His arms wound around me. “What are you looking so pensive for?” he murmured. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking about things.”
“Nothing,” he scoffed. “Try again, sweetheart. You look worried.”
I was silent, and he spun me in his arms, his face serious. “Talk to me.”
“What am I doing here, Mitch? What are we doing?”
His expression softened. “You’re here because I wanted to make sure you liked the place I picked. I plan, I hope, you’re here with me a lot, so I wanted your input. As to what we’re doing—I’m going to call it starting a relationship. An important one. I know it’s fast, and I can see you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, but we’ll figure it out.” His arms tightened. “As long as it’s what you want. I know it’s what I want.”
I searched his eyes. In the bright light, they were clear, as blue as the sky, and reflected tenderness and understanding even if his expression was anxious.
“How can you be so sure?”
He smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I just do. You caught my eye with your whistle. You intrigued me with your wit and the way you brushed me off. You bowled me over with your smile once you let me in a little. I have never felt about someone the way I feel about you.”
“The lust you mean?”
He shook his head. “Not just the sex. Don’t get me wrong—it was hands down the best sex I’ve ever had, but it was more than simply sex. You felt it, didn’t you? That connection? The feeling as if you’d found something you’d been looking for and hadn’t ever realized was missing?”
I had felt it. I could still feel it. When Mitch was close, I felt safe and protected. Cared for. Complete. It was both heady and scary at the same time. I nodded hesitantly.
“But?” he pressed.
“It’s only for a while.”
He smiled and passed his fingers over my cheek. “We’ll figure it all out, sweetheart. I’m freelance. I can go wherever I want, stay however long I decide to stay.”
“That’s what worries me. You can leave anytime you want.”
He cocked his head. “My mom always told me one day I would find a reason to settle. I think, maybe I have found my reason. I think you’re my reason.”
I felt my eyes widen. “That’s a pretty profound statement to make considering you haven’t even known me twenty-four hours.”
“You get better every minute. I’m surprised I’m still standing with how much you affect me.”
The deliveryman called his name, and he pressed a kiss to my head. “We have lots of time, Mandy. I’m not going anywhere, and now I’ve met you, I don’t plan to. As long as we’re together, we’ll find our way. Now let me go sign off on the delivery and we can go find the most important item for this place.”
I nodded. “Right. You’ll need a sofa.”
He shook his head.
“A desk?”
He shook his head once more with a smirk. “I need those too, but first a bed. A huge bed, so comfortable, you’ll want to be in it with me every night.”
With a wink, he hurried away. I turned back to the window, but this time, I was smiling.
* * *
Mitch admitted he hated shopping and wanted to get it done swiftly. I took him to a high-end furniture store in the area, somehow knowing only the best would do for him. When we walked out an hour later, my head was reeling, but he was happy. He’d chosen pieces with the same decisiveness he had displayed with everything else since I’d met him. A large sofa and chair were first in a deep wine colored fabric. A couple of bar stools for the counter were next, and then we spent the rest of the time bed shopping. He made me laugh as he tossed me on various mattresses, following me quickly to “test” them. The salesman walked away chuckling, telling Mitch to let him know when he found the right one. Mitch waved his hand, his mouth too busy kissing me to respond. But his odd method worked, and there was one bed we both agreed was perfect.
“Done,” he announced. “The rest I’ll pick up when we’re exploring some flea markets and antique places over the next while.”
I lifted my eyebrows in question. “Oh, we will?”
He pulled me off the bed with another passionate kiss. “Yep.”
I didn’t challenge him. I didn’t want to. I liked him too much.
After lunch, we stood outside the restaurant, his arm tight around my waist. “Do you really have to go?”
“Yes.”
“Can I see you later?”
I thought of all the laundry and errands I had to take care of. “Maybe tomorrow?”
“Perfect. I’ll take my things to the new place and you can meet me there. I’ll go wait for the furniture now.”
“I still don’t know how you managed to arrange delivery of the furniture so fast.”
“Money talks. He said they were in stock; I simply paid a premium to get them faster. I hate waiting. Patience isn’t my strongest point.”
I smirked. “I’ve noticed.”
He tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “Are you sure you can’t stay with me?”
“Mitch, I can’t.”
He lifted his arm, hailing a taxi. “Thought I’d ask one more time, in case I caught you off guard.”
Something in his voice made me pause. “I want to, but I have to take care of some things. So, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
His eyes lit up, his dimples deepened, and his smile was bright. “That gives me something to look forward to.”
He opened the door of the taxi and I slid in the back seat. He spoke with the driver for a moment, then pushed his way into the back seat, his broad shoulders filling the doorway.
“I’ve paid the fare.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
He frowned. “You need to get used to being treated well, Mandy. Expect nothing less than the best from me. You deserve it.”
He grasped the back of my neck, pulled my mouth to his, and kissed me deeply. His tongue stroked mine possessively, his fingers caressing my scalp. He drew back with a smile. “You deserve only the best.”
I stared at him, unsure how to reply.
“Can I call you later?” he asked, looking uncharacteristically nervous.
