“So it’s better to let me deal with it on my own? Or with some loser who’s one one-hundredth of the man you are, whose best is a half-assed job?”
She smiled up at him, and he couldn’t help but return the emotion. She’d turned this around on him and exposed his Achilles’ heel—sweet, sassy, adorable, lovable, sexy, confident Amanda Jenner.
“I think, Counselor, you are misconstruing the facts.” She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. “I don’t want you to protect me. I want you to love me.”
Chapter Fourteen
ONE OF THE first things Mick had taught Amanda when she’d started working with him was never to show her hand. She’d not only shown her hand, but she’d practically shoved it down his throat—and she felt the effects in her own, as she choked on her stupidity. Lines of concentration deepened along Mick’s brow. A million thoughts raced through her mind, and she was incapable of holding on to a single one.
A slow, secret smile formed on Mick’s lips, only she wasn’t privy to the secret. It was maddening—and irresistibly devastating.
“You’re fearless,” he said with awe.
She inhaled a breath of utter astonishment. “I am? I…I mean. I am! Of course I am.” I’m so far from fearless I can’t even remember how to spell it. “Can we pretend I never said that last part?”
“Hell no.” An arrogant grin spread across his face. “But I think we can agree we’ve revealed enough secrets for tonight. We should let things simmer. See how we feel in the morning.”
She breathed a little easier—still not easy enough, though. He hadn’t responded to her confession, but he didn’t tell her not to love him, either. As small as that was, she’d come to realize that it was huge in the world of Mick Bad.
“That sounds like a fair plan,” she said. “I hope this won’t make things awkward between us.”
“I’ve told you things I’ve never told anyone, details about my sister, my father, my life. I’ve told you that I want you, that I want to be with you. I’ve revealed parts of myself I didn’t even know existed.” He reached for her, as if he hadn’t just been a whirling tornado of emotions or that his words hadn’t just sent her heart spinning again. “We know every inch of each other’s bodies intimately, and you’re worried about admitting you have feelings for me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Put that way, no, but…yes.”
“What shall we do about that?”
“Pfft. Like we can do anything?”
He eyed the water. “I think I know how to wash away the awkwardness. Take your clothes off.” He stepped back and began unbuttoning his shirt.
“What happened to seduction? A little foreplay?” Still reeling from all they’d said to each other, she made no move to undress.
He raised his brows and tossed his shirt on the deck, toed off his shoes, and made quick work of removing his slacks. And briefs. And all the air from the state. She couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“Need help, or do you want to ogle a little longer?” He moved toward her with the stealth of a panther—and there was no tender underbelly in sight. His erection bobbed enticingly against his flesh. His eyes were liquid heat.
She stumbled backward. “I…No.”
He took her hand and tugged her forward.
“Mick? What are we—”
In one swift move he pulled her dress over her head and tossed it aside, his expression now hovering between smoldering and playful. Cold air rushed over her skin, bringing goose bumps to her flesh. He traced a line down the center of her chest, pinched the front clasp of her bra, and flicked it open without ever looking down.
“Are you ready?” he asked in a low voice that made her belly flutter as he tossed her bra to the deck.
Despite herself, she was always ready for the excruciatingly complex and insanely intense man.
“I’m going to take that as a yes.” He lifted her and guided her legs around his waist. “Don’t even think about scooting down and trying to take advantage of me.”
Her eyes widened. Wasn’t that his intent?
“Do you know how to swim?” He stepped over the railing, and she clung to him like a monkey in full panic mode, trying to scale his shoulder to reach the deck.
“What? Yes. Wh—no! Hell no! It’s going to be freezing. No, Mick. Please don’t!”
His deep, hearty laugh vibrated through his chest. “Hang on, baby, because we’re going down.” He leaped from the boat.
“No—”
He captured her mouth just before they hit the water and sank into the frigid depths of the lake. With one arm holding her like a vise, he used the other and his powerful legs to propel them upward. They broke the surface gasping for air and laughing hysterically. He kicked and kicked, keeping their heads above the water.
“You’re crazy!” She was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. The water was freezing, but Mick’s body was on fire, and she stuck to him like molten metal.
His response was another hearty laugh. Lost in the exhilarating moment, she silenced him with a kiss, reveling in the cold and hot sensations breaking over her skin and the hard tumbling in her chest. The kiss intensified, and they began to sink, causing her to giggle.
“What?” he said with a laugh, kicking to keep their heads above water again. “You kissed me. Everyone knows a man’s brain can’t function when a hot woman is wrapped around him naked. I forgot to kick.” His face turned serious. “How do you feel about drowning?”
“How do you feel about getting kicked in your family jewels?”
“Not as good as I feel about drowning while making out with you.” He nipped at her lower lip.
God she loved him. “I should be furious with you for making me bare my soul and—”
“Your body?”
Her head fell back and she held her fists up to the sky. “Why? Why this man, of all people?” She lowered her chin, meeting his amused expression. “No. I wanted to bare my body to you, but my soul? Not so much.”
His eyes went all sad puppy on her, and she groaned. “You’re hot, you’re cold, you’re in control, you’re furious, and now this? Adorable? Are you kidding me? What’s next?”
