“What affliction is that?” I asked, relaxing again.
He shrugged at though it were obvious. “Being a man.” And at that I burst out laughing, I couldn’t stop myself. He smiled back at me. “I like it when you laugh, it suits you. So…can I walk you home?” he held his hands up. “I promise I won’t try and jump you, or ask you out.”
I let out an exaggerated sigh and shrugged. “Like I said before, Micah…you do what you gotta do.”
We walked in complete silence for a while. I was desperately trying to think of something to say, but absolutely nothing sprang to mind. God, why was I such an idiot? We exchanged looks occasionally and he smiled sweetly and I smiled back, blushing every single time our eyes met, and I was both relieved and disappointed when we reached the door to my flat.
“This is me,” I said, hoping the disappointment wasn’t evident in my tone, and praying he didn’t ask if he could come up. I didn’t know how I would handle that, and my mind’s eye could see the pile of dirty washing on the kitchen floor and the pile of breakfast pots festering in the sink.
He looked up at the window to my flat and his eyes moved down to the shop below it. “Ah…small wonder you didn’t want chips with me last week, you have an endless supply below your flat!”
“Listen buster, it might look like it-” I gestured to my overly ample frame, “but I don’t live on a diet of chips, chips and more chips!” I snapped, my hackles rising once again. Why was I so wound up, so easily offended today? He probably thought I was a right moody cow.
To my surprise a lazy smile spread across his face. “Did you just call me…buster?”
“I might have.” I said, trying not to smile.
He threw his head back and laughed, long and hard. What a sweet, sweet sound it was, and his whole face lit up. I decided there and then I wanted to make him laugh as much as possible. Even if it was at my expense I didn’t care. I would do anything to see him laugh like this.
He shook his head, composing himself and let out a sigh. “Ah, Jewls…I really do like you, you know. I know you don’t believe me, but I will convince you. You just watch this space. Forget about the bet stuff, it was…a stupid mistake. I really do like you, and I wish I had just asked you out, because right now, I would be kissing you goodnight.”
I just stood there, with my mouth hanging open. Had he really just said that?
“Micah…” I started, before he interrupted me.
“I know, I know…it’s okay. Say no more for today. Except…I don’t know if I actually apologised. Just in case I didn’t…I really am sorry. Am I forgiven? Please?”
The sight of Micah, palms pressed together with his bottom lip sticking out…how could any girl ever resist that?
“You’re forgiven. Now can we please pretend it never happened?”
“I’d like that…” he said, and then took a step towards me. I didn’t know what he was going to do next; I couldn’t read him at all. I froze on the spot.
To my surprise, he put his hands on my shoulders and then pulled me into his arms, wrapping them tight around me.
God, I could have cried, I honestly don’t know how I held on to my emotions.
I had been hugged before, of course. But never like that. His strength was obvious in the way he held me, but he was also incredibly gentle, almost as if he sensed some vulnerability in me. This wasn’t a quick see you tomorrow kind of hug, I knew that much. He held me close for a while, and rested his chin on the top of my head, and then shifted a little, his cheek pressed against the side of my head, just above my ear. I could have sworn he smelt my hair, which was absurd – men only did that in the movies, or in books. Didn’t they?
I held him back with equal enthusiasm, in that moment in time not caring about anything but him not letting go. He let out a deep hum that vibrated through his chest to mine and sent a tiny shiver through my body from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
Eventually, of course, he had to pull away, and for a moment he almost looked as regretful as I felt. He seemed to think for a minute and then, incredibly, planted a kiss in the middle of my forehead. The roughness of his beard scraped deliciously across my skin, the friction practically sending sparks through me, and his full, moist lips left an imprint that I was sure would never fade away – I hoped it wouldn’t, in any case. I couldn’t help but wonder what those lips would feel like on my mouth. I guess another girl would have read the signs, taken the initiative and kissed him there and then, but I wasn’t and never had been that kind of girl. My fear of rejection was just too high to take a risk like that.
“Goodnight, Jewls.” He whispered, reluctantly backing away and he was gone before I could even reply.
~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~
Jewls
Jess looked forward to starting her new job but, as ever, she was so nervous. Her boss had told her to look out for someone called Michael; he was going to show her around.
Well, all she could see so far were two young guys talking to each other. Wow, they were hot! They looked up when Jess approached and one came towards her.
He had the sexiest walk Jess had ever seen. And when she looked up at his face, oomph! The air left her lungs. If there was an actual visual for the saying ‘Sex on Legs’, this guy was it. Tall, over six feet, hair so dark it was almost black, huge brown eyes a girl could drown in, but it was his mouth……Jess could not stop staring at his mouth…..full pouty lips, with a smile that could melt knickers.
‘Hi,’ he said, ‘you must be Jess, I’m Michael.’ Jess had to take a step back to look at him and nearly tripped on a discarded coke can. She would have landed on her backside if Michael hadn’t grabbed her arms. ‘It’s okay,’ he seemed to purr. ‘I’ve got you.’
At that moment Jess realised she was doomed.
