Drawn Deep (Afternoon Delight Book 2)

by Taryn Quinn

  “Michael?” Sara asked, touching his arm.

  “Yes, sorry. Did you say something?”

  “I asked if you would like a drink. Brad’s making cocktails.”

  Michael considered for half a minute then decided what the hell. When in Fairdale… “Sure. I don’t drink enough to know what to ask for but tell him to make me one of whatever he’s having.”

  “Oh, he doesn’t drink cocktails either. He’s having a beer. The cocktails are for Kim.”

  “I’ll have a beer too.” He leaned toward Sara and murmured close to her ear as they walked into the living room. “Will the cocktails sweeten her up?”

  Even as he asked the question, he felt a little guilty, but it was fun to share the private joke with Sara. He didn’t begrudge Kim being annoyed with him. After his lies, he deserved that. But he also thought he deserved for her to listen to him long enough to have a real conversation about what had happened. He’d wanted to apologize further, to ask her if it was possible for them to try to just…be together for a little while before they went their separate ways. Not necessarily as a couple if that freaked her out too much. Just friends who were a bit closer than that. He liked her and he wasn’t ready for her to leave his life yet.

  Sara laughed and linked her arm with his. “The way Brad makes them, they’d sweeten up Hannibal Lecter.”

  “Huh, maybe I should’ve tried one then.”

  Sara squeezed his arm and led him toward the dining room. “We’ll leave the option open for the end of the meal if you feel like you need one.”

  “Appreciate that.”

  “Took you long enough,” Kim said as she walked around the table, setting cloth napkins and crystal glasses at the four place settings. “I thought you’d gotten lost.”

  “I’ll be right back with the drinks,” Sara said before releasing him. She lifted the wine he’d brought. “I’ll open this up too.”

  “Fabulous.” Michael lifted a brow as Kim slammed down the glass at his chair with more force than was necessary.

  Kim didn’t hide her emotions behind a polite façade. After so many years of pretending he didn’t need more human contact than the little Roch provided, he had to admire Kim’s honesty. If she didn’t like something, she wouldn’t suffer silently. Wouldn’t walk away and lie about not needing more.

  A strand of hair tumbled over her red glossed lips and he swallowed hard as he came up behind her. It would be so easy to lean forward and slide that chunk of silk away. To caress her full lower lip with his pinky, maybe get a little of that red paint on his skin. If he brushed against her, he’d carry her tropical scent with him when he took his seat. She’d be all over him like she was already in his head.

  “Can I help?” he asked, fighting the instinct to lay his hand on the bare flesh at the base of her spine. Not touching her whenever possible seemed like a crime against nature.

  “You’re a guest. Guests don’t help. Sit.” Her clipped tone didn’t match the flush of color blossoming in her cheeks. Was he making her nervous along with pissed?

  “I’m not a guest.”

  “Says who? Just because we fucked doesn’t mean you have to serve me.”

  A throat cleared in the doorway. “Well then, that explains a lot.” Sara shook her head and juggled drinks on her way to the table. “Thanks for telling your best friend absolutely nada. Makes a girl feel real good.”

  Kim huffed out a breath and propped her hands on her hips. “Like you’ve told me anything going on with you lately, Sar? Pot, go jump in the kettle.”

  “Here, let me help.” Michael rushed forward to grab his beer and something fruity that must have been Kim’s cocktail. He pushed it in Kim’s direction with a narrow-eyed look. “Here. Suck on that cherry. Keep your mouth busy for a change.”

  She sputtered while Sara laughed into her fist. “I like you, Michael Montgomery.”

  “Glad someone under this roof does.”

  “Oh, I do too.” Brad strolled in, beer in one hand, spatula in the other. “Good to see you, man. Dinner will be ready in fifteen if you want to take a look at the Kiminator’s car now. Up to you.” He slung an arm around Sara’s neck and kissed her head. “I’m borrowing my gorgeous girl for a pre-dinner qu—”

  “Talk,” Sara interrupted, thumping Brad’s chest. “Easy, tiger.”

