Code Red

by Amy Noelle

  Sitting at dinner with Mr. Wrong, thinking about someone who could be Mr. Right. Any advice?

  I set my phone aside and tried to focus on Derek, but it was a useless enterprise. I kept looking at my phone every few seconds, willing it to ring with a response. What if he ignored me? What if he thought I was a mega-bitch for texting him while I was out on a date? What if . . . my phone beeped, and I snatched it up.

  Derek muttered something, but I ignored him as I looked at my text.

  Maybe you should have made a date with Maybe Mr. Right instead.

  Was he mad? I couldn’t tell.

  I didn’t make the date. Maybe Mr. Right did, and I went to be polite. I’d much rather be anywhere else, especially if it was with him.

  Derek was glaring at me. “Sorry,” I said. “You know how friends are.” That was lame, but I certainly couldn’t tell him I was text flirting with another man.

  “I can’t say that I do,” he said. “Jeez!” he exclaimed when my phone buzzed again.

  “I’m terribly rude, I know. I’m sorry.” I wasn’t and we both knew it, since I had my phone in my hand again.

  Maybe Mr. Right might have overreacted because he was jealous. You should ask him out so he knows you’re interested. Your baseball team’s in town next weekend. You going?

  I couldn’t contain my smile. It wasn’t too late. I hadn’t screwed it up completely.

  So happens I have two tickets for the game on Saturday. Good ones. Do you think Maybe Mr. Right would go with me after I messed things up so badly?

  “Look, if you’re doing that thing where a woman fakes an emergency so she can end the evening, can you just go ahead with it instead of ignoring me?” Derek asked.

  Shit. Now I felt bad. “It’s not that.” I had to be honest. “Listen, the truth is there’s someone I’m sort of involved with.”

  “Why are you out with me, then?” He sounded rightfully irritated.

  “Because I felt it would be rude to cancel on you. And I know, instead I’m being rude by ignoring you. It wasn’t my intention. This isn’t working, though. I’ll leave if you want me to.”

  “That’s a good idea,” he said.

  Wow. That was kind of a surprise. I couldn’t say I minded, though. I got my wallet out of my purse and gave him more than my share of dinner. “Sorry.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  True, but I was too polite to say it. My phone buzzed again, and I heard Derek swear as I waved and hurried from the table. I would have liked to take my dinner to go, but that would have required staying longer, which wasn’t an option. I stepped outside and looked at his response.

  I think he probably would. He tried to get you out of his head all week and failed miserably.

  For the first time since Monday, I felt happy. Happier, even, than I had in ages. I’d wasted two weeks being stubborn and denying what I wanted. I wasn’t going to waste any more.

  I couldn’t either. Date ended prematurely due to my ignoring Mr. Wrong to talk to Maybe Mr. Right. Any idea what I should do? Had to leave my dinner behind.

  I headed toward the El, and my phone rang before I could step into the station. It was him. I tried to control myself, but I was pretty sure he could hear the excitement in my voice when I said, “Hello.”

  “Hi.” He had such a sexy voice. I should record him so I could listen to him when I used BOB. I bet it would be a magical experience. Of course, using him instead of BOB would be way better. And now it might be an option.

  “Since talking to me seems to have cost you your dinner, the least I can do is provide you a replacement meal.”

  Thankfully, I was looking pretty hot. I hoped that wouldn’t offend him, since it wasn’t originally for him.

  “Nic?”

  I was thrilled he was using my nickname again. He’d been so formal all week. “Yeah? What did you have in mind?”

  “You could come over. Jen’s here. Ryan’s grilling. I was going to stay in my room to give them some time alone, but—”

  “I’d love to,” I said. I hated the thought of him being alone, especially when I was out with Derek.

  “Yeah? I’ll text you the address.”

  “Great.” He sounded so happy, and I felt like I was on cloud nine. I was an idiot for making both of us wait for this, and I was going to tell him so when I saw him again. I wondered what train line I needed to take. At least I had my trusty TouchPhone to look up the address and figure it all out.

