Page 125 of Betrayed

Blake

“When do you think I can go to the house?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll call John and get an update.”

“Thank you.” I finished my coffee but before I could get up to refill it, AJ turned towards the counter and reached for the carafe.

“Here you go,” he said, grinning at me. “What?”

“Must be nice to have such long arms.” Arms I was currently staring at and maybe even drooling over. We hadn’t talked about last night, though I figured we probably should.

That and a million other things.

“A perk of being tall,” he laughed, “though I’m not that tall for a guy.”

“You’re tall compared to me,” I said with a smile.Not like it’s much of a challenge.

He raised an eyebrow. “Everyone is tall compared to you.”

“Not everyone,” I feigned offense.

I added a spoonful of sugar and a generous pour of half and half to my coffee.

AJ watched me, but I could tell he wasn’t concerned about my coffee drinking habits.

“How are you holding up?” He reached across the table with those impossibly long arms and put his hand over mine.

“I’m not sure.” After thinking about it, I said, “I’m mostly putting off thinking about everything.”

AJ wove his fingers with mine. “I’ll be okay. I’ll be here every step of the way.”

I wasn’t sure how to answer. Would he be here on a professional or personal level, or maybe some combination of both?

He brushed his thumb over the back of my hand, causing me to look up.

“If you want, we can put everything off until tomorrow and spend all day in bed.”

His grin, and those damn dimples, did wicked things to my insides. I felt myself blush as memories of the night we’d shared flashed through my mind. AJ was the most generous lover I’d ever had; his gentle touch, demanding kisses, and powerful… I cut off the thought, because now my cheeks weren’t the only part of my body that was over-heating.

I laughed to cover my embarrassment. “As tempting as that sounds, I can’t. I’ve got too much to do.”

AJ couldn’t have known what I was thinking, but he was probably in the ballpark. He shook his head and chuckled beforesaying, “Your choice. Let’s list the things you have to do and make a game plan.”

I listed the things that immediately came to mind: talking to the family attorney, my attorney, picking up some stuff from the house, and finding a place to stay.

I groaned. “Midterms start today.” I needed to call my professors ASAP to ask if I could make up the work and exams I’d missed. Otherwise, I’d have to withdraw and retake my classes in the fall. Panic set in again. If I didn’t graduate in May, I’d lose my internship.

“I’m sure they’ll understand and work something out with you,” he offered.

“Do you think I can check on my father?” I assumed he was still in jail. The judge wouldn’t be around to set bail until nine, and it was barely past seven.

Crap, AJ would need to leave soon. “What time do you have to leave for work?” I couldn’t hide the anxiety in my shaky voice.

“I don’t. John gave me the day off, so I’m all yours,” he said. “I’ll call the county jail and ask how your father is doing. Do you want to see him, if I can arrange it?”

I stared at my coffee, hoping it'd give me the answer. I wanted to make sure he was okay, but the pain of his betrayal was still too strong for me to want to talk to him.

Am I a bad daughter for not wanting to see him?

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