Bet on It (33)

“What are you doing?” Hearing Walker’s voice was such a shock that her key missed the lock entirely, the ring slipping from her hand and onto the floor. “You sound like you’re out of breath.”

“I was just coming up the stairs,” she said, more breathless from him than anything else. She took her time getting her door unlocked, hands shaking as she put her keys and purse on the little hooks next to her front door.

“You’re just gettin’ in? You have a hot date or somethin’?” It was clear his words were meant to be lighthearted, a joke, but they didn’t sound that way. Not completely.

“I was with some friends.” Aja didn’t know whether she had the right to call them that yet, but she did anyway.

He hummed, the sound rumbling through her. “And did you have a good time with your friends?”

For a second, she considered telling him that she’d been with three people who knew him. But she didn’t know to what end—what would she even say? That Olivia had recognized him from high school and then had proceeded to ask her if they were fucking around? Aja had no idea how that conversation with Walker would go over, especially since the man seemed to hate everything about Greenbelt. It was understandable, honestly. She’d heard Miri and the girls talk a little about what high school had been like for him. Years of solitude culminating in an awful fight. If she’d been in his shoes, she would have hated Greenbelt too. But she didn’t want to upset or trigger him by needlessly bringing up unpleasant things so she didn’t.

“I did. We just sat around not doing much, but it was nice to get out and be around people. What did you do today?”

Aja held her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she took off her outside clothes, ridding herself of her socks and leggings, then put the phone on speaker so she could take off the things up top.

“I hung out with Gram,” he grunted softly into the phone, probably just switching positions, but she got flustered anyway. “We went for a walk.…”

“That’s nice, it’s always good to get some fresh air,” she murmured absently, shoving her clothes into her hamper. “Walker … why did you call me?”

The other end of the line went so silent that she had to look at her phone to make sure he hadn’t hung up.

“To be honest, I don’t know. I was just thinkin’ about you, thinkin’ about how kind you were to me the other night, all understandin’ and shit. And I wanted to hear your voice.”

She collapsed back on her bed, her hand immediately going to clutch at her stomach like she was afraid something might fall out of her if she didn’t physically hold it together.

“I like hearin’ your voice,” he continued. “It’s light and a little—shit, what’s the word?—breathy. Sweet. I can always tell that you’ve thought about what exactly you want to say before you say it.”

Her fingernails glided along her skin, heat pooling in her lower belly. “Are you drunk?”

Walker laughed quietly, like he was keeping a secret. “I’m completely sober. I feel good is all. Better than I have in weeks.”

“Oh, that’s good. I’m glad to hear that you’re happy. I was worried about you after Wednesday night.”

“You’re sweet to worry about me, Aja.” His voice went deep again. “Real fuckin’ sweet.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry, I need to watch my mouth.”

It was her turn to laugh. “I’m a grown woman, sir. I can handle an errant fuck or two.”

Was that a groan? She came incredibly close to asking him to repeat it, wanting to confirm his groan, and to recreate the throb that had pulsed between her thighs when she’d heard the low, rough sound. Aja had never claimed to have any kind of foresight, but she could see their conversation was close to taking a turn. Part of her wanted it to, craved him growling softly in her ear while she got herself off. The other part of her knew it was a bad idea. Walker was supposed to be her friend. It was bad enough that she masturbated thinking about him sometimes; she didn’t need to cross an even bigger line by masturbating with him.

It pained her, but she turned the conversation around. “Anyway,” she cleared her throat. “Of course I worry about you. It was obvious that something was up. I know I couldn’t really do anything to fix the problem, but I wanted to help you the way you helped me.”

“You did help me. You just being there helped. I know you know how that feels.” She heard him move around, the sound of something opening, then the chirping of crickets. “Gram and I talked about it this afternoon. We’re goin’ to work on our relationship, I guess.”

“That’s amazing, Walker. I’m glad you guys were able to talk. I know it must have been hard, but I can tell how much you love her. It’s the most obvious thing about you.”

“The most obvious, huh?” He chuckled warmly.

“Nothing is more obvious than a country boy who loves his granny.”

They were quiet for a while. Aja wasn’t sure how long the silence stretched, but she could hear him breathing on the other end of the line. Slow and steady and deep, the rhythm lulled her so much that her eyes closed in response.

“Thank you for talkin’ to me tonight, Aja.”

She shivered as if a window had been opened in her room. “You don’t need to thank me. We’re friends, friends talk. That’s the whole point.”