by Gina Wilkins
Charlie had practically pounced on Mike the minute Catherine left for a few minutes to step into the restroom. Drew hovered nearby, looking ruefully at Mike, as if he had tried but failed to stop Charlie from meddling.
“Are you having a good time?” Charlie asked brightly to begin the conversation.
“Yeah, great party.” Mike held up a frosted cookie shaped like a ghost. “Good cookies. Where’d y’all get them?”
“The bakery on Chenal. So, do you think Catherine’s having fun?”
Munching the ghost’s head, Mike nodded. He had taken out the fake teeth, the better to sample the food, and this was his second cookie from the snack trays arranged on the bar. “She seems to be,” he said after swallowing.
“It’s sort of hard to tell with her, isn’t it?” Charlie spoke a little too casually. “I don’t know if it’s her costume or if she’s just naturally reserved, but she doesn’t seem to show her emotions much.”
“She’s a little reserved, but she’s not that hard to read. She doesn’t play games. She’s very honest about what she’s thinking.”
Charlie brushed a bit of lint from the short green belted tunic she wore with green tights and low boots. “You’ve obviously fallen pretty hard for her in a short time. You aren’t getting serious about her, are you?”
“Charlie,” Drew muttered, his voice sounding strained.
She ignored him. “I just want you to be careful, Mike. I mean, you’ve never really been serious about anyone before, and I wouldn’t want you to be hurt if it turns out she doesn’t feel the same way.”
“What your sister is saying,” Bob said, joining them just in time to overhear, “is that there’s a possibility the beautiful, brilliant doctor is just temporarily slumming with the young maintenance man for good times and hot sex. What Charlie hasn’t made clear is why any of that would be a bad thing.”
Drew snorted. Charlie scowled. Bob looked inordinately pleased with himself. Mike wondered what had made him think that bringing Catherine to a party with his sisters would be a good idea.
The first thing he noticed when Catherine rejoined him was the glint of temper in her brown eyes—an expression he had already learned to recognize. Seeing Laurie tagging a few feet behind gave him a pretty strong clue of who had lit Catherine’s fuse.
What was with his sisters tonight? They were usually such friendly, congenial women. Even with his previous girlfriends they hadn’t liked—and there had been several—they had at least been civil.
Were they intimidated by Catherine’s career? If so, that was just stupid. His sisters were all successful on their own. Gretchen was a loan officer, Amy was an R.N. in a neonatal unit, Charlie was a veterinarian’s assistant and Laurie had just started selling real estate, and was doing quite well with it. All perfectly respectable professions.
But he couldn’t imagine what else could be the problem. How could anyone not like Catherine? Couldn’t they see how great she was?
He wasn’t falling for her, he assured himself, a little uncomfortable with Charlie’s accusation. He just really admired her. Liked her. Enjoyed being with her. That was pretty much all there was to it, he thought, then wished he felt a bit more confident about his muddled feelings.
Catherine looked at Charlie, who was still standing rather close to Mike, and gave her a glittering smile. “Is there anything you would like to say to me? Any more questions you feel compelled to ask?”
“Um,” Charlie blinked. “No, I can’t think of anything.”
Nodding in satisfaction, Catherine turned to Mike. “I believe you’ve been waiting for a dance?”
He was mildly surprised, but he wasted no time taking her up on the offer. “As a matter of fact, I have been. Let’s go boogie.”
Catherine was more than ready to leave the party after a couple more dances with Mike, but she allowed Bob Sharp to wheedle her into one last dance with him first.
“Don’t let them get to you, sugar,” he advised kindly. “Mike’s sisters are really decent. He’s just let them get away with bossing him around for too long.”
“Bossing him around? According to Mike, they spoiled him rotten. Indulged his every whim.”
“Oh, they did,” Bob agreed. “And in return, he let them fuss over him and fret about him, and tell him exactly how they thought he ought to live. Now, he didn’t always take their advice, you understand. He just smiled and let them think he was paying attention to everything they said. But he’s set his heels this time. He isn’t going to let them try to push you around.”
