“We’d better get that,” she whispers.
I give her a chaste kiss on the lips.
“Go get some clothes on, it’s probably the police.”
“Mmm hmm,” she murmurs.
I kiss her again.
“Clothes.”
“Okay.” She nods but doesn’t make any move to go.
I kiss her once more and flex my self-control as I step away from her. We’ll never answer the door at this rate.
“I’ll get dressed,” she says, as she steps backwards up the steps, her eyes still on mine.
God, she looks so beautiful like this.
“I’ll get the door,” I say, unmoving.
She lets out a nervous giggle and turns, rushing up the stairs.
“God damn,” I mutter to myself as I head for the front door. “That was unexpected.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Mia
I can still feel the burn in my cheeks as I shut the door behind the detective who has just spent the better part of an hour asking us a whole bunch of questions.
I felt like I had a big neon sign flashing over my head saying, ‘I’m guilty – arrest me – I just kissed my late husband’s best friend’.
Luke’s still here – of course – he’d never leave me to deal with anything like this alone. He’s such a good man.
And I kissed him.
I don’t know what on earth went through my head, but it just felt right.
It’s been so long since I’ve had a man pressed up against me like that, and it wasn’t just some man either, it was a familiar one, one that feels like home, and I kissed him.
After everything he’s done for Joe and me, I came onto him like some kind of desperate slag.
I don’t know what to do now. Half of me wants to go upstairs and hide under my covers, and the other half wants to go into the living room and kiss him again.
I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline from tonight’s events, or if it’s something more, but I’ve never felt this way about Luke before now.
Sure, I’ve noticed how good looking he is – I’m widowed, not blind – but I’ve never thought about a man other than Troy in this way until now, and it’s scaring me.
I cover my face with my hands.
Troy.
I’ve just betrayed Troy... with his closest friend of all people. I don’t really want to think about what kind of person that makes me.
“Mia?” I hear Luke’s raspy voice say my name.
I peek from between my fingers.
“Don’t beat yourself up.”
He’s leaning his hip against the door frame of the living room, watching me carefully.
He’s reading my mind, again. Knowing exactly how I’m feeling seems to be a talent of his.
“But what about Troy?” I whisper. “What have we done?”
The words hang in the air between us as my hands drop to my side.
“I don’t know.” He shrugs, but I can see the conflict in his eyes.
I’d be willing to bet it mirrors my own.
“I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“It’s a bit late for shouldn’ts,” he says with a sigh.
“Can we just pretend it never happened?” I ask him hopefully.
He watches me so carefully I can feel it all the way deep in my bones.
I feel him all over – the way his lips touched mine… there’s no way I’m going to forget that kiss anytime soon – I’m not even fooling myself with my ridiculous request.
“If that’s what you want, Mia, then it’s forgotten.”
He’s such a good man. I could ask him for anything in the world and he’d make it happen. He’d go to the ends of the earth to take care of me and Joe.
I nod yes, even though everything inside of me tells me I should say no, that it’s not what I really want, but I don’t. “Thank you,” I say instead.
“Anything for you, Mia.”
He’s looking at me with those intense eyes again and it’s too much. He’s too much. The way my name sounds coming from his lips makes me shiver.
“I better get back to bed, Joe will be up in a few hours…”
I walk towards the stairs, but he makes no move to leave. He will soon though, he’ll leave, and I’ll be here, alone and vulnerable again.
“Luke?” I turn back so I can look at him. I shouldn’t ask him for anything more, but I will anyway, I need him too much. “Would you stay the rest of the night? I don’t want to be alone.”
He smiles and shakes his head at me. “Did you really think I was going to leave you here by yourself?”
I shrug as relief floods through me.
“I’ll be on the couch, Mia. I’ll see you when you wake up, okay? You can relax, I’ll keep you and Joe safe.”
I know he will. He always has.
I take a couple of steps up the staircase before stopping again.
“Hey, Luke?” I call down to him.
He’s still standing in the same spot, watching me like a hawk.
He raises his brows.
“I never said thank you – for coming to our rescue.”
“It was nothing, Mia.”
I wouldn’t call running around in the dark and scaring off thieves or predators, nothing, but I can see he’s not going to change his mind.
“Well thank you anyway. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I tell him.
I turn back and start up the stairs again.
“I hope you never have to find out,” I hear him whisper.
I rush up the final step and into the safety of my bedroom.
I take a big, deep breath and try to figure out what the hell just happened.
CHAPTER SIX
Luke
I stretch my back out and lift my arms up over my head.
That couch in Mia’s living room isn’t made for a man my size, no matter how much I try to convince her that it’s fine.
I could sleep in the spare room, like Mia keeps suggesting, but I know she’s still nervous, so downstairs is where she needs me to be – even if she won’t admit it.
“Bad back, old man?” Caleb jokes.
