Okay, so maybe that was a little extreme. She was probably the one woman who wanted to do something like that, but he was really pushing it. What with his, ‘I'm here if you need anything,’ or his, ‘I’ve got some fresh lemons from a client if you want some’ lines. As if she would ever touch his lemons. Shaking her head at the bad mood that threatened to ruin her day, she focused on getting away from the sexy, good smelling, stupid-blue-shirt-that-matched-his-eyes wearing man.
Knowing her only defense against him was to be snarky, Allie pulled her I’m-the-queen-bitch persona tightly around her, she turned, with her fist going to her hip and said, “That implies that you think I look like shit the rest of the time, Lawson. You really need to work on how to compliment a lady.” Raising her eyebrows at him in challenge, she continued while gesturing to her entire body, “I’ll have you know, this is just another level of fabulous I'm demonstrating here.”
The man had the nerve to throw a huge grin her way, once again showing her that he was not fazed in the slightest by her snarky attitude. She knew it was just another reason to stay the hell away from the man. It was becoming harder to ignore him on a physical level. Not to mention the fact that he made her belly flutter and her heart rate pick up when she saw him. Every time she thought about his effect on her, it pissed her off. She knew it was paramount to resist him at all costs.
What she really needed to do was move the hell out of the condo near his. The problem with that was she loved her new place. Well, it wasn’t hers yet, but she planned on making an offer when the landlord’s lease was up. Even though she only found this place because of Mike, she secretly hoped he would randomly up and move, solving her problem immediately. She really wanted to stay there. It finally felt that she had come to a point where she was okay being alone, and she wasn’t living with a ghost anymore. It was almost like she had moved on … maybe a little bit … almost. But just because she felt that way, didn’t mean that she had moved on, moved on. That wasn’t about to happen, might never happen … she couldn’t let it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by McHottness himself when he fell into step next to her and said, “Maybe so, but then how else would I get that fire snapping in your eyes? Mission accomplished, if you ask me.” Shocked by his blatant admittance that he was trying to rile her up, she swung her head his direction to say something when he winked at her—once again shocking her and rendering her temporarily speechless. She was this close to kicking him in the shin when he continued, “I take it you are on your way to the graduation as well. Want a lift?”
Thankful for his question to bring her out of her shocked moment, she said, “A lift? It’s more like a hoist. I need a damn trampoline to get up into that truck of yours.” And as if the great Gods of Nastiness were smiling down on her, she snatched the opportunity to up her game from snarky to bitchy. “Just what kind of message are you trying to put out there anyway? Everyone knows a big truck like that screams little dick complex.”
They had made their way around back to where the parking lot was located as she heard him huff a laugh before saying, “There certainly is no little dick to have a complex about. I assure you …” He mumbled something at the end, but she didn’t catch it. Not wanting to prolong the conversation, she ignored the desire to ask him to repeat himself. She pointed her keys at her shiny, red Mini Cooper just as Mike popped the bottom of her outstretched hand, causing her keys to fly up in the air.
As soon as they were airborne, he reached out and grabbed them before she could process what was happening. Shocked again, she looked over at him to see that damn smile once more before snarling at him, “What the hell did you do that for?”
“I offered you a ride, and you didn’t decline—only mocked my truck. Therefore, by not rejecting it, you inadvertently accepted it.” He shrugged, smiled bigger, and finished with, “Well, at least in my book you did, so get in the truck, Baxter.” Turning away from her, he walked toward his truck, her keys in hand. Still a little startled at his maneuver to get her keys, yet slightly impressed since it was something she would do, she stood there and watched as he made his way to the oversized truck. When he stopped at the passenger door and looked back at her, he laughed and said, “Oh come on, I’ll give you a boost. And I won’t even try to look up your skirt … scouts’ honor.”
Shaking her head, she made her way toward him as she grumbled, “Is that the box-car-building kind of scout or the cookie-peddling one? I bet you probably looked great in that green sash.” Tossing her purse and the gift bags she had on the floorboard of the truck, she reached up and grabbed the handle to lift herself in but turned her head and looked back at him over her shoulder. “I bet the little beret looked good, too.”
Feeling like she had been bitchy enough to make him not want to have her for company, she turned back to the open truck door. Preparing to jump in, she let out a squeal when Mike’s big hands wrapped around her waist and hefted her effortlessly into the cab. Turning quickly to glare down at him, she only met his intent stare as he said, “I look good in anything I wear, sweetheart. Now buckle up. Wouldn’t want you to fall out or anything.” And then he closed the door.
MIKE shut the door on a shocked Allie. As he made his way around the back of the truck, he silently congratulated himself for being able to achieve that look on her face. She was a tough nut to crack, but he knew he was wearing her down, one witty comeback at a time. Her snippy comments were clearly a defense mechanism, and while he completely respected them, it was his new mission in life to break down that wall, brick by brick. Fortunately, he was a patient man and had no problem with how long it might take to do just that, because a woman like Allie Baxter was worth it.
