Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset

by Piper Sullivan

  Instead, Mikki surprised me with a laugh. A loud, full-bodied laugh that sent warmth shooting through my veins. “I don’t know whether to be flattered you’ve been reading up on the pregnancy, or creeped out that you just offered me a boob massage.”

  “How about be flattered and grateful that I’m willing to do that, for you, to provide some relief. Any relief.” Her lips twitched in amusement, but it was the heat burning in her eyes that took hold of my heart and my body, telling me to move forward, to take those full lips in a kiss that would remind her just how good we were. Together.

  “I think I’m more than capable of that particular task,” she said, taking a handful of lush, braless breast in each hand and giving them a good squeeze. “Yeah, I’m good. But thanks for the offer.”

  Her hazel gaze was full of mischief, the damn woman knew exactly what she was doing—and just what it was doing to me. She laughed at the hungry growl that escaped from me. “Tease.”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged and yawned, and I knew that was my cue to leave.

  “Or maybe you just need a reminder.” Instead of standing up, I leaned over her until my body completely covered hers, until my mouth was on hers, devouring her in a slow, sensual kiss that had me growing hard enough to pound nails. My hips flexed against her and then one shapely leg hitched over my hips, bringing me into contact right where I needed to be. Without clothes would be better, but with her delicate fingers sifting through my hair and one hand headed towards those silky, creamy breasts, I didn’t give a damn. It was enough.

  For now, it was enough.

  The kiss went on forever—at least, that’s what it felt like when she moaned into my mouth and arched into my hand. I kissed her gently while my hands massaged her tits, giving her nipples the occasional pinch that sent goosebumps skittering all over her olive skin. “Nate,” she moaned and pushed at my chest.

  “Do I need to apologize?” I would. I wouldn’t mean it, but I would apologize.

  “No, but I do need to breathe.” Her words came out in deep, harsh pants, but her lips were curved into an almost-smirk.

  “Uh, if you unwrap your legs I could move.”

  “Right.” Her legs still didn’t move and when she titled her head back, giving me access to the long column of her neck, I couldn’t resist a taste. Just a small taste that turned into a bigger taste that had her writhing and moaning against me. “Nate.”

  “Mikki.” I sank my teeth into the swell of her breasts and sat up, letting my fingers graze her skin until I was too far away to touch her any longer. “Sweet fuckin’ Mikki.”

  “Thanks for the cheese. And the tease,” she groaned, making me laugh.

  I walked out of Mikki’s house feeling like we’d made a lot of progress, which was good. Because I had a plan and it involved more days just like this one.

  Mikki

  “Why now? It doesn’t make sense. If this isn’t about me being pregnant, why does he all of a sudden want all of this?”

  I’d spent two full days mulling it over on my own before calling in reinforcements. I offered a free meal to pull Bo and Hope from the strong arms of their men to come be my sounding board for a few hours. Bitching about men over tacos—it was almost as if I’d never left Mississippi.

  Bo nodded, but her expression wasn’t shocked. Or angry. “A baby has a way of changing things for people, of shifting their priorities to what’s really important.”

  Her words settled around me like a lead weight. A responsibility. Priority. Obligation. They were all nice words to say you were being forced to do something you didn’t want to do, whether because of pride, obligation or morals. All I heard was the word burden, and that was the last thing I ever wanted to be to anyone. Ever. “I’m not interested in being anybody’s obligation. I have enough money and time and love for four parents.”

  “And two doting aunts,” Hope added around a mouthful of cheesy nachos.

  Bo growled. “Maybe. I mean, she only told us about the pregnancy now because she needs advice. Maybe we’re not really friends.” Arms folded and nostrils flaring, I knew I messed up when Bo and I were just solidifying our friendship.

  She deserved more than that. She deserved honesty, because that’s exactly what she would offer. “Because I wasn’t sure if I would stay in Tulip at all, and honestly, I figured you’d take Nate’s side since he is your brother and all.” It felt silly to say it, but I knew that when it came down to taking sides, people chose what was most important to them.

