by C. J. Lake
It was almost eleven o'clock; Torie likely wouldn't be home for a couple of hours. Polar was straight off the B-line, and the falling snow had finally dwindled to a whimpering rain. Oh, why not? Cady reasoned. If her dad and Linda could be impulsive about a wedding date, then she could be spontaneous for once and go find her friend.
~
By the time Cady approached Polar, the rain had stopped. The sidewalk was splattered with slushy puddles and striped with salt. Music thumped loudly from inside the bar, which had a dark wood exterior and a “Grand Opening Week!” sign across the front window.
She had to work her way through a stubborn huddle of people blocking the entrance, before she showed her ID to the bouncer and stepped inside. The place was packed, but not unbearably; with a little effort, she should be able to find Torie in this madness. Chances were decent she'd see other people she knew, too, since a grand opening of a new bar near Harvard Ave. would inevitably draw flocks of BU and BC people. Cady had tried to text and call Torie, but there's been no answer. She knew that Torie often didn't hear her phone when she was out, so she figured she'd just surprise her.
Now, after a full round through the place, Cady concluded that Torie had already left. She decided to give one more roving look and then text her again.
During that roving look, she spotted a familiar face—and stopped breathing for a second. Mick was standing near a pillar in the center of the room, holding a bottle of beer, talking and laughing with some friends. She recognized Quinn right away; also in the group were two other guys. One had spiky blonde hair and a wide, affable-looking smile. The other was far more striking. In fact, he could have been a living, breathing commercial for Photoshop, with his perfect profile and bronze complexion that was almost mesmerizing. And yet...Cady's gaze immediately abandoned him, interested only in someone else.
It seemed that her eyes were magnetically drawn to Mick, with his unshaven jaw and slightly rumpled hair. It was like he was all she could see.
So of course he saw her, too.
Fleeting surprise crossed Mick's face, before he smiled at her. Stupidly, she almost stayed frozen—until the sight of him breaking from his friends and coming her way, brought her to action. Smiling in return, she closed the gap between him, halting a safe distance in front of him. “Hi,” she said, just as he said, “Hey...what are you doing here?” Then, again, they both spoke at the same time.
“I thought you—”
“Weren't you—”
Then they laughed and Mick said, “Sorry.” He stepped a little closer to her, indicating that the noise was making it hard to hear. Cady followed his lead and drew closer, too. “So, I thought your brother's party was tonight.”
“Yep, it was,” she said, speaking toward his ear as he leaned down a bit. “It was quite a rager.”
“Really,” he said with a laugh.
“You missed it,” she added, instantly regretting the hint of disappointment in her voice.
Mick scratched his jaw. “Yeah, hey, you don't think your brother was offended that I didn't show, do you?”
“Oh, no,” Cady promised, “he was fine. I don't blame you.”
“Well, I would've come,” Mick began, “but I had to write a paper. You'll appreciate that, brainy girl that you are,” he finished with a grin. She could already feel her resolve weakening. This had been such an annoying night; wouldn't going home with Mick make it all better?
Sure...except for the morning after. And then the decade after, living as “stepbrother” and “stepsister,” assuming their parents' marriage actually lasted.
“When I was done, I figured I'd meet up with my roommates.” Briefly, Cady glanced over in their direction. From this angle, she spotted a petite blonde girl among Mick's friends, behind the pillar, whom she hadn't noticed before. “Are you here alone?” he asked.
“Yes, technically. Torie was supposed to be here, but I guess she left.”
“So...how was the party?”
“Great. Assuming you like cerebral gatherings with a Fluorescent Cave Spider theme,” Cady said dryly. Mick laughed. After clearing her throat, she added, “And you missed the big announcement.”
“What?”
“Unless your mom already told you?”
“No.”
Instead of trying to be witty, she would just come out with it. “They're getting married in two weeks.”
Mick paused, as if the words took a few seconds to absorb. Finally, he said, “What the hell?”
“I know, it's ridiculous.”
“Wait, are you sure?”