  Brad laughed. “Can’t blame a guy for trying, right?”

  “Nope, absolutely not.” Michael glanced at Kim, who’d returned to fussing with her napkins while avoiding looking at anyone in the room. If he were to try anything with her, she’d probably bite.

  Why did he find that so damn appealing?

  He popped the top on his beer as Brad and Sara disappeared into the kitchen. After taking an experimental sip, he pursed his lips. “Hmm. Not bad.”

  “Let me guess. You’ve never had beer before either.” Kim came around the table. “No wine, no beer, no sex. What else haven’t you had?”

  He stared at her for a long moment. “You.”

  She gripped her cocktail in tense fingers and shook her head. “No. Don’t start with me. Not tonight.”

  “What’s the big deal about tonight?”

  She shook off the question. “Having me twice is as good as it gets.”

  “Having your body isn’t the same as having you.”

  “Please,” she said softly. “I can’t do this tonight. Brad’s and Sara’s hormones are already buzzing. They’re going to tell me their big news and they invited you over so I’m forced to process how my life’s going to change in front of an audience. Add that in to this morning and…”

  “And you need a friend, not a lover. I get that. I can be that.” He tipped back his beer. “This is pretty good.”

  The corner of her mouth rose. “So are you going to turn into an alcoholic now along with a sex addict?”

  “Reserving judgment there.” He made a come hither motion with his fingers. “Let’s go look at your car. Bring the drink.”

  She flashed him an actual smile. “I like when you think ahead.”

  “That’s my stock and trade, Kiminator. Nice nickname, by the way.”

  “Beware of my moving parts.” From the sour way she replied, she didn’t appreciate the nickname. A sore spot between her and Brad, maybe.

  Moment of sensitivity for her feelings aside, he couldn’t help watching her cross the room, ass swaying in clingy white. “Duly noted.”

  Two hours later, the decision had been made to change Kim’s battery in the morning and their delicious steak dinner had been consumed, followed by some kind of fluffy trifle thing Kim had said was her contribution. They retired to the living room with glasses of brandy—water for Sara, which was Michael’s fiftieth clue of the night as to what Sara and Brad’s big news was.

  Judging from Kim’s fixation on Sara’s hand, she’d guessed as well.

  “All right, all right. Out with it. Tell me your news or I’m going to go kamikaze on my brother.”

  Sara laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear, shifting on the arm of Brad’s chair. “Okay, okay. I’ll do the honors?” She glanced at Brad, who nodded and patted her leg. She took a deep breath and faced the room. “I got offered a position as the head zoologist at the Stillwater Sanctuary in Laramie. It’s the most amazing job in the world. They’re offering me money to relocate and a big stipend to head the—”

  “Wait. Hold up. What about the baby?” Kim demanded.

  Brad frowned. “What baby?”

  “There is no baby.” Sara frowned. “I mean, we’ve been sort of unofficially trying, but not in any focused way. At this point, it might not happen and we’re both fine with that. Right?” she said to Brad, who nodded.

  “But you’re drinking water. You’re glowing. I was set on being an aunt.” Kim sighed and shook her head. “Shut up, Kim. You’re being an asshole again and you’re only allowed one episode per night. Try again tomorrow.”

  Brad laughed. “You thought we were pregnant? Nah.” He linked fin
gers with Sara and tapped their joined hands on his thigh. “Though we do have other news.”

  “I did not think you were preggers, Bradley, as you are not possessing a womb. Yes, I know the typical couples’ jargon is to insist it’s a we but—huh, what?” Kim scooted to the edge of her chair. “Tell me now.”

  Sara and Brad shared a glance. Even from a few feet away, Michael could see the love and longing it contained, and if his own chest tightened, he chalked it up to the heavy dinner. He’d already been in a long-term relationship and he hadn’t been free that long. How could he possibly consider more shackles now that he finally had some space?

  What you had with Roch wasn’t what Sara and Brad have. Wasn’t even close.

