Mikayla sniffed and Andre rolled onto his side. Panic flashed across his handsome face. Oh yeah, he didn’t do crying. Grabbing the edge of the sheet, she tried to dry her cheeks.
“Are you okay?” Andre’s sleep filled voice a deep sexy rumble.
She sat up and tried for nonchalant. “I’m good.”
“Are you sure? I mean…I can get you some…whatever it is you may need.”
His helpless expression did make her smile. “Do you have a new job you can pull out of your hat?”
He groaned and sat up beside her. “Sorry, can’t help you there.”
“I figured.”
They both sat silently for several seconds. When Andre’s smoky eyes met hers, desire burned away the sinking feeling in her stomach. Barely a few inches separated them. His body would still be warm with sleep and perfect for snuggling.
She pushed back the covers and scurried off the bed. Crossing the room to the bathroom, Mikayla stopped at the door and faced him. He watched her with a slight frown.
“Umm…sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable by asking you to sleep beside me. You could have left. I would have been alright.”
One of his shoulders lifted, his mouth curved into a too sexy for this early in the morning grin. “I didn’t mind lying beside you, Mikayla.”
She nodded, met his gaze, and her heart thudded. So, so wrong to be attracted to him. Spinning around, she went into the bathroom and closed the door. She furiously brushed her teeth. Each stroke came with a mental chide to stop thinking about how Andre in a t-shirt and sweat pants lounging on the bed created a pretty damn good visual of the word sexy. After giving her teeth and gums an undeserved trashing, she stepped into the shower. Once she finished and stood cold, wet and dripping in the bathroom, she cursed herself for running in there without any clothes.
She wrapped one of the thick burgundy towels around her torso and peeked into the empty bedroom. A relieved sigh escaped her. Padding across the room she unzipped her bag and pulled out an outfit to wear. Andre knocked on the bedroom door.
Mikayla tightened the towel before crossing the room and cracking the door. Andre held his body wash, toothbrush, and a t-shirt in his hands. And a pair of red plaid boxers. A mental image of him in the boxers filled her brain and, her cheeks flamed.
“Do you want me to wait to take a shower?”
“No, I just finished.” She stepped back and opened the door wider.
“Thanks. I checked the news and apparently the detour roads are clear. We can leave as soon as we’re dressed.”
He stopped just inside the door. Gave her a quick once over in the towel. Her skin tingled. Andre’s hot stare made her body come alive. The soft towel rubbed against her puckering nipples creating a delicious friction that scattered across her skin everywhere the material touched. She twisted one foot into the carpet and ignored the sensation that made her want to drop the towel.
“Good. I need to get home,” she said.
He blinked then stepped around her. “Yeah, me too.”
She didn’t watch him go into the bathroom, just waited tensely for the door to close. Once the door was shut, she let out a shaky breath. Thank goodness for the men and women of the Department of Transportation for clearing the roads. Another day in the mountains and she’d make a monumental mistake.
Mikayla dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and a red sweater. By the time Andre emerged from the bathroom—bringing a burst of steam and the sexy fragrance of that damn body wash—her packed bag sat near the door. He’d put his sweat pants back on but wore the clean t-shirt. And probably those boxers. In his hand, was the old t-shirt, toothbrush and body wash. No underwear present; maybe he hadn’t slept in any. A slick stream of excitement rode down her spine as various possibilities that could have happened if he had curled up next to her beneath the covers.
“I’ve already packed my bag. We can leave whenever you’re ready,” he said.
She jerked her thoughts away from Andre’s underwear preferences. “Same here. Whenever you’re ready. I know our situation is weird,” she smiled. “But thanks for making a terrible weekend a little easier.”
“It wasn’t a chore to be with you.”
She sat on the bed, grabbed a pair of socks and put them on. “You did act like it was a chore when we first left.”
He crossed the room and sat on the bed. They didn’t touch, but she still slid over a few inches. “I didn’t know what to expect spending the night with Ryan’s girlfriend.”
She glared and he held up a hand. “Ex-girlfriend.”
“I guess I can understand that.” Mikayla relaxed, then cocked her head to study him. Andre seemed to be handling the split tremendously well. “How are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
Mikayla turned on the bed to face him. “Yesterday you mentioned things were getting serious between you and Angelica. Are you doing a good job of distracting yourself, or are you crying when I’m not looking?”
The deep rumble of his chuckle sent a quiver through her stomach.
“I can promise you I’m not crying.”
“Why not, if you two were getting serious. You paraded her around the night before so everyone could see how much you loved her.”
A frown replaced the smile on his face. “I paraded her around, but that wasn’t love.” He sighed heavily and met her eyes. “You don’t understand my family…Well, maybe you do. When you’re raised to idolize certain things, it’s hard to let go.” A hint of disgust clouded his voice. He rubbed his hand over his face and shook his head as if he could clear it of the bad memories. “Long story short, Angelica fit the bill of what I need in a wife.”
“What bill?”
“Angelica’s beautiful, she knew how to entertain, and is a perfect companion for social events.”
An armpiece, Mikayla thought. “Then how could it possibly be serious?”
