Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest) - By Carly Phillips Page 0,43
for me.”
“By warning you away?”
“By making sure I know what I’m getting myself into, and I do. Come on, Mike. You made a public statement with that kiss. Did you really think everyone would let it slide?”
His eyes darkened. “I didn’t think. I did what I wanted.”
Unable to help herself, she ran her hand along his stubbled jaw. “And you live with the consequences,” she told him, liking the feel of his scruffy day-old beard.
“Is this one of those consequences?” he asked, grabbing her wrist and rubbing his thumb along the inside pulse point.
She swallowed hard. “It is.” At their sexual banter, her heart tapped out a rapid beat inside her chest.
“Did you mean what you told Sam about your eyes being wide open?”
She managed a nod. Given a choice between this and not having anything with Mike at all, she’d take this. And deal later.
“Good.” He visibly relaxed, but he didn’t stop swirling circles on her wrist with his thumb and she felt the pull inside her, causing her breath to catch, her nipples to harden, and pure need to pulse between her thighs. “Ready to go back to the table?”
She thought he would have suggested they head upstairs. “Sure,” she said, over her disappointment.
He eased his fingers down and grasped her hand in his. “Don’t worry, honey, we’ll go upstairs later.”
“Honey?” She repeated the word.
“I need an endearment, and baby isn’t going to work.”
“Oh.” He wanted an endearment. For her.
Her mouth went dry. He had her wired and on edge, ready to pull him out the back and to his apartment right this second.
He placed his free hand on the small of her back and steered her toward their table. For the rest of the night, Cara heard nothing else except a low buzz of her friends talking and the hum of anticipation in the air as she waited for the time when she could head upstairs and be alone with Mike.
Eight
Mike liked Cara in uniform. He liked her in jeans and a beat-up faded tee. He liked the cut-off pink sweatshirt that bared one shoulder, her long ponytail hanging down her back, swinging as she walked. Her hips were swinging as well, and as his gaze traveled lower, he decided he really liked her ass.
So why hadn’t he taken her up on the invitation in her eyes to ditch the bar and go upstairs? Because as much as he enjoyed those things, he loved watching her laugh with her friends that much more.
Apparently he was in deep.
Sam didn’t mention anything about the scene earlier. He also hadn’t spoken to Mike directly ever since. Whatever Mike had with Cara was none of his brother’s business, and Mike didn’t plan on bringing it up either.
Eventually, Alexa yawned and said she was ready to turn in. Liza did the same, which led to Dare pronouncing their night over. He took his wife home, Alexa walked out with them, Sam left with barely a good-bye, and Mike turned to Cara.
“Ready?” He rose and extended a hand.
She grinned and stood up. He was happy to see that her buzz had worn off; she was steady on her feet and, from the look in her eyes, as eager to get upstairs as he was.
For the first time, they didn’t sneak out separately. Instead he took her hand and led her to the back entrance. Mike didn’t give a damn who saw them, and apparently she’d come to terms with her issues about being seen together in public. By morning, word would spread through Serendipity, and though he now had a responsibility to a woman he’d never willingly sought out before, this was Cara. And he didn’t mind.
After his messed-up relationship in this small town, Mike had learned a lesson. He wasn’t cut out for anything serious because, as he realized not long after his departure from home, he had his biological father’s blood running through his veins. He’d proven it with Tiffany and let no woman afterward get close enough to make demands or have expectations. None made him want to give those things.
Cara did.
It didn’t miss his notice that he’d willingly gone into a relationship with Cara. He was okay with that because if he wanted to move on before his time in Serendipity was over, she was prepared. He’d handle her with care. He wouldn’t deliberately hurt her, and he wasn’t worried anyway because he didn’t see that happening any time soon.