Beat of the Heart

9

When Monday morning arrived, I hopped out of bed before the alarm went off with a renewed bounce in my step. Instead of cursing at traffic, I sang along to the radio. I even managed to arrive ten minutes early to work, which caused Dee’s jaw to drop.

“Well hello. Look at you Miss Thing. It’s a gloomy Monday morning, but you’re here early and with a smile on your face. Hmm, mmm.” He snapped his fingers up and down. “Miss Mia got her groove back!”

I snickered as I bypassed him for the break-room. When I turned around from putting my purse in my locker, Dee stood in the doorway, hand on his hip. Although he had gotten every single salacious detail last night, I could tell he was eager for more.

“I’m not discussing AJ with you right now.”

“Lunchtime then. I want a side of naughty with my salad.”

I laughed. “Sounds like a plan.”

With several post operation patients, we were pretty slammed the rest of the morning. Of course, in between checking vitals and changing IVs, my mind couldn’t help straying to AJ and our elicit weekend. Every time I did, I couldn’t keep the beaming smile off my lips or the flush of warmth from filling my cheeks. When lunchtime rolled around at eleven, I made my way to the break-room. Sunday nights were always spent with my dad and the crew at Mama Sofia’s, and I always brought salad back for Dee and me.

As I took out the container and something to drink from the fridge, my cell beeped in my pocket. When I pulled it out, my heartbeat broke out into a wild gallop at the name on the text. It was AJ.

The words, Miss U, were accompanied by a picture of him with his bottom lip poking out. When a giggle escaped my lips, I wanted to roll my eyes at my ridiculous behavior. Honestly, I’d barely been away from him twenty-four hours, and he already had too much effect on me.

My fingers furiously worked over the keyboard as I typed: Hmm, not sure exactly which head you’re missing me with.

I grinned triumphantly as I hit send. I’m sure he was expecting some heartfelt response or a sad faced ‘I miss you too’. It was just after I’d finished drizzling Italian dressing over my salad that my phone dinged again. I took a giant bite of grilled chicken before opening the text. When I did, I began to choke.

The head of AJ’s cock appeared on the screen along with the words, He misses you even more!

Holy shit! My shock sent me into a choking fit. I’d just recovered when my phone rang. I didn’t have to guess who it was. Without even a hello, I hissed, “I cannot believe you just sent me a dick picture!”

AJ’s deep chuckle echoed through my ear, warming me in places it shouldn’t. “Even though you could probably make a lot of money off that, I hope you keep it to yourself.”

“You have nothing to worry about on that one.”

“Good idea. It makes more sense to keep it for yourself to get you through the lonely nights.”

“Do you have a point? I mean, besides sexually harassing me at work.”

“Yes, I do, actually. First, I wanted you to know that I did really miss you. This weekend was…off the charts amazing and fantastic.”

Fighting to catch my breath, I tried to play off the intense feelings ricocheting through me. “Yes, it was nice.”

AJ snorted. “Nice? You call multiple orgasms until you could barely walk just nice?”

I laughed. “Okay, okay, I agree that amazing is a better adjective. Now what’s your second point?”

“I wanted to know if you were free Friday night.”

“Yes, I am. Why?”

“The guys and I are playing a reunion show at the bar where we got started. I thought since you’ve never heard us—or me for that matter—you might want to come?”

Holy shit. He not only wanted to see me again, but he wanted to share the biggest part of his life—his music—with me. That fact alone had to mean our little weekend tryst was more than just mind-blowing sex to him. I couldn’t even begin to fathom the thought that AJ Resendiz, drummer for Runaway Train, sex-on-a-stick personified with thousands of women just waiting to take care of his needs, would want to be with me again.

“Mia?” AJ questioned, through my self-deprecating tirade.

“Sorry. Oh, um, yeah, that sounds nice.”

“There you go with that ‘nice’ word again.”

I laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just you kinda caught me off guard.”

“I guess it’s hard to focus on anything once I’ve assaulted you with a cock pic before noon, huh?”

“You could say that.”

“I’ll remember that next time.”

“Yes, save the dick pics until at least late afternoon. Evening might be best.”

AJ chuckled. “I’ll note that one for sure.”

“Seriously though. I would love to see your band and you live in action.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Our set starts at eight, and things will be pretty crazy before then. I hate to not come pick you up, but do you think you could meet me there?”

“Sure, that’ll be fine.”

“Great.” A long pause came on the line before AJ spoke again. After clearing his throat several times, he asked, “You think you’d wanna have dinner before then?”

The room seemed to tilt and then spin around me. He wanted to see me before the weekend? Surely, it was only about sex and not about getting to know me better. That had to be it. Trying to play the strictly physical card, I replied, “Guess you really are missing me bad if you can’t wait until the weekend.”

“Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of dinner—somewhere nice and fancy like we did before.”

“Oh,” I murmured.

“Being on the road so much, you enjoy when dinner doesn’t come out of a box or from some seedy diner.”

My heartbeat thrummed wildly in my chest. Okay, he wanted dinner and conversation, not straight sex. When I finally found my voice again, I replied, “Sure, I’d love to do dinner again. Well, as long as it’s not Mama Sofia’s. I mean, if we show up there again, they’ll have us already engaged.”

With a laugh, AJ replied, “I think that can be arranged.”

“I’m off tomorrow night.”

“Then tomorrow it is.” At the sound of voices in the background, AJ gave a frustrated grunt. “I have to go, Mia. I’ll see you tomorrow at seven?”

“Sounds good.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Long after he hung up, I sat dazed and staring at my phone. I only glanced up when Dee burst into the room. “Sorry, I’m late,” he said breathlessly, as he eased himself into the chair beside me.

“It’s okay. I was hungry, so I started without you.”

“I see how it is.”

I grinned as I passed him the bowl of grilled chicken salad. Leaning over me, Dee reached for a bottle of water from my bag. Before I could close my texts, he gasped and grabbed my phone. His dark eyes bulged. “Dayum, look who is getting sexts so early in the day!” He glanced up from the phone. “You must’ve made a helluva impression if he’s sending you this.”

I shrugged, trying to playing it off. “We were just joking around.”

“This,” he said, as he waved AJ’s cock pic in front of me, “is nothing to joke about. You know we never, ever joke about prize pieces of flesh, and this is certainly one of them.” Dee brought the