And there it was, the sweetest way I have ever been dismissed in more than thirty years on this planet.
“Right.” Why I stood there like a damn idiot, I had no idea, but the way those eyes, gold and green and brown, stared a hole right through me was irresistible. Yeah, I was more screwed up than I realized.
“Are you all right, Nate?”
“I’m fine,” I growled, and instantly felt bad when she took a step back.
“All right.” She slammed the door in my face. I don’t know how long I stood there, both shocked at her behavior, while also knowing I deserved that, and a lot more.
Even knowing that, I wasn’t ready to say good night. Raising my fist, I pounded on the door three times and rang the bell for good measure. Mikki could pretend not to hear me, but that wasn’t her style.
A few moments later, the door swung open and an irritated Mikki appeared, the front of her robe open just enough to reveal that she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing underneath. “What is it now?”
“Nothing. Just this.” I leaned in and wrapped both of my arms around her waist until not even a breath of air could slide in between us, then lowered my head. I didn’t stop until my lips were on hers, my tongue sliding back and forth across her bottom lip and then her top lip until she gasped and softened, leaning her weight against me. I slipped in and deepened the kiss while, in the back of my mind, waiting for her to push me away or smack my face. Tell me to leave her the hell alone.
Mikki did none of that. Instead, she fisted her small hand in the work shirt I still had on for Janey’s photos and pulled me closer, swiping her tongue against mine and curling her fingers into my beard. But when she moaned into my mouth and sucked my tongue, I just about lost all the good intentions I had. If I even had any.
I was the one to put a stop to the kiss, because I had to. Because Mikki’s tongue was doing delicious things to my body, reminding of the way she’d wrapped those same lips around my cock and used that same tongue to drive me out of my mind. “Okay. Good night.”
She blinked and looked up at me, confusion swimming in her eyes. Quickly, she hid it and took a step back, guard slowly going back up around her. She wrapped both arms around her body for just a second and nodded. “Right.” Then she slammed the door in my face again, locking it—twice—for good measure.
Yep, that sounded about right.
Mikki
Monday morning arrived bright and early, as it always did since I had decided that Mondays were a half day at Pretty Feathers. It wasn’t so much a morning off as it was a chance to catch up on all the home and everyday life stuff that I neglected in favor of my baby. Still, I swung my feet over the edge of the bed, did my bathroom business, and rushed downstairs to get a pot of coffee on while I took care of small housekeeping matters.
While the coffee brewed, I picked up all the things that I dropped, discarded, or set down in places they didn’t belong between coming home and heading to my shop. Thankfully, there wasn’t much this week, and when I finished the coffee pot was full and no longer sputtering.
“Sweet caffeine!” I said reverently, pouring myself a mug. Thanks to my still empty fridge, the most pressing item on my list for today was a trip to the grocery store—which started with a shopping list.
I could think of at least a million things to do with my time other than cooking, which was basically a sin for a well-bred southern woman, but there you have it. There would be no lavish Sunday dinners on my meal plan, just simple and easy. Steak and potatoes. Chicken and corn. Pork and broccoli. Maybe a salad or two, and definitely tacos. Add in a few more veggies and cocktail ingredients, and I was ready to go after just two cups of black gold.
After Nate’s visit last night, I had a long talk with myself over a piping hot pizza and a delicious bottle of Beaujolais. I was done avoiding him, since it seemed he didn’t see a reason to avoid me. We were nothing to each other, so