“Here we go. The perfect song.” Caroline said.
Andre nodded but didn’t check to see what she chose. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
“We’ve got time. I’ll add your name to the list.”
He stalked toward the bathrooms. The short distance seemed to grow with each step across the wooden floors. Dread of finding Mikayla and Ryan together weighted his steps.
He froze at the entrance of the hall. Mikayla and Ryan stood close to each other in a corner. Ryan’s set jaw and fierce stare, as he gazed at Mikayla, bothered him more than singing before the crowd.
Jealously…and a touch of white hot anger, whipped within him. He rolled his suddenly stiff shoulders, but the angry tension clung like a leech. No way in hell would he let Ryan weasel his way back into Mikayla’s life. He didn’t give a damn about Ryan snatching Angelica. In the long run losing her improved his life, but he wouldn’t lose Mikayla.
He forced the tension from his shoulders and tried to appear relaxed as he walked down the hall. “Am I interrupting something?”
Mikayla spun his way, the remnants of anger in her brown eyes slowly slipped away as she watched him approach. His discomfort ratcheted up a notch. Had Ryan upset her? His cousin backed away from Mikayla, fists clenched at his side. Andre secretly hoped Ryan would try something. Ryan deserved to have a few teeth rearranged. Andre expected to be angry when he saw Ryan, but the discomfort of seeing Ryan standing close to Mikayla had him ready to give Ryan a bootleg tooth removal. One that involved his fist and lots of pain.
“Ryan had to tell me something,” she said.
Andre slipped his arms around her shoulders. Relief swept through his body when she leaned slightly into his side instead of pulling away.
“Has he said it?”
Her lips twisted and she frowned. “Yes.”
He glared at Ryan. “Now you can go.”
“I think I’ll go say hello to Caroline,” Ryan said easily.
Ryan moved to go around them, but Andre blocked his way. “What are you up to?”
Ryan rocked back on his heels, a smug smile on his face. “Threatened by having me here.”
“Keep talking and I’ll show you just how threatened I am.” Andre’s hand balled into a fist. “I’m not playing this game, Ryan. You did me a favor with Angelica. Leave Mikayla and I alone.”
“You and Mikayla? As if this isn’t just your way of trying to get back at me. I won’t let you hurt her.”
“The same way you did?” Andre said his voice lethal. He took a step toward Ryan.
“I’ve explained that to Mikayla. We’re past that. Did she tell you about the good time we had on our road trip a few days ago.”
Mikayla stepped between them. “Okay, that’s enough.”
Ryan held up his hands. “Oh, I see, you don’t want him to know we got along so well. I get it.”
“There’s nothing to get, Ryan.” She propped her hands on her hips. “Andre already knows about our trip and why we went. Save this weak attempt to drive a wedge between me and Andre because it’s only going make it harder for you repair the one between us. I heard what you had to say, and now you can leave.”
Ryan’s words punctured Andre’s security. He tried to ignore it. But he wasn’t with Mikayla every day. Ryan was.
He pulled Mikayla against him and slid a hand around her waist until it rested on the flatness of her belly. She trembled against him. He hoped with desire.
“You made your choice, Ryan,” he said. “So has Mikayla. Don’t make a fool of yourself.”
Ryan grunted then pushed around them. Mikayla stepped away. When she turned to face Andre, she briefly met his gaze before glancing away. Dread, ten times worse than the thought of singing in public, settled in his chest. She’d never avoided his gaze before. What the hell did Ryan say?
“What was that about? You didn’t have to puff up and try to claim your territory. He already knows I’m seeing you.”
Her question grated his nerves. “Knowing and respecting are two different things. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bragged about your trip the other day.”
“I told you about that.”
“Not about the good time you two had.” The music cranked up and someone started singing a bad rendition of Tony Braxton’s, Unbreak My Heart, he had to yell for her to hear. A skinny blond came down the hall and looked nervously at them both.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the bathrooms and out the front door. Fresh air and the setting sun met them.