“Yes. They're following their hearts,” she explained, trying—and failing—to keep the skepticism out of her voice.
“What bullshit,” Mick commented, annoyed. “They barely even know each other.”
“It's so true,” Cady commiserated.
“You know, I was with my high school girlfriend for almost three years.”
“You were?” For some reason, that surprised her. She supposed she'd assumed Mick was more of a player than that.
“Yeah,” he went on, “now that's knowing someone. C'mon, my mom and your dad have been together, what, two months? That's nothing!”
“Tell me about it. Honestly, what's so wrong with being engaged for several years and then seeing if they want to actually go through with it—right?”
“Absolutely,” he agreed, shaking his head.
After a beat of quiet—and obviously shared dismay—Cady let out a breath and Mick shrugged, clearly aggravated, but becoming resigned to this madness with their parents. Then his dark eyes met hers again. “Want a drink?”
Chapter Twenty-four
On the way to the bar, Mick turned to Cady. “Wait, let me introduce you to my friends. They're right there.”
A strong male impulse made him want to take her hand and lead her over, but of course Mick resisted. He knew that type of intimate gesture would be out of bounds at the moment. “Guys, this is Cady.” Everyone said hello, and Mick reminded her, “You've already met Quinn.”
“Right, hi,” Cady acknowledged with a friendly smile.
“And this is Terrence and Walker,” Mick continued, “Walker's girlfriend, Jen. And this is Juliana,” he finished.
As always, Juliana was warm and animated. “Hi! Nice to meet you,” she said, offering a big smile to Cady.
Though Cady smiled back, Mick sensed some apprehension, but he couldn't define it. It wasn't obvious or anything, but when he'd introduced Juliana, Cady had gotten that troubled little crease in her forehead, which Mick had seen before.
“You look familiar...” Juliana remarked, tilting her head curiously at Cady. “I feel like I've seen you around. Where do you live?” she asked.
“I live in the Gatewood Building,” Cady answered. “Not far from the student center.”
“Oh, sure, that must be it!” Juliana said, nodding. “I live in the building across the street from you. I must have seen you around the neighborhood, I guess.”
Then Quinn spoke up. “So, how's it going, Cady—and where's your friend tonight?” He meant Torie, of course, but knowing Quinn, he had too much pride to admit he remembered her name (considering that Torie had ditched him that first night).
“Actually, I was supposed to meet her here, but I guess I missed her—oh, wait,” Cady said, reaching for her phone. “She's texting me now.”
As she read the screen, Mick asked, “Is she coming back?”
She shook her head. “No...apparently all our friends are at the Cactus Club now.”
“Cactus Club,” Mick repeated, observing, “that's way out from here.”
“Hmm, I know,” Cady mumbled in agreement, still looking down at her phone and contemplating. Surely she wouldn't want to trek out to Boylston Street now, Mick figured. But then, in that maddening way she had of breaking the flow, she declared, “You know what? I should go meet them.”
“What—?”
“They're waiting for me” was her cursory ex
planation.
Shit, she was leaving already? Just like that?
Mick tried to hide his disappointment as Cady pocketed her phone, tossed him a quick smile and said, “Great seeing you, Mick.” Then she gave a brief wave to his friends, chirping, “Nice meeting you!” before she was on her way.
As Mick watched her make her way hastily through the crowd and navigate toward the exit, his chest tightened with frustration. He didn't even realize he was scowling until he heard Terrence's voice.
“Croft? What's wrong?”
He cursed under his breath. “I'll be right back,” he added gruffly, before abandoning his friends to follow her.
After he exited Polar, Mick managed to catch up with Cady several feet down the sidewalk. “Cady!” he called to her, jogging a few feet to reach her just as she was approaching the corner of the street where people typically hailed taxis. “Hey,” he said, gently reaching for her elbow. As she turned to face him, he half-grinned at her. “Why are you always taking off so fast?”
“I—I'm not,” she claimed, her blue eyes wide and glimmering in the streetlight. Then, appearing uncertain, she bit her lip. In that second, she looked so pretty and tentative, Mick had to fight the urge to pull her closer—to wrap her up in his arms and feel her soften.
