No Test for the Wicked: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, Book Five (24 page)

Chapter Thirty-Six

After they left, I made my coffee and went to watch television. My mind needed to heal as much as my body. For me there was comfort, as well as reprieve, in the familiar and routine. Given the trauma I’d been through, I needed a lot of both.

My phone chirped, so I checked it. I had a text from Slash.

Will be tied up until eleven o’clock. Is that too late to come over?

I thought about it and texted him back.

No, come when you are able.

Okay, will do. You okay?

Sure. Fine.

I fixed myself a bowl of chicken noodle soup from a can and ate it in front of the television. But I was still hungry and restless. I couldn’t find anything to watch.

I had a sudden urge for pizza. Avanti’s pizza. Thinking of all that gooey cheese, pepperoni and anchovies made my stomach growl.

I threw my coat over my yoga pants and sweatshirt and grabbed my purse. I drove to Avanti’s and put in my order for carryout. The smell of baking yeast and pizza was heavenly. I sat and waited, basking in the warmth of the restaurant and the great smells until it was ready.

Maybe it was just habit, but I found myself pulling into Elvis’s driveway, next to his red pickup, a few minutes later. I got out of the car, bringing the pizza with me, balancing it on one hand as I rang the bell.

There was a noise and the door abruptly opened. Elvis stared at me in shock, his blue eyes widening. His hair was wet and his chest naked. He had a white towel wrapped around his waist.

“Lexi?”

My cheeks heated. “I caught you in the shower. I’m sorry. I should have called first. It’s just I ordered a pizza from Avanti’s. I was going to go home, but then I realized I didn’t want to eat alone. I thought you might not want to be alone either. So, I figured you might be up for some pizza, company and a bit of gaming.”

He started to say something when I heard a voice.

“Elvis? Who is it?”

The door opened a bit wider and Bonnie stepped into view behind him. Her blonde hair was wet. She clutched a white towel around her torso with one hand, while she placed the other one on Elvis’s naked shoulder.

“Lexi? What are you doing here?”

My mouth fell open as I looked between her and Elvis.

“Bonnie? I...I’m really sorry. I interrupted. I had no idea that you...that he...that Elvis had company.”

Bonnie smiled. “Well, I’m so glad you stopped by. I wanted to thank you again for everything you did for our school. You and Elvis were truly amazing. I can’t think of how I could possibly repay you two.”

“It looks like you found one way.”

Before she could answer, I shoved the pizza in Elvis’s hands. “I’m sorry. I’ve...I’ve got to go. You guys enjoy the pizza.”

“Lexi—” Elvis started, but I turned on my heel and fled to my car.

I pushed the key in the ignition and pulled out of his driveway as quickly as I could. I drove through at least one stop sign and a red light before I pulled over to the side of the road, leaning my head against the steering wheel and trying to think.

I was surprised, that was all. Stunned. Maybe a little dazed. Who could blame me?

I hadn’t expected anyone to be at Elvis’s.

Definitely not a girl.

Definitely not a
nude
girl.

Definitely not Bonnie.

I’d just been taken off guard to see them naked...together. I was entitled to a bit of shock.

So what if they’d been in the shower together? It was none of my business. He was a grown man, and Bonnie was a grown woman. A very pretty woman, not that it mattered. Consenting adults could take showers together...and do more if they wanted. Jeez, it was what I was doing with Slash. I should be happy that Elvis was emerging from his freezer and getting on with his life just like he’d vowed he’d do.

He was moving forward.

If I were any kind of best friend, I’d be thrilled for him. So, why did I feel like I’d just had my guts yanked out?

Confusion throbbed behind my eyes. I wanted to puke and hit something at the same time.

Instead, to my horror, I burst into tears, crying with big honking sobs and blubbering all over the steering wheel. What in the world was wrong with me? Maybe I was suffering from some kind of post-traumatic stress. I was traumatized by recent events. That’s all.

I swiped at the tears with the back of my hands, willing myself to calm down. I needed to talk to someone. Unfortunately, Basia was out. I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell Slash. I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of my very first boyfriend. He would probably think I was completely out of my mind if I started babbling about pizza and towels. Besides—even though I’m not intuitive with these kinds of things—I felt like this should be a conversation between girls.

