over hers, effectively quieting her. AJ surrendered to his touch, giving in to the quiet demands of both of their bodies. She clung to him as he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her, then gently sat her on the island countertop.

     Where they both proceeded to make the other forget about anything but just the two of them.

     If part one of the feature had turned Baltimore's female population into Alec Kolchak fans, the second part turned the city itself into hockey fans. Known more for its football team, baseball team, and local Natty Boh brew, Baltimore reserved a loyal—but small—fan base for its ice hockey team. If the increased crowds filling the stands for the last few games were an indication, that fan base was growing.

     Alec pushed back his helmet and surveyed the crowd pushing against the boards of the practice rink. He couldn't remember the last time this many people had come out for one of their practices.

     And if you asked him, that wasn't a good thing. It was great that game attendance was up, nobody argued that. The crowds at practice, however, were nothing but large distractions—just one more in a line of distractions he didn't need.

     He turned to grab his water bottle just as Ian skated up to him, spraying him with a shower of ice. Alec filled his mouth with water, rinsed, then spit it out before taking a sip.

     "Can you believe this?" Ian asked quietly, his eyes scanning the crowds. "I've never seen this many people at practice before."

     "Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. Coach is going to have to start closing them if this keeps up."

     Ian continued scanning the crowd, slowly shaking his head. "I don't think they will. Why piss off the new fans, you know?" His searching eyes stopped and he nudged Alec. "Hey, isn't that AJ? What's she doing talking to them? And who's that guy with her?"

     Alec turned in the direction Ian was pointing and frowned. AJ was supposed to be in a meeting with her editor. He looked closer and his frown grew deeper. The man with her
was
her editor. And they were talking to the team owner and two people he recognized as being from the PR and Marketing Department.

     "Shit. That's her editor. This cannot be good." Alec and Ian continued watching the small group in silence, but there was no way Alec could tell what was happening. AJ finally looked over, an expression of dismay on her face. She offered him a small shrug, and mouthed something that made his stomach drop as he cursed.

     "What? What did she say?"

     Alec turned away from watching the group and slapped his stick against the ice then banged it against the pipe. "She said 'I'm sorry'. Shit, this is so not good."

     "So what's going on?"

     "I have no idea, but I have a bad feeling about it."

     Ian watched him for a few seconds then tapped the blade of his stick against Alec's skate. "Well, she's your girlfriend, I suggest you do something about it."

     "She's not my girlfriend." The denial flew from his mouth before he even realized he was going to say anything. An odd emotion crept over him, leaving him feeling hollow.

     Ian snorted loudly, then shook his head. "Dude, not sure who you think you're fooling with that line but okay, if you say so."

     Alec watched Ian skate away, then turned back to the stands to catch a glimpse of AJ. She was still in the middle of the small group but they were now walking away, and he quickly lost sight of her.

     The odd hollow feeling stayed with him, though. AJ wasn't his girlfriend, so why did the denial leave him feeling empty? It wasn't as if they were dating, as if there was anything real between them.

     Except for her laughter and smile. Except for the easy feeling of companionship and camaraderie that had grown between them. Except for the unexpected friendship he had found with her.

     Except they went to sleep in each other's arms every night and they woke up curled together each morning.

     Shit. So if she wasn't his girlfriend, what the hell was she? And what were they doing? He muttered to himself and grabbed the water bottle, squeezing a stream into his face and shaking it off as he repeated the question to himself.

     What
were
they doing? And more importantly...what was it he wanted them to be doing?

**

     Alec dimmed the dining room lights and took one last look at the set table, grinning to himself. As a surprise, he was sure AJ would enjoy it. The formal china and heavy silver utensils rested on fancy linen placemats—none of which he had ever bothered to use before—and the lit candles reflected off the heavy glass table and the crystal glassware. The real surprise was in the kitchen, keeping warm until she got home.

     He glanced at his watch just as he heard the door open, and smiled again. Perfect timing, he thought, hitting the remote for the stereo system so soft music filled the room. He walked toward the living room just as AJ came through the foyer, her head down as she tossed her keys onto the table and sat her backpack on the floor.

     He leaned against the door frame, just watching for a few seconds as she straightened and stretched, still not seeing him. She was wearing the outfit she had on earlier, a flowing sweater in a light brown and curve-hugging khaki pants. His gaze drifted down her legs and he smiled when he saw the pirate boots.

     "Hey."

     AJ turned, looking startled for a quick second when she saw him standing there. She offered him a smile that left too quickly but she stayed where she was. Alec frowned, noticing the tension around her mouth and the paleness of her skin.

     He pushed himself away from the door frame and took several steps toward her. "Everything okay?"

     "Yeah. I just...I've got a headache, that's all."

     Alec closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms, dropping a kiss on the top of her head as he gave her a hug, trying to ignore the effect she had on him. "Well, come in here. I have a surprise that might help."

     She pulled out of his arms and offered him a brief smile that didn't quite meet her eyes, then let him lead her toward the dining room. She paused at the doorway, then looked up at him, giving him another small smile.

     "Wow. Pretty fancy. What's the occasion?"

     "No occasion." He led her to the table and pulled a chair out for her with a flourishing bow. AJ smiled again and took a seat, turning up to look at him, her bewilderment still clear on her face. He couldn't resist; he draped his arm along the back of the chair and leaned down, claiming her mouth in an all-too-brief kiss. "Wait here."

