by Susan Stoker
Hopefully she’d understand that while his initial motives weren’t a hundred percent honest, what he was feeling for her had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with her sister, Ransom, or the damn Red Brothers. It was all her.
Chapter Seven
Mickie knocked on the door of apartment number sixteen. Cruz had given her directions when he’d called last night to confirm she was still coming over. The conversation had been short, and he’d apologized, saying he was in the middle of something.
She was nervous because Cruz had sounded weird. She didn’t know what kind of weird, just that he hadn’t sounded like the easygoing open guy she’d spent the afternoon with the other day.
She shook her head at herself in disgust. Mickie wasn’t the type of woman to lust over anyone, but she thought she just might be in lust with Cruz. There was so much she didn’t know about him, and Mickie knew it wasn’t smart, but she couldn’t help herself. She just plain liked him, not to mention the chemistry they had with each other was off the charts. She had no idea if he felt it too, but figured he must on some level. She wasn’t ready to move in with him or marry him, but she wasn’t ruling out jumping his bones.
The door opened in front of her, stopping her musings.
“Mickie, I’m so glad you’re here. Please, come in.”
Mickie stepped into the apartment and stared at Cruz. Jeez, he looked good. He was wearing a green polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants. Once again she could see part of his tattoo peeking out from the sleeve of his shirt. Mickie swore to herself she’d get a look at that tattoo sooner rather than later.
Cruz locked the door after she got in and turned to her. He put both hands on her upper arms and leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, then pulled back and held out his arm. “This way, milady. I’ve got some wine if you’re interested.”
Cruz tried to keep his voice level. Mickie was beautiful. He had no idea how anyone could’ve let her go. If she was his—
He broke off his thoughts. She wasn’t his, most likely wouldn’t be.
She was wearing a pair of black slacks and a pink short-sleeve shirt. It had a V-neck that plunged deeper than a regular T-shirt would. Cruz could see a slight bit of cleavage, but not enough to be indecent. The differences between her and her sister were striking.
Mickie’s black hair was smoothed down and elegant while the other day it looked a bit chaotic. It fit her. One day she was casual and natural, and the next she was trendy and polished.
When Cruz had leaned over to kiss her cheek, her scent struck him hard and fast. She smelled…clean. He’d been buried in filth for way too long and her fresh scent had him hard before he’d even been able to try to control it.
Mickie looked around nervously as she made her way into his apartment. Cruz tried to see his place as she might. There was an entryway that held only a small table. It emptied into an open area. There was a couch separating the living area from the kitchen. He had a table up against one wall; he mostly used it when he was researching on his computer. The kitchen had granite countertops and there was a built-in bar with three stools in front of it. If he had company, they could sit at the counter and watch him cook.
Cruz helped Mickie sit on one of the barstools and poured a glass of red wine and placed it in front of her. She played with the stem of the glass and watched as he walked over to the table. He saw how uncomfortable she seemed and made a split-second decision to help her relax a bit. Even though they’d gotten to know each other a little the previous weekend, this was a date…and she was obviously nervous.
Cruz picked up his real cell phone and dialed. Without saying a word to Mickie, he began speaking.
“Hey, Mack. How are you? Yeah, it’s really me. I know, I’ll call again soon to touch base, but for now I need a favor. I’ve got a date over at my place and I want to reassure her that I’m not a serial killer.”
Cruz held the phone away from his ear and smiled at Mickie. They could both clearly hear the woman on the other end of the line screeching in delight.
He put the phone back to his ear and tried again. “Mack, chill! You’re going to scare Mickie away. She knows I work in security, and I’d prefer you not give her a blow-by-blow of my employment history. If you think you can keep that on the down-low, can you please reassure her that I’m one of the good guys…for real? Okay, hang on.”
Cruz held his phone to his stomach and took a deep breath. Mackenzie wasn’t stupid. She knew he was undercover and with her reassurance, he knew she wouldn’t say anything to give him away.