I flip him the middle finger and he grins. He looks so much like Troy when he smiles like that.
They’ve got the same jet black hair and bright green eyes too.
Caleb’s smaller than Troy was, but they still look more similar than what is easy to look at. I don’t know how Caleb could even look in the mirror without seeing his brother staring back at him.
“I’ve been sleeping on Mia’s couch all week,” I grumble.
He frowns. “She still spooked?”
I nod. The woman is as nervous as a bag of cats at a greyhound meet.
“That sucks… I bet Joe is loving it though.”
“You’d think it was Christmas every morning.” I chuckle.
“How is my nephew? I haven’t seen him in a week or so.”
“He’s good. You should call in, just maybe do it sooner rather than later, your folks are due in town tomorrow morning.”
I brace myself for the string of curses that are bound to fly out of his mouth, and sure enough, he doesn’t disappoint.
“Where’d you learn all those words?” I chuckle deeply.
He ignores me. “What the fuck are they coming to town for?”
“To make Mia’s life hell, what do you think?” I shrug.
“Sounds about right,” he sneers.
Caleb hasn’t spoken to his parents for about a year now.
One day he just snapped. Didn’t need that kind of negativity in his life he said.
I couldn’t blame the kid.
It might sound harsh to just cut off your parents, especially after their son – your brother – died, but Robert and Everly aren’t acting like parents anymore. They’re acting like spoiled, hurtful, little children, and Caleb doesn’t deserve that.
“They’re disguising it as a visit to see Joe, of course,” I huff as I dig.
&n
bsp; Caleb drives his shovel into the hard ground with a little more force than necessary.
“She needs to cut them off. Her and Joe don’t need to put up with their shit.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, man,” I tell him. “I’ve been on her to tell them to get a hotel for a year. She’s too scared.”
“Maybe I’ll go over there this weekend.”
I chuckle. “Oh no you don’t, that’s not going to help Mia or Joe.”
“Well we can’t just let them treat her like crap like every other time.”
I drive my shovel into the ground and leave it sitting there. I wipe the sweat off my brow with the back of my arm. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
“Yeah?” he asks as he stops his digging too.
I nod. “I know Mia doesn’t want a fuss, but I’m not picking up the pieces again, I can’t watch Mia break down like that anymore. If they’re there, then so am I.”
“You’re a good guy, Luke. My brother was lucky to have you on his side. Mia and Joe don’t know how good they’ve got it.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and don’t reply.
I bet he wouldn’t be saying that if he knew what had happened on Tuesday night between his sister-in-law and myself.
The way she pressed her lips to mine… the way she tasted on my tongue…
I need to stop thinking about it – Mia seems to want to move on, and I need to as well.
I’ve stayed there every night since and she’s not touched me once – actually forget touched, she’s not even come within an arm’s length of me.
She’s avoided eye contact too, and if she thinks she’s doing a good job of forgetting that anything happened between us, then she better think again.
Anyone who knows us even a little bit would know that something was up the minute they set foot in the room.
In fact, if my sister Emily were to call in, we’d be totally and utterly screwed.
She’d open Pandora’s box within seconds.
I make a mental note to tell her that the Vanders will be visiting this weekend – that ought to buy us some time to get back to normal.
I let my mind wander back to the moment when Mia looked at me with want in her eyes.
I don’t want to go back to normal, but I know I have to.
I shouldn’t even be thinking about Mia at all, let alone thinking about wanting more of her.
Troy would be turning in his grave.
I glance back at Caleb, who’s getting stuck into digging again, and try to focus on the job we’ve got to get done, rather than every which way I’d like to kiss Mia.
***
“Wuke sleep dere?” Joe points to the couch.
He’s all washed up and in his pyjamas, ready for bed.
“Yeah, buddy, I’ll sleep here again, I’ll be here to see you in the morning.”
He claps his hands together and giggles gleefully.
“Say goodnight to Luke, baby, I’ll take you up for a story.”
He comes over to me, his arms wide and wraps them around my neck.
“Nigh nigh, Wuke,” he says as he squeezes me.
“Night, little guy,” I reply as I hug him back.
He lets go of me and runs over to take Mia’s out-stretched hand.
“Wuv you, Wuke,” he calls back over his shoulder.
My head snaps up and I meet Mia’s surprised eyes. He’s never told me he loves me before.
My heart swells in my chest. I love that little boy like he’s my very own. He might be a little mini version of his father, but he’s my boy in a lot of ways. I’m the main male figure in his life.
Mia and I are still staring at each other in disbelief.
Joe stops short of the bottom of the stairs. “Wuv you, Wuke,” he says again. He stares at me like he’s waiting for a response.
I clear my throat, which is thick with emotion.
“I ah… I love you too, bud,” I choke out.
He grins at me and waves before pulling Mia off up the stairs.
I might be head over heels in love with his mumma, but that kid has just well and truly stolen my heart.
