“Don’t cry, honey. It’s really not that bad. You should see what I did to him.” He looked helpless for a moment. “Come here.”
She hadn’t realized she’d frozen in the entrance to the tiny room. She almost didn’t want to move closer, because if she did she knew she wasn’t going to be able to leave with her heart.
“Please.” He grabbed her with his good arm as soon as she got close enough. The tears ran faster as she viewed him up close. His face looked more damaged at this angle.
“Why did you come?” he questioned.
“Why do you think?”
“Because you love me.”
“No.” She shook her head. “It’s not true.” She wouldn’t admit that to him, even if he already knew.
“No?” He wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Not even a little bit?”
“Not at all,” she choked. She lightly ran her hands over his face, careful not to further hurt him. She needed to touch him, to make sure he was really with her and alive, and okay. “You shouldn’t have gone after him. He’s not worth it.”
“I had to and I’m fine. I promise. Please stop crying.” He put his arm around her waist and brought her closer. She looped her arms around him, smelling his familiar scent mixed with blood and sweat. Damn, she’d missed him. She didn’t realize how heavy the ache was in her chest until she saw him again. It was as if she had been suffocating for days.
“Shh.” He rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. “It’s okay.”
“You look like shit.”
“That’s my girl. Insult me again.”
“You’re an asshole.” She smoothed kisses across his forehead. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
“Ellis, I’m sorry.”
She slapped his chest, causing him to wince. “You’re right. You are sorry.”
He cupped her face, lightly bringing her mouth to his. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered before he kissed her. “I want to come home.”
“No, Mike. Don’t do this to me.”
“Yes.” He kissed her again, held her tighter. “I miss you. I need you.”
That did it. Her heart cracked open. It had been too hard without him. He was right: She loved him too much to push him away. And after what he did for her, risking his body to go after Jack, she couldn’t deny him. She didn’t want to let him out of her sight. What if Agatha had been crazier? What if the pen had been a knife? What if it had been his chest instead of his arm? The thought of never seeing him again made her knees buckle and her heart skip beats.
“I hate you.”
“Sometimes I hate you, too. That’s why we belong together.”
She laughed through her tears. “You planned this, didn’t you? You made it so I couldn’t stay mad at you for very long.”
“Yeah, and I also planned to have your father punch me in the face.”
“What!”
“This black eye.” He pointed to the left side of his face. “Came from your father the day you dumped me.”
“He punched you?”
“Yeah and then he took me out and bought me whiskey and told me all about your family.”
“Is that why he was gone for so long?” She blinked. “I thought I saw a truck pull up in front of the house.”
“That was Colin.” He grinned at her and then winced. “I got good and drunk with your father. He’s actually really fucking funny when he’s had a few.”
“What? My father? He drinks?”
“Only whiskey. He wouldn’t even let me buy a beer.”
Ellis couldn’t wrap her head around what Mike was telling her. “And he punched you?”
“He loves you, honey. He would do anything to stop somebody from hurting you.” He locked eyes with her. “And so would I.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “You win. Just don’t make me regret it.”
“You won’t.” He kissed her, and at first it started off gently but then he increased the pressure and the heat, opening his mouth and letting the desire flow. It was all need, that kiss. A sign of how much they had missed each other.
“Hey! Knock that off,” somebody barked, causing Ellis to jump and knock into Mike’s swollen face.
He swore, she apologized and then turned around to see an older doctor who somewhat resembled a bull dog. “The way you’re hurt, you shouldn’t want to kiss anybody.”
“My girlfriend is very beautiful, Dr. Laughlin.” Mike gave the man a cheeky grin. “I couldn’t help myself.”
“Well, you better try. There’s to be no sex tonight. Do you understand me?”
“Of course not.” Ellis blushed, pretty sure her face was now scarlet.
“He’s got bruised ribs, and the pen went into his arm about an inch. Normally I wouldn’t have to warn anybody to keep it in their pants, especially those who refused pain medication, but you, sonny, seem to need extra warning. No sex.”
