My thumb jerked, hitting the call button, and his phone barely had time to ring before he answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Aaron.” It felt strange not to know what to say to my husband. “How are you?”
“I’ve had better days. How are you?” His usual warm, loving tone had disappeared. He sounded detached and cautious.
“Did something happen? Are you okay?” I was honestly concerned about him. He didn’t sound like my Aaron.
“Oh, let’s see,” he began, and I closed my eyes just to listen to his voice. “The judge denied your request for an annulment a few days ago, but your lawyer is abnormally expedient.
“Your process server is especially efficient too. He’s already been by to hand-deliver your divorce papers. I assume you’ve called to ask if I can send them back today so the next six months will fly by.”
The palpable pain in his voice brought me to my knees. I had no idea he’d receive the papers today. Jared’s assistant filled them out at the same time I filed for an annulment, just in case. When I filed the divorce papers, it simply felt like the next logical step.
Then I had to face how much that action hurt Aaron. He hurt me. I hurt him. He fought to hold on to me. I hurt him again. Every day for the last thirty-five days, I’d received a text from him with one reason why he loves me and one memory he has of me.
“Aaron,” I replied, barely holding back the sob trying to break free.
“I understand, Christa. I had the best person in the world as my wife, and I fucked everything up, as usual. It’s my calling card. I don’t blame you at all.
“As for the papers, I’ll have a courier deliver them to you as quickly as possible. One less thing for you to worry about.”
“Aaron, wait.”
“I really have to go, Christa. I’m in the middle of a meeting,” he interrupted me. “You take care of yourself.” The gentle, loving inflection in his words automatically prompted the tears.
Then he disconnected.
Just like that, he was gone.
* * *
Aaron
“That was the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever had to do.”
“I know it was, my boy. But it was necessary,” Delilah replied. “Trust me. I’d never steer you wrong as long as you’re doing right by my girl.”
“How is that supposed to help me convince her not to go through with the divorce?”
“You’ve been chasing her. She’s gotten a taste of how good it feels to be wanted, and believe me, she likes it.
“But she filed the papers anyway. Out of spite or pride doesn’t matter—neither will do her any good in the long run. Now, she needs to understand how it feels to think she has truly lost you. She has to learn to appreciate you and your love for her.”
“I don’t like playing games. I’d rather just tell her exactly how I feel. Be honest and upfront.”
“You already have, Aaron. Where has that gotten you? She has to realize what’s at stake on her own.”
“I’m not giving up on my plan, Delilah. I still have six months before the divorce is final.”
“No, you won’t give up at all. But it’s time to reformulate your plan of attack. You’re no longer the whipped dog, begging for table scraps, happy to get whatever she’ll throw your way. You’re going to make her remember the confident, cocky man who captivated her in the first place. You’re going to make her want that man again.”
“Yes, ma’am.” My smile was genuine, and my confidence received a much-needed boost. “I’m ready to throw my wife over my shoulder and carry her back to my man-cave.”
Delilah winked mischievously, sealing our conspiracy. “That’s my boy.”
Personal Delivery
Aaron
* * *
Instead of sending the divorce papers via a courier, I decided to deliver them personally. Besides, I needed coffee and croissants for breakfast. It was convenient since there was only one place in the world I’d go.
The Sweet Spot.
When the chimes over the door rang, announcing my entrance, Christa looked up to greet her customer. The sweet smile plastered on her face fell, and apprehension took its place. My presence there made her nervous.
Good.
At least she wasn’t indifferent or mad. She was affected by me, and that meant her real feelings were still buried.
“Good morning.” I approached the counter with my usual confident swagger. The half smile playing on my lips wanted to break out into full seal-the-deal mode, but I withheld it. “I’ll have a coffee, black, and a caramel croissant, please.”
Christa’s confused expression amused Allie, who nudged her way in to ring up the sale. After paying for my breakfast, like any other customer, I found an open table and sat where I could watch Christa work.
A couple of minutes later, Christa approached with my order, and I stood to take it from her. “Thank you. You didn’t have to bring it to me. I could’ve grabbed it myself.”
“You know me—service with a smile.”
“I do know you. Very well.” My eyes dropped to her mouth, then to her breasts, and feasted on the rest of her as if she was mine to devour. Because she was.
Her pink colored cheeks were a dead giveaway to her thoughts. She went to the same place I did with a slightly suggestive comment. Her heart remembered. Her body remembered. Now to convince her mind our marriage was what she wanted.
“What brings you in this morning?”
“Besides the best coffee and croissants known to man?” I winked, then softened my expression. “I’ve signed these. Thought I’d bring them back to you myself.” I reached inside my jacket and produced our divorce papers.
Giving them to her killed me because a divorce was the last thing I wanted. But she was damned and determined to be damned and determined. The best way to convince her otherwise was if she worked through the motions for herself.