His gaze turned sinful. Pleasure radiated through her, different from the anticipatory thrill of a good fuck. This was deep-seated affection, pure, unadulterated love, filling her from the soles of her feet to the tippy top of her scalp. She wasn’t fooling herself. It was a dangerous love, one he’d made clear would remain unrequited. But her brain and her heart were on different wavelengths, and no amount of intelligence could avert the emotions bedding down in her heart.
“There is no way Bridgette would have been better off without sharing the time she’d had with the man she loved—no matter how short. Memories of this weekend will last a lifetime.” They have to. She couldn’t believe she’d said it aloud, but she had, and it was the truth, and she wanted him to know it.
With a clear head and a full heart, she tried once again to abandon her hopes for more than the weekend and reveled in the luxurious experience of being with the man she loved.
**
AMANDA SHIVERED IN Mick’s arms, her body pressed tightly to his, as they kissed and kissed and kissed some more, bobbing in the water like buoys. In the space of a few short days, she’d upended him like a dinghy caught in a squall—exposing fissures he’d long ago masked. With each confession the fissures expanded, until they were gaping holes, sucking him under, drowning him in emotions he didn’t want to feel. Just when he thought he’d hit his limit, Amanda reeled him back to safety with a touch, a smile, a few carefully spoken words, allowing him to gain his footing and rebuild the walls. Only now they weren’t quite as soundproof, not quite as thick or resilient, and Amanda was no longer standing outside those walls. She’d become a part of them.
It was those overwhelming emotions that had him guiding them toward the swim platform on the side of the yacht, because despite the heat sizzling between them, her teeth were chattering.
> “Inside, baby. You’re too cold.” He lifted her onto the deck, and she wrapped her arms around herself as he pulled himself up, chiding himself for forgetting to toss a few towels onto the platform. He tucked her against him as they went inside, and used the control panel to close and lift the platform. “Come on. I don’t want you to get sick.”
In the master bedroom, Mick wrapped her in a plush robe. Holding either side of the neckline, he pulled it closed and kissed her tenderly.
“Thank you,” she said through bluish lips. “I didn’t realize I was this cold.”
“We stayed in longer than I anticipated. Sorry, baby. Let’s take a hot shower and warm you up.”
Mick gathered her close, allowing the warm water to rain over her. Her arms were tucked between them, her cheek pressed to his shoulder, safely nestled in his embrace.
“That was fun,” she said, teeth still chattering.
He ran his hands up and down her sides and back, trying to warm all of her at once.
She tipped her face up with a sweet smile. “Do you skinny-dip often?”
He laughed. “No. Never, in fact.” She was trembling less now, warm to the touch. “Do you?”
She pressed her cheek to his chest again, wrapped her arms around his neck, and yawned. “No. Ally and I snuck into a neighbor’s pool a few times when we were kids, but I haven’t gone since.”
“Then it’s a first adult skinny-dip excursion for both of us.” He kissed her shoulder, surprised by how much he liked knowing they’d shared another first.
They remained there, beneath the warm water, until the steam was so thick it dripped from the shower doors.
“Come on, baby, let’s get you to bed.” Mick dried her off and wrapped her in a dry towel before tending to himself. Amanda’s lids were at half-mast, a sleepy smile on her lips. She looked delicious and sweet and so very trusting it made his heart ache and sing at once. He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her. The kiss was languid and intimate, a kiss for her tired soul to melt into.
He carried her to the bed and laid her down. She reached for him with so much love in her eyes he felt it coursing through his body, leaving her mark, claiming pieces of him he thought no one could ever reach. And he wanted more. More firsts, more time. Mornings and evenings and everything in between. He’d fought those feelings for so long, he’d truly believed he was incapable of really falling in love. But Amanda had found her way into his heart and captured nearly three years of repressed emotions as they tried to escape.
Her legs parted as he came down over her, her hips rising to greet him. He cradled her head in his hands again, overwhelmed with the love that had become too powerful to ignore.
“You’re truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
“You know I’m a sure thing, right?” She playfully patted his butt.
“No. You’re not a sure thing.” You’re everything. “I’m lucky to be here with you, and I meant what I said.”
“Mick,” she whispered, wonder washing over her features.
He kissed her softly. “You should sleep, baby. You’re tired.”
“I’m not too tired for our last night together.”
Our last night. Like a ravenous castaway thrown into a feast, he wanted to devour every moment, every touch, every word. His emotions gorged and swelled, consuming every part of him until he ached with them.
“You’re sure?”
Her smile widened. “Yes, Counselor. Stop badgering the witness.”
God he loved her sassiness. His defenses were weakening to the point of transparency, and when she leaned up for a kiss, he met her halfway, deepening the kiss as their bodies joined together and they found their rhythm. Pleasure radiated through him, each thrust pulsing with the need to protect her, every kiss flooding him with the desire to cherish her. They were a perfect match in the office, in the bedroom, beneath the autumn sunlight or the evening moonlight.
He reached beneath her, angling her hips so he could take her deeper, love her more completely. Her eyes slammed shut as waves of ecstasy consumed them, pulsing around his cock as she cried out his name—and he followed her over the edge, with the pure and explosive need to love her.
