Page 25 of Love on the Line

“What?You admit to this setup?” She took another step back, uncaring that they werereceiving curious stares from others.

Mathias took another step and closed thegap she had widened. “Yes, AJ, I do. After talking with Jen, quite extensively,mind you, and our mutual friends vouching for my character, she told me of yoursituation and your reluctance at meeting someone. We really do have a lot incommon, you and me. So, we thought—Jen mostly—that instead of me simply askingyou out or her arranging another meeting, this would be the best approach.”

“Oh, you did, did you? How very kind ofyou.Bothof you.” AJ spun away,wanting an escape, wanting to get away from this bizarre scenario.

Mathias gently touched her arm. “AJ,please, let me explain more.”

She shook off his touch and glared at him.“Why? So you can tell me more lies?”

“No, I told you you’d only hear the truthfrom me.”

“Really? You never thought to mention inall our conversations, or hey, when I practically bowled you over in the park,that, gee, this is all an elaborate arrangement among friends?”

“That incident in the park was purelycoincidental, I promise. And never in our conversations was there a situationwhich prompted me to confess.”

“Hence, you never lied. Isn’t omissionbasically a lie?”

“I felt justified. I loved our talks, the connectionwe were making, and I know you did, too.”

When he took another step toward her, shebacked away. She spoke through clenched teeth. “Don’t you tell me what I did ordid not enjoy. Don’t tell me your friends vouched for your character when youdo something like this. Don’t—”

“AJ, please.” He closed the distance andtook hold of her arms. When she tried to shake him off, he held on. “Please,AJ,” he pleaded. “Despite how this came about, you can’t deny there’s somethingbetween us. The things we’ve shared, talked about, experienced.” His heatedstare told her he was talking about last night, their orgasms while talking toone another.

AJ felt her face flush and started to lookaway, but Mathias gave her arms a squeeze and started again.

“Please believe me, at first I didn’t wantto go along with Jen’s plan, because I knew how it would look. Deceitful.”

“Yathink?” AJsnorted. She hung her head as tears gathered, and she felt more the fool forthat.

“AJ, please…”

She managed to shake off his hold and takea step back, wiping at her eyes. “No, Mathias. The truth is, you did. You wentalong with this plan. You’re damn right it was deceitful. How do you expect tobuild a relationship when it starts out like that?” When he tried to talk, shecut him off. “No. Nothing you can say will change it. Nothing you say will makethis right.”

She took another step away and began todig through her bag for her key fob. When she found it, she clicked her locksand quickly made her way to her vehicle. Mathias was fast on her heels, stilltrying to plead his case. AJ whirled on him.

“Stop. How would you feel if the tableswere turned? If you were in my situation? You can’t tell me you wouldn’t beupset! Lose my number, Mathias, because I never want to hear from you again.”

AJ ran the last few steps to her car andjumped inside, locking the doors and starting it up. She barely had thepresence of mind to look around to make sure she wasn’t going to run someoneover or back into another vehicle. Speeding out of the lot, she didn’t giveMathias another glance. Tears came faster as she sped toward home.

Then the anger came.

When she parked in her garage, she poundedon the steering wheel and screamed her frustration to the world. After a fewmoments, when her sobs quieted, she pulled herself out of the car and enteredher house. She threw her bag and keys on the counter and shrugged out of thecoat. Fresh tears began anew at the wasted effort on her outfit.

“And I didn’t even get to enjoy theballoons,” she choked out in the silence of her living room. “How could you,Jen?”

AJ sank to her couch and curled up into aball, letting her emotions pour out.

****

GoodGod, that pounding needs to stop,AJ thought. She pried open her eyes,realizing she was still on her couch and wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Whatshe thought to be a pounding in her head was actually a pounding on her door.

“Go away,” she croaked, wincing at herdry, sore throat. Carefully, she sat up, instantly feeling dizzy and wanting tolie back down. Only whoever the hell was at her door wasn’t relenting.

“Amelia Jane, open this goddamned door!” Jen’svoice easily carried through the thick wood.

AJ could only groan, nowhere near ready toface her “friend.” Slowly standing, she ignored Jen’s protests and made her wayinto the kitchen for a drink. After guzzling some water, she shouldn’t havebeen surprised to hear her front door being unlocked and opened. Both Jen andKayli had keys to her place, as she did for theirs, in case of emergencies. Obviously,Jen thought this was one of those times.

“AJ!” Jen yelled.

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