He looked at Mickie. “Mackenzie is my friend’s girlfriend. Remember when I told you we all went out recently and celebrated her life? Yeah, this is her. I just want you to be comfortable around me. You went out on a limb meeting me here and I don’t blame you for being nervous, but I swear to you that I’m not going to hurt you. I thought maybe talking to a woman who knows me would put you at ease a bit.”
Mickie about melted in her seat. Not only had Cruz realized how nervous she was, but he’d found the perfect way to reassure her. She held out her hand without a word.
Cruz reached out and grabbed it. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back before looking up at her without letting go. “Mack is going to be a bit over the top and probably a bit crazy. I’d appreciate it if you just went with it. She also has a tendency to ramble when she’s excited or nervous…and she’s definitely excited right now.” He smiled, knowing excited was an understatement.
“It’s fine, Cruz.” Mickie pulled her hand out of his grasp and wiggled her fingers. She realized he was worried she’d somehow think less of his friend. It made him seem more…human. She didn’t think anyone with nefarious intentions would not only try to make her feel more comfortable around him, but also be concerned about his friend as well. “Give me the phone.”
He held it out and Mickie took it and put the phone up to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Hi! I’m Mack.”
“I’m Michelle…Mickie.”
“Mickie. I like that name. So you’re there with Cruz? Isn’t he a hunk? I mean, I have my own hunk, but if I didn’t have Daxton, I’d totally go for Cruz. Okay, well maybe TJ… Oh hell. All the guys he hangs around with are to die for. Just wait until you meet them. I hope you’ll get to meet them. I don’t know how long you’ve been with Cruz, but seriously, they’re all great people. And Cruz? You so don’t have anything to worry about. Okay, maybe spontaneously combusting around him, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Do you have any questions for me about him?”
“Only about a million.”
Mackenzie laughed out loud. “Yeah, I know the feeling. I don’t know what he really wants me to say, but I swear on all the chocolate Easter bunnies in the world that Cruz is one of the good guys. I mean, he’s a guy, so he’s bound to fuck something up, they all do, but his heart is in the right place. You don’t have to worry about him. I know his ex treated him like crap though. Oh shit, has he told you about his divorce? I didn’t mean to bring it up if you haven’t heard about it. Such a horrible situation all the way around, but seriously, Cruz is sexy as hell and I have firsthand knowledge of the fact that he’s loyal to his friends. He’d do anything for them.”
Mickie broke in before Mack could continue. “I appreciate the reassurance.”
“No problem. When Daxton came over to my house for the first time, I made him give me not only his driver’s license but his work ID as well. Then he insisted that I call his boss and make sure he wasn’t carrying around fake IDs. Oh shit, I don’t think Cruz wanted me to share that much with you, but I swear he’s a good guy. Okay?”
“Okay. Thanks. I appreciate it. I was a bit nervous.” Mickie looked at Cruz as she said the last words, knowing he was listening intently to their conversation.
“Good. I hope this works out with you guys. My best friend, Laine, and I try to have a girls’ night out at least once a month, and we’d love to get some more girls to hang with us.
I’ll see if you’re interested the next time we get together.”
“That sounds good, but I don’t know if—”
“Yeah, I know. But Cruz hasn’t been out with anyone in ages. So if he’s out with you, he has to be serious about it.”
“Uh, I—”
“Yeah, sorry. I don’t want to freak you out. You have a good night. Give him the benefit of the doubt. He might be guarded, but it’s for a good reason. But that reason isn’t to deceive you. All right?
“Yeah.”
“Good, give me back to Cruz. Talk to you later!”
Mickie held out the phone to Cruz and said a bit dazedly, “She wants to talk to you again.”
Cruz took the phone. “Thanks, Mack.” He didn’t take it away from his ear, but hooked his other hand around Mickie’s neck and brought her into him. He kissed her forehead then let her go, taking a step away to give her some space. Mickie could hear Mack babbling in Cruz’s ear as he moved to stand next to her. She took a sip of her wine as they finished saying their goodbyes.