     Alec walked into the kitchen and opened the oven, breathing in the warm scent of Italian spices as he pulled the tray out. Sitting it on the island, he turned and walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the bottle of wine. He had thought about opening one of the reds, but decided against it because of AJ's headache. He certainly didn't want to make it worse.

     No, if things went well, he was hoping he'd be able to make her forget all about her headache.

     He worked on uncorking the bottle and called into the dining room. "So how did your meeting go today?"

     "Um...yeah, about that." The hesitancy in her voice caught his attention and he stepped into the dining room, the bottle of wine in his hand. AJ had her head propped in her hands, her hair falling around her face. She looked up briefly when he leaned over and poured wine into her glass, then muttered a quick thanks.

     She didn't say anything else, so Alec went back into the kitchen and grabbed the tray from the island. He entered the dining room once more, the tray held out in front of him, and offered it to her with a small bow. AJ's light laughter drew a smile from him as he placed the tray in the middle of the table.

     "Pizza! I knew something smelled good when I walked in."

     "Nothing but the best." Alec took a seat across from her then slid a slice onto her offered plate before scooping one out for himself. "So about your meeting...?"

     "Let's eat first." Her gaze dropped from his and she focused on eating the pizza, her bites small, almost hesitant. He could see the tension in her face, the small furrow in her creased brow as she did little more than nibble her food. She finally gave up and put the pizza down, then took a long sip of her wine.

     "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

     She took another sip then pushed the glass away, giving him a slight nod. "Yeah. Listen, I just want you to know that I tried to stop it."

     Alec paused with the pizza half-way to his mouth. The expression on her face was pure agony; he had thought it was from her headache, that she was getting another migraine, but maybe not. He put the pizza down and looked at her. "That sounds pretty ominous."

     She met his eyes briefly then looked away and shrugged. "Not really. I mean,
I
don't think so. You might, though. Actually, the whole thing is really a bit funny and—"

     "AJ, out with it."

     "Um...they thought it would be interesting to get some shots of me on the ice. I don't know why, they just did, so I'll be practicing with you tomorrow." She finished in a rush then grabbed the wine glass and drained it. 

     Alec sat back in his chair at her news, torn between laughing and leaping across the glass table to kiss her. This is what had her looking so miserable and tense? Unless he was missing something, the news wasn't terrible. Had she really thought he would be upset by it?

     "That's it?"

     She finally looked up at him, her eyes still wary and hesitant. "You're not mad about it?"

     "For God's sake, AJ, why would I be mad? It's not a big deal. So you gear up and do a few turns around the ice, take a couple swipes at the puck. So what?" He finally laughed at her reaction, a mixture of surprise and confusion.

     "So you're not upset?"

     "No AJ, I'm not upset. Did you really think I would be?" Again her gaze drifted downward. An icy rush of disbelief swirled through him, and his light mood from several minutes ago suddenly dimmed. "You honestly thought I would be mad about this? AJ, do you really think I'm that bad?"

     "What? No. I just...I don't know. I didn't think you'd really be upset, but I didn't think you'd be jumping for joy, either."

     "Why not?"

     "Well...because...well, you weren't real thrilled about doing this whole thing to begin with, and the only reason you finally agreed to it was because of that bet. And I know for a fact that you didn't even think there was the slightest chance of you losing." Alec opened his mouth to disagree but she waved him off, obviously warming up to the conversation now. "And don't deny it. If you had thought there was even the slightest chance of me scoring, you'd have never agreed to it."

     Alec sat back and twirled the wine glass between his fingers. She was right, of course, and it would be foolish for him to even pretend otherwise. But he couldn't complain about how things had turned out. Well, except for his initial shock at being blindsided by the first feature last week. But that had more to do with bad timing than anything else.

     So no, he certainly had nothing to complain about. And if he had the chance to do it over again, he would.

     So tell her, he thought. Alec lifted his head to meet her gaze, trying not to smile at her dismayed expression. "You're right, I probably wouldn't have. That doesn't mean I regret it."

     AJ's eyes actually widened, if only for a fraction of a second. Then a light blush colored her cheeks and she quickly looked away, clearing her throat. He knew instantly what she was thinking, and spoke up before her mind went into overload conjuring up all the wrong reasons.

     "And no, I wasn't talking about the sex. I don't regret that, either—I really,
really
don't regret that—but that's not what I meant."

     "Then what did you mean?"

     What did he mean? Alec sipped his wine, thinking. What was it Ian had said earlier? Oh yeah: AJ was his girlfriend. But it didn't feel like that. They didn't get dressed up and meet for dates, they didn't go dancing or out to dinner or circle around each other, trying to find hidden meanings in every word and gesture, out-doing themselves as they tried to impress the other.

     They didn't do any of the agonizing things that Alec usually associated with dating today. Which was why he didn't date.

     Alec frowned into his wine glass. Now that he was actually thinking about it, he realized that they didn't really do anything at all. The one time he had taken her out, it had been to a strip club. Of all places. Yeah, they hung out. Watched television and maybe a movie. She came to his practices and games.

     He looked at the pizza tray in the middle of the table. They didn't even have nice meals—they had pizza, instead.

     And—oh yeah—they slept together.

     AJ wasn't his girlfriend. She was more like one of the guys on the team that he hung out with, except he was screwing her.

     "Alec...so what did you mean?"

     He looked up and noticed AJ staring at him, confusion creasing her brow, and he tried to remember what they had been talking about. Yeah, he remembered—why he didn't regret the bet. He drained his glass and cleared his throat. "I just meant that I like having you around, you know? I enjoy when we hang out."