by Candis Terry
“I wouldn’t be too quick about that.” He opened the truck door and held her hand while she climbed in.”
“Why’s that?”
He propped his arm on the seat behind her and leaned in close. “Because while you’re sitting there all pretty in your little flowered dress thinking I might be some kind of Prince Charming, I’m thinking of ways to get that pretty little dress off you.”
She chuckled. “Are you now?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Desire shot a hot streak right through her middle and set fire to the tips of her breasts. Her gaze dropped to his wicked smile. Before she could stop herself, she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I hope you have a really creative imagination. Because I’m intrigued.”
“Oh, I do.” His eyes darkened.
Lucky for her, he didn’t wait for an invitation. In a rush he pulled her against his chest, dropped his mouth to hers, and coaxed her lips open with a sweep of his slick tongue. She clung to him while he delved deep, provocatively stroking her tongue in a way that made her want to save him the effort of removing her dress. Plenty could be accomplished while wearing clothes.
For a moment, she forgot it was broad daylight, and they were in the middle of a parking lot. The kiss grew harder, hotter, and more eager before he ended it by playfully nipping her bottom lip.
“Looks like we’ve both forgotten to flip on the SLOW button,” he said.
Missing the pleasure of his lips on hers, she sighed. “Completely.”
“Yeah.” He fed her three quick kisses. “So how about we prevent ourselves from getting arrested and go find you a car.”
“If you insist.”
“I do.” Light as a feather, he trailed his strong fingers across her bare shoulder and down her arm. An ensuing tingle danced down her spine. “Besides, these arms are too pretty for handcuffs.”
“Oh really?”
He kissed the inside of her wrist, then raised his head revealing a mischievous smirk. “Unless you’re into that kind of thing.”
“You might want to talk to my alter ego about that.”
“I can hardly wait.”
“Oooh, that’s a pretty one.” Fiona pointed across the lot to a sporty red Kia.
Mike looked at her from behind his sunglasses. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she could feel their tsk-tsk glare all the way through the smoky lenses. “You want pretty or functional?”
“I want cheap and reliable.”
He cupped her elbow and led her away from the cute and sporty to the dark and dependable. “Then let’s look over here.”
“Those are SUVs. I can’t afford one.”
“Sure you can.” His sexy lips curved into a smile. “I wouldn’t steer you in the wrong direction. You want economical, functional, and reliable all wrapped up in one vehicle. Right?”
She nodded.
“You want to expand your business and still make a statement while you’re growing. Right?”
Again she nodded.
“You might be able to have the economics in a compact car, but you’d have no space to transport your cupcakes. And one of these days soon, your little girl will most likely ask you to haul her and her entire soccer team to practice. You need to look past pretty and shiny.”
“A girl always looks at pretty and shiny first. Otherwise, jewelers would go out of business. Oooh. I like that one.” She spun on the heel of her Adidas and headed toward a dark gray Honda Accord sedan.
He moved in front of her and dropped his big hands to the hips of his cargo shorts. “A midsized sedan isn’t what you need either.”
She laughed at his tough-guy stance. “Okay, Mr. Bossypants, I know you alpha-male firefighter types have a reputation with the ladies.” She grinned up at him. “But I’m not sure your knowledge extends to my personal needs.”
“Maybe not yet.” The solid chest beneath his black-and-white-plaid shirt expanded on a long exhale of air, and a smirk lifted his lips. “But I’m definitely willing to learn.”
She patted that scrumptiously lickable chest. “Hard to fault a man with an appetite for education.”
“If we’re talking about you putting on a short, sexy skirt, glasses, and sticking a pencil behind your ear, count me in.”
She laughed. “Maybe we should get back to the car search before we end up in the backseat of one and have to find out about those handcuffs.”
“Party pooper.” Smile still in place, he slipped his hand around to the small of her back and led her in the opposite direction of where she’d initially been headed.
“What you need is something like a midsized SUV. Most car makers have a model or two that fit your design and economical needs,” he said, as they headed toward a plain white mini SUV.
Within a few feet of their destination a salesman wearing a wrinkled tie and a cha-ching smile, appeared and pointed out the special features and low miles. They moved on to several others with the same basic advantages, then the salesman tossed them the keys for a test drive.
Behind the wheel, Fiona embraced the changes that had recently come into her life. From the move to Sweet, to opening her own business, to deciding to give dating a go. She’d intended to take baby steps into a new life, but true to form, she’d taken a giant leap.
Next to her in the passenger seat sat a man who intrigued her, gave her the beginnings of a sense of what she was looking for, made her laugh, and filled her with the wonder of possibilities. Once they’d both decided to take a chance, they sprang onto a platform of playfulness and temptation. But that didn’t discount the serious conversations they’d already shared. And she was pleased to know, at least, Mike tried to be open-minded. He had many facets she was excited to explore. And that didn’t even count her utter fascination with his perfectly developed physique.
She turned at the corner of the main road and onto a smaller, tree-lined street with less traffic.
“How’s it handle?” he asked.
“Smooth. It feels sturdy.”
