by Linda Kage
Mia nodded. "Okay, I can understand that. If I heard bad news from someone who wasn’t directly involved, then I could still doubt its legitimacy because it didn’t come straight from the source. It’s a defense mechanism. She’s guarding herself, and I can’t fault her for that either. I’d probably do the same thing."
She would, would she? Drew tipped his head and eyed her curiously. "You wouldn’t ask your husband about it if you thought he was two-timing?"
"No," she answered. "I don’t believe I would, now that I’ve thought it through."
"Hmm," he murmured. "That’s strange. I’d confront my wife. I don’t think I could marry someone unless I could talk about anything with her."
"Even if it’s something you knew would hurt her?" she asked. At his sharp look, she lifted her hands in surrender. "Sorry. I was just playing devil’s advocate."
"No," he told her. "You’re fine. That was actually a good question because I don’t know what I’d do now that you put it that way."
No way could he hurt the woman he loved by telling her she looked fat in a certain outfit, so why would he needlessly hurt her with adultery questions … except, thinking your spouse was cheating was a far cry from telling her she looked chubby.
"I don’t know what I’d do," he said, shaking his head. "All I know is that Mandy asked me to help her. And that’s what I’m going to do."
"So, you still plan on using me to get information."
He frowned. "Of course not. I already told you I wouldn’t. I just … I’ll find some other way."
"Are you going to ask your brother-in-law about it then?"
He paused. "I don’t know." Probably not. If Mandy refused to confront him, then she had a reason for it and he’d negate her reasons if he talked to Jeff.
"But I swear I won’t go through you."
She pulled her bottom lip through her teeth and swayed forward. "I like that answer."
He shifted toward her. "Do you? How much?"
Lashes fluttered closed, she murmured, "This much," and leaned into him with her mouth pursed. From that point on, he was lost.
•
When his lips touched hers, she whimpered and reached out to wrap her hand around the back of his neck. The ends of his hair curled over her fingers, silky soft and warm.
She sighed, unsure. He tasted like pizza, parmesan cheese and red pepper. And, yum, the flavor wasn’t so bad after all.
Gently, he touched the side of her neck. His fingers barely skimmed over her erratic pulse. Then they drifted down to the very top of her chest, where they followed her shoulder blade to the top of her arm. Pausing his caress at her elbow, he stepped closer.
"You’re so soft," he murmured against her mouth, pulling away long enough to watch his hand slide from her elbow to her wrist and then tangle his fingers through hers. It caused a shiver to race up the back of her neck.
His eyes shot to hers; the heat in their blue depths made her breathless and lightheaded. He dipped his head again. She kept her eyes open long enough to watch his face grow closer and his lashes sweep over his cheeks. Then he kissed her.
Closing the last three inches separating them, Mia leaned against him. She felt it all the way to the tips of her toes; it exploded out every nerve ending on the way down.
This was the first thrill she’d experienced in three years. And even then, it was stronger than any kiss she’d had before. The jolt terrified her.
She broke away. Covering her trembling lips, she stared at him with a wide gaze. His gaze was heavy-lidded. His chest moved in and out, and he blinked a few times before he seemed to return to his senses.
Then he reached out, touched her elbow lightly and asked, "Are you okay?"
She nodded, keeping her hands firmly over her mouth. He dropped his hand.
"You look scared."
She was scared. "I’m fine," she said, the words were muffled behind her palm. Lowering her hands to her chin, she repeated, "I’m fine. I’m sorry I—"
"Don’t apologize. It’s okay. I shouldn’t have rushed you."
"You didn’t—"
Reaching to touch her check, he cut her off mid-word. "Can I call you sometime?"
Mia blinked, totally confounded by this man. Here, he’d practically been eating her alive and she’d loved every minute of it. Then he backpedaled. How did he know she needed to go so slow?
She nodded, unable to deny him anything.