He shrugged. “I thought she was a nice person. I did like her, we were compatible, and she wouldn’t make a fuss about the demands of my family or the business. I planned to marry her.”
“You would marry her, but you didn’t love her?”
He smirked and shook his head. “My family doesn’t marry for love. You only briefly met my dad and step-mom, but a few minutes in a room with them will quickly reveal there’s no love between them. They started as an affair that resulted in both of them dumping their old spouses for a newer model.”
“Don’t you want to love someone,” she asked.
“No.”
Simple, abrupt, with no explanation.
“I’ve been in love.” Some of the wistfulness of what she’d once felt floated with her voice. “It’s not so bad.”
He leaned back and crossed thick arms over his wide chest. “Ryan?”
She shook her head. “No. My college boyfriend. We met our junior year and dated all of our senior year. He asked me to marry him.”
“What happened?”
“He died in a car wreck.” She said simply.
Andre’s dark eyes lowered briefly. “I’m sorry.”
She shifted and toyed with the edge of her shirt. “I’ve come to terms with my loss. Cried enough tears to fill Lake Michigan and yes, I still miss him. But his mom insisted that I live after it was over. He wouldn’t want me to cry every day.”
“What was his name?”
Brown eyes that crinkled when he grinned in a thin face tanned from spending so many days outside flashed across her mind. “Brenden.” She smiled. “He made me laugh, all the time at the silliest stuff. He was such a great guy.”
Andre slid closer, wrinkling the patterned quilted bed cover and her will to slide away. “The look on your face. You didn’t have that look with Ryan.”
She lifted then lowered her shoulders. “No, I didn’t.”
Andre lifted a hand and brushed the hair from the side of her face. His fingers trailed down the side of her cheek, sending shivers across her skin. A w
arning flared somewhere deep that they were getting too comfortable again. Mikayla ignored it and turned to rest her cheek against his palm.
She met his gaze. His dark eyes were alive with desire. Heat sparked between them. She took a stuttering breath and blood pounded in her veins like a rushing stream. Too many emotions swirled inside of her. She hadn’t talked about Brenden in years, mainly because she didn’t want those old feelings brought up. Andre was the last person she should trust with those feelings, but after he’d spent the night keeping her nightmares away it seemed silly not too.
“You don’t talk much, but when you do you get right to places I don’t like going,” she said in a wobbly whisper.
“If you’re going to talk, it might as well be about something.” He slid a hand to the back of her head. Long fingers gently twisted in her hair, which was probably now a mess. He pulled her closer.
Anticipation ignited and flared along her skin. As much as she’d wondered about Ryan’s kiss, she’d never longed for his lips to touch hers the way she did now for Andre’s. She called on reason to stop her now. “We shouldn’t do this.”
“No, we shouldn’t.” If she loved his voice before, she was completely enamored with the thick layer of desire flavoring the deep rumble. “That’s why it’s just going to be a kiss.”
His lips touched hers. A spark, then bone-numbing need blasted through her body. Tightening her nipples and sending trickles of desire to her core. She jerked back. Her breaths came in short ragged bursts, struggling to supply oxygen to her brain. The same confusion, she was sure, shone in her eyes swam through his. Heat and intensity that powerful was something she didn’t need to get into. She made a move to pull away and at the same time he came in to kiss her again. This time the shock was expected, but no less explosive. Her skin tingled from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet. His tongue gently pushed past her lips.
Strong hands eased her back on the bed and he settled muscular hips between her thighs. His large body covered hers and infused her memory with the smell of his body wash mixed with an underlying spice that could only be him. A hypnotic fragrance too consuming for her to forget, ever. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she arched her back to press her breasts into his solid chest. Andre responded by sliding his body along hers; sending delicious currents of awareness to every nerve in her body.
His skilled tongue played with hers in an intimate dance that ripped all coherent thought from her brain. Tasting, teasing, and tormenting with deliberate exploration.
Her arms tightening around his neck, a silent request for more. She moaned when his strong hand went up her shirt and caressed her midsection. Her legs spread and he settled more firmly against the damp heat of her center. The hard ridge of his thick erection strained against the material of his sweat pants, taunting her and increasing the wetness between her thighs.
Andre’s large hand engulfed her breast, then squeezed gently. The smooth skin of his palm made slow sensual circles around her swollen nipple. With each rotation, her body tightened and twisted beneath him and the pleasure thrummed to the depths of her stomach. Low wanton moans interrupted Mikayla’s short breaths. Breaking the kiss and gliding his mouth across her cheek, Andre snaked a skillful tongue to her ear. His probing mouth played with the sensitive lobe and he nibbled and sucked, while his hand massaged her breast.
“Andre,” His name erupted with an unsteady breath.
His lips lightly pulled her ear. “Mikayla.”
Oh, man, why did he have to say her name like that? All deep, rumbly, and full of a promise to take her places she’d never been before. He pushed his hips forward then rotated them against her aching flesh. Her eyes rolled in her head; her thighs quivered. How long had it been since she’d had sex? Too long. Not since that banker nine months ago. Long enough to convince her it was okay to go from friends to lovers with Ryan even though common sense said it wasn’t. Long enough to make her seriously consider sleeping with Andre after only meeting a few days before.
