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what anything means to Ian anymore.” She smiled at Anna, and then she released a huff of breath, shutting down the conversation. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand, sweetheart.” She smacked her palm to Anna’s as they clasped hands and pulled each other up to stand. “I seriously need to soak these dogs in a nice hot bath before I can hit the hay.”
    They walked slowly from the building, and Gray hugged Anna at the curb as Anna pulled her car door open.
    “Wanna lift?” Anna asked.
    “Nah. I’m just gonna hoof it. Maybe the fresh air will do me some good.” She smiled at Anna and waved as she started off down the sidewalk. Her mind wandered as she walked, and by the time she was standing in front of her building, she couldn’t remember a single step she’d taken to get herself home, she was oddly aroused, still offended, and most definitely, still confused.
    As she fished in her purse for her keys with one hand, she pulled the front door of the building open with the other, and by the time she’d made it to the old industrial elevator in the lobby, her hand had made it to the bottom of her bag without finding her keys.
    “What the fuck?” she muttered, and then she stopped still as the old elevator lurched to a loud stop in front of her and the door lifted. She’d left her keys in her locker. She could literally see herself setting them in the locker, and then dropping her bag right on top of them. What she couldn’t see was picking the keys up when she’d grabbed her bag later on.
    She jogged the few blocks back to the Butler Center, and as she came panting to a stop in front of the door, she cursed again. The building was dark and silent. She tugged on the handle anyway, but it was locked, and as she turned and let her head drop back to stare at the now dark sky, she growled in frustration.
    She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, staring at it for a moment. She didn’t want to do this. She very much did not want to do this.
    Her fingers moved over the letters on her cell phone screen quickly, and she paused for a moment before hitting send. But then she hit send, and she started the short trek back to her building.
    I’m locked out of my apartment. You have my only spare key. Can you bring it to me?

Chapter Five
     
    Jasper watched Ian drunkenly throw a dart against the dartboard in the back of his bar. He was stumbling around with two rather flirtatious women, and he’d been buying them drinks for the past hour. It was getting old, and as Jas finished wiping the bar top clean, he stepped back against the counter behind him and sighed.
    He’d been pissed at Ian for days now, but when he’d come in that night, sullenly collapsing to a barstool, Jas had felt sorry for him. Gray wasn’t speaking to him, and given the way Ian was holding his head in his hands staring down into his beer, he was legitimately upset.
    But then he got a few more beers in him…
    And then the two flirtatious gals entered…
    And now Jas was pissed at him…
    Again…
    When Ian’s cell phone beeped out that he had a text message, Jas glanced at Ian. He was back to throwing darts as the enamored women watched him. Jasper rolled his eyes, tossing the hand towel he was holding onto the counter, and he grabbed Ian’s cell phone from the bar.
    He studied the screen for a moment, and then he looked back up to Ian. When he started typing a response, his heart raced.
    Sure.
    He searched through Ian’s contacts for her entry, and then he sent the contact information to his own phone. When he rounded the bar, he clapped his hand on his night manager Seth’s shoulder who was pouring over the schedule at the end of the bar. “Hey. I’m leaving for the night. If it’s still slow at midnight lock up.”
    “Sure, boss,” Seth responded.
    Jasper walked over to Ian then, catching his arm just before he threw another dart.
    “What the fuck, Jas?”
    One of the flirts started eyeing Jasper and biting her lip. She was lanky and