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

by CJ Andrews

  His shoulders slumped forward, as if deflated by the rush of air he expelled. He crossed the room and took hold of my arms, pausing to study me. “I’ve got a lot on my mind, Danielle, but I’m not mad at you.”

  He tucked my hair behind my ear then slipped a finger under my chin, raising my face toward him. “The car will be here for me any minute. I need to go.” He placed a chaste kiss on my mouth. “I’ll be back on Sunday.”

  After picking up his bag, he headed toward the door.

  “Will?”

  He stopped and looked back without saying a word.

  “Did you leave your flight and hotel information for me?”

  His eyes closed. “I don’t have it. Harlow’s secretary forgot to give it to me in advance. I’ll need to send it to you later.” His voice was restrained, cautious, as though he expected a fight. The doorbell rang, and he escaped toward the stairs.

  “Have a good trip. I love you.”

  The front door opened. It closed. Will was gone.

  Guess he didn’t hear me.

  The silence, an ominous weight of loneliness, crushed in on me. I grabbed the corner of my towel to dry my eyes. Jeeze, Danni. Get a grip. I gave myself a mental shake and continued to get ready for work.

  Will’s cold departure left me feeling scattered, emotionally and mentally. Instead of heading straight to the elevator when I arrived at work, I took a detour to the little coffee shop around the corner.

  Several people were in line ahead of me. While I waited, I tried to come up with a way to back out of going to Metro Sky that wouldn’t make my friends mad. I hoped Jen would be able to help me sort things out and needed to spend time talking with her.

  The bell on the door jingled—a warning to all inside that another burst of cold winter air was heading our way. The chill that rushed down my spine came from more than a mere temperature change.

  I turned to look behind me. Just as I’d suspected . . . trouble had walked in, looking sexier than usual in his graphite wool overcoat and burgundy scarf. His ever-messy hair was windblown, making me want to run my fingers through it—return it to its normal haphazard state.

  Nico’s eyes sparkled. “Well, isn’t this a great way to start my day. Good morning, beautiful.” He pulled off his leather gloves and tucked them into the pocket of his overcoat.

  His contagious energy gave my mood an instant boost. “Good morning.”

  He moved close, making it easier to hear each other over the conversations around us. Close enough for me to smell his fresh clean scent. Close enough to feel him brush against me. Every touch, every breath fanned the embers that lingered inside me since our first meeting.

  Easy, Danni. You can do this.

  “I was looking for you at The Next Level last Saturday. Guess you didn’t get my e-mail about working out together.” He paused briefly. “You’ll need to give me your correct address. You know, in case I need to contact you about Logan’s account . . . or other things.” He placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me forward as the line moved.

  I didn’t know how to respond. He seemed like a bright enough guy. He must have at least suspected I’d ignored him last week.

  “Listen, if you don’t have plans tonight, maybe—”

  “Sorry, my sister’s coming into town tonight to visit for the weekend. We’re just going to hang out at home. Ice cream. Movies. That kind of stuff.” My response was probably a bit too hasty and enthusiastic, but I was relieved to have an honest excuse to turn him down. The last thing I needed, especially today, was to spend the evening with Nico.

  “Can I help you?”

  Saved by the barista. I ordered my latte and reached into my bag for my wallet. Nico’s hand rested on my forearm, stopping me.

  “I’ll get this.” He looked at the barista without waiting for my response. “Good morning. Can we also get a large dark roast coffee, black?” He released my arm and retrieved his card to pay.

  “Thank you. That wasn’t necessary though.”

  “You’re very welcome. Next time you can get mine.”

  “Sounds fair enough.” Too bad there wouldn’t be a next time since I would be adding this to my list of places to avoid. But he didn’t need to know that.

  He collected our drinks from the counter. “So do you have time to hang out here for a few minutes, or do you need to get to work?”

  I lifted one shoulder and tried to play it cool, determined not to give in to my surprising urge to sit and chat. “Afraid I need to run.”

