Two Hearts: Beyond Control (Two Hearts Trilogy Book 1)

by CJ Andrews

  “Listen, before I forget, I talked with Mr. Harlow this afternoon. He needs me to go to Chicago for a few days to meet with that potential client about the smart condos. The only day this guy has available is Saturday two weeks from now—I think he’s flying back late Friday night from somewhere out west. Anyway, I’ll need to leave around noon on Friday, and I’ll catch a morning flight back on Sunday.”

  Will had been talking about this project for a few weeks, some huge property with upscale condos—a prototype of some sort of smart building. I always got lost on the technical details.

  He won’t be with the client all the time. I traced the condensation on my glass, deciding if I should make the suggestion bouncing around in my head. It could be fun. “You know, I could go with you. Make it a romantic getaway.” I raised my eyes to see his reaction. “After you take care of business, of course.”

  He reached across the table, covering my hand with his. “Not this time, babe. Harlow made it clear that this is an important job to land, and he needs me to really schmooze. Lots of time spent with the client, and I’ll need to stay focused. It won’t be a fun trip.”

  “I’m sure it will be fun for you, but . . . I get it.” I tried to hide my disappointment.

  “It’s only two days. Why don’t you visit Jen, spend some time with Caden?” Will was talking to me, but his attention was definitely somewhere else again.

  Seconds ticked by. He stared past me, mindlessly caressing my hand.

  I waved my free hand in front of his face. “Hey. You in there?”

  Will blinked several times as he returned to me. “Huh? Oh, sorry. Guess I, um . . . I’m not sure where my mind went.” He released my hand and leaned back in his seat. “You ready to go?” He motioned for the waiter without waiting for my response.

  We were back home by eight thirty. Will had draped his jacket over the kitchen chair and deposited his shoes beside it before I even walked through the door.

  He pulled me to him as I passed and wrapped me in a gentle embrace. “I’m sorry I wasn’t very good company tonight.”

  I reached up to kiss him. “We were together. That’s all that matters. You okay though? You seem worried or upset.” As the words slid out, it occurred to me that he had reason to be. I leaned back to look in his eyes. “Nothing happened at the gym, Will, and I told you I’m not going back.”

  “I know, babe. I just feel really drained today.” He brushed my hair away from my face and kissed the tip of my nose. “Partly your fault. I’m going to call it an early night—maybe watch TV in bed until I fall asleep.”

  As he walked away, a small part of me wondered if he sensed my turmoil of emotions. Enough. This crazy obsession with Nico had to stop. Now. No more behaving like an out-of-control, raging-hormone twenty-something . . . like that little bimbo, Trina.

  I need a drink. I poured myself a big glass of wine and carried it to the family room, where I curled up in the corner of the couch to read. By the third time reading the same page, I knew it was useless. My mind kept drifting to Will . . . then Nico . . . then back to Will.

  “Hey, Danni. What’s up?”

  My phone was in my hand. Jen was on the other end of the line. How did that happen? I didn’t remember getting it out of my back pocket or calling her.

  “Danni? You there? You okay?”

  “I-I’m here. Did I call you?”

  Jen laughed, but it sounded tight and laced with concern. “Yeah, are you drunk?”

  A quick glance to my glass confirmed I had only taken a few sips. “No. I should be, but . . . no. I didn’t even realize I called you. Guess I, um . . . guess I needed to talk.” I pushed the book from my lap and slid to the edge of my seat.

  “You’re kinda makin’ me nervous here. You alright?”

  Will had said he was going to bed, but I needed to be sure. This was bound to be a conversation I wouldn’t want him to overhear. “Hang on a sec.”

  I crossed the living room and glanced up the stairs, confirming that our bedroom door was closed. Faint voices from the TV on the other side mixed with the rumble of Will’s snoring.

  “Okay, coast is clear.” I pulled the blanket from the back of the couch as I settled into my seat and took a huge gulp of wine.

  “Spill, Danni. What’s going on?” Her question sounded more like a demand.