He grinned. "Good." Then he leaned forward and pecked a quick kiss to her forehead. "And you’re wrong," he murmured in her ear. "This can go somewhere."
•
Walking on air, Drew unlocked his back door and entered the dark kitchen, flipping a light on as he went. He couldn’t seem to stop grinning. Floating to his fridge, he pulled it open and dug out a bottle of water. Twisting off the cap, he chugged the entire thing, gulping until it was empty.
Beaming as he threw his bottle in the plastic recycling can Amanda had set up for him, he wiped his mouth with his hand and swore he could still taste Mia.
This could go somewhere. Oh, yes, it could. And it would.
He’d barely plopped down in a kitchen chair when his business line rang in the other sitting room. Immediately, he wondered if it was Mia. She’d found his house from the business card he’d given her. That was no doubt the only number of his she had. And he’d asked if he could call her. Maybe she was taking the initiative and calling him.
As he hurried into the other room, he told himself not to expect her. It was just a customer calling. It wasn’t Mia.
But as he answered, he tensed in expectation.
"Harper Studio."
"Where have you been?" his sister snapped, sounding annoyed.
His shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"Your cell phone’s turned off; I’ve been trying to reach you for the past two hours."
"I was out," he answered evasively, well aware she’d freak if he told her he’d been with Mia and not gleaning any information about her roommate.
"Well, I finally talked to him."
He froze. She’d talked to Jeff? Already?
It was too soon. Though he’d been wishing she’d hurry and confront him already, after the evening he’d spent with Mia, he wasn’t so anxious anymore. He had a bad feeling there’d be a line drawn and he and Mia would end up on opposite sides. He wasn’t ready yet.
"About time," he said. "What’d he say?"
"He got really upset about the whole idea that his own wife didn’t trust him. We had a huge fight. And he told me his boss had asked him to take a business trip to Denver next weekend. He’d declined before, but now he thinks he wants to go … I think he meant it to punish me because I asked him if he was having an affair. But he’s going to be gone for the girls’ end of the year music program, Drew. They’ve been excited about this for weeks. And he won’t be there."
Drew had forgotten all about that program. He’d already promised Natalie and Lucy he’d go to it. Bluck.
"What’d he say about the flower delivery?"
His sister paused before answering and he had a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to like her answer.
"He said the flower shop must’ve delivered them to the wrong address."
Closing his eyes, he cursed under his breath. "Mandy, that’s not a very good excuse."
"Gee, you think?"
"Who’d he say he was trying to send them to?"
She groaned. "He said they were for his mom. I don’t believe that though. Why would a man send his mother red roses?"
Drew didn’t buy the excuse either. He ran his fingers through his hair, hating this. Jeff was cheating on Amanda. It was starting to feel more and more real. Fingers tingling, he switched hands on the phone and flexed his arm, wishing he could do something to stop the hopelessness surging through him.
"Have you found anything out from the roommate?" Amanda asked.
Drew ground his teeth. "I … No, not yet."
He couldn’t tell her
there was no way he’d use Mia like that. She wouldn’t betray her best friend for some guy she hardly knew, anyway. It had been wrong to ask that of her.
"But I’ll find out something on my end," he said. "I promise."
There had to be some other way to investigate.
•
He’d better get the brother of the year award for this, Drew thought bitterly as he pushed into Styles R Us Hair Salon a week later. Two women glanced up from the magazines they were thumbing through as they sat with crossed legs in the waiting area. Behind them, in the tiled section, one hairdresser had her customer’s head tipped back over a sink as she rinsed soapy red locks and another hairdresser clipped away a little girl’s bangs. He didn’t see Mia’s roommate anywhere.
The female-dominated place didn’t ease his nerves, and he wondered how Jeff could stand getting his hair cut here.
Since he didn’t spot Piper right away, he decided not to stick around and was already reaching for the door handle when he heard her voice.
"Drew?"
