All In (15 page)

Though the windows were slightly tinted, Mick could
see the faint outline of a man in the driver’s seat. It appeared to be Todd,
Cara’s boss. The passenger door opened and out came Cara. She shifted her pack
on her shoulder, still leaning into the car. He was saying something Mick
would’ve paid to hear.

Cara stepped back, still holding the door. She smiled
faintly and shrugged a shoulder. Mick knew that look. He knew Cara’s
expressions better than any memory of his own life. Mick noted the confusion
and hesitation, but couldn’t hear the conversation. As if trying to decipher a
silent movie with no subtitles, he didn’t like the looks of things. Her boss
was asking her to go out with him, Mick was certain. He’d seen this guy before
from a distance while dropping Cara off at the real estate office. He could
tell a man’s thoughts by observing his glances.

Mick’s thoughts drifted back to the motorcycle,
something that had sat frozen in time since she left. He had no desire to ride
it. It wouldn’t be the same without her on the back, her chest pressing into
his back, the way her breaths had felt against his neck.

The slamming of the car door reeled him back. Mick
watched as Cara fumbled for her key and let herself in, closing the door behind
her. Had she turned him down? Not knowing for sure meant that time was of the essence.

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

Sky the color of charred ash opened up, hurling rain
at the windows like a tidal wave. Torrents of water slapped at the glass panes.

Cara sat back, picking at her salad. She’d eaten
more sandwiches since she’d left home. Tonight she’d treated herself to a large
chef salad with a side order of soup and bread. She reached into her pack and
pulled out
Down
and Dirty.
She set down her napkin and
leafed through the pages, skipping ahead to the end.

She contemplated whether Erin and Tim’s story had a
better ending than hers. Thunder cracked outside, the windows flashing with an
electric blue light.
Anything to escape her uncertain future.
Cara dove in.

****

“What’re you up to?” Erin asked. Her glossy lips
curled into a smirk. She crossed her shapely legs, her skin a smooth sheen of
what Tim knew was appetizing flesh. How she enticed him.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Tim winked. He slid her
legs over as he sat down on the lounger. Erin’s eyes flashed as she shifted her
body closer to his.

“Do tell.” Erin’s naughty laughter filled the air
like amplified music.
A music
Tim wanted to listen to
for the rest of his life. He fingered the large emerald-cut diamond in his
pocket. Tonight was the night.

Tim wanted her, and for life. Erin was gorgeous and
gutsy. She thrilled him, always eager to take the ride with him. It wasn’t all
about the physical attributes of their relationship. It was about deep trust
and unconditional love, but most importantly, they were best friends. His
father had always told him, “Find a woman you can be friends with.”

Tim knew, deep in the core of his being, that Erin
was an essential he didn’t want to live without. She would decorate his life
forever. She was exciting, upbeat, and always saw the brighter side of things.

She reclined back, lifting one of her legs. A
temperate breeze ruffled the hem of her gauzy skirt. Tim eyed her nipples as
they stiffened into tasty little beads beneath her snug, white tank top. He
licked his lips, holding her gaze. Her brow lifted.

“Well?” she
asked,
her
voice lowering. Tim’s body began to twitch with excitement. Her lids lowered. “I
think my body’s calling you,” she said softly. The gruffness of Erin’s whisper
was driving him wild.

“Mm.”
Tim
eased the skirt over her knees, sucking in a rush of air.

Erin had no panties on. Her pussy was open, her hair
neatly groomed. Tim rested one hand on her knee, letting the other slide down
her inner thigh. Erin spoke to him in an airy whisper.

“God.”
Her breath
came out a slow hiss. “You tease me so.” She sagged back into the recliner,
spreading her legs wider for him.

“That’s it,” Tim said, wanting to caress her with
his words. He shimmied onto his stomach and buried his head between her legs,
breathing in a fragrance he hoped to taste for the rest of his life. He felt
the ring, buried deep in his pocket.

Erin’s hips wiggled, prompting him to get busy.

Sweet fruitiness filled his senses as his tongue
exploded with the taste of her.

“Yes,” she murmured, arching. Tim watched her through
lowered lashes. He loved how her beautiful body bowed and curved as he
pleasured her. Her foot dropped onto the slatted boards of the deck. Her other
leg rose into the air, opening herself completely for him.

Tim worshipped her with his tongue. He licked the
tender folds, savoring her and cherishing her with his gentleness.

“Oh, baby,” Erin gasped. “What a delicacy you’re
serving me tonight.”

“You have no idea,” he whispered. He kissed her
clitoris,
then
began
laving
her pussy with the flat of his tongue. He slid a finger up inside her, feeling Erin’s
body enclose around him.

Tim gently nudged that magical spot as his tongue
caressed and tasted. Her flavor was unique, a seasoned tonic that he craved
again and again.

“I’m undone, baby,” Erin cried. Her spine curled,
lifting off the chaise lounge. Tim’s balls ached with a swelling that only she
could cure. Erin’s hands landed on his head, her nails digging.
“
Ahh
.”
She exhaled. Her tendons
loosened under his hands as his tongue sipped from a body that could feed him
forever.

****

Cara diverted her gaze away from the book, her body
hot and wired like a racecar engine. She released a breath,
then
returned to the page, continuing to read.

****

“I love it when you don’t wear panties,” Tim said to
Erin, his tone hoarse. He stared up the trail of her body, her eyes still
closed. Her skirt was rumpled and pushed up to her breasts.

Tim rolled onto one hip and reached into his pocket
for the ring. He grasped it between two fingers. He held the ring, tracing a
line up her navel. The stone glowed under the shrouded light of the moon like
white fire.

