Last Christmas, Part Three

A.J. blinked, frozen in place. How did he even respond to that?


“No.”

Some people had balls of steel and apparently Carter Thorne happened to be one of them.

“Please. Have dinner with me. Just to talk.”

He could say one thing for the man, Carter was still gorgeous. Well, it had been a year, not an eternity, but still it irritated him. Most natural blond men that he’d ever met had thinning hair. Carter had thick luxurious blond waves upon his head. And today he wore no suit but rather jeans, a black shirt, and a leather bomber jacket. Upon his chin was sexy stubble.

Bastard.

“I have nothing to say to you, Carter.”

“All right, but I have something to say to you. I want to explain about last Christmas.”

Against his will, A.J.’s gaze dropped to Carter’s sensuous lips. He remembered their feel on his, their taste. One kiss from the man and A.J.’s defenses would crumble. He backed up a step.

“There’s nothing to explain. We had a fling, it didn’t work out. The end.”

“It was more than a fling, A.J.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“You told me you loved me.”

Having that pointed out was like being kicked in the stomach or maybe the chest. Dropping his gaze away from Carter’s face, he said softly, “You didn’t.”

“I know. I…please. Just have dinner with me. I know you don’t owe me anything, A.J. I deserve your contempt, but I’ll get down on my knees if I have to. I’m begging. Isn’t there just a tiny part of you that wants to know what I have to say?”

There was and A.J. hated himself for it. Loathed.

Carter seemed to sense his hesitation and went in for the kill. “What time do you get off work? I’ll pick you up.”

“Five.” His heart beat so fast he thought his chest would rupture. What the hell was he doing? And what about Carter’s boyfriend. The one he’d dumped A.J. to get back together with.

Carter smiled. “Great, I’ll be here to pick you up.”

“Wait. What about Doug?”

“I’ll explain that later, A.J. It’s complicated and I don’t want to get you in trouble at work. I’ll be back here a little before five. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Carter. I still hate you.”


Carter came back to the jewelry counter twenty minutes before five o’clock. He figured Carter wanted to make sure A.J. didn’t give him the slip.

At five, A.J. said goodbye to his co-worker, Marlene, who had the closing sift. Brian had gone home a couple hours earlier. Carter waited by a mannequin dressed in a sequined black dress.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” A.J. said with a grimace. Ever since his agreement, if he’d actually agreed, which he wasn’t sure he had, A.J. had been thinking how this was probably a big mistake. Whatever Carter had to say, he didn’t want to hear it.

They walked out of the mall to the parking structure and A.J. followed Carter down an aisle to the right. He recognized Carter’s blue Honda Civic.

Both of them were silent as Carter started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. After a while though, A.J. couldn’t take it.

“I’m surprised you even remember me.”

Carter glanced briefly at him, frowning. “Why wouldn’t I?”

He shrugged. “It’s been a year.”

The hands on the steering wheel tightened and Carter sighed. “We were involved in a relationship, A.J. I’m not going to forget you.”

“Can you call a few weeks a relationship? I mean we went out right after Thanksgiving and you dumped me at Christmas. Hardly a relationship.”

“What would you call it then?”

“I told you before. A fling. An affair. Whatever. But not a relationship,” A.J. maintained stubbornly.

“But you told me you loved me.”

A.J. looked away, out the car window. “It was a mistake. It was just lust and I got confused.”

Carter didn’t respond to that and A.J. was glad. He just wanted to get this whole thing over with now. Whatever bullshit Carter had to say.

He frowned. “Wait, what restaurant are we going to? This looks like your neighborhood.”

“No restaurant. I’m going to make you dinner at my house.”

“What? I didn’t agree to go to your house.”

Carter shrugged. “You didn’t disagree either.”

“I am now.”

“Too late. We’re here.” Carter drove into his driveway and clicked on a button on his visor to open the garage door. “I’m a cop, A.J. Nothing is going to happen to you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

You already have.

A.J. bit his lip and opened the car door. “What happens when I want to leave?”

“I’ll take you home.” Carter opened the door into the house. “Come on. I want to talk first, then I’ll make dinner.”

“I won’t want to stay for dinner after we talk.”

“We’ll see.”

It seemed pointless to argue about it, but A.J. was certain he wouldn’t be sticking around.

Nothing had changed in Carter’s house that he could see. It was still almost sterile in its cleanliness with distinctive masculine touches. The living room had a black leather couch and matching chair. He chose the couch and wasn’t too happy when Carter chose to sit right next to him.

A.J. scooted over to out more distance between them. “All right, Carter, you may as well get this over with.”