“C'mon,” he said softly, doubtfully, “you really have to meet your friends right now?”
“Well...I...”
“Why don't you stay here?” he tried to persuade her. “I'm sure they can handle one night without you.”
“I just didn't want to intrude on your plans,” she said.
“You're not,” he insisted, thinking: Plans? What the hell was she talking about? “Stay. You're not interrupting anything.” Christ, couldn't she see that running into her here was the highlight of Mick's whole boring night? And that she pretty much tortured him whenever she appeared before him and then bailed after five minutes? “What is it?” he pressed, feeling impatient with her but not wanting to show it.
Finally, she said, “Look, I kind of got the impression that maybe you and Juliana have something going. And if that was the case, I just didn't want to be a third wheel, that's all.”
Confused, he scrunched his brow and said, “Me and—where are you getting that?” Cady and Juliana had interacted for five seconds—with Mick standing beside Cady the whole time—so why would she think he was into Juliana?
“Well, she did call you the other day. When you were changing my tire,” she reminded him, scrambling to add, “Oh, not that it's my business or anything...”
Mick's voice was measured, as he stepped closer and said, “There's nothing going on between Juliana and me. All right? She's in my ethics class and we were assigned to do a paper together. So we got together tonight to get it done. Afterward, I mentioned I was meeting my friends at Polar and she wanted to come, too, that's all.”
Though Cady tried for a casual shrug, she blushed, dropping her eyes. “Hey, that's fine, whatever—you don't have to give me an explanation.”
Despite feeling exasperated with her, Mick withheld a sigh. Jesus, this girl drove him crazy! Should he be pissed or flattered? She was obviously jealous—which meant that she liked him. Why couldn't she just admit it?
No wonder she had scurried out of Polar so fast. She hadn't wanted to watch him with Juliana, whom she assumed Mick was seeing. A well of relief filled his chest, making him almost want to laugh. But he didn't. This was Cady, he reminded himself. Hard to gauge and inexplicable at times. He had to proceed with caution.
“I know I don't have to explain,” Mick said sincerely, “but I wanted you to know.”
“I'm sure she likes you,” Cady threw in.
Mick disagreed. “I haven't picked up on any vibe that she's into me.” Then he studied her for a moment, wanting to get their cards on the table. “But even if she did...”
“What?”
“Would that be a problem for you?” he asked flat-out.
“Of course not,” Cady lied. Yes, he knew that she was lying. Then she exhaled a sigh, rubbing her forehead, like this whole conversation was a struggle. “I really should go.”
Well, fuck. She wasn't the only one getting frustrated here, Mick thought, his pride rioting against whatever other impulses drove him to pursue this girl. This was such bullshit! He wasn't going to beg her to stay. If she wanted to pretend she wasn't jealous, fine. If she wanted to duck his company at every opportunity, he'd leave her alone then.
When Mick spoke again, his tone was clipped. “All right,” he said, stepping back, “go.” He threw a generic “Enjoy your night” over his shoulder, as he turned and walked away.
As he strode back toward Polar, something happened. Another damn impulse, probably pointless. A sense of resistance, maybe. It halted him just as he was reaching for the door handle. He stopped, blew out a breath. Was it even worth it?
When Mick turned back and saw Cady still standing on the street corner, shivering a little as her long, dark hair blew away from her shoulders—and instead of trying to hail a cab, she was watching him—he knew on a gut level that yes, she was worth it.
But no more games.
Mick retread his path down the sidewalk, toward her. She kept her eyes on him, waiting for him to reach her, and when he did, he said, “You want to know why I didn't go to Rex's party tonight?”
“Your paper—”
He cut her off. “Because of you. Because of this.” When Cady's mouth curved open, clearly surprised by his bold, honest response, Mick refused to back down. “I like you,” he admitted. “And I didn't want to go and sit there all night having to pretend that I don’t.” Mick's heart thumped hard as he waited for Cady's response. When she hesitated and her brow pinched, he knew she was thinking it over. Mick's voice was gruff as he pushed, “Are you going to tell me you don't feel anything for me?”
