And what d’ya know? It worked. With a happy grin, she punched the talk button, not even the name on the display bothering her.
“Hey, Perry. Do you realize we talk more now than when we were married? I was wondering when I’d hear from you. What’d you do, take yesterday off?”
“Very funny.”
Miki’s lips twitched at the irritation in his tone. As amused as she was, it wasn’t as much fun pushing his buttons as usual. When had hurting him, getting revenge for what he’d done to her, and most of all worrying about his opinion, stopped mattering to her?
“I didn’t call yesterday because I was being held by the police,” he informed her. His tone rang with blame. And unlike all the times during their marriage that he’d used that same tone with her, this time, Miki knew she deserved it.
“Police?” she asked weakly.
“Police. They really shouldn’t overreact so much, if you ask me. A person should be free to enjoy an after lunch... snack without being harassed.”
Miki bit back a groan. “Snack?” Did she really want to know?
He mumbled something, but all she caught were the words tablecloth and discreet. Equally horrified and amused, Miki didn’t bother to ask him to clarify.
As he went on about the unfairness of the Santa Monica P.D., Miki had to wonder how Pammy was dealing with it all, since the woman was sharing the same results. But since she hadn’t been cursed, the other woman had to be doing it by choice. Scary.
“Look, Perry, you need to quit eating out. Obviously that’s the core of the problem.”
“If I don’t go out, I’ll starve,” he claimed. Miki rolled her eyes. Sexually starve, maybe. But she’d survived that during their marriage, he could handle it until she fixed things.
Maybe she wasn’t quite over all of her anger yet.
“You won’t starve. But if you keep taking your love life on the road like this, you’re going to blow any shot you might still have at a promotion.” Might as well hit him where he’d listen.
He groaned. “I can’t lose my promotion. I’m already on shaky ground. If Betsy Etherington hears this latest scandal, she’ll shun me completely. Miki, what am I supposed to do?”
Miki pressed her lips together and gave the cat a helpless look. What was she supposed to do?
“Cook at home,” she suggested. Not that he’d ever touched a pan in the years they were together, but he had to learn sometime. “I’ll send you some recipes, easy to prepare stuff. Just stay out of the restaurants.”
“I can’t cook, Mikaela. Don’t be ridiculous.”
Irritation inched up her spine as Miki paced the length of the porch.
“Anyone can cook, Perry. You might not be good at it, but you won’t starve.” She grimaced, then heaved a sigh. “Look, why don’t you see if Pammy will cook for you?”
“She won’t. For some reason, she refuses to eat in.” Underneath his whining tone was a combination of bafflement and smug male satisfaction.
Miki fought the urge to hang up. The last thing she needed after almost a year of no sex was to listen to her ex-husband gloat that his lady-friend was liking all her public nookie.
The cat leapt up on the open window ledge leading to the kitchen and nudged Miki’s shoulder. Miki glanced at her, then through the screenless window.
“What if I cook for you?” she mused aloud. Then she winced. She didn’t want to do anything for Perry the Pig. But... what choice did she have? The more trouble he got into, the more trouble she had with her magic. She had to keep him out of restaurants and step up her attempts to reverse the curse.
“How would you do that? You’re in hiding, remember.”
“I’m not hiding.”
“Licking your wounds. Recovering your pride. Hiding, whatever. How are you of any help to me there?”
Miki ground her teeth together and reminded herself the reason she was stuck still dealing with Perry the Pig. She’d brought this on. She had to find a way to get rid of him.
The cat jumped into the kitchen and padded across the counter. Miki watched her swat at the plastic lid covering the leftovers from lunch.
“I can be like those food delivery services,” she mused aloud. “You know, a daily portion of food will arrive at your doorstep each morning.” Before he could protest, or point out the idiocy of her plan, she continued, “I’ll work it out with Lena. She’ll do the, um, main cooking.”
“Lena can cook?”
No, but it sounded better than Miki would whip up his meals and have them delivered by flying carpet.