“He doesn’t have to worry about that.”
Grin flashing, Bob patted her back in a conspiratorial manner. “I don’t doubt you can stand up for yourself. Bet you didn’t let your sisters push you around.”
“Actually, I was an only child. Maybe that’s why I’m so perplexed by Mike’s sisters.”
Bob sighed heavily. “I’m real sorry to hear that.”
“That I’m an only child? Why?”
“I was kind of hoping you have a hot single sister. I mean, I would make a play for you, but then Mike would feel the need to bust my head, so I guess that’s out. You wouldn’t have a girlfriend who likes her men a little on the crazy side, would you?”
Catherine smiled. “I only have two close friends. One is married, and the other…”
“What about the other one?” he prodded with eager curiosity. “Is she a lesbian or something?”
“No,” Catherine said, unable to resist a laugh. “She’s an attorney.”
“A lawyer, huh?” He gave it a moment’s thought, then shrugged. “Oh, hey, no one’s perfect. Set it up.”
“Set what up?” she asked in bewilderment.
“Double date. You and Mike, me and the lawyer. We’d make it a triple with Brandon, but I doubt your other friend’s husband would approve. He can just keep trying his luck with the wannabe cheerleader over there.”
The thought of Julia on a date with Bob made Catherine’s head spin. Talk about a match not made in heaven—or anywhere short of Bizarro universe… “I don’t think so.”
“I promise I’ll wear pants,” Bob vowed with an earnestness that amused her again. “You can ask her if she’s interested, right? It might be fun.”
“I’m sure any evening with you would be fun,” Catherine answered honestly. “But I don’t know if Julia would be interested in a blind double date. And to be honest, I don’t even know if I’ll be seeing Mike again after tonight.”
“If it’s up to him, you will be. So that means you must be the one having doubts. You’re not letting the girls scare you off, are you?”’
She cleared her throat. “Um, Bob?”
He led her into a sweeping dance turn. “Yeah, sugar?”
“Butt out, okay?”
He accepted the order as good-humoredly as she had expected. “Yes, ma’am. But if you do see Mike again—and if your friend Julia is interested—give me a call, okay?”
She laughed softly, admiring his persistence. “Okay.”
“And, Doc?” he added as the music ended.
“Yes?”
“If you and Mike do call it quits—you can still give me a call. I’d be willing to risk a busted head.”
“You’re a very nice man, Bob Sharp.” And very good for her ego, which had taken a few blows that evening, she added silently.
He beamed. “I like you, too, Doc.”
They were still smiling at each other when Mike joined them. Frowning from Bob to Catherine, he commented, “You two seem to be getting along.”
“I’ve been wowing her with my deadly charm and animal magnetism.” Bob patted Catherine’s arm.
Mike made a derisive sound and turned to Catherine, pointedly dismissing his friend. “The party’s starting to wind down. Are you ready to go?”
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
Catherine deliberately kept the conversation focused on Bob and Brandon during the short drive back to her apartment. Talking about Mik
e’s friends seemed an innocuous enough topic. She really didn’t want to get into a discussion about his sisters’ behavior while he was behind the wheel.
Mike seemed to concur. He told her several amusing stories about his buddies, especially Bob, that made her smile despite the tension lingering inside her.
It was late now, and the trick-or-treaters had all gone home to sort their goodies. There weren’t many people moving around in the apartment complex, and Catherine didn’t see anyone she knew when Mike walked her from his truck to her door.
Her feet hurt. She wasn’t used to wearing high heels for that long. Her face itched from the unusually heavy makeup, and she was ready to wash the gel out of her hair and put on a baggy T-shirt and dorm pants. She’d had enough dress up and make-believe for one day.
She put her key in her door lock. “Mike, I—”
“Do you mind if I come in? Just to talk for a few minutes?”