  For my daddy, that had been the business. For Bo, it was family.

  She sighed. “There are no sides, Mikki.” She’d been muttering a different, profanity-laced tune when I’d told her his initial accusation. “Okay, fine, he’s my brother, which means I can be as mean to him as I want. I can even torture him. Hell, that’s what little sisters are supposed to do.” Her eyes held a devious gleam that I didn’t trust. It almost made me feel bad for Nate. Almost.

  “Well, I think you should just give him a chance.” Hope was a hopeless romantic. The woman never looked at a situation and saw anything other than a happy ending. “He’s practically begging at this point, based on what you said, which means he’ll be quality boyfriend material. If it doesn’t last, then you did all you could to give your baby two parents who love each other. If it does, you get wrap your body around that big stupid hunk of a hometown hero every night.” Her grin was mischievous, but I couldn’t deny that Hope’s idea appealed to me on so many levels.

  The Nate I was getting to know was a good guy. A decent man who did the right thing for the simple fact that it was the right thing. He would be an excellent role model for a child, aside from his aversion to commitment. “A tiger can’t change his stripes, and Nate is a man who likes variety when it comes to women. And sex.”

  Bo leaned forward with a grin. “Tell us more about this sexual variety. Jase and I are always up for a little experimentation.” She wiggled her eyebrows and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I want to give him a shot, but how can I when I know how this will end?” Why should I put myself through the hell of a broken heart when I was already in love with him and I knew this couldn’t last?

  “How do you know that?” Bo’s question was serious, and I could tell my answer mattered.

  “Because he told me. All about his dad and how he doesn’t think he’s cut out for fatherhood.” He wanted to try, and I believed that, but was that enough?

  “So, you believe he’ll be a bad father?”

  I shook my head, vehemently. “No, but Nate does, and that’s what matters. I can’t change that for him and I can’t make him see otherwise. Only he can do that, which means I need to protect myself.” I couldn’t afford to fall apart over a man, not with a baby and a new business counting on me.

  “You’re in love with him!” Hope laughed and clapped her hands together in giddy excitement. “You are totally in love with him already.”

  I could deny it, but all of my precious energy these days went towards achievable goals. “Now you see why I can’t afford to play around. He could really hurt me, and I’m sick and damn tired of being hurt.”

  “Or he might see in himself what you see,” Bo added ominously. “You know, some people might just choose to miss out on something great because they’re cowards. Just didn’t think you were one of’em.”

  I glared at Bo, because I knew what she was doing, dammit. Because I knew she was right. I was being a coward. “I’m not,” I insisted fiercely. Okay, maybe I was a coward, but that was the past. Starting now, I would be brave and open to possibilities.

  “We’ll see,” Bo said, a challenge in her voice.

  Nate

  “Uh, Nate?”

  I hid a smile as I turned to face Mikki, who was looking sexy and rumpled in a plain gray tank top and matching gray panties. There was something irresistible about a woman like Mikki, all sensual curves, wrapped up in everyday basic cotton. “Good morning, Mikki. Sleep well?” It took all the will
power that several generations of Callahan men possessed to keep the counter between us, especially with the way her nipples beaded under my intense gaze.

  “I slept fine, thanks. What are you doing here?”

  Some women might have found it creepy, to come downstairs to find a man who isn’t in a relationship with you inside your kitchen. “Making breakfast. I hope you’re hungry.”

  “I’m always hungry,” she said, rubbing her belly, but my gaze stayed on the heavy weight of her breasts jiggling on the other side of that cotton. “How did you get in here?”

  “Still had my key,” I told her and nodded towards its place on the edge of the counter. “Is that all right?”

  She took in a deep breath. “Hard to say no when the scent of pancakes and bacon is permeating the air.” Mikki folded her arms and glared at me but there wasn’t much fire behind it—instead, there was a resignation that I found strangely hopeful.