  “I’m really glad your date sucked,” he said.

  I laughed. I loved his honesty. “He never stood a chance. He’s a Cubs fan.”

  “Poor guy. Did you rip him a new one?”

  “No, but I thought about it when he implied he hated cats.”

  “Wow, he was a bad date. Sorry I forced you into that.”

  “I’m not. I think it’s going to turn into an amazing night.” I couldn’t wait to get to him, yet I wanted to keep on talking to him.

  “I think it will, but we need to hang up so I can send you directions.”

  “Okay. See you shortly.”

  “I can’t wait. Bye, Nic.”

  Me neither. “Bye, Josh.” My phone beeped almost immediately after I hung up. He gave me the address and added a comment.

  I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to have to kiss you tonight.

  Mind? Good God. Wait, what had I done? I had death breath! I needed mints, pronto!

  I don’t mind, but you might. I ate garlic bread and onions since I had no intention of kissing Mr. Wrong.

  I dug through my purse and nearly cried with relief when I found my mints. I popped one quickly and hoped it would be enough to clean me up. I didn’t have time to go home and brush.

  I’m glad to hear it. If you want, I can eat something foul to make us even. Either way, I have to kiss you.

  I laughed as I swiped my metro card and headed toward the blue line. I had to kiss him, too. It had been two very long weeks.

  I found a mint. We’re all good.

  I got on the train and took a seat.

  This makes me very happy. Hurry up.

  I wished I could take control and make the train move.

  On the train and on my way. Pucker up.

  This night was turning out to be wonderful. I needed to buy Jen flowers or a car or something. Nothing would be enough to thank her.

  Ready and waiting. See you soon, beautiful.

  The train started moving, and I refrained from squealing with joy. I was finally headed in the right direction, to what very well could be the right man. I couldn’t wait to find out.

  Chapter 16

  Usually I loved riding the El. I loved people-watching and making up stories in my head about who they were and where they were going. Their pretend lives were always a billion times more interesting than my real one, but not tonight. Not when I had a handsome guy waiting for me. For once, my life was better than the fantasy lives I made up. I didn’t even glance at anyone. I just kept popping mints and hoping my breath didn’t stink too badly.

  After the longest twenty minutes of my life, they announced my stop. It wasn’t too far from my own place, much to my utter joy. I headed out of the station and, according to my phone, I needed to head west. I really needed to figure out which way was west.

  My head was bent over my phone as I tried to figure out how to get the map back up when someone tapped my shoulder. Fist at the ready, I turned and let out a ridiculous girlish squeal of surprise when I saw Josh grinning at me. I sounded like a cheerleader. He laughed and I couldn’t help it. I launched myself at him.

  He wrapped his arms around me and at last I was pressed up against that wonderful chest of his. He was wearing a thin cotton T-shirt and jeans, and there wasn’t much between our bodies when I leaned into him.

  “Well, hello,” he said in my ear as his lips rubbed against my earlobe. It sent shivers down my body.

  “Hi.” I pressed my nose to his neck and breathed in that incredible sandalwood,
spicy, soapy man scent.

  He pulled back, and I looked up into his killer blue eyes. They were so much better than Derek’s. There was life and amusement and, well, if eyes could be sexy, his were. His smile faded, and he brought his hands up to frame my face. Oh, God, this was it. He used his thumbs to lightly caress my cheeks as he bent toward me.

  He looked steadily into my eyes, and I met his gaze head-on, letting him know without words that I wanted to kiss him more than I wanted just about anything. He brushed his lips against mine, and I grabbed his forearms to keep myself from falling in a ridiculous swoon.

  It was a simple kiss, but his lips destroyed me. I felt like my entire body was on fire, just like when he touched me, only more powerful because now I could touch him and taste him. Then he caught my lower lip between his and bit it gently. I felt my eyes crossing.

  “Yes,” I whispered when he pulled back.

  He laughed and touched my cheek again. “It feels like I’ve been waiting a very long time to do that.”