I snapped my notebook shut, letting out an involuntary groan in my empty bedroom. Christ, now he was even creeping into my writing. Still, better to get this shit out my system in the privacy of my home, in my writing, rather than think it with him around, or even worse, say it to his face. Writing had, after all, always been my therapy. And I had never felt more in need of therapy than since I had first laid my eyes on the formidable Micah Machvaya.
In the solitude of my bedroom I allowed myself to get lost in thoughts of him, where I refused to at work. At work he would be such a distraction if I allowed my mind to wander, I would be sacked by the end of the day for not lifting a finger to do anything. But here, on my own, I was free to let my mind wander.
I replayed our hug on the front step in my mind, and involuntarily smiled to myself. I had literally wanted to crawl into his skin and stay there forever.
I was a complicated girl, with more baggage than Heathrow airport. I was hypersensitive, full of self-loathing, traumatised, insecure and paranoid, damaged by my years with Andrew, the man who was still my husband, but had no idea where I was now – at least, I hoped he would never find me. The thought that he ever would made my blood run cold. He would literally kill me for having the gall to walk away from him.
But in Micah’s arms I had discovered, I felt none of that. I just…felt…peaceful. Calm. Serene, even. I wanted to feel that again.
My thoughts wandered to that mouth of his. Thick, pouty lips surrounded by that bristly, dark stubble. His eyes, deep brown and framed with impossibly thick black eyelashes. His hair, which although always perfectly slicked to the side, had a hint of a natural curliness about it.
I replayed in my mind that moment he had walked around the corner to me, shirtless and soaking wet. Beads of water dripping down his chest, dark curly hairs smattered over his pecs and then down in a line to his navel and beyond, thickening just above the waistband of his shorts. That anchor tattoo on his hip. I couldn’t think of a single flaw he possessed, he was quite literally perfect, and I finally admitted – to myself, in the privacy of my bedroom – that I had feelings for him. Strong feelings beyond a crush.
I felt totally and utterly fucked, and
not in the way of the heroines in those books on my Kindle. No, in the my life is about to get turned upside down and my heart ripped from my chest and trampled on kind of way.
Damn it, why was this happening to me?
~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~
Micah
I knew I wouldn’t sleep, so when I got home I made myself a cup of tea and flopped down on the sofa, letting out a deep sigh.
Talk about spectacularly screwing up. Thank God Jewls had accepted my apology, because I didn’t think I could stand it if she fell out with me, or if I had hurt her. I had seen a whole other side of her that day, and I had to admit to myself, it made me like her all the more. She was incredibly forgiving – luckily for me. Another, lesser girl might have told me to go jump off the pier, but she had accepted my apology without hesitation and I was all too aware of how lucky I was. It meant I still had a chance, if I played a slow game and trod carefully.
That wasn’t what had me smiling though. The reason I was smiling was because I had also discovered she had a feisty side. There had been surprising force behind that slap, and I could see the fire behind her eyes that she probably didn’t even realise she had inside her. I thought that actually she was probably a lot stronger than she realised she was, and it almost made me want to provoke her so I could see that side of her again. I wanted her to challenge me, and I wanted to challenge her. I needed it, and I felt she did too. I would just have to tread carefully to avoid hurting her, because Laura had touched on something that had crossed my mind too – Jewls didn’t seem to have anyone in her life – anyone at all, and she really was very sensitive. I reached the conclusion that someone must have hurt her, and if it was a man…I wanted to hunt him down and hurt him for doing it. Physically destroy him for not knowing what a precious girl he’d had.
I had intended to give her a quick hug before sending her into her flat, but once I had her in my arms, I hadn’t wanted to let go, so I just held on, for as long as I could without looking like a complete weirdo. She felt so good in my arms.
I had turned my face to the side, to bring her closer to my body and her soft red hair fell against my cheek. Before I could stop myself, I inhaled deeply. Her hair smelled faintly of candy floss from the fair and something like coconut. I wanted her on top of me, with those luscious locks falling over my chest as she moved up and down on me, riding me.
I shifted on the sofa, adjusting my crotch with my free hand, unsurprised to be sporting a raging hard on once again.
I had let out an mmm of satisfaction before I could stop the sound from escaping and then in a show of extraordinary personal strength, I think, I forced myself to let her go, wish her goodnight and walk away before she noticed the tent pole threatening to burst through my cotton shorts. That’s assuming she hadn’t already felt it pressed against her belly, the height difference between us placed my cock somewhere just above her belly button. She already thought I was a complete prat, that would have been the icing on the cake.
I think I dozed for a while, because the next time I opened my eyes it was to the sight of my brother Nic looking down on me, smiling.
“Evening, Micah.”
I groaned and stretched. “Evening. What time is it?”
“Just gone one.” He flopped on the chair beside me, tugging at his bow tie, pulling it off and tossing it aside and then undoing the laces on his shoes.
“Busy night?” I asked, trying to sound genuinely interested.
He raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t they always?”
I smiled in response. The restaurant being so busy, so popular, was both a blessing and a curse. We were, as a family, financially more secure but we all had to work our arses off to maintain it.
“What’s up with you, anyway?” he asked, frowning.
“Nothing…” I mumbled, totally unconvincingly.
