All In (6 page)

“Where’re you guys from?” Russ asked. Mick quickly
swallowed, forcing his food down. He hadn’t prepped Cara at all. He needed to
cover that with her later.

“We’re from the York area,” Mick told them, grabbing
his soda. He doused his throat with the cold carbonation. Cara shot him a
knowing glance and smiled. Mick would not tell anyone they were from the
outskirts of Pittsburgh. While traveling, one had to exercise caution.

Cara was so in tune with him. She knew exactly when
to jump on the bandwagon and follow his lead.

“Wow, so what’s your plan?” Russ asked. Stray
strands of red hair stuck out beneath his cap. Russ fussed with the brim above
his brow, his diluted blue eyes pressing.

“Not quite sure… I’ve got a few
ideas…”

When Barry interjected, Mick was thankful for the
diversion, not liking Russ’s interrogation. Barry hadn’t asked him a thing. All
he was interested in was Mick’s strong back, and Mick was fine with that.

“We should get moving. I want to allow extra time in
case we have an issue with the inspector,” Barry said, hastily explaining. His
gaze moved around the circle.

“Yup, we’re here to get it done,” Mick agreed,
rising to his feet.

They wrapped up their tailgate picnic and moved
inside the barren eatery. Mick guided Cara to a nearby stool at the bar,
figuring she could hand him the screws and dowels so he could finish assembling
the remaining stools, then head back to the hotel.

Russ made every excuse to emerge from the back. Mick
didn’t like the tours Russ’s eyes were making over Cara. Of course, Cara was
her polite, usual
self,
one of the many reasons Mick
loved her so deeply. She exhibited an honest goodness that was way too good for
The Hollow. That’s why, when Mick began to form his plan, he knew he’d never
leave her behind.

Having Cara with him also gave him the added
incentive to be the best he could be. Leaving was the first necessary element so
he could be successful and make that happen.

He wanted to be everything to her, the man of her
dreams. Mick knew it was ridiculously cliché. He couldn’t help it. Cara was his
American dream, a warm, sensual dream that filled his heart and soul with
contentment. He wanted to fill every corner of her and reap the rewards of exclusivity.

Cara had a courageous spirit. If she didn’t, she
would’ve never left with him, Mick chuckled to himself, both entertained and
frightened by his musings. The stool above him swayed, pulling his gaze up to
her.

Cara grinned, waving playfully. Mick swallowed hard.
There was something in there, something not pretty. He could see it lingering
in her eyes from time to time, something she tried to bury maybe. Mick returned
her smile, feeling his insides light up like a flare. Whatever was there, Mick was
determined to find it and make it his.

Chapter
Eleven

“That’s the best meal we’ve had,” Cara said,
glancing up at him.

“It was good, worth every penny,” Mick nodded,
clearing the table.
“How about a coffee?
Wanna
walk down with me?”

“Sure.” Cara stood, retrieving their coats.

Mick tossed their garbage in the trash. They’d
gotten take-out from Mama Italy’s, which had tasted incredible. He’d made over
a hundred dollars today, and Barry needed him tomorrow as well. Mick’s worries
over money were beginning to ease.

They walked in silence. The lighted vending machines
cast a bluish glow across the concrete. Dots of glowing stars hung in the sky.

Mick fed money into the machines and they made their
selections. As they walked back, Mick paused to lean over the railing, four
floors above a vacant parking lot. Tomorrow was Monday. He assumed a lot of the
weekenders had packed up and left.

Cara stood next to him, her breathing always
sounding in his ears, reminding him of a life he wanted to be paired with his.
He faced her, drinking in her profile before he spoke.

“So … what’s your take on what we’re doing? I’d like
your input. I feel like I’m dragging you down the road blindfolded.”

Cara faced him, her eyes shiny under the lights. Wisps
of loose hair had escaped her ponytail, brushing against her cheekbones.

“Well,” she shrugged. “I’d like to get a job. I need
to be helping out.” Cara rested her elbows on the rail next to his. She lifted
the steaming cup to her mouth, taking a cautious sip.

Mick caught his words before they tumbled from his
mouth. He didn’t want to hover. He just wanted her wound to heal. He reiterated
his previous statement. “You’ll be working. I just want to get to a better
location. Is that okay? I mean, after tomorrow we’re hitting the road again. No
sense landing you a job here,” Mick said, explaining his reasoning.

Her hand covered his, and his pores drank in her
warmth.

“I know,” she smiled. “I just want you to know that
you don’t have to take care of me. I can pull my weight with this thing … this
excursion,” she told him. Musical laughter filled in the spaces around her
words. She patted his hand, withdrawing her touch.

“I’m aware of that,” Mick said. His heart swelled,
adhering to his ribcage, making breathing difficult.

Cara’s next inquiry had his pulse racing.

“When we find our resting spot, then we can get a
place, right?”

It sounded wonderful, so absolute.
A normal home, just the two of them with financial stability.
Did she know of his full intentions?

“You
bet,
anything you
want. I’ll let you choose the place.” Mick’s lips spread into a wide smile. He
didn’t share his interest of residing in a shore town. Mick wanted to wait and
see what Cara’s thoughts were,
then
they’d weigh their
options.

“Oh, come on!” Cara playfully swatted him.

“I’m serious. The call’s yours,” he insisted.
“Whatever you want.”
His tone dipped.

Cara’s eyes brightened. “Okay, I’ll hold you to
that.”

“I always keep my promises,” Mick said, his voice
softening with an emotion he wasn’t sure he could contain for much longer.