He was glad he was able to control himself and hold in all the one-liners he wanted to pitch at her. She was the type of woman you could banter back and forth with and not worry about offending her. In fact, he would wager that she would only respect him for it. That respect was something he was looking forward to receiving. Opening his door and preparing to climb in, Mike couldn’t help but notice the soft silky skin of a very feminine thigh staring straight at him. Allie’s skirt had ridden up and given honest to God confirmation that her legs were something he knew he wanted to explore. Of course, since they were at eye level, and completely tempting, they were hard to miss. Climbing into the truck, his eyes traveled up to her face where he met the full force of her glare. Eyes on fire and shooting daggers, he knew he was caught admiring. Didn’t matter, it was worth it, he thought to himself as he smiled big and raised an eyebrow at her in question.
Looking a little flustered, she quickly shifted her skirt down to cover as much as she could and spit out, “I thought you said you weren’t going to look up my skirt, Lawson.”
He put the keys in the ignition and let the truck roar to life, before turning to her and saying, “I said I wouldn’t look up your skirt. But I didn’t say I wouldn’t admire what you were inclined to show me.” Watching the blush spread from the exposed skin of her chest and up her neck as she turned away was like waving a red cape in front of a bull. His desire to reach across the front seat of the truck and pull her into his lap was extreme. If it wasn’t for the solid grip he had on the steering wheel, he was certain he would have done just that.
Surprised that she hadn’t delivered a witty comeback, he almost felt bad thinking he had gone too far. But then he remembered his new mission in life and how he had just successfully gotten beneath a layer of her tough exterior. Knowing he needed to take this opportunity while she was off balance, he leaned over so he could tilt her chin in his direction, gently coaxing her. When her long eyelashes lifted, revealing her big hazel eyes, he smiled at the sweet vulnerability he saw there. The sight of her like this had his body responding physically—she was perfection.
Sure, he knew it was cliché to think words like that, but for him, she really was. With her soft ivory skin that burned his fingertips where they met her chin and her high cheekbones below the thick eyelashes
that would be the envy of any woman. Her thick, wavy hair sported many levels of color in browns and golds, as well as a streak of purple peeking out that showed her fun personality. Then there were those sweet pouty lips that just begged for his touch. Even the little scar he noticed just to the right of her eye was cute, because it was on her.
He was well aware that he had a serious case of lust for this adorable beauty in front of him, and he yearned to see if it could be more. But he had no misconception that she would make sure he worked his ass off before he had the luxury of calling her his. That might scare any other guy off, which was probably why she acted the way she did toward him. She was bound to figure out that he wasn’t just any other guy.
She blinked at him as he held her chin in place and said, “I'm sorry, but you have to know … temptation and beauty like yours is hard to ignore.” He heard her quick little intake of breath, telling him that he was having an effect on her. Even though he wanted to touch his lips against those sweet pouty ones, he dropped his hand from her chin and picked hers up, brought it to his lips, and placed a soft kiss against it. Holding it there for longer than a gentlemen should, he couldn’t help the playful little nibble he gave it before placing it back down on her lap.
With his hand over hers in her lap, their eyes connected. Feeling that spark he always felt with her, he couldn’t help longing for the day when she would acknowledge that she felt it, too.
ALLIE couldn’t believe the balls this guy had. Where did he get off thinking he could behave that way? Who did he think he was? Her internal thoughts had no merit, but that didn’t matter. They fueled the sarcasm she lived by when it came to this man. She needed it to battle—it was her armor. Pulling her hand out from beneath his, she placed it on top of his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He smiled at the gesture, just before she squeezed and dug her nails into his skin. “Oooww,” Mike declared on a half laugh-half groan as he pulled his hand away and examined his skin for puncture marks.
When he looked back up at her, she gave him a sweet smile and said, “There we go with another lesson. You not only need to learn how to pay a lady a compliment, you apparently need to be taught to keep your hands to yourself.”
He laughed a little before replying, “There was no need to break the skin sweetheart, a simple slap on the hand would have sufficed.”
“A simple hand slap would have worked with an average male, but you needed something that stung a little. Don’t be such a baby. Now let’s get going, I don’t want to be late.”
Examining his hand again, he thrust it in her direction and said, “I’m thinking you need to kiss it, and make me feel better.”
“The only thing that hand’s gonna get is more holes if you don’t get it out of my face,” she said with an incredulous tone. He was going to try that angle? He laughed before placing his hands back on the steering wheel, as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the graduation.
While he wasn’t paying her the close attention that he had a few moments before, she took a moment to compose herself. A little irritated at herself for the blatant, estrogen-induced reaction she had to his words and touch. Sometimes being a girl was annoying. True, there was power in being a woman, but what good was it to have those powers if you let your guard down and came across like a lovesick teenager?
Not able to stand the silence any longer—only hearing her heart racing in her ears and worrying he could hear it, too, was driving her crazy. “So, how excited is Zane to be graduating high school? I know Jonathan is pretty stoked.”
Mike let out a little laugh before answering, “Zane is a pretty simple kid and doesn’t like to make a big deal out of things. He was never really into having parties or putting himself into situations where he was the center of attention.” As he paused to consider what he was going to say next, she thought about how she could certainly relate to being that way. Even though she hadn’t always been that way, nowadays it felt better when things weren’t about her. Mike sighed as he continued, “Today’s a little bittersweet since his mom isn’t here for him. I'm sure she would’ve thrown him a party and showered him with enough attention to make his toes curl.”