  His attention landed on Kim and the excitement coloring her cheeks. She couldn’t wait to hear the news. No matter what it meant for her, she was happy for her brother and her best friend.

  “I was going to turn it down. Dream jobs don’t mean much when you’re already living the dream. I’m happy here in this house, in this town. Fairdale’s a great place. Why mess all of that up?”

  “If the Stillwater Sanctuary is an even better opportunity, you can’t settle for good enough without going after what could be amazing.” Kim swallowed hard. “You deserve the best, Sar.”

  “That’s what I told her.” Brad squeezed Sara’s hand. “Right before I proposed.”

  Sara grinned. “And I said yes.”

  Brad rubbed his thigh with their intertwined knuckles. “Which means it looks like we’re moving to Laramie…and the house will be all yours, Kiminator. As for the shop, Bob has agreed to take over as manager and I’m going to open another branch of O’Halloran’s in Wyoming. A little spread out, but we’ll make it work.” His mouth curved. “Speaking of making it work, Michael, I had another reason for asking you to dinner tonight other than my sister’s car.”

  “Your sister’s other parts should’ve come into play,” Sara said with a disarming smile.

  Brad shot a puzzled look in her direction. “Huh? What—”

  “What other reason?” Kim interjected, cutting off Brad’s next question. She obviously didn’t want to go down that road with her brother.

  “I need a new assistant manager too, since Bob is moving up. It needs to be someone I can trust who has an eye for advancement. Someone like you, Michael. Interested?”

  Chapter Eight

  Kim didn’t look at Michael. She also didn’t look at her brother. Instead she glared at Sara, as if this was all her best friend’s fault. Which, of course, it wasn’t. A series of both fortunate and unfortunate events had led them to this place.

  Fortunate included Sara getting her dream job offer and becoming engaged to Kim’s brother, therefore officially entering Kim’s family. Sister—achievement unlocked. Also fortunate was meeting an extremely handsome younger man who claimed to only want to bang and seemed to have some native skill at said banging.

  Unfortunate? Car breaking down again and again, causing awkward meetings with banging male. Banging male totally fibbing about his humping objectives, namely he really did want something more than a ride on the hobbyhorse and oh yeah, he’d never actually rode the hobbyhorse before so did she mind breaking in his saddle?

  Now this. Her brother offering Michael a promotion didn’t fall under fortunate or unfortunate but it made certain that Michael would be around in one capacity or another even when her brother wasn’t. O’Halloran’s wasn’t her shop but Brad knew she’d keep an eye on things. That was what family did. And keeping an eye on Michael was already proving to be problematic, since her hands tended to want to follow suit.

  She didn’t comment, however. It wasn’t her place. Besides, Michael being Michael would likely be demure and decline. At least he didn’t appear to be the type to have management fantasies.

  “I’m very interested in the position, thank you. It’s flattering to be asked and I’m honored that you’d think of me considering I’ve only worked for you for a few months.”

  “Excellent. You’ve shown a lot of promise and you’re great with the customers so the position’s yours. Now if we can—”

  “There is one potential problem, though.” Michael smoothed a hand down his crisp navy tie. “I’m having sex with your sister. If that’s a conflict of interest, better you know now so you can rescind the offer if necessary.”

  “Excuse me?” Brad shifted his attention to Kim. “Again? Really?”

  Sara choked on a laugh and had to grab hold of Brad’s shoulder to maintain her balance on the arm of the chair. “I do like a forthright man.”

  “He’s more forthright than Kim, that’s for sure,” Brad muttered.

  “Oh no, Kim was quite forthright in the dining room earlier. You were too busy tenderizing your steak to hear her.” Sara patted Brad’s leg.

  Kim still hadn’t managed to stop staring at Michael, smiling Benedict Arnold that he was. “Was that necessary?” she asked in an undertone that couldn’t be all that low considering he was half a room away. By design. She didn’t need his overactive just-started-having-sex pheromones to catch her up in some kind of noxious cloud.

  If they hadn’t already.

  “Yes, it was. I want to be honest with my boss. He should have all the facts before he decides I’m the right person to lead his team.”