Mike narrowed his eyes. “For how long?”
“Mike!” She blushed again. “Don’t worry, Doctor. We’ll follow your instructions.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Don’t ask. You really don’t want to know.
A kid poked me in the behind and when I turned around to look at him he said, “You’ve got a big butt.” Ever wanted to know the real answer to Does My Butt Look Big in This? Ask a kid. Ever want to tell someone the absolute truth? You can’t or won’t because you’re an adult and terribly afraid of hurting someone’s feelings.
A cold rain fell on Durant three days after Ellis brought Mike home from the hospital, which caused them to make a mad dash from her car to his town house.
“Shit,” he cursed softly and briefly pressed his hand to his side. He did it so discreetly she almost missed it.
He was healing and never complained but Ellis still worried about him. The doctor told him it would take at least three weeks to heal. No work and no exercise. Mike usually grew a little cranky when he couldn’t run, and that combined with his two-week suspension left Ellis concerned about his mood. But he seemed happy. As happy as a person with a stab wound, two black eyes, and bruised ribs could feel.
“You okay, Detective?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, taking her coat to hang on the rack. “I’m fine. Help me pack my clothes. I’m thinking we can order some Chinese and light a fire tonight.”
“Can we drink wine, too?”
“Only if it costs less than ten bucks a bottle.”
“Ah, cheap. My favorite.”
She grasped his hand and led him into his bedroom. He hadn’t slept there since he left the hospital and tonight would be no different. They were there to pack the majority of his clothes. His toothbrush sat besides hers in the bathroom, and his mother called him at Ellis’s house. It seemed things were getting more serious again. She missed him and was glad to be with him again but a voice in her head warned her to guard her heart.
“Sit down, Mike. I’ll pack for you.”
“I can do it.” He opened his closet door and reached for his duffel bag on the top shelf. “Holy fucking shit.” He froze, his arms in midair, his face draining of color.
“You done posturing, Mr. Macho?” She gently wrapped her arm around his waist and led him to his bed. “Sit.”
He obeyed.
“I’m fine. It’s just gas pains.” He exhaled. “Give me a minute.”
“How about I give you fifteen?” She rested her hands on his shoulders. “I’ll pack for you and then we can go home and I’ll run you a bath and feed you and then maybe give you a neck rub.”
He lifted her shirt and pressed a kiss to her belly. “Men don’t take baths.”
His lips felt like heaven on her skin, and her eyes drifted shut. “What are you doing?” He kissed her again, his lips touching all over her belly. Part of her was self-conscious that his whole attention was focused on the part of her body she hated the most, but the rest of her was getting turned on. It had been too long without him. “Stop that!”
“I don’t want to.”
He unbuttoned her jeans, slid them over her hips.
“How can you be aroused right now? You were gasping in pain a few moments ago.”
“It hurts more going to bed with you every night and not being able to make love to you.”
“We’re not supposed to have sex. The doctor said so.”
“He won’t know if we don’t tell him.” He slipped his hand inside her panties. She was wet, had been since the moment he set his lips on her skin.
“I’m not having sex with you.” She crossed her arms over her chest even though his fingers were probing between her legs, lightly stroking her inflamed nub. It took everything in her willpower not to open her legs and encourage his exploring.
“Fine.” In a surprisingly graceful move for an injured man, he swept her on the bed and peered down at her. “All you have to do is lie there. I don’t need much from you.”
“Bastard,” she muttered. They both knew she wasn’t passive in bed.
He grinned, then propped himself up on his elbow and proceeded to unbutton her shirt.
“I should have worn a sweater.” She relaxed, resigned to the fact that her boyfriend would not be discouraged. “Why didn’t you try anything this morning? Or last night, for that matter? I was wearing much less.”
“I knew you were going to say no.” He kissed the hollow between her breasts, scraping his teeth against the lace on her bra.