“We are not going to do this,” she said in an even voice. Eyes closed she rubbed her temples. “Ryan and I work together. I can’t walk around angry at my boss all day.”
Her words made sense, but they didn’t calm his unease. Seeing her standing so close to Ryan, knowing his cousin could try and come between them woke up insecurities he’d never felt before. He’d never feared losing a woman. Never cared about losing one before Mikayla.
“I thought you were quitting your job.”
She dropped her hands and her eyes popped open. “I explained about that.”
“Dalmtrix fell through.” He pointed to Rowdy’s door. “You don’t owe either of them anything. You can leave.”
She stalked past him to the edge of the walkway. Mikayla spun around and crossed her arms over her chest. “Dalmtrix may not fall through. That’s what Ryan came to tell me. Someone’s blackmailing Senator Leventis. We’re going to find out who.”
His tongue went numb while his heart blasted against his ribs. How could Ryan know that? How long before the jackass figured out who and told Mikayla? “I don’t like you working with him.” His mind whirled with the idea that Mikayla may discover his involvement in the blackmailing scheme.
She drew back and slightly shook her head. “That’s something you’ll have to get over. I have to work with him, and, yes, we work well together.”
“We?” He slowly stalked toward her. “Since when are you and Ryan a we?”
Her hands massaged her temples again. “I can’t believe this.” She slapped the back of one hand into the palm of the other. “The acquisitions deal I worked on, might fall through because of blackmail, and you’re concerned about me working with Ryan. I thought we were past this.”
Andre’s stomach and throat simultaneously tightened up. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was acting unreasonable, but he’d never been in this position before. He had no clue how to stop her from looking into the blackmail. If she and Ryan found out, the blackmail would be just the ammunition needed to break up him and Mikayla before they’d really started.
“He’s pulling you back in.”
She blinked several times, limp arms dropped to her sides. “Wow. I…can’t believe this is coming out of your mouth.” She ran a hand through her silky hair and frowned. “This is crazy. I have a chance to fix a problem. Yes, the alternative Ryan and I came up with the other day would work, but it would be even better if we can still get Dalmtrix down there. I’m not going to quit my job, and despite how much of an asshole Ryan can be, I’m not going to stop working with him.”
She stepped toward him, her beautiful brown eyes begged him to understand. “I thought we were ready to do this. I thought you trusted me.”
He reached out and tucked the hair behind her ear. “I don’t trust him.”
She pushed his hand away. “So what, you think I’m going to fall out of a closet with him? Damn, Andre, you should know I don’t just fall into bed with anyone.”
“I don’t, your period stopped us.”
She flinched and pulled away. Real smooth, Andre. And stupid as fuck! He should apologize. The words refused to come. He wasn’t upset about that night in her apartment, but he wanted her composure to crack. To see if her emotions were just as jumbled up inside as his.
Mikayla crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “I think you should go.”
A good guy would stay. Tell her the truth. Ask her to forgive him. “I think you’
re right.”
She swallowed hard, her eyes glimmered with tears…or anger. He waited for her give him some type of hint she didn’t want them to end like this.
She stalked around him and back into Rowdy’s. His chest tightened. What the hell had just happened? They’d gone from taking the first step toward what’s been obvious between them since the mountains, to fighting outside of a bar like college kids. In typical Caldwell fashion, he’d let the jerk come out and ruin everything.
CHAPTER 23
Andre sat at the bar in Buffalo Wild Wings and stared at his cell phone. He picked it up, then put it back down.
He needed fortification.
Picking up the shot glass beside the phone, he downed a stiff gulp of bourbon that left a fiery trail down his throat. Too bad he couldn’t swallow words that easily. His regret burned worse than the alcohol; another a new emotion. Something Mikayla had a knack for bringing out.
God, that woman made him weak. To forget her made the most sense. He rejected the thought immediately. There was no way he could forget her, and frankly he didn’t want to. No, he’d been wrong in this situation. He would have to make things right.