****

After they returned, Cara went into the bathroom to
get ready for bed. Mick peeled off his jeans and sweatshirt and rolled them up,
putting them inside a plastic laundry bag, courtesy of the hotel, and brushed
his teeth. As he walked the length of the room to get the remote, he brushed up
against Cara’s pack sitting on the dresser, causing it to fall. The contents spilled
out across the carpeting.

Several tattered paperbacks lay open. Mick reached
down, scooping up the books, the water still running inside the bathroom. He
tossed Cara’s hairbrush inside her pack and then turned the books over in his
hands. The colorful, graphic covers had his mouth falling open.

Down
and Dirty?

The bared flesh of both the hero and heroine had him
fascinated. The hero was dipping her in his embrace, his hand on her upper
thigh. The heroine’s leg was wrapped around his hip, her garters blood red. Mick’s
eyes went wide, flipping over the other book, and was greeted with a similar
arousing scene.

Marred
and Scarred.

Two silhouetted figures burned in his eyes. The
woman was being held from behind, her neck pulled to the side as the hero’s mouth
gorged on the flesh of her curved neck. A bare, muscled chest and full breasts
barely covered with a loose-fitting, white blouse nourished Mick’s eyes. The
questions attacked his mind.

I had
no idea Cara read stuff like this.

Mick shook his head as if he were hallucinating. Fiction
was one thing, but if real life decided to deliver, was this something Cara
would want? Would she want it with him?

Mick fanned the pages through his fingers, pausing
on page sixty-two. Seeing the word
pussy
had his dick rejoicing inside his boxers. His face lit up with a flash of heat.

Holy
shit!

The lock turned on the bathroom door. Mick quickly
buried the books deep inside her pack, hoping they’d been on the bottom. He
rubbed a pair of sweaty palms down his thighs and hopped on the bed, reclining
back against the pillows, trying to look nonchalant, needing to slow his
excited breaths.

****

“
Crashing
already?” Cara turned, running the brush through her hair. Wet strands of hair clung
to her shoulders.

“Yeah, I’m pretty beat, plus Barry’s coming for me
early again,” he told her, stifling a yawn.

“You want me to take a walk down tomorrow?” Cara
flipped off the light. She reached her bed and slipped between the cool sheets.

“Nah, hang here.
I
think we’ll be done early,” Mick said, rolling over.

“Okay.” Cara lifted a shoulder, plumping the pillow
beneath her head.

Mick seemed a bit off. There was a distance she
hadn’t felt earlier while they were discussing their plans. Did she say something
to offend him?

Chapter
Twelve

“Mick, I can’t tell you how glad I am that we
crossed paths,” Barry told him, shaking his hand. Mick broke the exchange and
folded the wad of cash, stuffing it inside his pocket. “Where you headed next?”
Barry asked.

Mick glanced around, noticing that Russ was thankfully
still in the back. He didn’t want Russ to know anything. Russ had already
inquired this morning whether Cara was planning on stopping by.

“I’m not sure. I have to work on that tonight, but
it’s time for us to move on,” Mick said, his voice unsteady.

“Well,” Barry kneaded his chin. “The reason I’m
asking is my brother, Ken, owns a tavern in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Do you
know where that is?”

“That’s down in the central part of the state,
right?” Mick asked.

“Yeah, right near Rutgers
University.
I was talking to him last night and he could use an
extra set of hands. He may have something for Cara, too. It’s pledge season so
those fraternities keep him busy,” Barry told him. “If you think you’d be
interested…”

“You know … I think I might. Can I catch a bus from
here?” Mick asked. His mind began to surge ahead. The location of Barry’s
brother’s tavern would bring them closer to his ultimate, desired destination. The
longer he thought about it, Mick didn’t think he’d have trouble selling Cara on
a shore rental.

They really needed to get down there before April. By
then Mick knew the rents would be increasing due to the demands of the summer
season. That meant they’d have to earn and sock away some serious cash for the
deposit and any other needed essentials. It was a rash decision, but another
opportunity Mick didn’t think they should pass up.

“Call him back and tell him I’ll take it. We’ll get
down there as soon as we can.”

“Great.” Barry pulled out his smart phone.

“Hey,” Mick said, pausing for a moment, needing to
soak this all in. “Can you get the bus schedule on that thing?”

“You bet. I’ll do a search right now,” Barry told
him.

****

As Cara packed her things, she ruminated over their
plan. Mick had borrowed Barry’s phone and called her, telling her what their
next move was. The bus was leaving from the Stroudsburg station in two hours.

Digging into the bottom of her pack, she noticed
that her books were bent back, the covers creased.

Her stomach rose into her throat. Notions of Mick
seeing her books and learning their content had her brow beading with sweat. Mick
wasn’t the nosy type. She probably left them like that herself, having hastily
put them away when he came into the room.

After emptying the bathroom and zipping her pack
closed, Mick blew through the door, his breath heaving.

“Okay … I
gotta
get my
stuff together,” he said, his words rushing. Cara leaned over and quickly
braided her hair, letting it rest over her shoulder. She didn’t like to leave
it loose while they were traveling.

“I think I got all your stuff. I piled it on the bed
for you,” she said.

“Thanks.” A strained smile curved his lips. “Are you
okay with this?” he asked, closing the space between them. His hand landed on
her shoulder. Mick’s touch felt heavy, but strong. Cara felt his fingers slide
down her arm, curling there.

“I think
it’s
fine. Will
this guy have a job for me, too?” she asked. “My sutures are starting to fall
out.”

“Barry said his brother, Ken, could use both of us,”
Mick told her, glancing around the room.

“Good,” she said, slinging her pack over her
shoulder. Cara tracked Mick’s gaze, ensuring they’d left nothing behind. “We
better get going.”

Chapter
Thirteen