  Where to start. Resting my elbow on the overstuffed arm, I pressed my forehead into my palm. “Remember that guy I told you about from New Year’s Eve?” My words sounded shaky.

  “Mmm, yeah. Nico.” Her voice had a dreamy quality to it, as she obviously remembered the delicious details I’d shared about how amazing he looked and sounded.

  “I ran into him again. Well, more like Kendra made sure I ran into him. Turns out he’s a friend of hers.”

  Jen was silent, and I began to wonder if she’d even heard me. “That sounds like Kendra. It also sounds like it’s going to be a problem for you, isn’t it?”

  “Pretty much.” I spent the next fifteen minutes giving her a blow-by-blow recap of my entire day.

  “So what do I do? I love Will. I don’t want to hurt him, and I would never cheat on him. Never.” Thirsty from talking so much, and needing to dull the ache in my chest, I grabbed my wine glass and chugged down most of the contents before continuing.

  “But Nico, he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before—tingles in places I’ve never felt them. He’s like this potent, exotic drug whenever he’s around, promising to take my body on a magical journey and make my soul soar, and I just want more. Want to feel more. And knowing I’ll never be able to have even a small taste of that is painful. Physically painful. Like a tension headache that’s spread through my entire body.”

  Jen exhaled a heavy breath. “Danni . . . shit. What you’re describing is the way I feel around Ryan. And what I imagine it would feel like if I couldn’t have him.” She was quiet for a few seconds. “Question is, what do you do about it?” She sounded as if she were delivering a terminal diagnosis.

  I knew what my answer would be before she even asked the question. “There’s only one option. I stick with the plan to save my marriage. It’s just . . . sometimes I’m not sure Will’s on the same page.” I swiped away the tears that fell to my cheeks. “You have your family, Jen. People, besides me, to love you. Will is my family, all I’ll ever have. He came along when I needed that most, and I have to believe it’s because we belong together.”

  “I know you do. So it sounds to me like you’ve made up your mind. Why don’t I come up and spend the weekend with you when Will’s away? We could both use some good ol’-fashioned girl time.”

  My voice trembled as I sucked back a sob. “I’d like that. A lot.”

  “Alright then, we have a date.” Her voice was back to her normal cheery sound. “You call me if you need to talk more before then, okay?”

  “Yeah. Thanks, Jen. I love you.”

  “I know. I love you too. Now go get some sleep. You sound exhausted.”

  “Night, Jen.” I pressed the button to end the call and downed the rest of my wine. She was right—I was exhausted. I fluffed the pillow next to me then hugged it to my chest, our conversation replaying in my mind.

  “Danielle. Wake up, babe.”

  Gentle fingers brushed the side of my face, tracing the path my tears had taken earlier. I opened my eyes to Will’s face directly in front of me.

  “What are you doing down here? It’s three a.m.”

  So much tenderness filled his voice, melting my icy fear of losing him. He slid his arms under me, scooping me up, and carried me to bed.

  “I love you, Will.”

  “I know, babe.” He kissed my temple and squeezed me tight.

  Chapter Eleven

  Friends

  I stepped out of my car in the parking garage of Brookdale Tower, not remembering anything about the drive there. Monday morning. Back to work.

  I’d barely slept last night. That uneasy feeling I’d been enduring for d
ays continued to gnaw at me. Thoughts of Nico consumed me. Guilt tore at me.

  By the time the first signs of daylight had peeked through my bedroom curtains, I had given up any hope of sleeping or relieving the knot of tension in my stomach. I’d slipped out of bed without Will noticing and rushed through my morning routine. Before leaving our bedroom, I set an alarm for him. I shouldn’t have. He did say he wanted to “sleep,” after all.

  The security guard greeted me as I entered the lobby and passed through the turnstiles. The building was quiet now, but it would be a hub of activity in another hour or two.

  The elevator ride to the eighteenth floor took less than a minute, delivering me to my second home, the offices of Jamison and Walters, PR. I flipped on the lights, taking a deep breath as I glanced around the office. Routine. Normalcy. I didn’t have to worry about surprises here.