Shit, what if that was exactly what she said?
“No,” she answered softly.
That one little word thrilled him and sent hot blood racing through his veins. “Don't go,” he urged huskily.
She appeared unsure as she pushed her hair behind her ears and took a breath. “Obviously...there's a physical attraction,” she acknowledged. Finally. “But, other than that, we really don't know anything about each other.”
Feeling on edge now—on the cusp of getting what he wanted—Mick inched closer and said, “So what do you want to know?”
“Like...for instance...um... Well, I don't even know your major,” she finished, clearly improvising.
His major, seriously? “It's History,” Mick said.
“Oh. Really?”
“Yep. So what else?”
“Um...” Now her eyes scanned the street lamps and the passing cars, while Mick raised his brows, waiting. With a soft, deprecating laugh, Cady admitted, “Okay, I'm sure there's a lot of salient information I need to know, but I'm just blanking on it at the moment.”
His mouth quirked up and he reached for her hand. When he took it, she didn't hesitate—she held on—which erased all his frustration with her up to that point. “Cady, I have a solution to that. Why don't we find out about each other the way that a lot of people do—by hanging out?”
Even as her fingers threaded through his, she began protesting, “But our parents—”
“Forget our parents,” Mick said, then qualified, “I don't mean it like that. I just mean...hey, they can do their thing and we'll do our thing. There's no reason they have to know we're spending time together.”
Now Cady gazed up at him, her blue eyes practically hypnotizing him, and his cock stirred. “I thought you weren’t looking for a relationship anyway,” she said.
True—it would be stupid to start a big, heavy relationship when he was going abroad next year. That didn't mean he planned to live like a monk for the next seven months. And convenient or not, Cady Killoren was the girl he wanted. “We don't have to put a label on it,” he said.
After a pause, she asked, “So do you
always stand so close to people when you're trying to get to know them?”
There was almost a teasing glint in her eyes, which gave him more than a little hope. “No,” Mick murmured, “only you.”
“Oh.”
His voice was low as he offered, “I'll move away if you want.”
“Don't.”
Anticipation pulsed through him. There had been a spark between them ever since that first night. Now the tension felt palpable. His eyes drifted to her mouth. Delicately, she wet her lips, as though anticipating a kiss, getting ready for it, which sent a pounding signal straight to Mick's cock.
When her phone suddenly shattered the charged quiet between them, Mick cursed and Cady rolled her eyes with shared frustration.
“That's my mom,” she grumbled, obviously recognizing the ring tone. Then she squinted and muttered, “Why is she calling me now? I hope nothing's wrong. Hello—Mom?” With a sigh, she looked up at Mick. “It was just static. That was weird.” When the phone immediately rang again, Cady said, “I have to get this. Mom? Ugh, the call dropped again! Okay, I'm kind of getting worried...”
Just then, with damn annoying timing, a taxi slid up alongside the curb. Both Cady and Mick looked at the cab, then each other.
“There's your ride if you're going to leave,” Mick said, hoping Cady would wave the guy off, or at least invite Mick to come along with her.
Her phone rang again. This time the call was lost before Cady could answer it. Clutching her cell to her chest, she began moving toward the idling cab, appearing concerned. “Listen, I really do have to go,” she explained, sounding genuinely regretful. “I need to find out why my mom is calling me and make sure everything is okay.”
“I understand,” Mick agreed, reluctantly letting go of her hand. As she climbed inside the taxi, she gave the driver her address; Mick had to conclude that the Cactus Club was out now, which was kind of a relief. He hated the thought of other guys hitting on her. When Mick closed her door, Cady promptly rolled down the window, as though she wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. “Listen, just think about what I said,” he told her. “And give me a call.” The passive approach was unlike Mick when it came to girls, but at this point, he wanted Cady to give him the green light—to let him know that he could pursue her and not be annoying the shit out of her.