“I don’t bother to put them on anymore,” Erin said,
laughing dryly. “All you do is keep taking them off.” She hadn’t noticed the
ring, still sleepy with euphoria.

“Think you’d be willing to go without them for
life?” Tim rose over her, the lounger creaking under their weight. Erin giggled,
sensing his close proximity, and opened her eyes.

Tim held up the ring, falling into her gaze, wanting
to savor every reaction that would pass across her face.

“Oh. My.
God!”
Erin sat up.
Her eyes flitted between his and the diamond, making him dizzy.

“Well? Will you … will you marry me, Erin?” Tim
asked. His chest rose and
fell,
his body weightless
with the thrill of the moment.

“Yes, yes.
God, yes!”
Erin
said, her words scrambled, her expression stunned. “Jesus, look at that ring.” Her
eyes flew open.

Tim took her hand. They both stared as he dressed
her ring finger with the vibrant, glittering gem.

“Tim.” Erin gasped, holding her hand out. Her eyes
darted back to him. “It takes my breath away.” She shook her head.

“That’s exactly what you do to me,” he told her, his
chest tight with the sentiment of the moment.

****

Cara threw the book at the wall. Her life wasn’t a
story and neither was Mick’s. She’d often wished it was, many times, while
living in The Hollow, but she needed to leave the past in the past. There was a
better life here, a real life, and for both of them. Someone needed to take
control. She scooted off the bed and parted the curtains.

The rain showered the parking lot with slanted
sheets, hitting the asphalt like pellets. She slipped her key into her pocket.
Cara took one last glimpse in the mirror.

“Tonight, I’m going to be the author,” she muttered
between pursed lips. Cara spun on her heel and left her room, locking the door
behind her.

Chapter
Thirty

Mick sat outside, rocking back in a plastic chair. He
stared out into the parking lot, hypnotized with every droplet as it crashed
into the puddles.

Tomorrow, when the weather let up, he’d go and try
to reason with Cara. His desperation was becoming the cure. He would tell her
everything.

A figure emerged through the hedgerow. Mick leaned
forward, his pulse skipping out of sync.

He drank her in as she slowly walked through the
rain. Pelts of water marked the cotton of her yellow tank top, the fibers
drinking it in. His eyes traveled over her. He fidgeted in his chair, returning
all four legs to the concrete. His eyes caught a thin strip of bare flesh
between the hem of her tank top and the button of her jeans.

Oh, fuck.

He stood and left the protective canopy, his steps
hurried. Cool, spring rain washed his face, dripping down his lips, his body
now raging with need. Cara’s dark-brown eyes gleamed like the surface of fine
finished wood.

Cara’s gaze fastened on him, causing him to slow his
steps. Mick forcefully swallowed past a rising lump in his throat, trying to
gain his composure. Strands of her hair were soaked in the storm that raged
over them. The tendrils stuck to her cheek.

Cara brushed them away quickly. Her eyes lowered
into a squint that was direct and unwavering. The closer they got, the slower
their steps.

Mick could now hear her breath, see it rising in her
chest. The soft flesh there was drenched with moisture. He wanted to lick the
rainwater off her skin. Her nipples pressed through the damp cotton of a tank
top that clung to her breasts. The urge to touch her rose. His fingers curled
into his damp palms. Mick yanked back on the reins of his love and lust, two
emotions that were colliding, braiding together with a certainty that felt like
a drug he hoped would never wear off. He needed to speak first. She had beaten
him to the punch with her approach. He would now say the words.

They stopped, standing inches away. Cara thrust her
hands into her back pockets, her stance somewhat defiant.

Mick’s hands itched to touch her. His eyes dropped
to her mouth. Her lower lip quivered slightly. Water collected in her lashes,
turning them into fine points.

“I’m so sorry,” Mick rasped, clearing his throat. He
noted his voice, how faint it was. He reached deeper, yanking it out of him,
needing to convey his feelings. Everything depended on it. “What happened … it wasn’t
how I planned things.”

Her flat tone mirrored a warning. He needed to tread
carefully.

“So it was all a mistake?” She stepped back.

Mick reached for her, gripping her arm.

Cara’s eyes lowered to his hand, her brows raised.

Mick took a breath, released her, and stepped back. “No.”
He paused, checking his words and trying to breathe. Being with you, us—” He
faltered with his words. “It was the only thing that’s ever happened to me that
had any promise. I’ve been wishing for it all—and with you—my entire damn
life,” Mick said. His tone sharpened as the words continued to come.

He watched her eyes as they processed his
declaration.

“You?”
Cara’s
gaze widened. “I mean…”

“Yeah,” Mick nodded. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek.
“I love you, Cara. Christ.” He shook his head, looking away. He quickly
rerouted his eyes back to her, her features wide with shock. “I’ve loved you
forever. Puppy love that turned into a crush that refused to leave me alone. The
older I got, the harder it became. Please. It’s the truth. I had trouble saying
it, wasn’t quite sure how to. So I looked to someone else’s words and actions,”
Mick explained. His words ran together, riding on anxious and strenuous
breaths.

Cara’s hand rose, cupping his cheek.

“Wow.” Her mouth opened, her response stalled. “I
don’t know what to say. I just…”

“Let’s try to figure that out together, without
someone else’s help. What happened between us, when we were together, I meant
it all. Anything I might’ve said… I was with you and no one else—no characters,
just me and you. I was afraid. You’re everything. What we did… I want that with
you again, and so much more,” Mick said, his confession choked with emotion. His
heart raced inside a chest that felt bolted down. “Without you, there’s
nothing.
I might as well go back home.
I know for you
it seems we’re just getting started, but I got started with you a long time ago
… in here.” Mick laid a hand on his heart, his pulse thudding into his palm. “I
was just unsure of myself when it finally became a reality.”