Free Good Morning Heartache by Audrey Dacey Page A

kitchen. She took in a deep, frustrated breath while the door behind her
slid open and closed again.
    Ryan was still laughing
under his breath, and now that it was over and Alexis wasn't standing in a pile
of dog food, she was able to laugh a little, too.
    “What the hell was Caitlyn
thinking?” she asked through a chortle.
    “I have no idea. I always
remembered her as having more forethought than that.”
    “That's the weird part. She
does have more forethought than that. I guess her need to organize and
micromanage took over.”
    “I'll make you a deal.” He
looked down at her with his cold eyes. The seriousness washing over him was almost
palpable. “You clean up the mess you made, and I'll bring the other bin to your
car.”
    He wanted her out of there.
If that was the price for having him bring the food down, she'd pay. “Deal.”
She dug her hand into the pocket of her black satin shorts and grabbed her
keys. “It’s the Volvo.”
    As she handed them to him,
their fingertips touched for a brief moment, and she was disturbed to find that
the warmth returned. It was good she was leaving soon. Ryan Webb was like a
drug she didn't need, and one she would surely regret having tried.
    They both got to work at
their separate duties. He was done well before she was, so he bent back over
the kitchen table, staring at the big blue sheet of paper and making quick
notations.
    When she finished, Alexis
placed her hands on her hips showing the slimness of her body through the
billowing white top and said, “I'll be back in a week to get more food.” Ryan
waved a hand at her that looked more like he was telling her to go away rather
than acknowledging her. Rolling her eyes in frustration, she clipped a leash on
Sam and headed down the stairs.
    About halfway down she
noticed that the door was opening, and a forty-something man in dark wash jeans
and a navy t-shirt walked through the door. He was incredibly muscular, tanned,
and had soft brown eyes that matched the chestnut waves of brown hair that was
graying slightly at the temples.
    He looked up, as astonished
to see her as she was him. Alexis was ready to take out her frustrations on
this lucky stranger when she spotted a wedding band on the hand holding the
door behind him.
    Why were all the men around
her married? She huffed slightly as she pushed past him and out the door.
Alexis didn't have the patience for anything that wasn't lust. There was only
one ready solution to her current agitation, and it was resting peacefully in
the top drawer of her bedside table.
    §
    Daniel Montgomery startled
Ryan out of his thoughts. “Who was that?”
    “Huh?” was all he could
muster in reply.
    “That ten that just stormed
through the door. Did you get to meet her?” Ryan looked up briefly to see his
friend standing in the doorway with a paper bag in hand and a folder tucked under
his arm.
    “Oh, yeah. Sorry. That was
Alexis. She was here to pick up the dog.”
    “And you were obviously all
congeniality.”
    If Daniel only knew how good
he was to her. “As much as was necessary.”
    “It wasn’t enough.” Daniel
smirked. “You know you could use a woman like that in your life. We’re here for
two weeks, having a friendly face to socialize with in the evenings might be
nice.” Daniel was always giving him hell about finding the right woman and
settling down. No one understood that his career was more important than a
relationship. Women created conflicts and distractions. He was already
distracted by the petite brunette who kept showing up, and now he couldn’t
afford to be. Work was more important now, especially with the deadline he was
determined to meet. But if she had been there any longer he was sure he
would’ve helped himself to seconds.
    “I’ve got you , don’t
I?” Ryan asked.
    “You flatter me, but I’m not
the type of friendly face that you need. You’re wound tighter than a yo-yo.”
    “I have work to do, so if
there is a point to this, could