Reluctantly, he paused and turned. Coming through a doorway covered with a pink curtain, Piper grinned and approached. "I thought that was you. How are you?"
His gut burned as he studied her. He could almost picture her wrapped around Jeff.
"What a surprise," she said. "Have you come to get a haircut?"
There was no telling what Mia had already told her roommate about him. By the way she smiled, though, he had to think not too much. She probably didn’t know he was Jeff’s brother-in-law … It was either that or she didn’t even know who Jeff was, though he had a bad feeling she did.
"Uh … " Not sure which question to answer first, he settled for what he hoped looked like a friendly smile.
"If you need a trim," she said, "I’ve got an opening. Come on back."
He paused, not wanting a haircut. He liked to keep his locks long enough to curl. When he was little, his mother hated his curls, saying they made him look like a girl. She’d kept his head practically shaved. After she walked out, he made a point to grow the curls as long as he could stand. It was probably a stupid rebellion since his mother didn’t even know he did it, but he couldn’t seem to stop.
"No thanks," he told Mia’s roommate. "I, uh … Actually, I, came in here to talk to you about Mia."
She cocked her head and sent him a questioning look. "You already knew I worked here?"
He opened his mouth and floundered a second. Then he gave a shrug. "She mentioned it."
When she smiled, his tense muscles loosened. He hoped she’d think he meant Mia when he said "she." No way was he telling her Amanda had mentioned it first.
"Well, I’d love to talk to you about Mia," she said before pausing. "Sure you don’t want a trim while we’re at it? Like I said, it’s pretty dead around this place right now. And I’ll do it for a discount since you’re Mia’s friend."
His hand went protectively to his hair. "I’m okay."
She just smiled as she studied his mane. "I have a really good idea of something to do with it," she coaxed.
His eyes widened as he pictured Mohawks and dreadlocks.
She chuckled, reading his expression. "Come on back." She waved him to follow. "I promise you’ll like it. I’m not going to shave you bald."
He swallowed. "How much are you going to take off?"
"I’m just going to reshape. I think you should look less like David Hasselhoff and more like Tate Donovan."
She rolled her eyes. Lifting her hand like she was taking an oath on a bible, she swore, "It’ll look great. I promise."
He started to follow until he realized what he was doing. Mandy would slaughter him if she knew he was letting Jeff’s supposed mistress anywhere near his hair. She used to comb it back when he’d been too young to care about doing that himself. Letting Piper touch it felt like he was cheating on his sister too.
"Drew-eww?" she sung his name in a coaxing taunt. "Do you want to talk about Mia or not?"
He clenched his teeth. "Oh, all right." This was for Mandy, he told himself as he slowly came forward. Mandy. And okay, he wanted to get some advice on Mia too. He’d love to know what had happened to make her so skittish.
Piper beamed, triumphant. "Now we’re talking."
Chapter Ten
"So, Mia huh?"
Drew cracked open one eye. A droplet of rinse water dribbled down the back of his neck and inside the plastic cape Piper had bibbed around him. When a second followed, he squirmed.
"First things first," Piper said, she pressed down on the silver lever by his feet and his seat sank. "How serious about her are you?"
He blinked. "Well … I’ve only met her a few times." But they’d been very significant encounters, each leaving him a little more lost in his fixation.
"But you’re interested enough to come talk to me about her," Piper urged as she snipped off his first chuck of hair in the back.
Frowning as he tried to watch her in the mirror, he answered, "Right."
He tensed when she clipped away another chunk, thinking this was a very bad idea. He didn’t want to lose his curls. They’d grown on him in the past twenty-some years.
"What exactly were you planning on learning from me?" Piper asked, going to town now back there.
Since he couldn’t ask if she was dating his brother-in-law while she had scissors in her hand, he said, "Do you know why she’s—" Caught on what would be the best word to use, he paused, unable to think one up.
"Why she’s what?" Piper demanded, sounding extremely defensive.