  My shoulders relaxed. My tension eased. Even the cluttered mess of papers strewn across my desk was a welcome sight.

  I started my computer and settled into my chair, waiting for the system to come to life. My eyes locked on the framed photo next to the monitor, and my mind drifted to last night.

  At some point during the night, I’d tried waking Will for a little romance, something I’d never done before. It made sense to me, in the moment, that relieving a little tension would help me sleep. Plus, I thought guys liked that spontaneous stuff, which meant it fit perfectly with my plan to fix my marriage.

  I must have been misinformed, because Will didn’t appreciate the interruption. He’d pushed me away before turning to his side, pulling the covers tight to his chin, and grunting that he wanted to sleep.

  The photo in front of me grew blurry.

  It seemed the only time we had sex anymore was when I initiated it and didn’t take no for an answer . . . except for my birthday. Now that night had been amazing.

  I picked up the photo, taken in Jamaica on our tenth wedding anniversary. I barely recognized myself with an enormous smile on my tanned face. Will’s arms were wrapped around me in a tight embrace, his lips pressed to my temple. I returned the photo to its place then angled it away from me and dove into my work.

  It took nearly an hour to find my desk under the files dropped there in my absence and sift through countless e-mails. A quick glance at the clock showed I still had an hour to check the PowerPoint file and set up Peter’s office for his eight-thirty meeting with . . .

  I clicked on the calendar to open the details. “No way. Logan?”

  “Danni!” Kristi Warwick, my coworker and close friend, burst through the office doors. She was a tiny package with a larger-than-life personality. Kristi came to Jamison and Walters about five years ago, fresh out of college, and ran the Outreach Department.

  She rushed toward me, arms outstretched. You would have thought I’d been gone for two years instead of only two weeks.

  “Hey there, stranger,” I said. “Where have you been hiding?” Her mood was contagious, and a huge smile stretched across my face. “Wow, look at you. You’re glowing!”

  “Oh, Danni, I’m in love! And for real this time.” She threw her arms around me, pulling me into her small frame for a lively hug. After a few seconds, she stepped back but kept hold of my hands. “He is so amazing, and hot, and just absolutely perfect. You’re gonna love him too; I know you will. His name is Ben, and he plays in a band. Well, it’s not his real job; it’s just for fun. He’s actually the CFO at Elevations, can you believe—his family owns it! But anyway, that’s how we met. The band, I mean. Oh, and he has this really sexy voice and incredibly gorgeous eyes that are the most exotic shade of gr—”

  “Take it easy.” I grabbed her shoulders and looked in her sparkling blue eyes. “Breathe, Kristi.” My chest shook with a stifled laugh, and I struggled to get out the rest of my words. “You’re going to hyperventilate again. And then I’ll have to go steal someone’s lunch, again, to get you a paper bag to breathe into.”

  Her eyes popped open wide. She nodded then took a huge breath, broke into an even bigger smile, and wrapped me in another tight hug. “Sorry. I’ve just been dying to tell you about him. I guess it all sort of erupted out of me.”

  “You know, you could have called me instead of sending cryptic text messages all week telling me you met someone.”

  “I know. And I should have, but I wanted to tell you in person. It’s so much more fun. Besides, I was a little too . . . busy . . . to spend time on the phone.” She giggled, swaying her hips, then grabbed my arm and tugged me forward. “Come with me. I need coffee.”

  I laughed, following her to the break room. “The last thing you need is caffeine.”

  She smiled at me with a mischievous grin and lowered her voice. “See, that’s where you’d be wrong. Ben had me up—or should I say he was up—most of the night.” Her cheeks turned a pale shade of pink that almost matched the streaks in her blond hair. She turned away to fill her mug with coffee.

  “Oh, almost forgot . . .” She faced me, leaning against the counter. “You have to promise to go with me next time his band plays. I’m sure we can get Kendra to go too—make it a girls’ night, you know? We haven’t had one in a really long time. It’ll be such a blast! Which reminds me—well not really that any of this reminded me, but I just remembered to ask—anyway, how are things going with you and Will? Back to settin’ the sheets on fire?” She gave me a playful nudge and exaggerated wink.