***
“You wanna watch a movie with me, Mia?”
I can hear her mucking around out in the kitchen. I know she’s stalling for time. Everything is tidy in there, has been for ages, she’s just scared to be alone with me.
“Ummm, what are you thinking of watching?” she calls back.
She appears in the doorway, her face a nervous mask.
I shrug. “Whatever you want.”
“I was thinking I might just go get an early night…”
I glance at my watch. “It’s seven-thirty, Mia. It’s too early for an early night.”
She shoots me a sheepish grimace.
“Sit down with me, sweetheart, I promise I won’t bite.” I pat the spot on the couch next to me.
“Biting is not what I’m afraid of,” she mutters under her breath.
I hold back a smile and pretend I didn’t hear her.
“What do you want to watch?” I ask as I flick through the channels.
She sits down on the couch, as far away from me as she possibly can, tucking her legs underneath her as she does.
“There’s some romantic chick flick on?” I offer.
“No,” she answers quickly. “No romance.”
No romance. Alright then. Hint taken.
“What about a comedy?”
“Are there any thrillers on?”
I bite back a laugh. I see what she’s doing here. She doesn’t want to get too comfortable with me. She’s trying her best to keep her guard up.
“I think this one is?”
I point with the remote at the screen and glance at her.
She nods eagerly.
I do my best not to grin. “Alright then.”
I sit my feet up on the coffee table and throw my arms over the back of the couch.
I can see Mia’s plan here, I really can, but I already know it’s going to fail. She’s a total chicken shit. If she stays over there all alone until the end of this movie, I’ll eat my hat.
It only takes half an hour for me to realise I’m one hundred percent on target with my assumption.
Mia is halfway across the couch already, clutching a pillow like it would be able to protect her in some way.
I haven’t got much of a clue about what’s going on with the storyline, but I don’t care.
Listening to her little gasps and watching her reactions is far more interesting to me than any movie.
“Oh no, don’t go in there,” she hisses at the screen.
I chuckle quietly.
She shuffles closer to me again.
“Oh no, no, no…” she half hides behind her pillow shield. “You stupid girl…”
I laugh louder. “Come here, Mia.”
I lift my arm, indicating that she should come and sit against my side.
She doesn’t hesitate; in fact she almost throws herself over at me.
She snuggles into my side and I let my arm drape over her back protectively.
I like the fact that she finds safety with me – even if it is just from a scary movie.
She buries her face into my chest and waits.
“She went in there,” I drawl as I look back at the screen.
“Of course she did. They always do,” she squeaks as she peeks back out at the TV.
She jumps as the killer attacks the woman in question.
“Why’d you make me watch this?” she groans. “I’ll have nightmares for a week.”
“Hey, don’t blame me, I wanted to watch the chick flick, remember?” I chuckle.
She looks away from the screen and up at me.
I don’t think she even knows she’s done it, but her arms are wrapped around my middle tightly like she’s holding on for dear life.
She rests her chin on my chest and just sits there, looking like a beautiful, sweet angel.
“You’re
making a bit of a habit of coming to my rescue.” She pouts.
I chuckle and reach for her hair, so I can play with the blonde strands.
“You make it too easy, Mia.”
“I think I’ve made myself entirely too easy,” she mumbles as she drops her gaze.
I grip her chin between my fingers and force her to look at me. “Don’t you dare talk about yourself like that,” I demand in a tone that leaves no room for bullshit. “You might regret what happened between us the other night, and that’s fine, but don’t you think about yourself like that ever again.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, but I don’t care. I might rarely speak to Mia in anything other than a soothing tone, but I won’t stand for her putting herself down.
Certainly not because of something that I’m to blame for.
“You got it?” I press.
“Okay,” she replies quietly.
We stare at each other for a long, long moment. I don’t know about her, but I’m thinking things I know I shouldn’t… I can’t seem to stop.
She’s just so breathtaking.
She has no idea of the power she holds over me.
She thinks I’m here out of obligation, and in the beginning, I was. But now I’m here because there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
“I can’t stop thinking about it,” she whispers.
I know she can’t. I watched her mind ticking over all week.
She’s still beating herself up about betraying Troy.
“He was like a brother to me, Mia, I don’t want to betray his memory any more than you do.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” She blushes a soft pink.
I twist her hair around my finger as I watch her.
“Then what?”
Her eyes widen slightly. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“I think you’re going to have to spell it out for me, Mia.”
“I can’t get how much I liked kissing you out of my head,” she admits.
I’m surprised, shocked even. I really thought she regretted it.
I can’t stop thinking about how much I liked it either and I need to tell her that. This is it. This is my moment and I have to make it count.
“Neither can I, Mia, I can’t think of anything else.”
Mr. March: A Friends to Lovers Romance (Calendar Boys Book 3) Page 3