This was the first time Mike had mentioned Zane’s mom, and Allie found herself asking without thinking, “If you don’t mind me asking, where is she?”
They pulled up to a stoplight and Mike looked over at her. A strange looked passed over his face before he said, “Elizabeth passed away almost eight years ago … breast cancer.”
Allie had no idea those were going to be the words that came out of his mouth. She knew he had been married and that now he wasn’t, but for whatever reason, she had never considered that the two of them had something this significant in common. Knowing exactly what it felt like to remember the one you had lost, she felt the need to offer him some comfort. Reaching over, she placed her hand on his bicep and said, “I'm sorry, I didn’t know. It was rude of me to ask.”
Mikes hand left the steering wheel and landed on top of hers, holding it to him. Looking toward her, he said, “Thanks. It’s on days like this that it can be hard, but life goes on.” Allie held his stare as they sat there at the light, and she felt a current pass between them, a kinship she hadn’t known was there. Someone behind them honked letting them know the light had turned green. Mike gave her hand a slight squeeze before letting it go and putting it back on the wheel. Slowly, Allie removed hers and brought it to her lap. A few moments of silence reverberated around them before Mike spoke up.
“You didn’t realize we had that in common, did you?” Well, that was an understatement in her book. She shook her head but continued to gaze out the front window as they drove.
“I hadn’t even realized that you knew it was something we had in common. How do you know about my husband? I know you and I haven’t discussed that,” she asked in a soft tone.
MIKE knew he had to tread carefully in this area; he knew from conversations he’d had with Gillian that Allie’s husband was a subject that she was closed off about. But he also knew he wasn’t going to lie. He trusted that Gillian had only shared minimal information with him so he wouldn’t be getting her in trouble for saying she told him.
“Gillian mentioned it to me when we had discussed you moving back to San Diego and were looking for somewhere to live. Do you mind me asking how you lost him?” He glanced over to see her reaction to his question, knowing she would probably answer him since he answered hers, but he didn’t want her uncomfortable with the conversation. He had done the whole grief-counseling thing after losing Elizabeth so he knew that people didn’t mind talking about it as much with a person who had dealt with the same thing. Patiently waiting for her answer, he navigated the streets and graduation traffic that seemed to be getting thicker as they got closer to the school.
He heard her take in a deep breath before speaking. “He was in a car accident. It was late at night, or I guess I should say the early hours of the morning. Coming home from his week of working … they think he might have fallen asleep while driving. You know that curve on the southbound Interstate 5?” Mike knew of a few of them, having made that drive hundreds of times, but he wasn’t sure which one she was referring to. He was about to ask her when she started to speak again.
“It’s the one just south of San Clemente, while driving through Camp Pendleton. There’s a viewpoint there. They said that he had the cruise control on, so when he dozed off, his speed didn’t decrease like it should have. There was minimal skid marks, showing he wasn’t aware it was happening until it was too late.” She paused again and took in a shaky breath, “He was gone before anyone even made it to him.”
“Jesus, Allie I'm so sorry.” He wanted to comfort her, it was instinctual, but since he was driving, all he could do was reach over and take her hand. Pulling it halfway across the distance between them, he rested them down on the bench and kept on driving. She let him hold her hand—apparently needing the contact, too. Pulling into the school parking lot, Mike maneu
vered the truck around the lot with only one hand because he didn’t want to let go. She had made an attempt or two to disengage it from his hold, but he refused to let go.
Once they were parked, he reluctantly let go. Climbing out of the truck, he made his way around it and noticed her checking her face in the visor mirror. Opening her door, he offered her his hand. Allie looked down at it and sighed as she placed it in his firm grip. His other hand went to her waist as she secured the hem of her skirt. Once he had her firmly on the ground, he kept his hands exactly where he had them. Staring down at her, since he had at least a foot of height on her, he waited for her to look up at him.
A few long moments passed before she finally did. That vulnerability was there again, and he had to make sure she knew that she could lean on him. Letting go of her hand, he slid his arms around her body and slowly pulled her against him. She stiffened at first, but then he felt her body sag into his. It was a hug based in friendship and comfort, not lust, and she must have known that because she didn’t push him away. Standing in the parking lot of the high school, with cars and people moving all around them, Mike let her know that he understood her pain.
Kissing the top of her head, he took in a simple breath that filled his senses with her and couldn’t help the feeling of rightness in that moment. After a few more moments, he gently pushed her shoulders back from him and told her, “If you ever need to talk about this with anyone, you can talk with me.” She blinked, a light sheen of tears glistened in her eyes as she nodded and said something that shocked Mike down to his core.
“I appreciate that Mike, I do. But just because we share the same marital status of widowed, doesn’t mean you know what I am feeling. After all, your wife’s death isn’t your fault.”
CHAPTER TWO
MIKE couldn’t have been more surprised by those words. They just didn’t make any sense. He knew the look of confusion on his face must have been evident because Allie started to say something else when her family interrupted them.
Love Resisted (The Real Love Series) Page 2