Free Chosen Heart by Ann Stewart, Stephanie Nash Page A

face and toned body that has my breath quickening. 
I’m realizing my attraction to him has grown more than I could ever imagine.
    Breaking our moment, my phone
chimes as I receive a text.  Thank God for distractions.
    *Ely, I know
you’re angry. But please know I’m only looking out for you. Please talk to me.*
    Ugh!  Cole is
so…so...persistent sometimes.  I glare at my phone.  I thought I was
pretty clear on wanting to have some space.  I refuse to deal with him
right now, not when I’m less than a foot away from my fantasy.  Tonight
has been unexpected, and I won’t let Cole ruin anything.
    “Let me guess, your ex?” 
Agitated, he turns his head facing the driver’s side window.
    “He’s apologizing for an argument
we had,” I explain, hesitantly.  I wouldn’t dare tell him what we were
arguing about.
    “What were you arguing
about?  Let me guess, he wants to work things out…get back together?”
    “What…no…we haven’t been together
in forever.  He’s my friend.  Well, not at the moment, but…he’s been
my friend for years.  As far as the argument, he was just upset I stayed
late the other night at work.”  Shit…didn’t I just say I wasn’t going
to tell him?
    “Upset that you stayed late?” he
asks, confused.  But, it doesn’t take long for him to figure it out. 
“Wait, the night you were with me?”
    I don’t want to talk about my
argument with Cole, but I’m finding it difficult not to be honest with
him.  “Yes, but it’s a long complicated story.”
    “I have time.”  He shifts in
his seat to face me, waiting for an explanation.  Looking down on me, he
makes me feel like I’m in trouble and have to fess up to a crime I may or may
not have committed.
    Resigned to my fate, I sigh,
knowing he won’t give up until he hears what he thinks he wants to hear. 
He’s very determined.  The only problem is that any discussion about Cole
seems to spoil his mood.  Shit!  Here it goes…  “He
didn’t like it when I told him I stayed to help you.  He told me I should
be careful.”
    Looking through squinted eyes, he
suddenly breaks into laughter, gently rocking the car.  Not the reaction I
was expecting, but I’ll take it.  He is sexy when the laughter ripples off
his body.  “What’s so funny?”
    “So, he feels threatened by
me?  Come on Elyssa, I know you’re smarter than this.  He’s not just
your friend if he’s concerned with who you’re spending time with.  Are you
leading him on?  Keeping him around for…you know…”  Adding a
suggestive wink at the end.
    I’m taken back by his
insinuation.  How dare he?!  He doesn’t know anything about me, nor
does he know Cole.  “No, I am not leading him on!  He’s just very
protective.  I’m sure he found a picture of you somewhere and saw how
young and attractive you are and came to conclusions for himself,” I raise my
voice slightly, voice cracking at the end.
    A wicked grin develops on his
lips, another reaction I wasn’t expecting.  Unable to control my nerves I
continue my explanation.  Not that he deserves it.  “He was my first
real relationship and things happened, people move on.  I moved on. 
It wasn’t his fault we broke up, it was mine, and it’s not fair to completely
disregard the friendship we had while we dated.”  Taking a deep breath, I
try to calm myself, catching myself rambling.  Ugh!  Why am I
talking so much?
    “So, you think I’m
attractive?”  I blush at the slip of my tongue.  Out of all of that,
he had to pick the one thing I didn’t mean to say out loud.
    “Just like you think I’m
beautiful?” I retort.
    Ignoring my comment entirely,
Alex goes down a completely different road than what I was expecting. “Do you
still have feelings for him?”  His eyes burn into mine, waiting for my
answer.
    “I care for him, but not in the
way you’re asking,” I admit.
    “Are you still sexually
involved?”
    My eyes widen, not only