“I’ll call you if you don’t.” I winked.
“That’s my girl.” He shut the door and tapped the passenger window so the driver rolled it down. Mitch leaned in.
“You have precious cargo. Make sure she arrives safely.”
The driver laughed and with a wave, pulled away from the curb. I looked over my shoulder, watching Mitch disappear from my view, and wondered why I felt so sad to leave him.
* * *
“Do you really have to go?” Mitch groaned, pulling me closer, pressing light kisses to my neck.
“I’ve been here all afternoon. I have to get ready for work tomorrow. So do you, I assume.”
I had to fight back the impulse to say screw it and stay with him in his big bed where he’d lured me to not long after I arrived. Saturday night and Sunday morning had been filled with his constant texts, funny gifs, and sweet messages. When he’d thrown open the door and pulled me inside, he had kissed me as if it had been weeks, not hours, since he’d seen me last. I had to drag him out of his place to do some grocery shopping, and once we returned and ate, he enticed me to his room.
He muttered a curse and rolled over, flinging an arm over his face. “Let’s forget about work and stay here.”
I laughed and slid from the bed, reaching for my leggings. “Nice, Mr. Bigshot. Maybe you can play hooky, but I can’t. That new architect arrives tomorrow and Michelle will be on a tear.” I picked up my shirt and shook out the wrinkles before pulling it over my head. “Did they have a welcoming committee for you when you started at your new place?” I chuckled. “I have an image of us all lining up when Mr. Mackenzie walks in, and curtsying to him. I think he’s old enough to appreciate it.”
“Why would you say that?”<
br />
“I helped unpack his things. He’s obviously well-traveled, so I guessed he was older. And Michelle was in such a tizzy, I assume he is very well-known.”
Mitch sat up and I took a minute to appreciate the view. Broad shoulders, well-defined pecs, and a six-pack made up his form. The light blanket draped across his lap did nothing to hide his erection that grew as I stared at him. He lifted one eyebrow, crossing his arms casually behind his head, showing off his fine body. His voice was low and husky. “Careful, Mandy. I won’t let you out of here if you keep staring like that.”
The thought of another round of sex with Mitch made me whimper. We were amazing together. He made me feel things I had never felt. I wanted to try everything with him, and he was only too happy to oblige.
I shook my head to clear the lustful thoughts.
“It’s after seven. I have to get home.”
He slid from the bed, grabbed his jeans, and pulled them on. I ogled his ass while he was bent over, trying not to grin. It was a great ass, and the left cheek was imprinted with my mark. It suited him.
“I’ll call you a taxi,” he said grudgingly, throwing me a look that brooked no argument.
I wandered into the main room and picked up my purse that had fallen to the floor. A large framed print behind the sofa caught my eye, and I drew closer to inspect it. It was a building, high and soaring, set against the backdrop of a large city. Bold, dynamic, unique.
Familiar, somehow.
I tugged it from behind the sofa, studying it. My gaze fell to the bottom corner and the MM slashed out in black pen.
Mitch cleared his throat behind me.
I turned and stared at him. “You’re a fan of Mr. Mackenzie?”
“Um, not exactly.”
“Why do you have his work then?”
He shuffled his feet, hanging his head, before lifting his face to meet my confused gaze.
“Because it’s my work, Mandy. I’m Mr. Mackenzie.”
Chapter Four
Mandy
After Mitch had dropped his bombshell, I stepped back, shocked, clutching the back of the sofa.
“What?”
“My full name is Mackenzie Mitchell Emerson. In the business world, I go by Mackenzie Mitchell. To my family and friends, I’m Mitch Emerson.” He shrugged. “I hate the name Mackenzie. My mother had to use it to please her father at the time.”
“Michelle called you Mr. Mackenzie.”
Again, he shrugged. “That’s her error. She must have heard my name incorrectly.”
I narrowed my eyes, anger making my heart beat faster. “But you didn’t bother to correct me.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I should have. When you said the name of the firm you worked for, I was shocked. What were the chances the woman I’d fallen for at the bus stop worked at the place I had just signed on to consult for?”
“But you didn’t.”
“I didn’t want to risk you walking away. I wanted you to get to know me.”
My voice rose in disbelief. “By lying to me. That is what you wanted me to know about you?”
“I didn’t lie.”
His words hit me, echoing ones I had heard in the past. I crossed my arms as the familiar feeling of unease seeped into my chest. My body shook with repressed anger.
“By not telling me the complete truth, you did. Are you aware there is a strict non-fraternization clause at the office? By not telling me, you’ve put my job at risk.”
Shaking his head, he stepped nearer. “No, I called my lawyer on Friday night and checked. It’s not in my contract. I’m a consultant.”
I dragged in some much-needed oxygen. “It’s in mine. Very clearly. No dating of fellow employees, management, consultants, or business associates of Parson Planners.” I shook my head in disbelief. “Do you realize if Michelle or anyone at the office found out, I would lose my job? You know how much I need this job.”
He furrowed his brow. “I’ll have him recheck. We’ll figure it out, sweetheart.”