“I’m saying no now.” Her eyes drifted shut as he suckled her through the fabric. Her thoughts were becoming less coherent. Her body was starting to ache with neediness. Damn, she really had missed him.
He switched breasts, sucking her nipple hard through her bra. She moaned and it caused him to look up at her with smug satisfaction. “But you don’t really mean it.”
“Mentally, I do.” She bit her lower lip, trying to regain some control. “My damn body isn’t cooperating. It must have missed you.”
“It?” He took his mouth from her skin and raised a brow. “What about you?”
“Me? Oh, I can barely stand you. I lost seven pounds while we were broken up. My sugar intake went down by thirty-five percent.”
“I thought you felt different.” He looked up at her, concern replacing his lust. “I don’t want you losing any more weight. Okay?”
He was insane. She was twice the size of other women but she loved him for making her feel so damn good.
“Why? A few more pounds and I could be a whole size smaller.”
“Ellis, I’m not joking.” He frowned.
“Okay, Mike.” She sighed. “I didn’t lose weight on purpose, you know. If I could do that I wouldn’t be in this predicament now.”
“And what predicament is that?”
“Unable to get rid of my chubby-chasing boyfriend.” She grinned at him, then pulled his face to hers for a long kiss. “I kind of missed you, too. Okay? You happy now?”
“I think we should live together.” He slid her shirt off her shoulders, kissing each piece of bare skin that was revealed.
“What?” It took her a moment to process his statement.
“I want to share a place with you.” He unhooked her bra. “You know, have my mail delivered to your house. Wake up every morning and go to bed every night with you. Have my home be where you are.”
“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say to that. Questions crowded her head so quickly she couldn’t make sense of a single one. Was it too soon? Was it the right thing to do? What did this mean for their future?
What do you want to do?
The answer was clear. “Okay, but I’m not moving in here. Your next-door neighbor gives me the creeps.”
He chuckled and kissed her deeply. “Good. Now be a good girl and help me get naked.”
She carefully undressed him, being extra gentle around his sore ribs, and pushed him down on the bed. “I’m not sure how to go about this without hurting you.”
“Just get under the covers and I’ll take care of the rest.”
She obeyed him and snuggled against him, feeling his erection brush against her side. He kissed her throat as he slid one hand between her legs to rub her inflamed flesh. She sighed as his familiar touch both comforted her and aroused her. “So you really want to live in sin with me, sir?”
“Sin?” He looked confused for a moment. “It wouldn’t be that way for very long.” He took her hand and guided it to his heavy sac, prompting her to stroke him. “That’s one of those serious conversations we need to have soon.”
“Oh.” She smiled, but warned herself not to get her hopes up yet.
He sucked in a breath as she slid her hand up his throbbing shaft. “I’ve missed you so much, baby.” He settled himself between her legs. Her flesh was now slick as he pressed against her. “You feel so good against me,” he whispered. He cupped her breast, kissed her ear, and rubbed his lower half against her. He was driving her crazy. But then again he always did just before he slid inside of her.
“Oh! Excuse us,” they heard. Mike froze.
“I thought once he hit thirty we would stop catching him in the act,” another voice said.
Mike let out a stream of curses so violent that Ellis’s ears burned. He turned his head, giving Ellis a view of four women and one man crowded in the doorway. Their expressions ranged from mortified to amused.
“Don’t you people knock?”
“The door was open,” the older woman said.
“I don’t care,” he bellowed. “Get out and shut the damn door.” Once they were gone he collapsed on top of Ellis, his head settling between her breasts. She could tell by his labored breathing that he was trying to control his anger.
“Mikey,” she started softly. “Who were those people?”
“My family.”
*
“I’m not going out there,” Ellis said for the tenth time. “And you can’t make me.”