Okay, so much for a cowardly retreat. She nodded and opened her door.
Norman ran up to greet them, sniffing their clothes as if vicariously experiencing their evening through scent. Catherine greeted her pet briefly, then turned to Mike. “There was something you wanted to talk about?”
“Yeah.” He unsnapped the cape at his throat and tossed it over an arm of her couch. His face looked grim, the false scar adding to his somber appearance. “I want to apologize for the way Laurie and Charlie acted. I swear, Catherine, I don’t know what got into them, but I’m going to have a long talk with them both. They don’t usually act like that.”
“Don’t yell at them. They were just being honest about their doubts about us. I much prefer honesty to having people smile to my face, then trash me behind my back.”
“They judged you before they even met you, and that wasn’t fair.”
“From what I understand, they were just acting like typical older sisters.”
“Maybe. But I promise, next time they’ll be on their very best behavior.”
Catherine reached up to pull the black silk rose from her gelled hair.
Mike frowned, reading her silence a bit too easily. “There will be a next time, right? I was thinking maybe we could catch a movie Saturday night. Maybe go out to dinner first.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Mike.”
Though she was carefully avoiding looking at his face, she sensed his scowl. “Is this because of the way Charlie and Laurie acted tonight? What did Laurie say to you in the restroom?”
“It wasn’t anything she said. It’s just…well, I wouldn’t want to come between you and your sisters. I know you’re all very close.”
“That isn’t going to change just because you and I are seeing each other,” he argued, looking stubborn.
“That’s the point. I don’t know if we are seeing each other.”
“Damn it, this is about my sisters, isn’t it? You let them get to you. Or Bob—was it something Bob said? I know he’s kind of…well, nuts, but he’s really a great guy once you…”
She shook her head. “Mike, I like Bob.”
He looked taken aback. “You like Bob?”
“No, I don’t mean I like Bob. I just—” Hearing her own words, she stopped and shook her head again. “I am not going to get into another Abbott and Costello routine with you. This argument is ridiculous.”
He didn’t smile, though she could tell he found her comment vaguely amusing. “What’s really bothering you, Catherine? Is it me? I mean, I’ll understand if you just aren’t interested in pursuing this any further. After all, you’re a scientist and I—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence.” She planted her fists on her hips and glared at him. “I’ve listened to your sisters put you down all evening. I’m not going to stand here and let you start doing the same thing.”
“My sisters weren’t putting me down,” he said defensively. “They were just…”
“Just wondering out loud what the scientist could possibly see in the maintenance man?” It made her indignant all over again just thinking about it. “As if it’s so hard to believe I could be attracted to your mind and your personality and…”
She never even realized what he was about to do until she found herself suddenly in his arms. “You were really starting to worry me,” he said, and covered her mouth with his.
Surprise kept her immobile for a few moments. She wasn’t sure what, exactly, she had said to initiate this—but she wasn’t exactly complaining, either, she decided as her hands rose to his shoulders.
When he spoke again, it was against her lips, as if he were reluctant to break the contact between them even long enough to say, “I thought you were about to tell me you didn’t want to see me again.”
As he pressed his mouth against hers again, she thought dazedly that she actually had been trying to say something like that. Not that she didn’t want to see him again, but that she wasn’t sure it was a good idea to let this go any further.
There were probably half a dozen reasons why they shouldn’t get involved. As for what they did have in their favor—well, she wasn’t sure intense physical attraction was enough to sustain a relationship for very long, but it was certainly a heady experience for now.
His hands slid down her back, and she shivered. So maybe the two dates they’d had so far hadn’t been unqualified successes. Maybe next time would be better.
Next time. As Mike slowly raised his head to give them both a chance to breathe, she realized that sometime during that kiss she had decided there would be a next time.
These things really shouldn’t be determined on a physical basis, she chided herself. But with his arms still around her, his breath still warm on her face, his reactions to the embrace as obvious to her as her own, she thought maybe it was a good enough reason for now.