  Definitely not last night. “Not quite, but I’m working on it. And girls’ night sounds fun. Let me know the date.”

  Kristi watched me, a small pout on her face. Her expression told me she was waiting for details.

  “We’ll talk about that later. Listen, I need to set up for Peter’s eight-thirty meeting with Logan VanBergen. You have anything in the works for that project? It was just added while I was off, and I didn’t see a file.”

  “Oh, now he’s dreamy. I have all my files in a shared folder, so you can grab them from there.” She took a tentative sip from her mug. “Did you get to meet him at his party? I’m dying to know if he’s as charming in person as he looks in his ad photos.”

  “Not at the party, but Kendra and I met him at The Next Level on Saturday. I think she’s got a little bit of . . . a crush.”

  We both laughed. That seemed like an odd word to use when talking about Kendra.

  “Anyway, we went to lunch with him and his friend after the gym, and I’ve never seen Kendra so focused on someone. Or quiet.”

  “Seriously? Wow, Kendra quiet is like . . .”

  “You depressed?” I rested my elbows on the counter next to her.

  “Exactly!” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I wonder if they hooked up.”

  “If they did, I’m sure we’ll hear about it.” Kendra loved to share every single detail. I rolled my eyes just thinking about it. “Okay, I better get back to work.” I paused before leaving. “Lunch later?”

  “Definitely! I’ll come get you.”

  A chat with Kristi always cheered me up. But the renewed energy I left the break room with didn’t last very long. My pace slowed as I approached my desk. A vaguely familiar-looking woman snooped around it, touching every item as if she were browsing a gift shop. She picked up the picture of Will and me, pulled it toward her face for closer inspection, and brushed a finger across the glass.

  What the hell? I never understood why some people couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. “Excuse me. Is there something I can help you with?” Keeping my voice polite while watching someone violate my personal space was difficult, but I managed. Barely.

  I plopped my coffee mug on the corner of my desk and reclaimed my photo, rubbing it against my skirt before returning it to its place. “Do you have an appointment with someone? I can direct you to—”

  “You look so happy.” Her pensive comment was barely audible. She shifted her eyes to mine then returned her focus to the photo. “In the picture. I . . . um . . .”

  She took a single deep br
eath. Her shoulders relaxed as she let it out and turned, skimming over me with an assessing gaze. An angelic smile spread across her delicate face. She brushed her long chestnut hair away from her cheek and smoothed it down across her collarbone.

  “You must be Danielle. I’m Alexia. Jamison. Peter’s daughter.” There was a sweet innocence in the melodic tones of her voice. “I hope I didn’t offend you. Your lovely picture caught my attention while I was waiting for you to return.” She looked down at her hands, clasped tightly together.

  I shouldn’t have been so harsh. She was clearly uncomfortable, and I could sympathize with that. I put on my best fake smile and greeted her properly. “It’s nice to meet you, Alexia. You can call me Danni. If there’s anything I can do to help you get settled in, let me know.”

  I tried not to stare but couldn’t stop myself. Maybe I’d seen her in a picture in Peter’s office. I couldn’t remember. “Your, um . . . your dad is really excited that you’re joining the team, so we’re glad to have you here.”

  She stepped closer, her dark green eyes locked on mine like a dog vying for dominance, but her voice remained cordial. “Daddy talks about you all the time. He really adores you, you know. Says you’re almost like a second daughter.” She gave a nervous laugh. “Guess that makes us sort of like sisters, right?”

  “Good morning, Danni. I see you already met Alexia.” Mr. Jamison emerged from his office and joined us. “Or maybe you two met at the picnic last summer?”

  “Good morning, Peter. Alexia just introduced herself, but I do think I’ve seen her before.”

  “I’m going to give Alexia a quick tour of the place and get her set up with Kristi. I should be back in plenty of time for my meeting, but you can have Logan wait in my office if he gets here before I return.”

  I exited Peter’s office after setting up for his meeting and nearly crashed into Logan.

  “Danni? I didn’t expect to see you here.”