“It’s worth a try,” she prodded.
“Okay. But only for this week,” he agreed, clearly doing her a favor. “I’ll need to step up my campaign for the promotion on Monday when Mrs. Etherington gets back in town.”
Miki watched through the window as the cat curled herself into a fluffy ball on one of the still-unpacked cardboard boxes. A week? She’d been trying to lift this curse for months and hadn’t had any success. But what choice did she have?
“By the way, you can have the dining room set returned with that first meal, Mikaela. I need a place to entertain and I’m tired of your silliness. I want that furniture back.”
“Too bad,” she told him as she headed for the front door. “I sold it on eBay a couple weeks ago. Why don’t you go shopping, Perry? You should be able to control your overactive libido in the furniture store.”
“If my libido is overacting, it’s probably because of years without any inspiration,” he taunted, his usual obnoxiousness returning now that he’d gotten her help. Miki tried to ignore the barb as it sliced a raw hole in her feminine confidence. Before she could snap at him, he must have registered the rest of her words. “What do you mean sold? Mikaela, you can’t sell my furniture.”
“My furniture, Perry. Of course I can. You stole all our money. Until you turn it over, I need the cash to pay for my renovations.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to go; my contractor is due any time. Your dinner will be there in a couple hours. Go buy a table.”
She hung up before she gave into the hurt of his words. Just how sexually uninspiring was she? She’d wanted to blame Perry, but she’d noticed that even Gideon, despite his flirting and a couple of hot encounters, had backed off easily enough.
Maybe Perry was right. Maybe she didn’t have anything to get a guy all sexually charged up and hot. It wasn’t like she’d spent her pre-marriage years racking up sexual escapades, but neither had she been a total loser.
She’d just been... average. Miki’s mind flashed to her exotic sister, her hunky brother. Even their mother exuded sensuality. And her? She’d never been brave enough to spread her wings or experiment. To find her inner sexual goddess. Especially during her marriage.
But now? Now she was single, free, and, damn it, Lena said she was strong, powerful, and just had to let it flow. If this wasn’t time to give that inner sexual goddess free reign, when would it be?
Miki glanced down at her baggy tee shirt and khaki pants and bit her lip. Gideon was due in ten minutes to start the renovations. Sure, he was a mortal and technically off limits. But he’d also made it clear he wasn’t interested in more than a brief bit of fun. Short term.
Maybe it was time she found out once and for all just exactly what she was made of. Sexually speaking, that was.
* * *
Gideon pulled into Miki’s driveway and got out of his truck. Instead of climbing the steps to the porch, he walked to the side of her house, looking past the yard.
Gene had been right. Her property had the best route to Mage Lake. With the main road to the lake running through land held by the Lights of Atlantis, bypassing it and cutting a new road was likely the easiest option.
At least, by the townspeople’s standards it was. Still smarting from the recent attack most attributed to the lake people, a lot of residents were itching to show the town wasn’t beaten. Gideon’s only suggestion that they go out and confront the vandals had been ignored. A
s much as the town wanted to thumb their noses at the group they suspected of the vandalism, they didn’t want to face them. Or, God forbid, drive past the hoodlums’ front door to beat them at their own game.
Hence Gideon’s latest assignment. To convince Miki to let them cut a road through her property. Her five acres backed Mage Lake, and was a short hop to the Lodge.
Gideon squared his shoulders and headed up her steps. Not that he’d gotten Deloris’s support to use the Lodge. Nope, she’d been conveniently absent from his hastily convened meeting. He figured getting Miki’s agreement was a lot easier, and would give him the ammo he needed to back his stubborn mother into a corner.
He ran a hand through his hair and adjusted his nicest button-up shirt. Yeah, he was ready. Nothing a bit of charm, a little sweet talk couldn’t do.
Gideon raised his hand to knock on the door, confident he’d have her on his side before the hour was up. Which would leave him plenty of time to start on the first of her repairs.