He sighed. "I don’t know how to explain it. She’s perfect in every way. But it’s like … like …" Might as well say it straight, he decided as he finished, "It’s like she doesn’t want to be happy sometimes. We’ll get to talking and she’ll be smiling and even laughing. Then, bam. She realizes she’s having too much fun and purposely tones it down."
He hated it. She really was perfect in every way. Beautiful, sweet, intuitive. And they connected. There were definite sparks. But she was purposely holding herself back. He just wanted to grab her shoulders and shake that stubbornness out of her. They could have something so amazing if she’d just allow it to happen.
"You’re right," Piper answered morosely. "She doesn’t want to smile. Being happy hurts her."
Drew twisted his head up to see Piper’s face, but she caught his skull, moved his head back to where she wanted him, and cut off another chunk. He stayed immobile.
"Why doesn’t she want to be happy?" he asked, growing impatient with this whole hair-cutting nonsense.
"Something happened to her."
"What?" he butted in.
"Something happened to her," she repeated a bit louder this time. "About three years ago and it still affects her. She suffers from survivor’s guilt."
He sucked in a breath. "Survivor’s guilt? You mean someone close to her died?" When she didn’t answer soon enough, he impatiently asked, "Who?"
"Someone extremely close to her," Piper said.
His mind spun. A boyfriend. It was the only explanation he could come up with. She’d been in love with some other guy, and now he was dead. She probably still mourned him. Jealously roared through Drew, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d thought about the other guy when she’d kissed him.
He shuddered, hating that idea. But it certainly explained why she froze up when he got too close. It was no wonder she needed to go slow. He did speculate though, how her boyfriend had died. It must’ve been traumatic, maybe even partly her fault. Maybe she’d been driving the car when he’d been killed in an automobile accident.
Ideas raced through him and he stared blindly ahead, wishing Piper would just tell him the rest of it, yet fearing it too. He didn’t particularly want to hear about some other guy if Mia had been so into him.
No way was he going to ask though. He had this unreasonable fear she’d cut his throat with one of those old-time shaving knives if he pressed too much or said the wrong thing.
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Yeah, okay, he’d seen too many mobster movies.
"I’m done," she said, unsnapping the cape from around his neck and carefully pulling it off him so it’d catch most of his cut hair.
Spinning his chair around, she had him face the wall of mirrors. "What do you think?"
He gaped at his reflection, amazed. She’d been right. It wasn’t exactly short, though it wasn’t as long as it had been. It looked totally different. Restructured. Unable to help himself, he reached up to touch it, making sure it was really his hair.
"Not too bad," he murmured.
"Yeah, I’m pretty handy with scissors," she said. "Don’t hurt my roommate and I won’t show you what else I can do with them."
Freezing, he met her eyes in the mirror. Then he lifted his face. "Excuse me?"
There was no way he’d heard that right.
Her brown gaze was dead serious. "Mia’s my best friend in the entire world. And she’s been through a living nightmare. If you don’t go slow enough or if you push her into something she’s not ready for, you’ll regret it. I’ll make sure you regret it."
Swallowing, he gave a brief nod. "Message received." It was nice Mia had such a faithful friend. But anger spiked through him at her self-righteous attitude, like she was the upstanding, good guy here.
He wasn’t the one involved with a married man. He wasn’t the one hurting a mother of three and making her paranoid and bitter. He wasn’t the one breaking apart a family.
Suddenly remembering he was here for Mandy, not Mia, he studied Piper’s face, trying to think up something to say to dig into her head and find out her deepest secrets.
"I won’t hurt her," he murmured.
"Good." Smiling regally, Piper patted his shoulder. "Now that that’s taken care of, you owe me twenty bucks."
For a second he could only gawk at her. Twenty bucks? That was a discount? He usually got it done for twelve at the barber shop across town.
But he didn’t argue. He wanted to get away from this woman, because every second in her presence only made him feel nastier.
