He pulled back and peeled her sweater and T-shirt off so that she was standing there in just her pink lace bra.
“So beautiful,” he murmured in a husky tone. And then his mouth found hers again and she was lost on the feel of his hands and mouth and the sweet things he whispered that had her heart skipping and her pulse racing. He pushed her back so that her knees hit the bed and then he was lying with her face-to-face, hands stroking and exploring.
She’d never thought the first time they’d be together like this would be in her childhood bedroom, but now that it was happening, nothing had ever felt more right to her. Mike was here loving her, making her feel alive and cherished, and the where seemed almost inconsequential, only the who mattered. As their bodies came together, she held his face, wanting to capture this moment like a photograph in her mind. A snapshot of a perfect moment.
Mike lay beneath the pink floral comforter, his limbs tangled with hers, and felt like he was home. She was so right and so soft and so beautiful. She smelled like vanilla and flowers, and when she let out an exquisite sigh, it made him feel warm to the core. They’d just made love for the first time and he could happily do it all over again right now.
“That was . . .”
“Yeah, it was,” he said, his tone light and cocky and not at all in keeping with how he felt. He gave her a squeeze. Her head was on his chest and her curls cascaded everywhere. He picked up one coil and admired it. “I love your hair.”
“It’s a total pain,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“It’s perfect, like you.”
“It’s not perfect and neither am I, but it’s nice of you to say so.”
He put a finger under her chin and tilted her neck so he could see her face. “Well, you’re perfect for me.”
“Okay, I’ll take that,” she said as she kissed him again.
“This wasn’t quite how I planned for this to happen.”
“You had a plan?”
“A loose plan,” he conceded.
“And it didn’t involve my childhood bedroom?” She looked up at him with her big eyes and smiled.
“It definitely did not.”
“Well, next time, we can go with your plan.”
Next time. He let the words sink in. He expected to feel a little bit terrified by the words and what they implied, but he didn’t.
“Okay.” No, he couldn’t wait until next time and this time wasn’t over yet. In fact, for the first time in a long time, he couldn’t wait for the future to begin. Years of saying no, years of resistance, years of trying to be a version of himself that he thought he should be seemed to be erased. He ran his hand over the soft skin of her shoulder.
“So . . . the new year is off to a pretty rocking start. Hot dogs, ice-skating, and this.”
“This?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m not sure exactly what this is, but I like it so far.”
She obviously didn’t feel his confidence that this was the beginning of something big. This was the start of their future together. He knew it in his soul, but she didn’t quite trust it yet. That was fair enough, to be expected even. It didn’t matter because Mike knew that he was going to spend every day for the rest of his life proving to Marissa that she’d been right and he had been a total fool for over a decade and they were meant to be together.
“This,” he said, leaning in to brush his lips against hers. “This is us.”
“Yeah, that’s the bit that is a little unclear but that’s fine. We’ll figure it out.”
“I think this means we’re dating. You want to go steady?”
“Still got your class ring? Maybe I could wear that.”
“I’ll dig it out.”
“I’m joking.” She gave his chest a gentle slap. “For sure, I’ll go steady with you.”
It took a little longer to make their way out of the bedroom than planned. So it was well past midnight when Mike pulled up in front of her building to drop her home.
“That was quite a date,” she said, feeling shy again.
“Best date ever.” He leaned across the console and kissed her. A hard kiss that seemed to claim her, and she didn’t feel quite so shy.
Then he pulled away and came around and opened the door for her.
“So, I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said.
“You know where I’ll be.”
Upstairs in her apartment, Marissa wished she could call someone. The middle of the night was not the time. She felt elated but nervous.
She’d waited so long for this and yet she couldn’t quite believe it. She wanted to trust that this was the start of a happily ever after and a long-term relationship with Mike, but years of waiting and rejection had made her wary.
Running a warm shower, she replayed the events of the evening. The thrill of skating and the way she felt on the ice, the sadness of going back to the empty house, and the pleasure of making love with Mike. She stepped under the stream of water. She wanted to believe it. She’d lost so much lately that she didn’t think her heart could take another hit.
It felt right with Mike. The way he treated her, how he touched her, how she felt when he was near felt good. If only she could calm the flock of butterflies that kept flying around inside her. They weren’t quite ready to leave yet.
By the time she went to the diner to meet Patty and Tori for lunch, the butterflies were in full flight. Mike hadn’t called but he had said he would and the day before it had taken him all day. Still, when she slid into the seat and Patty gave her a pitying smile, her confidence shook more than a little.
“So,” she said. “What’s the story between you and Mike?”
No small talk, no beating around the bush. Just straight to the chase.
“You looked so cute together on New Year’s Eve,” Tori cut in. “Everyone is talking about it. You’re hot gossip.”
“Yes, they are,” Patty said. “You better be sure about what you’re doing, Marissa. It’s bad enough the whole town has watched you moon over Mike for the last few years . . .”
“I wasn’t mooning.”
Patty raised her hand. “That’s what people think. But now you’ve gone public, you better be sure that this isn’t going to blow up in your face. Imagine if he dumps you now? Horrible.”
