Unravel Me

I peeked out the window. There were still another couple hours of good sunlight. A long, hard jog would be beneficial. I changed and drove out to Cranes Roost Park. Drowning out the world with music, I ran around the lake until my legs begged for mercy and the July humidity saturated my lungs. Running in this sweltering heat drained me but I loved the escape. At no other time did I feel more alive than when I ran. Once I arrived back home, I filled the tub and soaked my sore muscles. Exhausted, I collapsed into bed.

* * *

“Hello?” I mumbled into the pillow. I think the phone was at my ear. The ringing finally stopped. Squinting at the clock on my nightstand I learned it was barely five in the morning.

“Did I wake you, kitten?”

Blood sang through my veins as I heard Alastair’s velvety English accent through the phone. I smiled. “You’re five hours ahead of me. You know you did.”

His low, throaty laugh curled my toes. I half expected to turn and see him lying next to me.

“Sorry. I wanted to hear your voice. I don’t like waking up alone.”

“I know the feeling,” I said, sliding my hand along the cool sheets where his body should have been. “Are you working from home today?”

“No. The office. I’m in between meetings. I have about seven minutes to give you my undivided attention.”

I laughed, stretching my legs. “Well, well Mr. CEO. A whole seven minutes? How do you plan to spend this time?”

“Enjoying the sound of your voice,” he answered, lowering his tone. “I like hearing you first thing in the morning.”

I closed my eyes, amazed at how quickly my heart was beating. Goose bumps rippled across my skin. The effect he had on me transcended an ocean and several time zones.

“Are you trying to seduce me over the phone?”

“Only if you want me to. Although I’d need more than,” he paused, “six minutes.”

“I doubt that,” I muttered, kicking off the blankets. My internal body temperature was off the charts. Another one of his deep, sexy laughs quickened my pulse.

“Patience, love.”

“I’m barely awake. You’re a tease with a gorgeous accent who knows how to push my buttons. Thin ice, Holden, thin ice.”

“I should wake you up early more often. Which buttons am I pushing, exactly?”

Christ. I could almost see the smile on his lips. Shifting on the mattress, I curled up on my side. The pillow he’d used still smelled like him. I inhaled deeply, wishing I could wrap myself around him.

“Patience, chief.”

“Fair enough.”

I squeezed the phone. Hearing his voice unhinged me a bit. I wanted to tell him what happened this week. More than anything I wanted to feel him next to me. Steeling myself against the unwelcome onslaught of emotion, I took a deep breath.

“You’re awfully quiet. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just a little tired seeing as someone thought it would be funny to wake me up at the crack of dawn.”

There was a long pause.

“You’re sure there’s nothing else bothering you?”

I hated lying to him.

“Only that I miss you like crazy.”

He sighed heavily. “I can’t wait until you get here. I have a few things planned for you.”

“Oh?” I sat up, leaning against the headboard. “What things?”

“A lesson, of sorts.”

My erratic pulse skipped a few beats. “What type of lesson?”

“Something I’ve been wanting to teach you. A curiosity of mine, really. I’ll ease you into it, until you get a feel for what you’re doing. Then, I want to see you take control and show me what you can do.”

I squeezed the pillow to within an inch of its life. In all honesty, whatever he just described made my ovaries move. I swallowed hard. “I think it’s safe to say I’m intrigued.”

“Good. I have to go, love. Think of me today.”

“Obviously.”

He laughed good and loud. “Have a safe flight. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

A smile remained plastered to my face all day. That early morning phone call was the perfect remedy for my weeklong jitters. Not even a barrage of breaking stories derailed my good mood.

“Are you humming?”

I looked up from the computer screen and was greeted by Sydney’s smiling face.

“Uh, maybe?”

She laughed. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’d hum too if I were heading for a weekend of naughtiness with a hot Brit.”

I grinned, feeling my cheeks heat up.

“Seriously, Lia. That man is too gorgeous to just cuddle. The illegal things I would do to him,” she smiled.

“Sydney!”

“Hypothetically speaking, of course.” She winked. “I only have eyes for Ray.”

My desk phone rang, mercifully ending the over-sharing session.

“Lia Meyers.”

“Do you have a minute?”

I clenched the receiver, wishing I hadn’t answered. “What do you want, Nathan?”