  My face felt all flushed and heated. My whole body did. I was quite sure I’d never had a full-body blush from a kiss before. “It was worth the wait,” I said.

  “I agree. And I’m sorry I didn’t say this the moment I saw you, but you look stunning.”

  “Thank you. You look . . .” I looked over his sexy body. The man could fill out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. “Hot.”

  Josh grinned and pressed a kiss to my temple. “I’m glad you think so. I’m severely underdressed compared to you, but I kind of hauled ass over here as soon as we got off the phone.”

  How much did I love that he was in such a hurry to get to me? “I wanted to hijack the train and make it fly through every stop that wasn’t mine,” I admitted.

  “Well, we’ve finally stopped wasting time,” he said.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about that.”

  He shook his head and took my hand, then threaded his fingers through mine. “We’ll talk about it all when we get to Ryan’s. I can’t have you starving, can I?”

  I fell into step as he led us west. “Thanks for coming to get me. I’m not great with directions.”

  He chuckled. “I kind of guessed that, all things considered. It’s hard to believe you write them for a living.”

  I shot him a mock glare and poked his stomach. His rock-hard stomach. I wanted to touch it without his shirt in between us, but I had to slow down. This was only our first date, if I could even call it that, since I’d started the night with someone else. I was such a slut. The girls would be proud of me.

  “I’m good at giving directions as long as I’m directed properly,” I said, and he laughed again. “You’re lucky I’m good at writing them, or else you’d never have met me, now would you?”

  The idea of that made me sad. Him, too, apparently, because he frowned. Then he smiled and said, “I guess it was fate, then.”

  Fate. It wasn’t something I’d given much thought to, but I would now.

  We stopped in front of a sharp-looking glass and brick building, and Josh gestured me inside. He kept hold of my hand as we got in the elevator, and he pressed the button for the sixth floor. “I think Jen’s nearly as excited as I was,” he said as we got off the elevator. “Her yell broke my eardrum.”

  I giggled and squeezed his hand. It felt so good to be touching him. “She told me you looked sad, and I asked her if I should text you. She said to do it. I wasn’t sure how you’d react, but I owe her for giving me the push.”

  “Sounds like we both owe her.” He lifted our joined hands and kissed my knuckles as he led me down the hall to apartment six twenty-one and opened the door. I had about two seconds to register the black leather couch and the masculine feel to the place before I was enveloped in a very familiar hug. “Hey, Jen,” I said and patted her back with one hand while still holding Josh’s with the other.

  “I’m so glad you’re here!” She pulled back and beamed at me. “Damn, girl, you look sexy.”

  I blushed and glanced at Josh, who was grinning at us. “Thanks.” What I looked was overdressed. She was in jeans, just like Ryan and Josh.

  “We were just going to put in a movie, but if you want we can leave you the living room and we’ll go in my room,” Ryan said, giving me a nod and a smile.

  Josh said, “Actually, we’ll leave the living room to you for now. Nic needs to eat, and I could go for something myself.”

  “Finally,” Ryan teased. “I was beginning to think you were anorexic.”

  “Did I make you lose your appetite?” I asked Josh, feeling like shit. I’d had no trouble eating, but I was stress eater by nature. I would need to go to the gym before I saw Josh shirtless. More importantly, before he saw me shirtless.

  “I’ve been eating,” Josh said and glared at Ryan.

  “Like a girl, maybe.”

  “Shut up. Did you make us burgers like the good little wife you are?”

  I had to grin. They’d done the same back-and-forth a week ago.

  “Yes, dear. Be sure to take out the garbage and clean up the kitchen before you go to your room.” Ryan batted his eyelashes, and Josh shook his head.

  “Come on, let’s go eat. In my room,” he added with a grin. “We’ll join you in a bit.”

  Jen wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I gave her a half shrug. We’d talk later. Josh pulled me into the small kitchen, and we each took a plate with a cheeseburger from the black granite countertop.

  “Do you like meat?” he asked as he opened the fridge. I burst out laughing, and he peered at me over the door. “Okay, you know I didn’t mean it like that. I just realized I didn’t know if you ate red meat. I’ve seen you with turkey and chicken but never burgers or steak.”