I gaped at him.
Figure it out?
“Do you think we’re going forward, Mitch? That I’d simply accept your lies and move on?” I tried to stop the quiver in my voice and failed. Disappointment and sadness flooded my system. “I thought you were different. You seemed so open and honest. So…real. How do you think I would have felt tomorrow when you showed up at the office?” I covered my mouth and swallowed. “That would have been horrible.”
He reached for me, but I stepped back, shaking my head. “Don’t.”
He held out his hands beseechingly. “I am real. What I feel is real. I should have told you. I swear to God I intended to tell you earlier. But then we got carried away. I wasn’t going to let you leave without telling you tonight. I wouldn’t have done that to you, Mandy.”
I stared at him, my emotions high, and not believing his words.
“You said you thought I hadn’t been treated right in the past. You were correct. My boyfriend of two years didn’t treat me very well. I was always second for him—often third or fourth. Everything and everyone else was always more important. He constantly made excuses, and somehow made me feel it was my fault—every time. He lied and cheated on me, and when I confronted him, he said it was easier just to keep me around for when he was bored. I wasted two years of my life trying to be enough for someone who never thought I was enough to be honest or put me first.”
“I will put you first.”
I picked up my purse and coat. “No. By lying and omission, you’ve shown me your job is already more important. You made me feel things for you without knowing who you were. You took the choice from me. I can’t do that again.”
“Sweetheart, don’t—”
I didn’t let him finish. I held up my hand, trying hard not to break down in front of him. I indicated the space between us. “This never happened, Mitch or Mackenzie—whatever your name is. Tomorrow, you are going to pretend you never met me and you are not going to jeopardize my job. As much as I don’t like it, I need it until I’ve saved enough to go back to school.”
“I don’t know if I can pretend not to know you.”
I tossed my hair, pausing with my hand on the doorknob. “I can, because obviously, I never did. I have no idea who you really are, and frankly, I have no desire to do so any longer.”
I walked out, ignoring his devastated expression and the way he hunched over the back of the sofa as if in physical pain.
And he let me go.
* * *
Monday morning matched my mood: overcast and dreary. I sat up and rubbed my face, already exhausted and the day hadn’t begun yet. I had no idea how I was going to face Mitch and pretend I didn’t know him, or that he meant nothing to me.
Because he did, regardless of how things ended.
I had fallen fast and hard. Before last night, I was certain I had found the man I wanted to spend my life with, and by every indication, he felt the same way toward me.
Except, it had been a lie. And I had lived with those long enough when I was with Jay.
I ran a weary hand through my hair and got ready for work, giving myself a pep talk the entire time. I worked in the assistant pool, helping out where needed. I spent most of my time on menial jobs, assisting other PA’s with tasks, running errands, and filling in when someone was ill or on vacation. Our space was on another floor from the architects and management. I was certain that other than the occasional meeting or accidental meetup in the hall, I could avoid Mitch.
Except, when I stepped outside, he was waiting, leaning up against the outside of my building. Dressed in an overcoat that stretched across his shoulders and billowed around his knees in the breeze, he met my gaze, his expression as weary as my own.
I looked around, panicked. “What are you doing here?”
He grasped my arm, led me around the corner, and released his hold. He stood in front of me, his hands buried in his pockets. “No one from the office is going to see us, Mandy. I k
now you’re angry with me, and you have every right to be. What I did was wrong. How I handled it was wrong. I should have said something right away—given you the choice.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No. But I’m not giving up on us.”
“There is no us.”
He stepped closer. “Yes, there is. I fucked up, but I will prove it to you that you come first.”
“We aren’t doing this. From now on we’re strangers.”
His arms shot out and he tugged me close. His warmth surrounded me. He pushed my face into his chest, pressing his lips to my head. For a brief second, my pain eased with his closeness, then I pushed away.
“Stop it.”
“We will never be strangers. You feel it,” he challenged. “You felt how right it was for me to hold you. We’ll figure this out and be together.”
“We’re done.”
He slipped his hand under my chin, his thumb rubbing small circles on my skin. As soft as his touch was, his gaze was intense. “You go ahead and stay angry at me. I deserve it. But we’re not done, and I am going to prove it to you.”
His touch was so gentle, and so right. The word was out before I could stop it. “How?”
He leaned down and brushed his lips to mine. “I’ll figure it out, sweetheart. When you’re ready to forgive me, I’ll be waiting.” He stepped back. “I’ll head to the office now.”
“I am not riding the same bus as you.” I crossed my arms, angry that he could still affect me so easily. “What were you doing at a bus stop anyway? You don’t seem the sort to ride a bus.”
“Another one of the many things you’ll have to discover about me. I’m not a snob. I enjoy people watching and seeing the bustle around me. The city is too congested for another car, and I like the occasional bus ride. As for today, no I will not ride the bus with you. I’ll grab a cab. But I had to see you before I went into the office.”
“Nothing’s changed.”
He regarded me, not contradicting my words. “I’ll see you there.”
An Instant Connection: Insta-Spark #3 Page 4