So, who?

The answer came easier than expected. I fumbled in the glove compartment for a tissue. I wiped my eyes and then blew my nose. When I felt composed enough, I retrieved the phone from my purse and punched in the number.

I waited as it rang twice, three times.

“Hello?”

I closed my eyes. Funny that it had taken me until now to realize this was something I should have done a long time ago.

Still, better late than never.

I took a deep breath.

“Hi, Mom. It’s me, Lexi. Can I come over?”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I arrived home from my parents’ house about eleven o’clock. Slash was already inside waiting for me. He’d turned on the Christmas tree and holiday music played softly in the background.

He rose from the couch when I came in. “
Cara?
”

Without a word, I walked into his arms. He held me for a moment and then pulled back, searching my face.

“What happened?” He ran the pads of his thumbs under my eyes. “You’ve been crying.”

“Yes.”

He took my hand and made me sit on the couch. “Want to talk about it?”

“That’s all I’ve been doing for the past few hours with my mom.”

An eyebrow shot up. “Your mom?”

“Yes. I guess we had what you could call ‘girl talk’. There’s a first time for everything.”

“I’m...astonished. Is there something I can do to help?”

I rubbed my eyes. “I don’t think so. I just...well, things are changing so fast, I can’t keep up.”

“What things?”

“Everything. I barely have time to figure out how to have a boyfriend and then...”

Slash waited a beat and when I didn’t say anything, he leaned forward. “Then what?”

“I think I’m losing my best friend,” I blurted out.

He looked confused. “Basia?”

“No. Elvis. He said he was going to thaw and then he thawed. I can’t go over there unannounced anymore. I don’t even know if it’s appropriate to call him. I’ve always been able to call him when I need him.”

“I’m not following you.”

I cleared my throat. “He was...with Bonnie.”

Slash let out a breath and leaned back against the cushions. “Ah.”

My hands were trembling. “Our friendship, mine and Elvis’s, it’s changing and I don’t want it to.”

“Relationships don’t ever stay the same. They will either evolve and grow or they will wilt and die.”

“So, you’re saying our friendship is dying?”

He put a hand on my back, rubbing it slightly. “Perhaps it’s just evolving.”

I felt a tear leak from my eye and hastily brushed it aside. “I don’t want it to change. It hurts.”

“
Si
, it will. If something really matters, then it will hurt. Hearts are strange like that.”

“Life was better without all these complications. I’m not sure I can handle this.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “This coming from the woman who just outwitted a group of terrorists with her feet? I think you’re much stronger than that.”

I put my head on his shoulder. “I just don’t know what to do, Slash.”

He shifted on the couch, putting an arm around me. “So, are you accepting candidates for the position of best friend?”

I’d been worried that having a boyfriend would be too stressful and complicated for it to be worth the risk. And now here Slash was, offering me companionship, comfort and much more.

I lifted my head and studied his face. “Why, are you interested in applying?”

He looked directly into my eyes. “Damn right I am.”

* * * * *

About the Author

Julie Moffett is a bestselling author and writes in the genres of historical romance, paranormal romance and mystery. She has won numerous awards, including the prestigious PRISM Award for Best Romantic Time-Travel and Best of the Best Paranormal Books of 2002. She has also garnered several nominations for the Daphne du Maurier Award and the Holt Medallion. Julie is a military brat (Air Force) and has traveled extensively. Her more exciting exploits include attending high school in Okinawa, Japan; backpacking around Europe and Scandinavia for several months; a year-long college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland; and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where she fell in love with castles, kilts and brogues. Julie has a B.A. in Political Science and Russian language from Colorado College and an M.A. in international affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has worked as a journalist, teacher, and researcher. Julie speaks Russian and Polish and has two sons.

Where no great story goes untold.
The variety you want to read, the stories authors have always wanted to write.
With new releases every week, your next great read is just a download away!

Keep in touch with Carina Press:
Read our blog:
www.CarinaPress.com/blog
Follow us on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/CarinaPress
Become a fan on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CarinaPress

ISBN-13: 9781426899164

No Test for the Wicked

Copyright © 2014 by Julie Moffett

Edited by Alissa Davis

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

www.CarinaPress.com