“Yeah. Tell Dax I’ll call him soon. Thanks again, sweetheart. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
Cruz clicked the phone off and placed it on the counter next to them. He met Mickie’s eyes with his own and asked, “Do you feel better? I know we spent some time together, but you didn’t look comfortable when you got here.”
Mickie nodded.
“Sure?”
“Yeah, Cruz. Thank you.”
Cruz’s intense gaze didn’t leave hers. “I’d like for you to meet my friends sometime.”
“Okay.”
“They’re a bit crazy, but I trust them with my life. I’d do anything for them and I know they’d do anything for me too.”
“I’m glad you have friends like that.”
“You hungry?”
Relieved he was changing the subject—he was pretty intense normally, but seemed more so tonight—Mickie nodded and asked, “Are we having green beans or corn?”
“Corn, of course. It’s what you said you liked.”
“Just making sure.”
Cruz smiled at her and stepped away. He snagged the phone off the counter and shoved it in a drawer in the kitchen as he walked by. It looked exactly like the phone he used at the club, but since it was his personal cell, he never carried it.
“I’ve got two steaks on the grill, as well as the corn on the cob and a salad. I thought I’d keep it simple tonight.”
“I’m a vegetarian.”
Cruz froze and looked over at Mickie. Oh shit. He’d screwed up right out of the gate. He’d asked her about what vegetable she wanted, but didn’t think to ask her about the main course. Just as he got himself all worked up, he saw her smile.
“Gotcha!”
Cruz laughed and put a hand to his chest. “Don’t do that to me, woman!”
“I have to keep you on your toes. Don’t want you making any assumptions about me.”
“I like that you can tease me.”
“I like that I can tease you too.”
They smiled at each other until Cruz turned to go out to the small deck off of the living room to get the steaks. The balcony wasn’t huge, only big enough to hold the small grill and two chairs, but it was one reason he’d chosen this apartment over the others. Cruz loved to grill and wanted to make sure he had a space to do it.
After dinner, and after he’d brought out a tray with both brownies and cookie dough blobs on it,they relaxed on the couch. They’d talked about their favorite movies, foods, states, books, and even animals. The conversation stayed light and easy as they got to know each other.
They agreed that a night spent watching a movie on television was better than a night out on the town. Mickie admitted that since assuming responsibility for her sister, she hadn’t made a lot of friends. When she was in college, she was too busy with school and Angel to bother making lasting relationships, and by the time she’d graduated, she’d lost the opportunity to make those close, lifelong bonds that most people made while in their early twenties.
Cruz told Mickie more about Dax and Mackenzie and even touched on some of his other friends, leaving out their professions in the various law enforcement agencies around the city.
It was approximately ten when Mickie looked down at her watch. “I can’t believe how quickly time has gone by tonight.”
“Do you need to go?”
“I should…” She let the words hang between them.
Cruz moved closer to Mickie on the couch and reached out to play with the hair around her ears. “Stay. For a bit longer.”
Mickie hesitated, then nodded.
Cruz didn’t say anything, but took his time really looking at Mickie. His eyes went from her eyes to her nose, to her lips, up to her forehead and then to her ears. They were constantly moving, and each time they landed back at her eyes, Mickie wanted to melt.
“You’re beautiful, Mickie,” Cruz said softly.
Mickie shook her head.
“You are. I don’t know why you can’t see it, but you are.” His other hand came up and his thumb brushed over an eyebrow. It then moved down to caress the apple of her cheek. As it bloomed with heat, Mickie saw him smile. “So responsive to my touch. I wonder if you’re this responsive everywhere.”
His words weren’t a question, more of a statement. He ran his index finger over her top lip, then her bottom one.
Mickie knew she was pushing it, but she opened her lips and sucked his finger into her mouth, smiling at the groan that escaped Cruz’s lips.