Mike couldn’t help but smile at her. She sat naked on his bed, her arms crossed over her chest, her cheeks brilliantly red. “You have to.” He struggled into his shirt ignoring the pain that tore through his chest, and knelt before her. “I want them to meet the girl I’m crazy about.” He kissed the back of her hands. “Please.”
“First my parents almost catch us in the act, then your whole family walks in on us going at it, and now you expect me to walk out there and say how do you do like nothing happened? No thank you. I’d rather die.”
He fingered the locket he’d given her that hung between her breasts. “You can’t stay in here all night—and trust me, if we don’t make an appearance soon they’re coming back to get us.”
“Fine.” She rose to find her clothes, her hips softly swaying as she crossed the room. “But you’re taking me away for Christmas, somewhere far away where no family is allowed.”
“I’ll book the tickets tomorrow.”
Mike tried to maintain his righteous anger about his family busting in on him but he couldn’t. It had been nearly two years since he had made a trip to Buffalo and despite his feelings about his mother keeping his father’s problem a secret, Mike was happy they had come. He’d missed them.
Ten minutes later he led Ellis out to the living room, where all his sisters, one of his brothers-in-law, and his mother sat expectantly.
“Hi,” he said, greeting his family. Ellis buried her face in his back. “This is my very embarrassed girlfriend, Ellis. Ellis, these very rude people are my sisters Candace, Lara, and Janice. Lara’s husband, Remy, and my mother, Margie.”
“Hello.” She waved but did not move from behind him.
“Oh, honey.” Margie came forward and pulled Ellis away from Mike and into a hug. “Don’t be so embarrassed. I’ve caught Mike with a girl more times than I can think of.”
“Ma!”
“Shut it, Michael. The girl knows you weren’t a saint. All that matters is that you’re being a good boy now.”
“He is,” Ellis muttered. Her face was molten red. Mike felt so sorry for her he rescued her from his mother’s em
brace.
He tucked her into his side, kissed her forehead, and studied his family. “What are you all doing here?”
“Well,” his oldest sister Candace started, “we heard you got the crap kicked out of you and we came to see how you are.”
“Yeah,” Lara, the next in line, added. “You look like crap. Can you even see out of your left eye?”
Lara’s husband Remy said, “Judging by what we just walked in on, I’d say the man is feeling pretty damn good.”
“Your family is as bad as mine,” Ellis said in wonder. “I thought you came from semi-normal stock.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.” Janice grinned at her. “But the real reason we all came here was to check you out. Our brother has never been serious about a woman. We wanted to make sure you didn’t brainwash him. Mom says you’re nice but we needed to see that you weren’t a total bitch. Oh, and we heard our father was stalking Mike and wondered why the hell we weren’t getting any of that action.”
“Janice!”Mike snapped.
“What?”
He wondered if his mother would swat him if he gave his sister a good pinch like he used to when they were kids. “How long can I expect the pleasure of your company,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Well, little brother,” Candace said. “We’ve got the kids waiting back at the hotel, with Bobby. Thank God we didn’t bring them here.” She rolled her eyes skyward. “I would have had a hell of a time trying to explain why their uncle was squashing that nice lady.”
“Candace!”
“We’re staying till Black Friday,” she answered quickly. “We’re going to go down to the city for the parade and then we were hoping to have dinner with you and Ellis.”
“Oh.” He looked down at Ellis. He had forgotten all about Thanksgiving. The fight with Jack, the subsequent suspension, and the reunion with Ellis had pushed the holiday right out of his mind. “Is that okay with you?”
“Oh, good God yes. Every year my mother subjects us to a tofu turkey and forces my father and I to sneak out to the diner for their Thanksgiving special. I think we would be happy for a reprieve.” She looked at Margie and then back at Mike. “Lara, Janice, and Candace, would you ladies like to come see my store? I’ll give you a huge discount if you want anything.” She pulled away from him and kissed his cheek. “Talk to your mother,” she whispered. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
Dangerous Curves Ahead: A Perfect Fit Novel Mass Market Paperback Page 27