  “I was hoping you’d say that. Have a seat.” I turned back to the stove, nerves fluttering in my belly as I flipped more pancakes and the scent of butter wafted on the air. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better. Every day I feel like I’m hungrier and less food comes back up, which I’m looking at as a positive.” Her tone was upbeat, but I couldn’t get over the circles under her eyes. “I must look awful if you’re that worried,” she said, trying for a joke.

  “You always look gorgeous, Mikki. But I am worried you’re not getting enough rest.”

  She sighed and it wasn’t annoyance this time, it was something else. “I am, too, but I’m resting as much as I can. Being tired all the time is part of this whole pregnancy game, my friend.”

  “I still don’t like it,” I growled, making her laugh.

  “I don’t know why you’re so worried about being a terrible father, you’re the flutteriest mother hen I’ve ever come across, I swear!” Hand to her chest, doing the perfect imitation of a delicate southern belle, Mikki laughed like she’d just told the funniest joke in the world. She erupted into bigger fits of laughter at my scowl.

  “It’s called caring.”

  She laughed again but it was softer this time. “I know and I appreciate it, more than you know. But I can’t get any more sleep than my body will allow. Okay?” I nodded and she flashed a smile bright enough to power the entire town of Tulip. “Good. Now, tell me what this breakfast is all about.”

  I should have known I wouldn’t be able to just show up here and execute my plan in my own time. “Suspicious much?”

  She shrugged and tucked one leg under her body, resting her chin on the other knee in an impossible feat of flexibility perched on one of the kitchen chairs. “Not suspicious. Let’s call it curious.”

  “I love watching and listening to you eat.”

  Her cheeks blushed prettily and the other foot slid to the floor, granting me another glimpse of her beautiful breasts.

  “While I know that much is true, it doesn’t explain this unexpected visit early on a Saturday morning.”

  “Fine, you got me. I have an ulterior motive for being here.”

  She swallowed, visibly, bracing herself for the worst. Whatever that was. “I’m all ears.” To Mikki’s credit, she was doing her best to remain calm. Cool.

  “I heard what you said, what you’ve been saying about making a decision, and I think you know I’m all in.” My gaze was fixed on her, taking in every detail from the way her hazel eyes turned a burnt gold color as her face flashed a series of emotions from shock to disbelief to hope and back to disbelief. “Maybe you think I haven’t done enough to prove it to you.” Hell, maybe I hadn’t. “What do I know about cherishing a woman?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “It’s not about how much you’ve done, Nate.”

  “Then what is it about?” Because I had no fucking clue, and this insecurity was driving me out of my damn mind.

  She sighed. “It’s about change, Nate. You’re a good man, I see that now. You have issues that make commitment difficult and I even get that, but before you found out about the baby you were Mr. No Thanks. Mr. No Commitment. Mr. One Night Stand.”

  “Got it,” I cut her off angrily and the damn woman laughed. She laughed!

  “Right.” She grinned again, suppressing another laugh. “So it’s hard to believe that this isn’t just because of the baby. I don’t want to let my guard down and fall for you completely only for you to realize six months or six years down the line that it’s too much for you.”

  I heard what she said and I understood her worries, but my brain was focused on something else. Something other than her fears and her glorious breasts. Her words. Fall for you completely. That meant she’d already fallen. That was something I could work with. “That won’t happen.”

  Arms folded, she stared at me in disbelief, looking more beautiful than she ever had with no makeup, no fancy hairdo, and no sexy little dress hugging her curvy little body. Just all natural, unvarnished Mikki. Just how I liked her. “You don’t know that.”

  I nodded and brought the food to the table, starting with the gigantic stack of pancakes that I knew made Mikki’s stomach growl. I took my time with the bacon, the fruit, the shredded potatoes, and the big bowl of shredded eggs, because I wanted to prolong the moment. This crucial moment. “I do know that,” I told her, setting a small glass of ginger ale on one side of the plate and a taller glass of fresh orange juice on the other side. “In fact, I’m absolutely certain of it.”