“That’s important.”
“I agree. Whatever I decide to buy needs to be really reliable. I can’t afford to get stuck. And I really hate to have to call Jackson when I have car issues.”
“Why would you call Jackson?”
“Old habits die hard?” She shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s always been there for me. And it’s not like I . . .” She turned and caught the expression on his face. “What? And don’t you dare say nothing. That look says it’s something. Did I say something wrong?”
“Can you pull over?” he asked. “I think it’s time we had a little talk.”
Mike’s chest tightened as she pulled the car to the curb and put it in PARK.
“What’s wrong?” Her blue eyes went wide, and tiny little furrows crumpled her smooth forehead.
The Kia idled quietly beneath them as he realized just a few weeks ago he’d never dreamed of having this conversation. But here he was, jumping into the pool wearing lead shoes.
“Things are going pretty well here,” he said. “Between us. Right?”
She nodded.
“Then I think it’s time.”
Her pretty arched brows collided. “For?”
“Not keeping us a secret. It’s not that I don’t respect your wish to keep things quiet, so as not to confuse Izzy. But–and I don’t mean to sound harsh–Jackson has moved on. So why can’t you?”
Surprised, she leaned away from him. “I am moving on.” The defensiveness in her tone was clear.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.”
“Then what difference does it make if the world discovers we’re seeing each other today or a month from now?”
“What’s prompting this?” she asked without responding to his question.
“I think you’re an amazing woman, and I’m proud to be the man you want to be with. I told you I try to be open and honest, so sneaking around really isn’t my thing. Especially when I’m working side by side with my
best friend, who also happens to be your ex-husband, and I feel like a total jerk for deceiving him.”
“I never thought about that.”
“Bela, it’s killing me.” He curled his hand around the back of her deliciously warm neck and drew her face close. “If I have to choose between my friendship with him or you, you win. Hands down. But I really don’t want to be in that situation.”
“I’m sorry.” She lowered her eyes from his face, and her dark lashes swept her cheeks. “I didn’t think . . . I know how close you and Jackson are. I’d never want to put a strain on your friendship. I’m not that kind of person.”
“I know you’re not.”
“I know I used Izzy as an excuse, but I guess I was really only thinking of myself at the time. I was afraid of the way you made me feel. And I didn’t want to face another embarrassment if this didn’t work out.”
“I want this, Fiona.” He tucked his fingers beneath her chin and made her look at him. “I want you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very.”
“Then . . .” She exhaled a breath. “Do you want to tell him? Or should I?”
“I will,” he said. “But we tell Izzy together, okay?”
“Okay.”
There weren’t many occasions where Mike felt a sense of absolute relief and joy at the same time. But that’s exactly what happened when he wrapped Fiona in his arms and held her as close as the bucket seats would allow.
“I never pictured you as a sushi kind of guy.” Fiona’s heart fluttered as Mike smiled, then reached across the table at the Jingu House Café in the Japanese Tea Gardens and held her hand. She’d signed the papers on her new-used Kia, and they’d come to celebrate. Not only the purchase of the car, but the huge step they’d just taken in their relationship.
“And I never figured you for the kind of girl who’d give up Riverwalk shopping and dining for wandering around and looking at a bunch of stone and plants.”
“Are you kidding? It’s gorgeous here. I especially loved the waterfall.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m glad I got to share my first time here with you. Besides, I’m really not much of a shopper.”
“I thought that was standard in a woman’s DNA.”
“Nope.” She leaned back in her chair, picked up her chopsticks, and dabbed wasabi on top of her California roll. “Unless you’re talking about yard sales and secondhand stores. Then you’re talking my language.”
A bite of sushi disappeared in his mouth. “I have to admit, I’ve never been to a yard sale in my life.”
“Well, you don’t know what you’re missing. Everything in my house is secondhand in one way or another.”
“I’d have never known. But I like the way it looks. It’s very comfortable. It feels like a home should feel. Like someplace you want to plop down, relax, and never leave.”
“Thank you.” She let the compliment float over her before her curiosity leaped into action. “Since I’ve never been to your house, what’s it like?”
“Nothing special.” He sipped his green tea. “Pretty much it’s a subdivision house decorated in the finest man-cave style available.”
Laughter bubbled in her throat. “Well, if you ever need any pointers.”
“Actually.” He shook his head. “I’ve been thinking of selling.”
“Why?”
“Like I said, it’s nothing special. It’s never felt like home. I’d probably do just as well living in an apartment.”
“You know what you need?”
“Yeah.” He leaned across the table and kissed her. When he sat back down he said, “That. That’s what I need.”
“Awww.” She reached over and patted his cheek. “You always know just the right thing to say.” Life felt really good right now. Fiona didn’t mind admitting that. And from her view in the cheap seats, it had a really good chance of getting even better. “What I was going to say was maybe what you need is a dog or a cat. A pet always makes a place feel more like a home.”
“In that case, what would you do if I showed up one day at your place with a puppy for Izzy?”
Surprise forced her to return the bite she was about to take back to the plate. “First, I suppose I’d have to pry her off you because she’d be so excited.”