He sighed heavily, then picked up his phone to do what he should have done instead of leaving after she walked into Rowdy’s. He called to apologize.
After several rings, voice mail picked up. He cursed, then texted.
I’m sorry.
If she didn’t answer in ten minutes, he was getting in his car and going to her apartment. He wasn’t one to ignore his problems, and he refused to let Mikayla ignore him forever. He signaled the bartender for another drink, and then drummed his fingers on the counter.
He should be in Greenville. His brother called earlier asking about a proposal they needed to get together. He couldn’t even think about business. Another first, problems with a woman never distracted him from work.
His phone buzzed on the counter. His heart rate accelerated as he read her response.
You should be. She texted.
Let’s talk.
Why?
Because, I messed up.
Several seconds passed. Where are you?
He dialed her number. On the third ring, she answered in a calm voice.
“I’ll come to your apartment.”
“No, I’ll meet you somewhere,” she said firmly.
He gave her the name of the restaurant. The bartender asked if he wanted another drink. He opted for a glass of soda. No need to further cloud his brain and possibly say something stupid.
He checked his watch and the time on his phone every few minutes. He could fess up and tell her everything about Dalmtrix. Would she understand that this started before he knew of her involvement? Or, would she view the blackmail as him taking the family revenge out on her? Just this morning they’d agreed to forego the just friends label and acknowledge what was between them. If she found out he blackmailed the Senator, their brief relationship would be over.
No, he’d find out who leaked the blackmail scheme before she did, and shut them up. He frowned and slid the empty shot glass away. That idea didn’t make the regret and alcohol mix any better.
After thirty minutes, Mikayla called to say she was outside. He paid the bartender then went out to meet her.
The night air was cool compared to the heat of the bar, a reminder that winter wasn’t truly gone. Mikayla leaned against her car. The yellow lights of the parking lot illuminated her dark hair and softened her brown eyes.
“Before you say anything you need to understand one thing.” She straightened from the car and held up a hand when he walked up. “It’s bad enough I have to remind my dad I’m a fully functioning adult. I will not,” her finger drilled his chest, “do the same thing with you. I like my job, and despite the situation, I’m able to work there without caring about Ryan and Angelica. Part of that is because Ryan and I made better friends than lovers. Something we both,” she poked him again, “agreed on this afternoon. The other reason, I can work there and not care is because of you.” Another jab. “Because of what we started in the mountains. I’m not going to quit.” She took a deep breath and ran a hand over her face. When she met his eye determination burned bright. “You can’t think that every time I get along with Ryan, it means I’m running back to him.”
His step-sister’s demands, Renee’s wishes, even her dad's need for control were all things she grinned and bore. But she let loose with him. Her anger and her passion came to the surface with him. Just as she passionately responded when his hands only touched her breasts. His dick twitched in his pants as his arousal awakened.
“You’re right.” He took several steps toward her.
“I’m not flattered by jealousy. If you have a problem, you need to just come out and say it.”
He stopped walking. “I wasn’t jealous.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then why demand I stop working with Ryan?”
He opened his mouth. The lie stuck in his throat. Andre coughed, and let out the truth. “Fine. I was jealous.”
Her eyes widened, and the corner of her mouth twisted. He closed the distance between them and brushed his hand across her cold cheek.
“Does that make you feel better?” he asked.
Her body trembled against him. “Only slightly.”
“Then what would make you feel better.”
She took a deep breath, lifted her chin and met his gaze. The flare of passion in her eyes chased away the cold around him.
“You embarrassed me.”
He cringed and lowered his head. “I’ll never do that again.”
“If you do, this is over.” She said her voice hard.
Which proved he was right to keep the truth from her.
She stepped closer. Her flowery perfume a crisp beacon in the chilled air. “But you were very close to the truth about why I didn’t fall in bed with you last weekend.” Her hand lifted to the side of his face. Her small fingers gently brushed his chin. He pictured her slim fingers sliding down across his neck, chest, and lower to the growing arousal in his pants and his body hummed.
