Chapter 5

    We chatted easily the whole trip. She told me about the school she was going to be working at. How she had graduated college, but wasn’t able to find a teaching job in her home town, so she had to come to LA instead. Apparently, she didn’t like LA very much and was going to miss her mom who she would be leaving in Barstow. She was, however, excited to have her dream job and be closer to Anna and her younger sister.

    We talked a little about my job and where I lived. I continued to flirt, and she continued to reject me. Ashley was incredibly funny and smart, and I couldn't help but admire her putdowns. During the whole two-hour trip, there wasn’t a single awkward silence. Usually I ran out of things to say to a girl after a little while – which wouldn’t be a problem because I’d just shove my tongue down her throat – but Ashley just seemed to capture my attention.

    I also noticed little things about her that made me smile, like how she used her hands when she spoke of something she was passionate about, or how she bit her bottom lip when she was concentrating. How she kept brushing the tendrils of hair back that had escaped around her face, but they were slightly too short to go behind her ear so they would just fall back again immediately. How her brown eyes seemed to sparkle in the dull train lighting above our heads.

    When we pulled in at her station, she smiled and stood up. “Thanks for making sure I got here.”

    I stood up too. What I really wanted to do was walk her to her front door and make sure she got home safely. It was well after midnight now, and she shouldn’t be walking the streets alone.

    “I’ll just find out what time the next train is back to LA,” I muttered, following her off the train to the little board that showed the times.

    After a quick scan, I noted that there was a train leaving in five minutes, and then another in an hour.

    “How far away do you live?” I asked, looking over the empty train station.

    Ashley smiled and shouldered her purse. “It’s only about ten minutes’ walk. Thanks for dinner and the company.”

    “No worries.” I took my jacket off and slipped it around her shoulders, discreetly leaving my arm there too as I started leading her towards the main entrance.

    She stopped and frowned up at me. “Jace, seriously, go get a seat before the train goes without you.”

    “I’ll get the next one and walk you home.” I shrugged easily, tightening my arm around her shoulders as I guided her to start walking again.

    “You sure? I mean, I’ll be fine from here.”

    “I’m sure. I’ll walk you.”

    She didn’t shrug my arm off, so I smiled and left it there. Ashley’s petite form fitted under my arm perfectly.

    “Okay, thank you.” She pulled my jacket tighter around her and smiled gratefully as the wind whipped around us. “So, what time do you have to start work tomorrow?” she asked, making conversation as we started to walk down a dark and not-very-well-lit street.

    “Five,” I replied, grimacing.

    She gasped. “Five in the morning? You won’t get time to sleep! You should go get that earlier train. At least then you might be able to catch a couple of hours sleep before work,” she protested, stopping and frowning.

    I fought a smile at her stern expression and the concern that was clear across her face. “Ashley, will you keep walking? It’s late at night, and it’s dark, there could be all sorts of weirdos lingering down these dark streets, just waiting to take advantage of a handsome thing like me,” I joked, looking around with mock horror.

    She laughed and shook her head. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll protect you.”

    “Thanks.” I grinned as we started walking again.

    The walk to her apartment was short, like she’d said. When we arrived at her building, I followed her up to the third floor and stopped outside her door.

    She looked up at me, fiddling with her keys in her hand and shifting on her feet uncomfortably.

    “I can’t invite you in, I’m sorry.”

    I smiled and shook my head; I hadn’t expected her to.

    “It’s fine. So, maybe when you move to LA we could catch up or something?” I suggested, trying desperately not to lean in and press my lips against hers. Her bottom lip looked so incredibly inviting, especially when she chewed on it like she was doing at the moment. My body longed to press against her, to pin her against the wall, to rip her clothes off and run my tongue across every inch of her. But instead of doing any of that, I ran my hand through my hair and tried not to let my desire show on my face.

    “I don’t think so, Jace,” she answered almost apologetically.

    “Because you already have a man?” I inquired, letting my eyes wander her face, checking for any signs of indecision. Maybe if I just kiss her, she’ll kiss me back… Or maybe she’ll slap my face. I decided against it. Clearly she wasn’t interested in me, and I couldn’t stop the jealousy from building up inside me because of that knowledge. During the last couple of hours, I’d realised how great she was. Her boyfriend was a lucky guy; I hoped he knew it.

    “Yeah,” she whispered, nodding.

    “Okay, well it was nice to meet you and stalk you for a few hours. Thanks for keeping me entertained. Your first piece of stalker mail should arrive within the next couple of days,” I joked, grinning at her and trying to cover up my disappointment.

    She chuckled, handing me back my jacket. “I’ll look forward to it.”

    I slipped it on, immediately feeling the warmth of the material from her body. I took one last look at her before I turned and headed back to the station to wait for my train. As I sat there, sipping bad coffee from a paper cup, I couldn't help but wonder if this girl was my Anna; my perfect match. Technically, it didn’t even matter because she wasn’t interested.

    By the time I was back in LA, I was exhausted. My eyes stung and it was almost four in the morning. I had just over an hour before I was due to start work. I headed back to my apartment and had a nice hot shower, trying to wakeup my muscles a little. After pulling on a fresh uniform, I headed to my department a little earlier than I needed to, deciding to read through my briefing pack with all the details of the day’s operation.

    My team of ten was going to a building downtown, where they had been tracking a drug dealer. Apparently, there was a cop undercover with the group; he’d fed us information that there was a big deal going down this morning at seven. I was to lead the snipers – four of us in total – and we would take vantage points across the street. The other six agents in my team would move into the building and secure the targets after the deal had gone down. A tech team had already set up the building with cameras and motion detectors in preparation, so we would be able to watch the deal before moving in. It all sounded fairly standard to me, not unlike a normal raid, except we needed to be careful of the undercover cop. I flicked to his picture so I would know who he was during the raid.

    When I was done reading, I rested my head on my arms and waited for everyone else to arrive. I must have fallen asleep because I jolted upright when someone smacked me on the back of my head. Russell, one of my teammates, laughed wickedly, obviously proud of himself.

    “Asshole,” I grunted tiredly as he dropped into the seat next to mine.

    “Another girl keep you up all night?” he asked, shaking his head. Russell was a married man and always disapproved of the tales I told of girls I’d been with.

    I smiled. He was right, but not in the way he was thinking. “Yep, I had no sleep at all. It was fun though,” I answered honestly.

    He rolled his eyes. “When are you going to grow up and stop sleeping around?”

    I sat back in my chair, rubbing a hand over face, trying to wake up a little more. “When my dick shrivels up and falls off,” I joked.

    Before he could answer, the captain walked in the room and everyone went quiet, listening to last minute instructions before we all piled into two vans and headed to the location.