The butterflies in her stomach took full flight.
“I’m sure that’s not going to happen. He looked just as smitten the other night,” Tori reassured her.
“Sure, but you know how men are. Smitten until they get what they want and then, who knows?
“You sound like my grandmother,” Tori said, giving Patty a scowl. “And it’s not like you and Jacob didn’t do it before you got married.”
Patty looked put out about having put out. “I’m just trying to protect Marissa. Her track record with men isn’t great, and it would be embarrassing if this all came apart now.”
“It’s not like I’ve actually dated anyone in a while really,” she said in her own defense. “And sometimes you have to take a chance. We went ice-skating last night.”
“How fun. Gosh, that sounds so romantic and considerate. You always loved to skate,” Tori said.
“It was fun. It was like being seventeen again.”
“Except you’re not seventeen, Marissa. We’re grown-ups now, and we need to live in the real world, not some teenage fantasy.” Patty was right of course. She was the town librarian and he ran the paper. They had jobs and responsibilities, but did that mean they couldn’t have fun? Did that mean there was no room for romance?
“Well, it sounds lovely to me. I wish I could skate,” Tori said.
They were interrupted by Myrna, coming to take their order. She wasn’t hungry, so Marissa just ordered a salad.
“So now what?” Patty asked.
“What do you mean?”
“What happens now?”
“Well . . .” She bit her lip. “We date; we get to know each other.”
“You already know each other.”
“Well, not in a relationship, we don’t,” she said. How would that be? “I guess we need to see how that goes, first of all.”
“Yeah, well, let’s hope he doesn’t change his mind again.”
Tori’s twins gave a well-timed almighty kick that took the focus off Marissa for the rest of the lunch. The threat of imminent labor and the fact this might be their last lunch out for quite some time took precedent. Marissa was looking forward to getting to know Tori’s twins. Unlike Patty and Jacob, she didn’t have much family support, so she was going to need the help of her friends. Marissa would be more than happy to step up if sweet baby cuddles were involved.
After lunch, she walked back to the library. She couldn’t help but wonder if she and Mike would ever get to that point where they could maybe, just maybe, build a family together. Of course, right now, she doubted if they’d even make it through the week.
As she unlocked the library, she felt a shadow fall over her.
“Hi.” It was Mike.
“Hi,” she said, turning to look at him, his face lit with a big smile.
“I missed you, so I decided to stop by rather than call.”
“I missed you, too. I’m glad you did.” She smiled back at him. She wanted to kiss him but a patron came into the library and then another. She gave his hand a squeeze before moving behind her desk to put down her bag.
“How about I pick you up when you’re done?”
“Sure, I’m supposed to go to Todd’s. Esme invited us for dinner,” she said. She didn’t want to blow him off, but it would be rude to cancel.
“It’s okay. I managed to wrangle an invite.”
Her smile returned. “Excellent. See you at five.”
“Can’t wait.”
All of a sudden she felt better. The up and down feelings were not fun at all but she supposed most people felt that way at the start of a new relationship. It was hard to balance that with the old friend side of their history.
Marissa flicked the radio on to the start of Mike’s show. It was silly, she’d just seen him, but she was looking forward to hearing his voice. The truth was, this was one her favorite parts of the week, and now that they were moving closer, it was even more special.
Good afternoon, listeners, I hope everyone had a lovely New Year’s Eve. Those roads are slippery so be very careful driving around today.
Word on the street, or should I say down at the diner, is that I took the lovely Marissa to the Golf Club dinner dance for New Year’s Eve. I can confirm that rumor and that, yes, she did look spectacular. I can also confirm that, yes, she is too good for me, thanks to everyone who has made a point of letting me know. I really appreciate you taking the time. For those of you threatening me with bodily harm should I hurt her again, please discuss it with my brother, Todd. He apparently has dibs on the job, but I don’t think he can really kick my ass. So if you’re bigger and stronger than he is, he may acquiesce to you.
In more pertinent news, the dinner raised five thousand dollars for the children’s ward at the hospital.
This town was full of crazy people, that was for sure. She had to laugh, though; Mike was handling all the fuss pretty well.
Now a shout out to Chloe at Two-Scoops. She says she knows it isn’t exactly ice-cream weather but anytime is a good time for a hot chocolate or a warm brownie sundae. A few of you have noticed that Moose Myers of the Myers Resort in Maine has been stopping by our town quite a bit lately. If I’m not mistaken, he’s rather taken with our little village and, in particular, Chloe’s hot chocolates. Make him welcome if you see him.
I’m sure lots of you have made New Year’s resolutions. Our town doctor wants me to let you know he sees a lot of sore backs and groin strain this time of year because people launch into their new exercise regimes too quickly. Slow and steady everyone.
Now on to the real news . . .
Mike spent the day feeling happy. He wasn’t quite used to feeling this good. He felt like some crazy guy from an old musical who might dance down the street or break into song. Not that he would do that of course, but he could see how one might. Still, he couldn’t help but notice Marissa looked a little less confident.
