Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest) - By Carly Phillips Page 0,58
He didn’t know what it was, and he wasn’t about to go looking into it either. That might send him running.
And he wasn’t ready.
He lifted a long strand of her jet-black hair and ran his fingers back and forth over the long strands, thinking. She was more wounded than he realized, more self-contained. She didn’t ask much of him and seemed surprised when he did something that affected her emotionally. At first he attributed it to her feelings about him—she didn’t expect much of him and wouldn’t ask for much either. Only now he was beginning to wonder if she didn’t expect it of anyone.
Which spoke more about her issues than it did of his. Interesting. The more she withheld, the more he wanted to know. And the more he knew, the more he wanted. Definitely not his usual M.O.
She stirred in his arms, and he suddenly found himself looking into her big blue eyes. Not a bad way to wake up. “Morning.”
She smiled. “Morning.”
His phone rang, muted from being in his pants pocket, but he heard it just the same. “I should check that,” he said with regret.
“And I should look at mine. You kept me so busy last night I didn’t think about it.” Her cheeks turned pink at the admission.
He grinned, feeling an absurd amount of pride at the notion that he’d been that distracting. “Okay, check your phone and meet me back here for a morning quickie before you have to go to work.”
She groaned at him, but the flicker of excitement in her eyes told him she’d be completely willing.
He rose and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Erin,” he said. “I’ll call her later.”
“Oh, no,” Cara said. Obviously she’d missed more important calls than he had.
“What’s wrong?”
“Three missed calls from Havensbridge.” She hit a button and put the phone to her ear.
Mike tried not to focus on her naked body while she was obviously upset, but he couldn’t turn away. She had the most gorgeous curves along with toned muscles from working. Womanly despite the hard demands of her job.
“What do you mean, Daniella left?” Cara asked, her voice rising.
Mike tossed his phone onto the nightstand and came up beside her. She listened and finally spoke. “Yeah. I understand. Call me the minute you hear something. Thanks.” She disconnected the call and threw the phone onto the mattress in frustration.
“The woman you’ve been worried about?” Mike asked.
She nodded, the pain in her eyes unmistakable. “She left the shelter late last night. Just walked out and didn’t tell anyone where she was going. Dammit!”
He eased her onto the bed, but she remained stiff and unyielding. “Cara, calm down and talk to me,” he said in a firm voice, in order to get through to her.
“One of the other girls said she tried to call me and I wasn’t there for her. I let her down. Now she probably went back to her ex. There’s nowhere else she’d go. Her family doesn’t live near here.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Mike had never been good with female waterworks or theatrics, except this wasn’t any of those. Cara, like Erin, didn’t cry easily. These tears were heartfelt and real; he felt like a hand was squeezing his chest as he brushed the moisture with his thumb.
“For all you know, she wanted to tell you but nothing you said could have made a difference.”
She swallowed hard. “You don’t know that.” She pulled in a shuddering breath. “But thanks for trying to make me feel better.” She forced a smile he knew damned well she didn’t feel.
“Don’t.”
She blinked at his rough voice. “What?”
“Don’t hide your feelings from me,” he said, surprising her and himself. “You’re hurting. I get it, but I won’t let you pretend that you’re fine. Not with me.”
She hiccupped and her body shook, but she didn’t reply. Instead she pulled herself together before his eyes and for some reason he didn’t understand, it bothered him that she wouldn’t lean on him.
“What’s your plan?” he asked, instead of pushing her.
“Work. What else can I do? She’s not a missing person; I can’t force her to come back to the shelter. If I follow her home, I might provoke her ex. I have to trust she’ll come to me if she needs me. Assuming she lets herself trust me again.” Cara shook her head in frustration. “I have to shower and get to work.” She pulled out of his arms.