Then Miki opened the door. All thought left Gideon’s brain, and his dick did an immediate happy dance to attention at the sight before his eyes.
Delicious. That was the only description that came to mind. Then again, he wasn’t doing much thinking since the blood had left his brain.
God help him, those long, luscious legs of hers were bare. Not just bare, but bared in a silky looking little dress. The exact blue of his truck, her dress skimmed over her sweet curves in a way that emphasized the treasures beneath. That invited a man’s hands to explore those treasures. Gideon’s fingers itched to get to it.
“Hello, Gideon.”
He nodded.
“You ready to get started?” she asked.
He nodded emphatically.
“Do you need help?” She looked past him to his truck, then glanced back. “Were you going to bring in supplies first, or did we need to go over a few things before you get moving?”
He wanted to move now. Move with her. Over her. Into her. Gideon swallowed deeply. He didn’t know if his zipper was strong enough to hold back the power of those needs pounding through him.
What was wrong with him? He wasn’t some horny teenage boy who couldn’t control his lust. But one glance at this woman in a tiny little summer dress, and his body proved once and for all—it was definitely stronger than his brain.
“Gideon?”
“Huh?”
“Did you want to come on in?”
Control. Get some freaking control.
“Yeah.” He dragged his thoughts away from sex and forced himself to focus. “I need to go over a few things with you, timetables and the like. Then I’ll bring some stuff in and get started.”
She smiled and warmth overrode his lust. Gideon didn’t know why it was, but just the sight of her full lips curved in pleasure made him feel good.
Still, it was all he could do to restrain himself from grabbing Miki by that tiny waist, hefting her up against the wall and begging her to let him bury himself between her thighs.
She stepped aside to let him in. Just as Gideon was passing her, she moved, just a breath, and her breasts brushed his arm. His body reacted instantly, despite strict orders to stay down.
Sure it’d been an accident, Gideon glanced down at Miki.
And went hot.
The look she was giving him through those lush lashes of hers was pure invitation. Then she blinked and raised a brow in question.
He must have imagined it.
“How about we go into the living room,” she suggested, her voice low. Not trusting his own voice, Gideon just nodded and waited for her to lead the way.
He assured himself he couldn’t go to hell just because his eyes were glued to her butt and his mind was picturing it naked.
She’d done more unpacking since he’d been there last, he noticed. Instead of a hodge-podge of color, the freshly-repaired living room was now warm and inviting. Sure, there was a mountain of pillows fluffed all over the deep burgundy couch, but it still looked like the comfy kind of piece a guy could kick back on. A pair of chairs in deep green leather angled toward the huge fireplace, and even though the floor was carpeted, she’d laid out a fancy rug. All in all, it was warm and colorful, like the woman standing in the center of it.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked, gesturing to the low table in front of the couch. A tray held glasses, a pitcher of lemonade, and a plate of cookies.
“Cookies?”
Miki’s cheeks looked a little warm as she gave him a sheepish shrug. “It’s too late for lunch, too early for dinner. I wanted to make sure you kept your energy up.”
As innocent as her words were, Gideon still frowned. Why did he feel like he was missing something?
But all he asked was, “Homemade?”
“Of course. I’ve been doing a lot more cooking than usual today,” she muttered. With a little shrug that did wonderful things for that dress, she gestured for him to sit down.
Gideon waited until she was seated, then sat next to her. As soon as he did, she shifted just a little bit closer to him. He could smell her perfume, the subtle spicy warmth. His mouth went dry and he had to remind himself that she was a client, and that he was here to ask a favor. He’d damned the town once because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. He wasn’t going to do it again, dammit. With that reminder, he gulped down a drink of lemonade as soon as she handed it to him.
“So I met your mother.”
He almost spewed the bittersweet drink over the front of her. Gideon grimaced and swallowed quickly.
“Damn. Should I have brought you flowers?”
Her brows shot up. “Flowers? Like what, a funeral arrangement?”
“That bad?” He winced. “I’d hoped she hadn’t actually made an impression.”