  “That’s because I try to eat light at lunch.” When I wasn’t gorging on cake, that was. Having him here was going to be hell on my diet. I didn’t care, though. “I love burgers.”

  “Good. What would you like to drink? We have Heineken, water, Mountain Dew, and . . . Diet Coke for some reason.”

  I giggled. “You have Diet Coke because that’s what Jen drinks.” Clearly Ryan had gone shopping for her. “I’ll take a Heineken.”

  “A girl after my own heart.” That I was, sort of, though I’d settle for his body. He opened a bottle for each of us. “Do you want chips or anything else?”

  “The burger’s fine. I ate bread and salad already.”

  His back was to me as he reached in the pantry and grabbed some potato chips. “That’s right.” I heard a little something in his tone. I shouldn’t have mentioned Derek, even if it was implied.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He turned and shook his head. “You have nothing to be sorry about. It was my doing.”

  “Because I pushed you away,” I said. “I shouldn’t have gone.”

  He set his chips down and touched my cheek again. “If you hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t be here right now, right?” I nodded. I’d more than likely be at home, sulking, like he’d been. “Well then, I’m glad you went. Now let’s go to my room and eat and talk.”

  I wished we were going to his room for other things, but that would blow my whole “going-slow” thing out of the water, so I picked up my plate and followed him down the hallway.

  “This is Ryan’s room,” he said and pointed at the first door we came to on the right. “Bathroom here.” He pointed again. “And my room.” He pushed open the door, and I took in the queen-size bed with the green comforter, the simple oak dresser, and the nightstand with lamp.

  “It’s really . . . empty,” I said. It was plain and devoid of any personality.

  “Well, I’m just crashing here temporarily.” He didn’t seem to care about eating on the bed. He plopped right down and set his plate on the bedspread. I put my beer on the nightstand and sat next to him. “Make yourself comfortable,” he said. Right. I was sitting on a bed next to a man I wanted more than anything. Comfortable wasn’t a possibility right now. But I had to do something so I kicked off my shoes
and sat with my legs stretched out in front of me. I balanced the plate on my lap and looked up to see Josh staring at my feet.

  I didn’t have weird, hairy, man feet, did I? They were sort of long and narrow, and maybe I could use a pedicure, but I didn’t look like Fred Flintstone or anything.

  “What?” I said.

  “No, it’s fine. You just have really great legs. You make it hard to be a gentleman,” he said, his voice kind of tight.

  Well, if he thought so, I would go with it. “Thank you. Do you have any sweats I could borrow or—”

  He groaned. “Just the thought of you in my clothes.” His eyes looked glazed.

  We ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, and when he was done he put his plate on the nightstand. I handed him mine and polished off my last bite before taking a nice, long sip of cold beer. It was so much better than the wine I’d had earlier.

  He opened the bag of chips and turned so he was sitting cross-legged on the bed. His knees were touching my leg. My mouth went dry, and I took another sip of beer.

  “Cards on the table, okay?” he said after he ate a handful of chips. I nodded. “I’ll go first.” He had to know that was a very good idea. I’d taken a pretty big step already tonight, and I didn’t know if I could spill my guts until he did.

  He closed the bag and toyed with it for a second before looking up and pinning me with that gaze. The one that brought me to my knees every time. I gasped.

  “When I came into the office the first time, I immediately headed in your direction without knowing you were the person I’d be working with. I don’t know what it was, but I guess I’d say I was drawn to you. Is that stupid?” I shook my head, not sure I could talk. “Then you turned around.”

  He smiled a sheepish smile. “You were easily the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.” Please. I knew he was lying, and I raised an eyebrow. “You are.” He took my hand and ran his fingers along my palm. There was a pull in my stomach from each little touch. “Then you seemed a little bit dazed, and I thought maybe you were interested, so I went into Chris’s office and told him I was glad to be here and I hoped he didn’t have a personal policy against coworkers dating, because I was going after you if you were available.”