She poured herself a cup and headed for the living room. The elated feeling wouldn’t last, but she was going to enjoy it as much as she could. She was having a great fling with a great guy. She’d never had a problem letting go. When the time came, she would let go of A.J., too.
She ran into him, looking deliciously sleep-tousled as he grunted at her.
“There’s coffee in the kitchen.” She watched as he went and poured himself a cup.
Sienna heard a ringing noise, but it wasn’t her phone. She followed the sound. The noise was coming from his jeans. She set her cup down on the end table and picked up the pants, digging into the pocket.
Without thinking, she answered her cell. “Hello.”
There was silence on the other end of the line, and then a man spoke. “I’m sorry. I must have the wrong number.”
“Are you trying to reach A.J.?”
“Yes, this is his father.”
“Just a minute.”
She went back into the kitchen where A.J. was sipping his coffee slowly at the kitchen table.
She handed the phone to him. “It’s your father.”
“Thanks,” he said, putting the phone to his ear. “Hi, Dad.”
While he was speaking to his father, Sienna went into her room to get ready for court.
A few minutes later, A.J. wandered in.
“What did you tell him?” Sienna asked, putting on a bracelet with blue stones.
“As little as possible, but my dad isn’t stupid. He knows there’s much more than what I’m telling him.” He stared at her for a split second, and then looked away, the muscles in his jaw bunching.
She tried to clear away the sudden cramp in her throat. “It’s no use telling him information we haven’t verified. It will only worry him more.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, she dropped her chin and looked down. He was barefoot, his feet finely formed. She moved her eyes up the expanse of his leg to the worn fly where frayed threads separated faded denim from the metal zipper.
“Right. Need-to-know basis. This is going to kill him.”
She went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on. “I’m so sorry.” All she could do was give him her comfort.
He broke the embrace and sat down heavily on the bed. “Me, too. When my stepfather came into my life, I resented him and did everything I could to keep my distance.”
“Why?” She curled her hands over his thumbs, his fingers rough against her and oddly gentle.
“Because I was afraid that he would disappoint me. I never knew my father and didn’t have any kind of role model, so it was easier to shut him out. Protect myself.”
He watched her with an unwavering stare, the dark stubble accentuating the stern set of his jaw. Compelled by the pressure of his hands, she held his gaze.
“How did you get over that?”
He studied her, as if weighing her question, then closed his eyes and released his breath in a rush. One of his hands slipped to the back of her neck and he squeezed. “He never gave up. He proved himself to me countless times until, finally, I was worried I would disappoint him.”
Caught in the spell of their fragile harmony, she found peace in the touching of bodies and hands, the comfort of connection with another human, one she didn’t have to pretend with.
A.J. noticed the bracelet. “That’s pretty.”
“My sister gave it to me as a friendship present. I wear it when I have to face unpleasant tasks. It gives me confidence.” Gently she held his face. “I have to go to court.”
“I can do some recon while you’re busy.”