Gideon didn’t detect any sarcasm in Miki’s snort of laughter. Instead, she just looked intrigued.
“She said a few things. I was hoping you’d fill me in on the details.”
“Don’t take anything my mother says as truth. I’d like to say she’s a sweetheart who just makes a bad first impression. But I can’t flat out lie to your face like that.”
“So your momma’s not a sweetheart?” Miki taunted with a flirty little smile. She leaned close enough for Gideon to see the faint shadow between her breasts. He quickly shifted his gaze back to her face and sucked in a deep breath.
“Hardly. I mean, no disrespect to my mother, but she’s...” How did a guy say his mother was a formidable hard ass with a heart of gold? At least, she used to have a golden heart, but she’d tucked it away for safekeeping when she’d taken to wearing his father’s ring around her neck. “She used to be a lot easier. Since my father died, she’s grown a hard shell.”
“Hmm,” she murmured.
Gideon winced. Hmm was never good.
“So what’s your mother like?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.
“I don’t think you could call my mother a sweetheart, either,” Miki said with a laugh. “Of course, she wouldn’t want you to. She’s strong, that’s something to admire. My mom always says she’s done my brother a favor by teaching him to expect strength in a woman.”
“I doubt my mother is looking for feminine strength in her quest to remarry me,” Gideon said, rolling his eyes.
“Nope, that wasn’t mentioned. Of course, I’m sure I’m not on her list since she told me straight out to leave you alone.”
Gideon groaned. Damn the woman. Was there no end to her interference?
Then Miki leaned closer. Close enough that her dress gaped again, this time giving Gideon a mind-fogging glance of her bountiful breasts encased in a blue silky bra. All thoughts of his mother fled as his body stiffened.
“What I really wanted to know is what she meant when she said she was your campaign manager. I’m guessing it doesn’t have anything to do with a plan to keep desperate divorcees from chasing after you.”
Grateful to talk about anything besides his mother’s ho
rrifying obsession with his love life, Gideon rolled his eyes and gave a shrug before grabbing a couple of cookies. “My father was mayor, actually, my grandfather and great-grandfather before him, too. She’s never accepted the idea that I won’t run.”
“You don’t want to follow in the family footsteps?”
The lemonade swirling in his stomach, Gideon stared at his cookie, not able to meet her eyes. Hell, yeah, he wanted to. But as much as his ego demanded a leading role, his love for Rossdale—and yes, healthy respect for the fury of his ex-wife—were too strong.
“Let’s just say it’s not in the cards,” was all he said though.
Miki gave a little hum. Then she shifted. Just a little bit, but those couple inches were all it took to press their thighs together. Gideon almost moaned aloud. She smiled up at him, her midnight eyes a sparkling invitation.
“So...”
“So what?”
“So,” she wet her lips, “I’m not getting in the way of your, what did she call it? Your civic duty?”
“You? Hell, no,” he said, silently cursing his mother. “You’re hiring me to do a job. That’s how I make a living, pay taxes, all that civic stuff.”
His lusting after her and picturing her hair spread over his thighs, that wouldn’t interfere, either.
“Darlin’, don’t let anything my mother said bother you. She’s got her own issues. Probably the biggest is worrying that I’m gonna be out here with you, attracted and turned on. And that will get in the way of her matchmaking attempts with whatever horse-faced patsy she’s deemed acceptable this week.”
“Why would she worry about you being attracted to me?”
His gaze shifted to watch Miki nibble on her lower lip. He stared, wanting desperately to take over the job. As if hearing his thoughts, she pressed those full lips together and gave him a slow, sweet smile.
It was the smile that did him in.
Time to get serious.
Naked serious.
Gideon tossed the cookie back on the tray and set his glass next to it. Then he reached forward to brush the back of his fingers over the soft curve of her arm.
Holding Out For A Hero: SEALs, Soldiers, Spies, Cops, FBI Agents and Rangers Page 73