  “Gee, I wonder why I’m skeptical,” she said and snapped off a slice of bacon between her teeth. “Nate, please.”

  I took the seat across from even though everything inside of me wanted to sit right beside her, to inhale her feminine scent and to put my hands all over her silky skin. Her soft curves. “I’ve finally figured it out, the problem with my dad.” It was so simple, but it had taken all these years and this particular woman to make me see the light.

  “He’s an overgrown child?”

  I nodded. “That’s part of it, but not the most important part. The part that matters most, Mikki.” I waited until I had her full attention before leaning in, pressing my elbows into the table. “The reason he wasn’t able to give me and Jase, or my mom everything we deserved.”

  She swallowed, eyes wide and impatient. “What’s that?”

  “Love,” I told her simply. “He didn’t love us, and if he did, not more than he loved having fun and sleeping with random women. He didn’t want to cheer us on at football and baseball games, didn’t want to watch us make fools of ourselves at the annual holiday play or the fall games. However much he loved us, if he even did, it wasn’t enough.” It hurt to realize that, but that was the past, and I was only focused on my present and my future. Dad was another issue, one I’d have to deal with before the baby arrived.

  “A-and you already love our baby?” Her question came out shaky, like she was afraid to hope. Afraid of the answer.

  “I do love our baby, Mikki. I love him or her so damn much already, that it scares me.”

  “Nate,” she said on a wistful sigh.

  “But what scares me even more is being in love with you, Mikki.”

  She shook her head; she wasn’t ready to hear it yet, but that was too damn bad. “Nate, you don’t—”

  “I do, dammit, and if I wait on your timeline our kid will be finishing college before you believe that I love you. That over the course of trying to prove to you that I’m a good man, I think I actually became a good man because I wanted to be good enough for you.”

  “You were already good, Nate.”

  That was crap and we both knew it. “No. I was a good person, but I didn’t treat women particularly well—especially you. But your sassy mouth called me out every chance you got and I couldn’t keep being that guy, not if I wanted to be worthy of you.”

  “I think you’re worthy.”

  I smiled at her words. “Good, because I’m in love with you, Mikki. So full of love for you that sometimes I can’t breathe
right or think straight. And I’m hoping like hell there’s a chance you could feel the same way about me.”

  “A chance?” She snorted the question and shook her head and I felt a chill begin to settle in. “I’m in love with you, too, Nate. That’s why this has been so hard for me. I couldn’t give you my heart if your heart wasn’t in it.”

  “It is,” I grunted. “Could’ve saved myself a big damn headache if I’d known that’s what was happening.”

  “Tell me about,” she laughed. “I was pretty shocked, too. But there it is, Nate Callahan—I love you. What are you gonna do about it?”

  I stood and walked around the table, gathering Mikki in my arms and taking her chair so we were completely entangled with one another. “What I’m gonna do, sweet woman of mine, is call in every favor I’ve ever collected to give you the perfect small-town wedding you deserve.”

  She blinked and put a hand to her chest, lips twitching like hell from trying not to laugh. “Wedding? Funny, I didn’t hear a proposal.”

  “That’s real simple, sweetheart. It’s ‘cause I’m not proposing that we get married. We love each other and we’re having a baby, we’re getting married. So pull out your wedding book, or whatever, and get to planning.”

  “Bossy,” she grumbled, a mile-wide grin splitting her face.

  “You like me bossy,” I reminded her.

  “No, you like me bossy. So remember that over the next four weeks when I become a pregnant, hormonal bridezilla.”

  I froze, both hands cupping her ass and she laughed.

  “Uh-oh. Want to take your non-proposal back?”

  “Hell no. I can handle you being bossy, because in the bedroom, I’m the boss.” I pulled her in for a slow, drugging kiss and when she pulled back, her hazel eyes were sleepy and so filled with love it took my breath away. But there was something she said that I couldn’t forget. “Four weeks?”