She reached for the papers, and her hand held on to them tightly as her eyes lifted to meet mine. Our locked gaze held us in place every bit as much as the tight grip she had on my hand. She didn’t want to take the papers from me. She didn’t want to let go of my hand.
So, I let go.
The emptiness I felt from instantly missing her touch made me grab the coffee cup before I did something stupid, like grab her instead.
“This coffee is so good. You’re turning me into a junkie.”
The quirk of her lips into a partial smile came and went so fast, I almost questioned if it was even there. One fist wrapped around the papers, curling them tightly while she wiped the other palm on her thigh.
“I’m glad you like it. I’ll just go put these up.”
A simple nod was my only reply before I tore into the croissant I didn’t even want. It was all I could do to force it down, knowing she was hurting, too. Knowing I only wanted to make everything right. Knowing she was still my wife, and that was all I wanted.
She walked away, and Allie approached me the second Christa was out of earshot. “Very smooth, slick. Want some help?”
“Absolutely. Has Jared made his move yet?”
“He tried, but I’ve actively worked against him. He’s not for her.”
“Does she agree?”
“I don’t know, Aaron. She loves you, that much I know. But Jared is safe, or she thinks he is anyway. She’s known him and his family for a long time. One thing she hasn’t had in her life, but she desperately tries to find, is safety.”
“You have a great point, and my plan fits perfectly with what she needs.”
Allie leveled me with her serious expression. “Don’t hurt her again. Ever. Or I’ll cut your dick off and auction it on eBay.”
“Fair enough.” Christa emerged from the kitchen area, wiping her eyes. I inclined my head slightly toward her and said to Allie, “Time for step two.”
Christa avoided looking at me as she stepped behind the counter. I slid out of my chair and sauntered toward my wife. “Delicious bre
akfast, as usual.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” She still refused to look up, and she kept her voice low. But I could see her fight against her quivering bottom lip.
“Let me take you out for a delicious dinner tonight. You work hard serving others all day. You deserve to be catered to after work.”
She finally met my gaze. “But…you signed the papers. You want a divorce.”
One side of my mouth lifted in a half smile. “Those two things are not mutually exclusive. I signed the divorce papers because I won’t fight you on it. That doesn’t mean I won’t fight like hell for you until the last possible second.”
Her lips parted, and an audible gasp escaped. She was speechless, but I was relentless.
“Christa? Dinner?”
“Uh. I guess that’d be okay.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up about seven, then.”
“All right.”
I turned to leave, walking away without a care in the world. When I reached the door, I looked over my shoulder at her and she was smiling.
Score one for Aaron.
* * *
Christa
I changed my clothes five times in fifteen minutes, and after I was finally dressed, I considered changing again. Nothing looked right. Nothing fit right. All my clothes should be burned so I could replace them with acceptable attire.
Aaron would be there in a few minutes, if not right then since he was normally early when we went out. My level of excitement over having a date with my husband, or soon-to-be ex-husband, should have been alarming. It should have raised some kind of red flag, signaling I was broken and needed serious therapy.
But I didn’t have time to consider that since I was back inside my closet, searching for something appropriate to wear out to dinner. I chose a blush-colored casual shift dress with strappy wedge sandals. He knocked on my door just as I was adding the finishing touches of jewelry.
When I opened the door, it was all I could do to breathe. He was larger than life, filling the doorway and looking so handsome. Even in casual clothes, he was the sexiest man I’d ever seen.
His eyes raked over my body, touching me physically and making me yearn for him even more. “You look absolutely stunning, Christa.” The smooth timbre of his voice glided over my nerves, igniting the passion deep in my core.
“Thank you, Aaron. You look very handsome yourself.” My eyes had a mind of their own, because they drank him in from head to toe then back up again.
His confident smirk was intact after catching me checking him out. I drew my lips together, attempting to hide my guilty smile. Unsuccessfully.
He extended his arm toward me with a full smile. My God, that smile always slayed me. “Shall we?”
I grabbed my clutch then wrapped my hand around the bend of his arm and drew closer to him. The spicy-sweet blend of his cologne was intoxicating on its own. Mixed with Aaron’s natural essence, being so close was almost cruel and unusual punishment.
He closed and locked the door, double-checking it latched completely before we left. “I have to make sure you’re safe.”
We moved toward the elevator, content in our silence, when none other than Jared stepped into our path.
The reaction I expected from Aaron didn’t happen. I waited for his muscles to tense and his temper to flare, but he was relaxed. Jared, on the other hand, appeared as if he could chew nails like gum. His gaze landed on my hand wrapped around Aaron’s arm then flew up to question me wordlessly.
Funny thing was, I didn’t have an answer. Not one I could verbalize anyway. Why was I dressed up and going out on a date with Aaron? Because right then, there was nowhere else I’d have rather been and no one else I’d have rather been with.
Aaron extended his hand toward Jared, who still hadn’t spoken. “Hi, Jared. How are you?”
“Fine.”
