When she stopped to take a breath, I cut in. “Oh, my gosh, are you finished yet? I told Mom what was going on, and I was busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Well, for your information…” I quickly glanced around, then lowered my voice. “I was having the most amazing sex of my life.”
The line went silent for a few moments before my sister spoke. “Whaaaat? Sex? With who?” She gasped. “Oh, my gawd! The forced hotel roomie?”
I giggled like a damn schoolgirl. “Yes. Oh, Meg. I am totally ruined for all future men. Roger was… he was…I don’t even know the words to describe him.”
“Anna Bobana…do you like this guy? How is this going to work? Where does he live? Are you doing long-distance? I’m not sure you’re cut out for that type of relationship, but I mean, if the sex is that good, it might be worth it. I hear phone sex can be hot.”
Laughing, I shook my head and leaned back in the chair. “I don’t know where he lives.”
“Wait, come again?”
“That was part of the agreement we made before we…um…had sex. No strings attached, no personal questions. Just a few magical days locked away in a hotel with the best orgasms of my life.”
“You got his number, though, right?”
That all-too-familiar pain in my chest came back.
“Nope. No phone numbers. All I know is his name, that he has a brother, and that he’s a lawyer.”
“You know, you could Google him.”
I sighed. “I already thought about that, but…I don’t know, it would seem like an invasion of his privacy. I mean, we both agreed it was just for this short time.”
My sister and I both exhaled loudly.
“I’m pretty sure he’s from down south somewhere,” I added. “He had a southern accent.”
“Texas?” she asked, a bit of anticipation in her voice.
“I have no clue, and now I’m sitting at my gate regretting the fact that I didn’t even ask him for his number. We could have had phone sex, damn it. Hot, heated phone sex.”
An older woman who had just sat down next to me cleared her throat.
“Yeah, you could have. He did use a condom, right?”
I remained silent.
“Anna, you did not!”
“What? I’m on the pill, and I wanted to—” I lowered my voice—“feel him.”
She groaned. “This doesn’t sound like my baby sister. The responsible one. Who are you right now?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, you slept with a stranger, and now you’re wishing you got his number so you could have phone sex. This move is already changing you. Come back home.”
Laughing, I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “It was fun and daring to let my guard down.”
“Yeah, until nine months from now and you’ve got a baby, and the daddy is nowhere to be found.”
“Oh, stop it. I’m on birth control, Meg. There isn’t going to be a baby.”
She scoffed.
“Listen, they’re getting ready to board. Once I get settled in, I’ll call everyone. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Anna.”
When my boarding group was called, I stood, grabbed my stuff, and walked to the gate. I took one more look behind me, just in case.
No one.
With a sigh, I handed my ticket over and then walked down the ramp toward my new life in Texas.
Roger
THE VISE THAT had been around my chest seemed to grow tighter and tighter the farther Annalise walked away from me. I followed her into the airport. Watched as she walked up to the counter. I kept a good distance away as she walked toward security. I smiled when I saw her look back one last time once she made it through. I was off to the side, so I knew she couldn’t see me. Something about the fact that she’d looked for me just one last time did something to me, though. The smile that spread over my face couldn’t be helped.
She looked back for me.
It wasn’t until I got to my gate later and sat down that I felt like I could breathe again. I had wandered around the airport for the last hour or so, feeling utterly lost. I scrubbed my hand down my face and cursed. “What in the hell did she do to me?”
My phone rang, and for a crazy moment, I thought it might be her. But she was up in the air flying, and we hadn’t even exchanged phone numbers.
Shit. Why didn’t I at least get her number?
I pulled my cell out of my bag and saw Truitt’s name.
“Hey,” I said, not even caring that it sounded like my whole world had just ended.
“What’s wrong with you? I figured you’d be happy to be heading home.”
Glancing around the airport, a small part of me hoped I’d see Annalise standing there.
Snap out of it, Carter. It isn’t like you to be hung up on a woman.