  “Co-lead. Bob will be in charge and he’s quite capable.” Kim swiveled toward Brad. “And what was that crack about again? Again what?”

  Her brother snorted. “You know what. It’s not awkward enough when you sleep with guys you work with. Now you’re plucking them from my shop too?”

  “Uh, I didn’t pluck anyone from anywhere. I didn’t even know he worked for you at first. Not everything’s about you, jackass.”

  “Right. You just bumped into his penis on a random street corner.”

  Kim curled her hands into fists. “Interesting argument considering you bumped into my best friend’s vagina.”

  “At least her vagina was in my own freaking house. You had to go across town.”

  “Enough,” Michael said, his voice lashing through the air like a whip. “Is any of this productive?”

  “Not usually.” Sara sighed. “Most of the time I let them just burn themselves out on insults. They spark hard but fizzle out fast.”

  “I’m done. If he wants to think I’m a tramp, that is his prerogative. Even if it’s wrong.” Kim shook her head and slumped in her chair. The nubby fabric against her bare back reminded her of how carefully she’d dressed that evening. She’d wanted to look her best despite all the reasons she and Michael mixed like oil and water, which probably said plenty.

  Either she was a hopeless tease or she truly wasn’t finished with him.

  Brad crossed one leg over his opposite knee. “I don’t think you’re a tramp,” he said gruffly. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt again and you always pick the wrong men. No offense, Michael. I don’t mean you.”

  “None taken.”

  “She did better this time,” Sara said, giving her fiancé a cheery pat on the cheek. “Michael’s a cutie-pie.”

  “Don’t lay it on too thick.” Brad tugged on Sara’s arm and pulled her into his lap. “Keep in mind your eyes are supposed to stay on me.”

  “Looking is free.” Grinning, she gave him a smacking kiss.

  For his part, Michael started blushing when Sara called him cute. Kim couldn’t help thinking it was adorable how readily he flushed.

  Too many things about the man charmed her. Even the fact that he’d stood up to Brad and announced with casual indifference that he might not be the right guy for a job he’d admitted he wanted. Because he’d slept with her.

  No. Correction. He’d said he was sleeping with her. Present tense. And damn if the realization didn’t make the area between her thighs turn achy and damp.

  “Bedroom arrangements aside, do you still want the assistant manager position, Michael?” Brad asked.

  Michael shifted on his cha
ir, still stroking his tie. “I do. I think I’d be good at it.”

  “Then it’s yours.” Brad gestured toward Kim. “Whatever you do or don’t do with my sister is your business and hers. Not mine. I have my own love life to relish at the moment.” He slipped his arm around Sara’s waist, pulling her close. “Besides, if I’d said anything else, I would’ve been couching it on my honeymoon, wouldn’t I?”

  Sara rested her head on his shoulder. “Pretty much.”

  They looked so good together. So fucking happy. Kim blinked away tears, joyful ones. “I love you guys. I’m so thrilled for you.” She crossed the room and knelt in front of their chair, hugging them both. “I can’t wait to plan a fabulous wedding. I’ve never been a maid of honor before.”

  Sara’s fidgeting was the first clue that something was amiss. The second was Brad’s mumbled, “Told you so.”

  “Uh, well, we were intending to just—” Sara began.

  “Oh hell no. If you’re abandoning me in this big old house all by myself to move across the country, you’re for damn sure going to give me a wedding to remember first.” Kim pursed her lips and split her glare between both of the people she loved most. “I’m putting my foot down here, people.”

  Brad tipped back his head and laughed. “What do you say, Sara Smile? You know pit bulls aren’t half as relentless as she is.” He ran his hand down the length of Sara’s hair and whispered something in her ear that made her cheeks redden. Then he flashed an innocent grin. “I think she’s cool with a bigger wedding now. What did you have in mind, sis?”

  Kim sat back on her haunches. “It’s your wedding. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t intend to run off to some justice of the peace or something and deny me my God-given right as best friend and sister of the groom to wear a hideous gown and cry copious tears.”