They lay with their legs and bodies intertwined like tangled vines. Awareness prickled around Mick as Amanda’s heartbeat calmed and her breathing evened out. His thoughts raced forward, then retreated, pushing him in directions he never thought he’d go. She nuzzled in closer, and he kissed her cheek. Maybe I can do this, baby. Maybe we can have a future. Maybe he wasn’t as broken as he thought.
She shifted, curling tighter against him, and a short while later, fell fast asleep in his arms.
“I love you, baby. I’ve loved you for a very long time,” he whispered on deaf ears. That was okay, because he hadn’t been sure he could actually say the words out loud. This all-consuming love terrified him, but he’d managed to say the words, and it felt incredible.
For the first time in decades, the world wasn’t racing by, and Mick wasn’t chasing distractions. He was exactly where he wanted to be. He drifted off to sleep with thoughts of their future dancing in his head.
Chapter Fifteen
AMANDA STOOD AT the edge of the parking lot Sunday afternoon, gazing out at the lake and wishing she and Mick could stay in this magical town forever. A cool breeze slid over her skin, and she inhaled the scent of tranquility. Funny, she hadn’t felt tranquil when she’d arrived, and they’d gone through myriad emotions this weekend—a roller coaster, really. But somehow, amid all the chaos and the pretending, Amanda had found herself, and in that discovery, she’d found a sense of peace. She’d thought she needed danger and intrigue to fill the loneliness inside her, but that wasn’t it at all. She’d been trying to find a substitution for the only man she really wanted. She was searching for a clone. A counterpart. A void filler. Now she knew she could have searched the world over and never would have found a man to fit the bill, because there was only one Mick Bad. And she loved him, flaws and all.
They’d spent the morning lazing aboard the boat, and later they’d meandered through the cute shops in town. Mick bought his mother a scarf, and they ate lunch in a café. Afterward, they’d shared a cupcake from Willow’s bakery and walked along the shore holding hands. Now they were packed and ready to return to the city. Or rather, packed and nowhere near ready to leave this little slice of paradise behind.
Mick’s arms circled her waist from behind, and he pressed a kiss to her cheek. He smelled like sinful nights and sunny afternoons. He smelled like truth and trust and fear and safety, and more heavenly than any other man would again. And, she dared admit to herself, sometime between last night’s conversation and this morning’s lovemaking and their favorite things discussion that ensued afterward— his were action movies and hanging out with his brothers; hers was just about anything romantic: movies, books, proposal videos on YouTube—she’d also picked up on the faint scent of boyfriend.
“I really love it here.” Amanda rested her head back against his shoulder. She’d slept wrapped up in him right through the night, and it had been the best sleep of her life. “I can only imagine how incredible it is as the seasons change.”
“Now that you know it’s here, you won’t have to imagine forever.” He kissed her again.
He’d been making those types of comments all morning, like near kisses that never quite connected.
“If you could go anywhere in the world,” he said wistfully, “where would it be?”
She smiled, thinking of their favorite things discussion. “Greece. To a place like the resort in Mamma Mia! What about you?”
He laughed and reached for his phone. “Wait, I have to add Mamma Mia! to my Netflix playlist.”
She poked him. “I can’t believe we have to leave already. It feels like we’ve been gone a month.”
“We had a pretty perfect time, didn’t we? Although, I could have done without watching you seduce another man.”
“Tha
t’s what we were here for.” She was fishing, and not proud of it, but she couldn’t help it. Mick hadn’t said or done anything specific to lead her to believe they could have more than this weekend, but last night she’d felt a shift between them. And this morning, when she’d expected to wake up and realize it had all been her imagination, his eyes were warmer, less shadowed and walled off. His words were less tethered, and his touch—God, your touch—was possessive and dominant and somehow tender without being passive or too familiar. It could be the effects of this sweet little town, which had captured her heart and lulled her into a blissful state, but her instincts told her it wasn’t the town. It was the man.
“Yes, that we were,” he said with a kernel of annoyance in his tone.
She’d had a glimpse of his vulnerabilities, and they didn’t lessen his virility one iota. She loved him even more for having them. They made him human. He loved his family so intensely, and she had a feeling he’d never fully grieved for the sister he’d lost far too early. It was that intensity, that passion, that made him the incredible man he’d become. He obviously saw it as a flaw, but she saw it as one of his greatest strengths. A person couldn’t care too deeply.
She smiled, feeling the heat of the sun on her face and the tightening of his chest against her back. That was all the confirmation she needed to know he was right there with her, whether he said it or not.
“Do we really have to go back to reality?” Reality. It was the kind of word that carried weight, like responsibility and grown-up. The kind of word parents threw around when they were making a point.
He turned her in his arms, slid a hand to the nape of her neck, and pressed a kiss to the freckles below her ear. His eyes were full of half promises, and she held her breath, suddenly acutely aware of her quickening heartbeat and the anticipation building in her chest for the half of the promises he’d held back.
“Mick! Manda!” Louie ran across the parking lot, holding Bridgette’s hand, and blew his harmonica in three long beats.
Bad Boys After Dark: Mick Page 16