Page 41 of The Beat Match

She opened her unlocked door, and lo and behold the warthog impersonator was comatose. His head was tipped back, his heavy thighs splayed apart. One of his hands clung to his removed tie, and his other was flung to his left. The heinous sound escaping his lips made her wince. And was that drool on his cheek? Nothing about this scene should be attractive, but Wes looked so vulnerable, younger and disheveled, and in a need of a cuddle.

Her heart gave a soft whump.

It wasn’t a maternal whump, much to her chagrin. It was an I-want-to-care-for-that-man-because-that-man-is-mine whump. She hated that pathetic whump.

The undeniable force had grown exponentially this past month, and God knew why. Wes had been short with her more than kind. He’d been gallivanting around town with his girlfriend. He’d even lied to her a few times, claiming he’d had a date with Rosanna, when social media photos later showed Rosanna, solo, partying with friends. Intel Annie did not know because she’d stalked the couple online. She did not spend her free hours mooning over a man who wanted nothing to do with her. That would be sad. Pathetic.

Another soft whump confirmed her sad patheticness.

She schlepped her sad self into her kitchen and poured a glass of wine. Cheap stuff that made Wes’s lip curl. His snoring stuttered a few times, then roared loud enough to wake a giant. She laughed as she sipped. At least Rosanna had to deal with this freight train at night. Which implied they slept together, probably naked.

Annie opened a cupboard door and slammed it shut.

Wes gasped, shooting upright.

“Sorry,” she said sweetly. “Did I wake you?”

He blinked and scrubbed his hands down his face. “What time is it?”

“Time for you to see a doctor about that heinous sound coming from your mouth. That noise could be used to torture prisoners.”

A sleepy smile pulled at his lips, and everything inside her clenched. His sleepy smiles were sexier than his regular smiles. The gravel in his groggy voice was a whole other level of alluring. She chugged a mouthful of wine.

Wes propped his elbows on his knees. “What time is it?” he asked again.

“Just after nine. Vivian had a last-minute appointment, so I worked a few hours for her. And I’m starving. Have you eaten? We should order food.”

“After nine?” He scanned her apartment like he’d forgotten where he was. “I slept three hours?”

Three hours implied he’d been there since six. Unless he had a meeting or business dinner, Wes never left work that early. She wasn’t sure he took bathroom breaks. They’d been so careful around each other since his Falcon revelation and their kiss revelation that they hadn’t talked about anything of substance. Duncan still texted, asking if she’d spoken with Wes yet, worried about his boss’s focus, inserting his usual jokes in the mix. Annie would banter back, putting off his concerns, instead of confronting Wes and getting answers.

She had been a bad friend.

“Don’t move,” she said as she went into her room to change. Sweatpants and a T-shirt were needed for this conversation. And more wine.

Wes nodded vaguely, a faraway look on his face she’d never seen. Definitely more wine.

Ten minutes later, they each had a glass of Chardonnay in hand. Wes was still leaning forward, elbows on his knees. Annie sat cross-legged facing him, inches apart on her not-very-large couch. “You’re burning yourself out,” she said.

He ran his tongue over his teeth. “It’ll pass. When the merger goes through, things will calm down.”

“That could be months.”

“I’ll manage.”

“You didn’t hear yourself snoring like a man who hadn’t slept in a year. You’re not managing.”

He sipped his wine and grimaced. “This tastes like it smells.”

“Cheap and cheerful?”

“Like rancid vinegar. I’ll send over wine for you to store.”

She should rip him a new one for insulting her affordable wine, but the infuriating man was going for a diversion. “I don’t want your fancy wine. I want you to talk to me before your juggling act lands you in intensive care.”

“Unless you’ve suddenly earned your PHD and can jump in to head up one of our R&D divisions, you can’t help with this.”

“I can help by listening.”