“And then?”
“And then you’d have to pry me off you because I’d be so moved at your kindness.”
“I’d be more in favor of not prying you off me at all.”
“Well . . . I’m always happy to leave the door open for possibilities.”
“No worries.” He winked. “If it’s closed, I’m a fireman. I’ve got great door-busting skills.”
She got that. He’d certainly broken down her barriers in record time.
Things were definitely heating up between them. Unbidden, an image of Mike in his turnouts–sans shirt–flew into her head, and she wondered. Maybe it would be a whole lot more fun if she played the damsel in distress and gave him the opportunity to prove his skills.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
She popped the spicy sushi into her mouth and smiled. “Just thinking about role-playing.” And wondering how fast she could make a fireman come if she called 911.
Chapter 14
Taking chances had never been something Mike was comfortable with. Most of the risks he’d previously taken in his life had involved poor decisions.
Somehow, this one felt right.
As the sun dipped low in the sky, he headed toward Fiona’s house and hoped he wasn’t just fooling himself. Something had happened as he’d been walking through the tea gardens with her, holding her hand, stopping to kiss her by the waterfall and again on top of the stone bridge. Hand in hand, they’d strolled the grounds, making plans of picnics and taking Izzy to the zoo. Of scary movie nights on the sofa and hopefully, at some point, breakfasts in bed.
He felt like a total sap, but he couldn’t stop himself. Fiona brought that out in him. In a very short time, she’d come to mean a lot to him. She softened his hard edge and made him think further beyond just today. To his surprise it wasn’t a challenge to picture a future with her and her little girl. Time would tell.
He cruised past her darkened house, then headed toward the cupcake shop, hoping to find her and Izzy there. He pulled into the back alley and parked alongside her new-used car. Now the question was, had she locked the back door while she was in there alone like he’d suggested.
He tried the door and it opened.
Damn.
Yeah, this might be Sweet and probably one of the safest places on Earth, but it still wasn’t a good idea to invite trouble.
The irony made him laugh.
He was trouble.
But she probably already had a good idea about that.
The kitchen area was empty so he headed into the front and found her working on a new display while Izzy played with a little plastic dollhouse and colorful mouse-sized furniture nearby. Both of them were too busy to notice his arrival.
“Thought you were going to lock the back door.” He tried to keep his voice low so as not to startle them. It didn’t work. Paper flew from Fiona’s hand while Izzy looked up, wide-eyed and curious. Until she noticed what he held in his hands.
“A puppy!”
Mike didn’t know anyone could move so fast, but before he could blink, Izzy rushed toward him. The pup’s heart beat as fast as hummingbird wings as it wiggled to get down. If Izzy’s grin was any indication, she was pretty excited. Not to see him, but the fuzzy brown-and-white pup he held.
“Can I hold it?” she asked.
“Of course.” He knelt beside her.
Izzy plopped down on the floor and held out her little arms. He placed the dog on her lap. It only took a second before the dog’s little white paws scrambled up Izzy’s body to lick at her face. Izzy’s giggles of delight made his heart go all warm and gooey. God, he was turning into a total fucking marshmallow.
“Oh, Mike.”
From his
kneeling position, his gaze slid up a long pair of shapely legs and a curvaceous body. At some point in time, his eyes actually made it up to Fiona’s face. There he found moisture floating in her blue eyes.
“Is this okay?” he asked.
Hand covering her mouth, she nodded.
“Whose puppy is it?” Izzy asked.
The joy on her little face made him happy he’d pulled off the surprise.
“She’s yours,” he told her.
If you’d asked him before, he would have said it was impossible for her eyes to have gotten any wider after she’d first seen the puppy. That would have been a huge misconception.
“Mine?”
He nodded.
And then Izzy started to cry.
Shit. What did he do wrong?
Huge, wracking sobs broke from her little chest and left him frozen in place.
“Oh, baby.” Fiona picked both Izzy and the puppy up in her arms. Izzy laid her head down on her mother’s shoulder and continued to sob. Fiona soothed her with a gentle hand on her back and softly spoken words.
“I’m sorry.” God. He felt like such a fuckup. All this time, he’d thought she wanted a dog and that once she got one, she’d be happy. He’d never expected a reaction like this. “I can take it back.”
“No!” Both Fiona and Izzy shouted at the same time.
“These are happy tears,” Fiona explained. “She’s wanted a dog for so long. And when she gets something she really, really wants . . . well, this is pretty much the reaction. She just gets a little overwhelmed.”
“Are you sure?”
Fiona nodded. Izzy turned toward him with big crocodile tears in eyes so much like her mother’s. Then she held out her little arm to include him in the embrace.
He didn’t hesitate to join in.
As they all stood there with the wiggling, whining pup between them, Mike knew he’d found that special something he’d been searching for most of his life.
Once Izzy calmed down, Fiona set her and the pup down on the floor to play. Then she turned to him, wrapped her arms around him, and laid her head on his chest. “Thank you.”
He stroked his hand down her back. “You’re welcome.”