  “Not a problem.” He handed my cup to me and motioned toward the exit, guiding me through the crowd again with his hand on my back.

  When we reached the door, he stepped forward and held it open for me to pass through first.

  “Guess this is where I leave you. Thanks again for the latte.” I hesitated, not quite sure of the proper protocol for leaving someone who’d just bought my morning shot of caffeine.

  “I don’t have any meetings this morning, so I don’t need to rush. I can walk with you.” He hesitated, looking at me. “That is, if it’s okay with you. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

  My head tilted as I studied him. This was a different side of Nico than I’d seen before. He really was trying to keep his promise; I had to give him credit for that. I smiled, nodding. “Sure. Why not?”

  He fell in step beside me, close enough to carry on a conversation but not touching me. “So, that invitation to help you with your workout program still stands.”

  “Oh, I . . . um, I’m not sure about that. I only went that one day because Kendra insisted. I’m really not a very athletic person.” And I don’t think having your hands all over my half-naked body, controlling every movement, would be a good idea. Fun? Sure. But not too smart.

  “Danni?” Nico was looking at me with an odd expression on his face. “Did you hear me?”

  “Hmm?” Damn overactive imagination. I bit the inside of my lower lip, trying to focus. “Sorry, I think I may have zoned out. Not enough caffeine yet.” I raised my cup to emphasize my point.

  God, I suck at cover stories. My cheeks grew warm despite the cold air around us.

  He smiled. “I just said you can call and talk to my secretary if you’d like to give it a try. Or I could give you my personal cell number.” He angled his head slightly to glance at me from the corner of his eye. “That way you could call me directly. Yourself.”

  We arrived at Brookdale Tower. Nico opened the door for me to enter and followed me into the lobby. The past fifteen minutes with him had been very nice, but I still needed to avoid spending time with him if I planned to revive my decaying relationship with Will.

  The answer was clear.

  “If I change my mind, I’ll call your secretary. But I doubt that will happen. Thanks for the offer though.”

  He pressed his lips together and nodded, clearly understanding the message. “Well, I guess I better let you get to work.” He took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he looked into my eyes. “I really enjoyed spending time with you—hope we get to do this again.”

  “It was nice.” Nice was the best I could offer. I didn’t dare to tell him how much I’d truly enjoyed it. But something in my smile may have given it away.

  A familiar lopsided grin broke out on his face, revealing that single dimple in his left cheek. Mischief sparkled in his eyes as he gave a playful wink.

  “Have a good day, Danni.” His thumb brushed across my hand before he let it slip from his, then he turned and exited the building.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Intervention

  It’d been forty-five minutes since Jen called to tell me she was on her way for our girls’ night in, and I’d been pacing the house ever since. I knew the drive would take close to an hour, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking out the window every few minutes. As I fluffed the couch pillows for the tenth time, a flash from headlights in the driveway grabbed my attention and sent me sprinting to the door.

 
; I burst outside, eager to greet my sister. Shivering on the stoop, I waited for her to climb out of her car then rushed to meet her halfway. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  My enthusiastic hug nearly knocked her overnight bag from her hand. She wrapped her free arm around me, squeezing tight, and rubbed my back as I shook with restrained sobs.

  “Shh . . . it’s okay. Let’s go inside.” She stepped back and took my hand, pulling me toward the house. “Things were crazy at home, and I was beginning to wonder if I’d be able to escape alone,” Jen said, chuckling as we closed the door behind us.

  I loved that she was giving me time to re-collect myself before bombarding me with questions about my breakdown.

  “Caden insisted he was coming along.” She opened her bag and carefully retrieved two pieces of paper. “He put up quite a fight about not getting to deliver these himself.”

  I smiled, easily recognizing my nephew’s familiar artwork. The first had a neon-green blob with a black stripe and four black “wheels” along the bottom. A small face smiled from the middle of the blob—Caden behind the wheel of Will’s Challenger. He loved to tease Will about his car, saying it looked like slime. But I was convinced he just loved the hearty tickling it always earned him while Will forced an apology.