Jared’s response was terse, and he barely looked at Aaron when replying. His angry eyes were set on me. He’d never hurt me or even acted like he would, yet I found myself shrinking behind Aaron’s arm.
Sensing my discomfort, Aaron shifted his weight to widen his stance and shield me even more. “Do you have business to conduct with Christa?”
“No,” Jared replied to Aaron, then shifted his attention back to me. “I thought I’d drop by and ask if I could take you to dinner.”
“Thank you for the thought, but we already have plans tonight.” I waited uncomfortably as Jared processed my reply, but Aaron remained cool and collected.
“We’d better get going so we don’t miss our reservations. Nice to see you again, Jared.” Aaron tightened his arm against my hand and stepped around Jared to punch the elevator button.
Once inside, we turned to face the door, and Jared was still standing there. Not on the elevator with us, but in the hallway watching us.
“Going down?” Aaron asked calmly.
My heart was thumping wildly against my rib cage.
“I’ll wait.”
“Okay. Have a good night.”
The doors closed, and I expected Aaron to question me about Jared’s territorial behavior. But he didn’t.
“My buddy owns the place I’m taking you to eat tonight. It’s a little unorthodox, but I hope you enjoy it.”
“He owns it? Is he the chef?”
“No, though he used to be. He said being the owner is more fun since he doesn’t have the stress of cooking and managing the entire kitchen. He still walks around and talks to the customers about their experience, but any comments about the food aren’t a direct insult to him anymore.”
“What kind of restaurant is this?”
He smiled, and I felt my knees go weak and the butterflies flurry in my belly. His lips were perfect—not too thin, not too big. Perfect kisses. Perfect smiles. Perfect…naughty things I shouldn’t have been thinking while we were alone in the elevator.
The bell dinged for the lobby, and Aaron stepped out, still holding on to my hand with his muscular arm.
“It’s a murder mystery dinner theater.”
I looked up at him in surprise. “I’m so excited. I’ve always wanted to go to one, but I’ve never taken the time—or had anyone to go with me.”
“Well, now you have me, and I’m more than happy to go anywhere with you.”
The rest of the night was like a dream. We talked, we laughed, we touched—lightly, but I felt the electricity flow through me every time. He opened doors for me, pulled out my chair. Everything he said and did was perfect, even when it wasn’t.
Now he was walking me back to my apartment, and we were nearing my door.
I was in deep trouble.
* * *
“So, how was your date with your husband?” Allie waited all of two minutes after we opened the café before asking.
I’d been dying all night to talk about it with someone who understood my lunacy. “Allie, I think I may have made a mistake.”
“By filing for a divorce? Yes, you did. I’ve told you that many times.”
“No. By agreeing to go out with him. It’s just too much.”
“What’s too much, exactly? Be more specific. In fact, be very specific.”
“We had a great time together. He took me to a murder mystery dinner theater, and it was amazing. They pulled me up to be part of the show and gave me lines to read. Aaron took pictures of me as an actress.” I laughed and shook my head at the memory.
“I’m not hearing a problem yet.”
“That’s the problem. Well, part of it anyway. He’s perfect in almost every way.”
“Christa, seriously?” She didn’t even try to hide the disapproval in her tone.
“Hear me out. Against my better judgment, I took a chance on him before, and look what happened. We ended up married, and then he completely forgot about it. Now I’m pushing for the divorce he started.
“He has already crushed my heart, and I understand he’s trying to make up for that now. But if he changes his mind again later, he’ll destroy me
. I’ve learned my lesson about taking chances. Only safe bets from now on.”
Allie put her palms down on the kitchen island. Her shoulders sagged, and the crestfallen expression on her face was more than objection.
She was disappointed in me.
“You’re taking a worse gamble with what you perceive as a sure thing.”
I opened my mouth to ask her to explain, but she walked to the other end of the room to work with her back to me. I wasn’t psychic, but I could read her like a book, and she was finished talking to me for the time being.
Unexpected Visitor
Christa
* * *
What I didn’t get to tell Allie was what happened after the date. When he walked me to my door.
He checked the doorknob again, ensuring it was locked. Then asked if he could check the apartment before he left. He said he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t confirm no one was waiting for me inside.
I didn’t bother to object again. His protective side was just one of his wonderful characteristics.
“All clear. Now I can sleep, knowing you’re safe.”
“And I can sleep, knowing you’ve checked every possible hiding place.”
He stood at the door, looking too sexy for my own good. “Good night, my love. Get that fine ass of yours over here and lock the door behind me.”
I walked across the room and leaned against the edge of the door. “Thank you for dinner and the mystery theater tonight. I had so much fun. I haven’t laughed that much in forever.”
“It was all my pleasure. I’d love to take you out again soon.”
I couldn’t help myself. I mean, he was right there. He was so damn sexy. He smelled so damn good. His smile was so inviting, the attraction was too strong, my willpower was too weak.
Completely Captivated Page 20