“If it weren’t for certain circumstances, I would have slept with you,” she said.
He placed a hand on her waist. Nearly closed his eyes and groaned when her breasts touched his chest. “You don’t know how bad I want you, Mikayla.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
*
Mikayla’s hands trembled. She opened her car door and exited to the parking lot next to the apartment building. Andre stood at her side of the car as soon as she got out. He towered over her in the shadows, dark eyes, tense muscles, and ripe with the promise of ecstasy. A delicious chill skittered through her body.
Andre grasped her hand in his. Heat soared from where they touched and swelled inside Mikayla, the warmth of his body infused hers.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
His voice, deep and hypnotic, wrapped around her. Quiet, sexy and as so very tempting. He stepped closer until the sensitive tips of her breasts brushed against his chest. Then gently traced his fingers up and down her arm.
Sparks of desire shot straight to her core. “We both want this.”
She lifted her chin in a silent invitation. Even in the dark she could see a hunger flare in his eyes. Her mouth opened to suck in a breath, but nothing went to her lungs. Andre’s firm lips sealed hers, robbing her of the ability to breathe. It was hard, almost needy, as if he were afraid she would pull away.
She wrapped her arm around his neck and pressed her body against this. Her clothing itched against her skin. Rubbing her chest, legs, thighs against his intensified the itch. She wrapped her arms around his waist beneath his jacket, absorbing his warmth and inhaling the delicious smell of his skin. Andre pulled at the edge of her sweater. His hand, cold from the night air glided up her side to cup her breast. His cool palm against her warm hard nipple made her pulse quicken and sent an answering chill through her that had nothing to do with the col
d. Long fingers gently massaged the soft mound. She pressed forward. He lightly rubbed his palm over her stiff nipple. A quick, piercing, pleasure connected straight to the wet spot between her legs.
She pulled her hand from the warmth beneath his jacket and tugged his belt lose. He gasped against her lips when she slipped an anxious hand past his waistband. His body tensed, eyes popped open. He gave her a look both surprised at her boldness and encouraging. The encouraging sent her heart floating, and she pushed her hand through the opening in his boxers.
Her fingers wrapped around his hot shaft. He hissed out a breath. She bit her lower lip and moaned at the decadent feel of soft skin over solid flesh, long and thick. Pulsing with each steady beat of his heart. She pictured his dick sliding within her and a charge zipped through her body.
His lips plundered hers again, their tongues sliding together in a decadent glide. Her fingers gripped him, slowly easing up and down in tandem with her fantasy.
Andre slipped the strap of her bra aside and pulled down the cup. His expert hand teased her nipple. Caressed and rubbed the entire mound before finally giving the hard tip the attention it craved. Heat flushed her from inside out. She squirmed against him, moaned for more.
The pad of her thumb brushed the swollen head of his penis. His body jerked. His breath came in ragged puffs after he pulled her hand away and broke off their kiss.
“Upstairs,” he said, his baritone hoarse and desire thickened. He gently squeezed her breast. “Unless you want our first time to be on the side of your car.”
Right now, she’d take the side of her car. Swallowing hard, she nodded. He pulled his hand from the inside of her shirt. Good, if he kept it there she wouldn’t be able to think about making it upstairs to her apartment.
She walked around him and headed for the stairs. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. Her senses honed in on the heat and tantalizingly masculine smell of his body as they hurried across the parking lot. Her hands shook, so he took the key from her and unlocked the door himself.
They barely crossed the threshold before he spun her around and picked her up. She giggled, and for once didn’t care about making the juvenile sound. She trailed kisses across the slight shadow of hair on his strong cheek, breathed in the seductive aroma of his cologne, tasted the sweetness of the skin along his neck with her tongue and light nips with her teeth.
Show Me How to Love (Caldwell Family Book 1) Page 16