  The next was a picture of Caden and me, holding hands and smiling. “Aww, this is perfect. I love that little guy.”

  Jen followed me to the kitchen, filling me in on the latest adventures of raising a four-year-old boy. She grabbed two bottles of Smirnoff Ice from the fridge and popped them open. While she chatted away, I took down the pictures Caden had made for me last month and replaced them with his new masterpieces.

  After a few minutes, Jen set her bottle on the counter and turned to look at me. “So . . . are you ready to talk about it yet?”

  Where to start. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.” My voice tapered off. “With Will, it’s one step forward, two steps back. We have great sex . . . well, most times it’s not so great, but at least it’s sex, right?” I lifted one shoulder, hoping to brush it off as no big deal. “I mean, we can’t all be like you and Ryan.”

  A slight blush shaded Jen’s face, and she rolled her eyes. “Get back to your story.”

  “It’s just that he withdraws so often—becomes really distant. Uninterested. Like I don’t . . .” I sucked in a shaky breath. “Like I’m not enough.”

  Jen crossed the room and took my hands, squeezing gently until I made eye contact. “Hey. No one can make you feel inferior without your permission. Remember?”

  The familiar words sent a comforting warmth through me. “Eleanor Roosevelt. I used to tell you that all the time growing up. I’m surprised you remembered.”

  “I remember a lot. Like the way you always stood up for me. Protected me. After Dad . . . well, you were all I had. And I remember what you went through with Mom—the way she treated you—and how much you gave up to take care of me.”

  I shrugged. “You’re my sister. I love you, and you needed me.”

  “And now you need me. Danni, you need to stop blaming yourself for every problem in your marriage. And you need to talk to Will about the way he’s been treating you—you’ve been through enough of that crap, and he knows it.”

  My eyes fell closed, squeezing out the tears that had pooled. “I can’t—what if he leaves me?” I opened my eyes to look at her. “I don’t know if I can take that chance.”

  “Then just promise me you’ll think about it. No matter what, you’ve always got me, Ryan, and Caden.” She gave my hands another gentle squeeze before releasing them. “Now I’m pretty sure I was promised a fun night and a pint of Chunky Monkey.”

  After giving Jen a huge hug, I grabbed two pints of Ben and Jerry’s and a couple of spoons.

  “So what movie are we watching first?” I asked as we moved into the living room.

  Jen laughed, digging into the bag she’d dropped by the couch. “You’re gonna love it! Ready?” She pulled out Grease. “Ta-da! Bring back memories?”

  “Oh, wow. A few. How many times did we watch that?”

  “I don’t know—every Friday night for probably a year? But I haven’t seen it in ages.” She crossed the room and popped it into the DVD player.

  We settled in on opposite ends of the couch, singing along despite mouths full of ice cream.

  About ten minutes into the movie, Jen turned her attention to me. “So, have you heard from Will at all today?”

  “Only the text letting me know he’d arrived safely. I tried to call him when I got home from work, but the call went straight to voicemail. And he hasn’t gotten back to me.” I tipped my head and raised my eyebrows with a questioning look. “He was mad this morning—guess he’s not over it yet.” I paused, thinking about what that meant, then let out a quiet sigh. “I don’t really want to talk about it right now though.”

  “Okay. New topic then.” She tapped her temple, thinking for a moment. Her mood shifted, and she gave a scandalous smile. “Why don’t we talk about Nico? You hear from him since his e-mail last week?”

  I groaned and rambled off a quick summary of our encounter this morning. “So that’s it, and enough talk about Nico too. I’m trying to forget about him. Remember?”

  Jen simply nodded, an odd expression on her face, and we went back to watching the movie. More accurately, I went back to watching the movie. Jen became obsessed with watching her phone.

  “You have better plans or something?”

  “Hmm?” Her response had the tone of someone who’d been caught daydreaming.

  “Your phone.” I pointed with my spoon before digging in for another bite. “You’ve been checking it every two minutes for the past ten.”