“We really need to stop,” she said firmly.
The soft kisses he pressed against her neck stilled. He lifted his head. “I’m stopping.” He slowly withdrew his hand from her shirt. Mikayla bit her lip to keep from begging him to continue his proficient exploration. Swiftly, he rolled off of her and stared at the ceiling.
“I’m going to need a cigarette,” he said between heavy breaths.
She nodded. “I think one more won’t hurt either of us. Then we’ll quit tomorrow, again.”
The sporadic rhythm of heavy breaths echoed through the room, almost drowned out by rapid beats of her heart.
“We can’t do this,” he said.
“No we can’t.”
They didn’t move for several minutes. Eventually, Mikayla’s heart rate returned to normal, but her body buzzed.
Andre sat up first. “I think it’s time to go.”
She nodded, even though he couldn’t see with his back to her. He stood, took a deep breath, and then marched out of the bedroom. Mikayla sat up, covered her heart with a trembling hand and tried to ignore the unsatisfied desire crawling beneath her skin.
“I need to go home.” She said to the empty room. Gazing at the door, she yearned to call him back. “I need to go now.”
CHAPTER 8
Mikayla glanced at Andre out of the corner of her eye. Uncertainty danced a jig in her brain. She wanted to spend more time with him, but couldn’t keep seeing him. Yes, the kiss they shared this morning had been exactly what a first kiss should be. Surely after a few weeks this weekend would fade in her memory just like her zombie dream the night before. Once the rush of emotions went away, maybe she’d realize the kiss wasn’t so fantastic.
Yeah, keep trying to convince yourself of that.
“I appreciate you taking me home,” she said.
He darted his eyes away from the road and glanced at her. “It was a given that I’d take you home on Friday.”
She shrugged. “I know, but I still appreciate it. You didn’t even know my name yet you took me. Especially knowing how you feel about Ryan.”
“From what I can tell, Ryan doesn’t deserve you.”
And now, her insides radiated all warm and tingling. “Angelica doesn’t deserve you.”
His dark eyes slid to her again. She gave him a small smile then turned to look out of the window. “So, I guess when you drop me off its goodbye.” She stared out the window at the trees whizzing by.
Several beats passed with no response. Of course, this was goodbye. They had no reason to stay in touch.
“Not necessarily. You did agree to check and see if I pick up a cigarette again.”
The tension in her shoulders eased and she faced him. “I did. But I probably shouldn’t. Not after this morning.”
He nodded slowly, but his thick brows furrowed as if he didn’t like the comment. She turned back to the window while he changed the satellite radio from a talk show to a classical station. She recognized the song from television, but not being a classical fan wasn’t sure of the composer.
“That won’t put you to sleep?”
“Classical helps me think.”
She shifted away from the window to watch him. “What are you thinking about?”
He squeezed and ran his hands along the steering wheel. “Work. We’re launching a new project soon. I really should have worked on that this weekend instead of going to the wedding.” His voice lacked its usual warmth. Now cool and aloof it was the same tone he’d used before they’d gotten stranded together. He’d already begun to distance himself from the weekend and her. Something she should do as well.
Resting her head on the back of the seat, she closed her eyes and pushed back the sense of loss until the music lulled her to sleep.
Several hours later, when Andre pulled into her apartment complex she woke. Using the back of her hand to smother her yawn, Mikayla checked the clock on the dash. He’d made excellent time.
“We’re here al
ready?”
Andre chuckled, then looked at her with remnants of the softness she’d witnessed at the cabin. “Do you fall asleep every time you ride in the car?”
“Actually I do,” she agreed with a grin.
After giving directions to her building, they rounded the corner to her place. Renee’s Cadillac sat in front of her building. Mikayla groaned. Her friend must have left at the butt crack of dawn to arrive before them. Not surprising since Mikayla hadn’t answered any of her calls. Knowing Renee, she was worrying herself sick wondering where Mikayla was.
“I’m not in the mood for this,” Mikayla said, unbuckling her seat belt.
Andre parked and raised his brows. “In the mood for what?”
“That’s Renee’s car next to us.”
“Oh.”
“Look, thanks for the ride, Andre.” She opened the door and jumped out. Half a second after, Andre hopped out and followed her to the back of the car. “I can take it from here.”
“I’ll get your bag.”
Mikayla checked out the window of her second-floor apartment. The blinds shifted. Renee had a key and was probably watching them now.
She accepted her bag from him, pivoted on the balls of her feet taking two steps before changing her mind, and turned back. She opened her mouth to say…what? Call me. Hey let’s hook up one weekend. Please kiss me again? He admitted he didn’t want love, picked women who fit his lifestyle and showed no desire to change. Their two nights in the cabin were an anomaly.
“Take care of yourself,” he said. At least the warmth had returned to his voice.
“You too.” She gave him one last parting smile before turning and heading toward her apartment.
On the way up the stairs, she tried to mentally prepare herself to talk with Renee. No matter how touching Renee’s show of concern, Mikayla didn’t want to re-hash the weekend events. Or blurt out that Renee’s brother should be crowned king of the bastards.
Show Me How to Love Page 6