She’d been happy to see him but she’d looked surprised. Too surprised. As if she thought maybe he wouldn’t call, that he’d cut and run. Not that one could do that in this town, but that wasn’t the point. Even the fact that she thought he might was a concern.
She didn’t trust him yet and she didn’t trust what they had. Mike walked back to his office and wondered what he could do to make her believe that this was real.
His old boss and mentor, Frank, sat in his office waiting for him.
“Hey, Mike, you look happy. Maybe taking my advice is paying off.”
“If you mean by dating Marissa, then yes, it is.”
“She’s a lovely girl. She's always doing thing for others, there with a smile, and those legs, my goodness those legs.”
“Frank.” He shook his head. “I don’t know that ogling my girlfriend’s legs is appropriate.”
“Well, I can’t promise I’ll stop doing it, but I sure won’t tell you again.” He let out a small laugh.
Mike honestly didn’t think that made him feel any better. “Thanks, I think. What brings you here today?”
“Nothing more than wanting to see you. I saw how happy you guys were on New Year’s Eve and I wanted to be sure you hadn’t screwed it up yet.”
Mike let out a surprised laugh. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Sorry, that didn’t come out quite right. You’ve led that girl on a merry dance, I wanted to be sure you didn’t mess it up at the final hurdle.”
“How would I do that exactly?” he asked, taking a seat behind his desk.
“You might do it in a number of ways.” Frank leaned forward on the brown vinyl sofa, elbows on his knees. “For example, you might get caught up in your own head and freak out. You might not tell her you love her soon enough, and you might not admit you’ve been an idiot for years.”
Okay, he hadn’t exactly said either of those things. “Oh yeah, what else?”
“You might not make your feelings clear and string her along in some dating limbo for months. She’s already done all that.”
“So you’re saying I need to be decisive and clear and make a grand gesture.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” He leaned back, satisfied that Mike had taken it in. “This is the time to show her what you’re made of and what she means to you.”
And Mike knew exactly how he’d do that. It might take a day or so, but he knew the very thing Marissa wanted and he was going to get it for her.
Marissa waited inside the library. It was empty, so she shut up five minutes early and gave Lucy a quick call.
“Hey, you, Happy New Year.”
“Same. What did you do?”
Marissa filled her in on her evening with Mike and last night’s date as well.
“I knew it. You know the minute I saw you two together at the high school reunion I knew. This is so great.”
“Yeah . . . it is.”
“I hear hesitation. Why do I hear hesitation?”
“I guess I’m nervous, Lucy. He was adamant about being single in general and not going out with me. I just feel like the other shoe will drop.”
“Oh, honey, just breathe. I know it’s hard when you finally get what you want. It must be hard to believe it’s happening, but it is.”
“What if he does a backflip? I won’t cope if he does.”
“He won’t.”
“But . . .”
“He won’t.”
She turned to see the man in question knocking on the glass library door. “He’s here.”
“Tell him I said hello and that I’ll kill him if he breaks your heart.”
“I’ll tell him that first bit at least.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Talking to Lucy made her feel better, not necessaril
y about Mike, but better in general. She wanted to believe the handsome man she let into the library and was now curling her toes in a slow, sensuous kiss was sticking around, she really did.
When he pulled back, he gave her a sexy smile. “Are you sure we have to go to dinner?”
“Yes.” Even though she would be happy to stay here making out with him, too. “It would be rude, and your brother will kill me if I cancel.”
“He may kill me anyway.”
“Why?” she asked, feeling her forehead wrinkle.
“He kind of warned me off you before he went away. He said I’d had my chance and blown it so I needed to step off.”
She smiled up at him. “That’s so sweet of him.”
“He didn’t look especially sweet at the time.”
“You know what I mean. He’s a good friend.”
She unhooked her arms, which were twined round his neck, and went to shut down her computer. “I’ll just be a minute.”
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up at Esme’s house. As was tradition, she and Todd were sitting on her porch, drinking cocktails under blankets.
“You two are aware it’s January, right?” she asked, heading up the path to the porch.
“Quite,” Esme replied, leaning in to pour them each a drink. “They leave babies in Iceland outside cafes in their strollers in winter. They all survive.”
“Are you saying my brother is like a baby?” Mike asked, taking the drink Esme handed him.
“Perhaps,” she said with a cheeky grin. “Cheers. So glad you could all come.”
Marissa caught Todd’s eye. He was definitely looking at her to see if she was okay. It bothered her that Todd didn’t trust Mike with her, but she had to concede she was having a hard time believing herself.
“How was the conference?” she asked.
“Fine. Computers, geeks, software, business meetings, you know the drill.”
“Well, I don’t really. Librarian conferences have meetings and geeks but the rest not so much.” She took a seat beside him on a chair and pulled the blanket on his lap over her knees. Mike sat next to Esme.
“So you two have kissed and made up then?” Marissa loved the older woman, but she was not famous for her subtle nature. She felt her cheeks pink, not that anyone could probably tell, the cold air had surely turned them that color already. Now they were a warm pink, not a cold one.
Any Way You Plan It: An Upper Crust Series Novel Page 17