  Jen gave a sigh. “I’m just worried about Caden. He was so upset earlier, and it’s soon his bedtime.”

  “I’m sure he and Ryan are having fun, but why don’t you call him? It’ll make you feel better.”

  “Yeah. I think I will.” Jen pressed a button on her phone as she stood, moving toward the kitchen.

  The doorbell rang, startling me, but I chose to ignore it. The bell rang again, a series of impatient dings this time, prompting Jen to interrupt her call.

  “Are you going to get that?”

  “Wasn’t planning to.” I took another bite of ice cream. “I’m not expecting anyone.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me.

  “What? It’s probably someone selling something that I don’t want.”

  Jen swept her fingers forward, motioning for me to answer the door, then continued with her call.

  “Fine . . .” I took Ben and Jerry with me, waving my spoon at Jen. “But I’m giving them your name and number.” I crossed the room and peeked through the glass panel. “What the hell?” I turned the lock and pulled the door open.

  “Surprise!” Kendra and Kristi shouted in unison.

  “We’re here to kidnap you,” Kristi said. She cupped her hand by her mouth and leaned toward me, giggling. “Not really kidnapping, just borrowing you for a night of fun. Didn’t want you to call the cops on us or anything.” She gave an exaggerated wink.

  I leaned back, fanning away the smell of alcohol. “Did you leave the club to come here?”

  Kristi waved dismissively. “No, silly, we’re on our way there now. We can’t have girls’ night without the girls. Jeeze. But we did sort of start the party without you.” She paused to give an apologetic pout. “Sorry. We tried to wait for you, but that bottle of moscato was just too hard to resist and oh, so yummy!”

  “Wait . . . you were drinking on the way here?” I couldn’t believe they’d been so irresponsible.

  “Relax. Ben arranged for our ride tonight.” Kristi’s face glowed, and she poked her thumb over her shoulder without turning around.

  I looked past them at the sleek black limo waiting by the curb. How could I have missed that? “Wow. Impressive.”

  “I know, right?” Kristi said. “It’s from his family’s hotel. R
emember I told you they own Elevations? Anyway, the driver’s this sweet old guy named Ernesto, and he even wears one of those cute little chauffeur hats.”

  Kendra pinned me with an impatient stare. “I hate to break up this fun little chat session, ladies, but how much longer are you planning to make us stand in the cold?”

  “Actually, I was hoping you’d come to your senses and leave without me.” I groaned, realizing that wasn’t an option as her stare intensified. Stepping aside, I pulled the door open farther and motioned for them to enter. “What are you even doing here? I told you I’d changed my mind about going out tonight.” Shoot, that came out harsh.

  “Intervention, sweetie,” Kendra said. “Kristi told me you were really upset about dirtbag Will this morning and that Jamison sent you home early because you looked like shit.”

  “Kendra! That’s not what I said.”

  “Fine. Because you didn’t look well.” A dramatic eye roll accompanied Kendra’s patronizing tone, then she continued with an air of determined confidence. “What you need is a night out with the girls.”

  “I can’t. I mean . . .” I glanced at Jen as she joined us, knowing she’d have my back. “We don’t have anything to wear even if we wanted to go.”

  “Actually . . . we do.” Jen’s voice held a cautious tone. She bit her lip, eyes focused on me. “Our dresses are in my car.”

  “You were in on this? And that’s why you kept checking your phone.” I shook my head, looking between my best friends who’d conspired against me. “Un-freakin’-believable.” There is no way in hell I’m getting out of this.

  Jen shrugged. “Sorry. Kendra was worried and called this afternoon to sell me on her plan. And after our conversation tonight, I’m even more convinced she’s right. You do need a night out, so we’re going.” She grabbed my face and gave me a huge kiss before rushing out the door. “I’ll be right back.”

  It only took a minute till she returned, carrying a long black garment bag and wearing a huge grin. “You are going to look amazing!” She practically sang the words.