Mike settled his hands at her hips and pulled her a little more snugly against him—just in case she hadn’t been aware of his condition, perhaps. “I could stay awhile longer,” he suggested, seemingly trying to be tactful, though hardly subtle.
She was tempted. Very tempted. And she made no effort to hide it from him, any more than he was trying to conceal his desire for her. He gave her time to consider her response without pressure from him. After several long moments, she let out a slow, deep breath and said, not without regret, “I think you’d better go.”
His expression resigned, he lifted a hand to run a fingertip down her jawline. “Too soon, huh?”
She swallowed and wondered if she would ever get used to the feel of his touch against her skin. “I think so.”
Things were already getting complicated between them. She didn’t think it would be at all wise to add new layers of complexity just yet. Maybe if she had been the type to enjoy a night of pleasure without letting her emotions get too deeply involved—but she wasn’t. Her mind, body and heart were all intricately connected, and she wasn’t ready to commit any one of those sides of herself to Mike after only two tentative dates.
Maybe he already knew her well enough to understand her thinking—or maybe he simply took her at her word without trying to understand her logic. After giving himself just another moment to hold her, he dropped his arms and stepped slowly backward. “I won’t say I’m not disappointed, but I understand. So about that dinner and movie Saturday night…”
She started to accept, and then she remembered, “Oh, wait. I can’t Saturday. My friend Karen is having a dinner party that evening.”
“Oh. Well, maybe we can…”
“You could go with me to Karen’s party,” she blurted without giving herself time to think about it.
He hesitated. “Your friend wouldn’t mind if you brought me along?”
“No. She told me I could bring a guest.” Actually, Karen had strongly hinted that Catherine should bring Bill James, but that wasn’t exactly relevant at the moment. “I’ve met some of your friends. Maybe you would like to meet some of mine.”
“Yeah. Okay.” She wouldn’t exactly call his tone
wildly enthusiastic, but he seemed agreeable enough to the plan. “What time?”
“She lives in Benton, so we should leave by six-fifteen at the latest. That should allow us time to avoid the worst of rush hour traffic. I’ll drive this time since I know how to get there.”
He nodded, letting her set the agenda without comment. “Okay. Um, is this a casual thing?”
She smiled then. “Well, you could wear your cape and pointed teeth, but you might look a little out of place. It’s casual,” she added when he gave her a look. “Definitely no jackets or ties.”
Mike nodded again. “Okay.”
“Then it’s a date.”
“It’s a date.” He brushed his mouth across hers one more time, then turned for the door and let himself out.
Catherine locked the door behind him, then wandered into her bedroom. She looked for a moment at the empty bed, aware of a wistfulness somewhere deep inside her—and then she turned firmly away. The image she saw in the full-length mirror startled her for a moment, even though she had been seeing herself like this all evening.
It was definitely time for her to scrub off her makeup and get out of this costume, she told herself. She wasn’t thinking at all like herself tonight.
Mike was on the treadmill after midnight, his sneakered feet pounding the rubber as he ran, his measured breathing echoing in his ears. He was the only one making use of the exercise equipment at this hour. He was going to be tired tomorrow, but he’d been too wired to sleep.
He had been like this ever since he’d left Catherine’s apartment. Their kisses, the feel of her slender body in his arms, had left him almost quivering with adrenaline and testosterone. Hence, the treadmill.
Three miles into his run, he wondered if Catherine was worth the effort of pursuing her. They really didn’t have much in common. Except for Bob—who liked everyone, especially women—his family and friends were convinced she was all wrong for him. She didn’t like the kind of movies and activities he liked, not even the same kind of food. She liked sushi, for crying out loud.
Physically they connected. Sparks flew whenever they kissed. Hell, even a touch could make his pulse race. He hadn’t been this attracted to anyone in a long time. And yet, here he was, burning off sexual energy on a treadmill in the middle of the night.