“I want to kiss you,” Cruz stated in a husky tone. He leaned into her, and Mickie could feel his hot breath against her lips. “May I?”
“Yes. God, yes.”
Before the last syllable left her mouth, Cruz’s mouth was on hers. The hand that had been at her ear moved to the back of her neck and held her to him. Mickie’s hands came up to rest on Cruz’s chest. They flexed as his tongue caressed her lips, teasing. Mickie opened wider and licked at him in return. Their tongues met and she felt Cruz shift her in his grasp.
The hand that had been resting at her nape, playing with her hair, was suddenly gripping it, and the hand at her waist was now pulling her into him. Mickie gave as good as she got. Not backing down, or shying away from the carnality of the kiss, she participated fully. One of her own hands crept up to his neck and she dug her nails in lightly. The other rested low on Cruz’s belly and she could feel his muscles contracting as he moved her against him.
Cruz tasted like the coffee they’d been drinking and Mickie tilted her head to get deeper. She heard him groan and smiled against his lips. She, Mickie Kaiser, made Cruz groan. She felt powerful and, yes, beautiful.
She didn’t realize Cruz was tilting her until she was under him on the couch. One of her feet still rested on the ground, and the other leg was against the back of the couch. Mickie shifted so Cruz could settle even deeper in the vee of her legs. He hadn’t taken his mouth off of hers as they’d moved, and even now, as they got more comfortable, he refused to separate them.
Finally, Cruz lifted his head, pushing his hardness into her with his movement. “God, Mickie. You taste so fucking good.”
Mickie could feel the blush consume her face as she looked up at Cruz. “Thanks.”
“That didn’t come out right—” he started to say, but Mickie brought her finger up to his face and put it over his lips.
“It came out exactly right. It was what I was thinking about you.”
Cruz lowered his head and kissed Mickie hard. He didn’t linger, but Mickie found herself totally consumed anyway. Finally, he pulled back again and sat up, bringing Mickie upright as he went. He kept one arm around her waist and pulled her into him. She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
Neither said anything for a moment. Finally, Cruz said, “It’s late. You probably need to get going.”
She did, but Mickie hated to leave. She sighed. “Yeah, I have to work in the morning.”
“All right. We’ll get together later this week?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
Cruz smiled at her. “Good. Come on, up you go. If I don’t let you go now, I might not ever.” He stood, pulling Mickie up with him as he went.
Mickie gathered her purse and headed to the door with Cruz at her heels. “You don’t have to walk me out.”
“The hell I don’t. I’m walking you to your car to make sure you get there safely. Then you’ll call me when you get home to let me know you made it there without any issues.”
“I will?”
“Yes.”
Mickie smiled at Cruz. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Thank you?”
“Yeah. For giving a shit if I get home all right or not.”
“I give a shit.”
“Yeah, so thank you.”
Cruz smiled at Mickie. “Let’s get you home before you turn into a pumpkin.” Cruz took Mickie’s hand and walked her out of his apartment to her little Honda Civic. He opened her door after she unlocked it. He crouched next to her as she got her seat belt on. “I’ll talk to you in a bit. Okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll text you when I get home. Thanks for a great night. Next time, my treat, okay?”
Cruz leaned in and kissed Mickie on the forehead before pulling back. “Okay, sweetness. Good night.”
“Good night, Cruz.”
Cruz stood and closed her door. He waved at her as she drove out of the parking lot. He sighed and ran his hand over the back of his neck as he looked down at his feet. Cruz hadn’t lied to Mickie tonight. He knew he was riding a fine line with her, knew from the bottom of his soul it could go bad, but he couldn’t stop. Being with Mickie was so refreshing after dealing with the MC and the crap that went on there. The more time he spent with her the more he wanted to spend with her.
It wasn’t about keeping her safe from Ransom anymore, although that was still a concern—it was about a man spending time with a woman who he was interested in.