“Micah…what have I always told you about lying?” he smiled brightly. “Share with your big brother. Come on…start with her name.”
“Whose name?”
He rolled his eyes. “The girl who’s got your boxers in a bunch.”
I considered protesting, but quickly realised there was absolutely no point. He could read me like a book.
“Her name is Jewls.”
He nodded knowingly. “Okay…and where did you meet her?”
“She works with me, she’s new.”
“You like her, huh?”
“Yeah I do…” I admitted. “And not like I normally do with girls. This is…different. She’s different.”
“Different how?”
I thought about that and shrugged. “I don’t know. It just…feels different. She’s really special but she’s also quite vulnerable. I asked her out.”
“And…?”
I felt myself blush and really didn’t want to answer, even knowing that of all my siblings, Nic was the least likely to poke fun. “She turned me down.”
As I had thought, he didn’t react to that, simply nodded. “Did she say why?”
“She doesn’t believe me. She doesn’t believe that someone like me wants someone like her.”
He frowned again. “Why would she think like that?”
I shrugged again. “I think…she’s had a knock. Someone has hurt her, put her down. I think she has no idea whatsoever just how beautiful she is.”
He nodded and ran his hands through his hair. He looked tired, and small wonder. Of all of us, he worked the hardest and nothing any of us said or did could persuade him to just take a break.
“You want my advice, Micah?”
I nodded, I did. “Please.”
“Tell her, show her. Leave her in absolutely no doubt about how you see her, and how attracted to her you are. She didn’t say she’s not attracted to you, so it sounds like a confidence issue. She wouldn’t be the first girl to have issues about herself. Make her feel special, let her know she’s special to you. Be consistent, persistent but don’t harass her. Just…let her see that your intentions to her are honourable.” He narrowed his eyes. “Your intentions are honourable, right? This isn’t about some quick fuck?”
I laughed a little and he smiled, but I could tell he was being serious too. “Nic…my intentions are honourable. Not to say I don’t wanna…I do, but…I want more with her.”
He looked stunned at that, and did a crap job at hiding it. “Well shit, I never thought I’d see the day, but it sounds to me like you’re smitten, brother.”
I winced and smiled feebly. “Don’t tell the others, they’ll have a field day.”
“Between me and you, I promise. So you and Jewls, are you friends? I mean, she likes you as a friend, right?”
“Yeah. And I’m ninety nine percent sure she likes me like I like her, she’s just holding back.”
“Why don’t you invite her to the barbeque?”
“What barbeque?” I asked.
“The family barbeque your sister is putting together for your birthday in four weeks. Just…lay the groundwork, see if you can persuade her to come – as a friend if needs be. She can come here, see that we’re a decent family, that you’re a decent lad and she might change her mind about you.”
“Yeah, ‘cause I can really trust the others to behave themselves can’t I?”
He waved a hand at me dismissively. “I’ll talk to them.” He stood up and stretched. “I’m off to bed, and you should do the same. You look beat.”
I smirked a little. “Back at you brother. Night.”
He nodded vaguely as he disappeared up the stairs and I stood for a minute or two in the silence of the living room.
As usual, a quick chat with my big brother had sorted me out. He had a way of breaking down any problem and making the solution seem simple, and I had newfound resolve.
~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~
Micah
The following day Jewls was back working with me on the waltzer and I was over the moon when I discovered that. Alex might have been my friend, but I didn’t trust him around her in the slight
est.
From the minute she arrived for work it was obvious that something had changed between us. I’m sure she sensed that too. She seemed a lot more comfortable around me, a lot more relaxed. She had also begun to make subtle changes to herself that I probably wasn’t meant to notice. Just little things. Her hair was down, and she never wore it down. It sat over her shoulders perfectly. She was wearing skinny jeans that looked like she had been squeezed into them, and they were a major improvement on her usual trademark jogging bottoms. The way her backside looked packed into the denim…God it was bloody deliciously distracting.
She smiled a lot more and seemed to genuinely enjoy my company. We laughed a lot. I even caught her half dancing on a couple of occasions. I could tell she really wanted to just let go and dance as though no one was watching, but as usual she was guarded.
I made no secret of how in to her I was. Every time she looked my way I winked, or smiled and I missed no opportunity to brush against her when we got close, feeling her breath hitch every damn time.
I wanted her to know I was well and truly into her, but I also wanted to make sure she was in to me too. And there was one song that always got me moving, and always got a good response from the girls. It was probably the last song in the world you would expect from someone like me, but hey…when something works, it works.
So after playing chart music all afternoon I finally switched it to Do You Love Me? by The Contours. My mother had been a diehard Dirty Dancing fan and what can I say? It rubbed off on me, the soundtrack at least. Certainly didn’t hurt with the ladies. It was met with whistles and cheers from people who came here a lot and knew what was coming. A glance over the yard and I saw Alex and Laura watching me, Alex laughing, Laura shaking her head and grinning. I grinned back and raised my hands in a what? gesture. And as the song kicked in, I began to strut my stuff.
Gypsy Kiss: Book 1: Micah (The Gypsy Kiss Series) Page 6
