Finally Satisfied (5 page)

"That's it, right? We're all set?" Angel
checked her watch, but she had plenty of time before her
appointment.

"Not quite. There's one more thing, Follow
me." Cara headed toward the front of the store and Reggie and Angel
fell in behind her.

"Any idea what this is about?" Angel
whispered to Reggie?

Reggie shrugged. "I have no clue."

Cara stopped at the jewelry department. "This
next item is a gift from Gray. We are looking for the perfect set
of pearls, ladies. Every woman needs a quality pearl necklace."

Finding the right one proved to be the
easiest of their purchases and they were soon set with three
matching necklaces.

"Now we're finished," Cara declared. "And I'm
starving. This time there will be no Mitch to spoil our lunch,
either."

Angel was almost disappointed. One thing
therapy had done for her was to teach her how to direct her
emotions where they belonged. Mitch had done nothing to deserve the
treatment he'd gotten from her. He was Eric's brother, and to her
he'd been guilty by association. But he'd been nothing but kind to
her and had been willing to give up his scholarship and a promising
future to save her from her own mistakes.

She owed him a big apology.

She didn't know if she could ever forgive his
parents or Eric for the part they'd played in ruining her life, but
she was learning that she was also partly responsible for letting
them get away with it. Instead of running from conflict, she had to
learn to stand up for herself and for what she wanted. She had to
be willing to say what needed to be said, and willing to take the
consequences when she did.

She'd known therapy would be difficult when
she started, but she'd had no idea how many conflicting emotions
would surface and how hard she would have to work to deal with
them. And the most conflicted of all were her feelings for
Mitch.

She wasn't sure she'd ever get it right.

***

Mitch hesitated at the entrance to the
bowling alley. This was probably a mistake. When he found out Angel
would be there tonight, he'd almost backed out. But he wanted to
see what kind of progress she'd made over the past month, wanted to
see if the therapy was helping her. That was his excuse, anyway.
Mostly, he just wanted to see her.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.
The first thing he saw was Angel, bent over the ball rack, testing
the balls for fit. She wore tight fitting jeans that emphasized the
smooth lines of her hip. His mouth went dry and his body hardened.
Oh boy, he was in trouble now.

All his intentions to put distance between
himself and Angel flew right out the door. All he could think about
at that moment, with his body hard and aching, was to get as close
to her as a man could get to a woman. Skin to skin, covering her
body with his, and settling himself deep inside.

Mitch stepped back and let the door close. He
needed a minute to get himself under control before he went back
inside. He reached for a cigarette before he remembered he'd given
them up several years earlier, while still in medical school. Damn.
Even though he knew how bad they were for his body, there were
times he really missed them. So he fell back on one of the tricks
he'd used to quit--he took a walk. Across the parking lot, down the
sidewalk, breathing in the cool night air as he picked up the pace.
Once around the block and he felt himself calming, the ache in his
groin easing.

There was no cure for the ache in his
soul.

This time when he opened the door, he marched
through it, scanning the room quickly to locate Gray and Cara,
deliberately skimming past Angel who was bent over tying her shoes.
At least this time that shapely butt was firmly planted on the
plastic bench seat. If only her breasts weren't in danger of
spilling over the top of her loose-fitting sweater, he might have a
chance of pretending she didn't affect him.

When she looked up and smiled at him--a
genuine, wide-open smile--it took his breath away. It lit up her
face and those beautiful tawny eyes and made her more than just
beautiful. Stunning. He'd never thought about the meaning of that
word when it came to looks before, but at this moment he'd define
it as feeling like he'd been hit with a two by four. Paralyzed but
still breathing. Knocked on his ass, but still standing.

He smiled back and a blush bloomed across her
cheeks. She quickly ducked her head and finished tying her
shoes.

Oh boy. He was in so much trouble now.

CHAPTER FOUR

Angel held her breath, waiting for the panic
attack. Had she really smiled at him like that? The last thing she
needed was to encourage him. Even though she'd worked through a lot
of old emotions in therapy, the fact remained that Mitch was Eric's
brother. A relationship with him could not, would not, work because
seeing Mitch would mean that at some point she'd have to see Eric,
and his parents.

While she might be able to handle seeing them
at the wedding, seeing them in a more personal setting was an
entirely different matter. The resentment she felt went deep. Very
deep. She'd spent the last sixteen years imaging what she would say
or do if she ran into any of the Turner family, and every imaginary
meeting ended with her screaming at them, blaming them. Much as she
was beginning to like and admire Mitch, the fact remained that he
was a Turner. A Hatfield to her McCoy. A Montague to her
Capulet.

The enemy.

But the panic attack didn't materialize, and
she just couldn't fit him into the enemy slot in her heart.

She was so screwed.

She couldn't let him know her feelings for
him had changed, because he would take advantage of any sign of
weakeness on her part. Mitch, when he wasn't trying, was incredibly
charming. When he
was
trying, he was devastating. She'd been
the object of his attempts to win her over too many times.

She could blame the blush on having her head
down to deal with the shoes. The racing heart she could blame on a
panic attack. But how in the hell was she supposed to explain away
the hard, pebbled nipples pressing against her sweater? Out of
desperation, she grabbed a bowling ball and held it up at chest
level as though testing the weight and feel of it. At least it hid
her aching breasts.

"Is it okay if I go first?" she asked of no
one in particular. She didn't wait for an answer, turning her back
on Mitch to face the pins at the end of the lane. She took a couple
of deep breaths before carefully making her approach. She
concentrated on the sweep of her arm and the glide of her feet, the
follow through as she released the ball. The pins wobbled and fell,
leaving two in the middle. Not bad, considering how badly her hands
were shaking.

She stood by the ball return, her back still
to the others, until the ball popped up and she took her second
turn. She picked up an easy spare, and by the time she turned back
to the group, her body had cooled and her sweater lay smoothly,
with no telltale bumps. She breathed a sigh of relief. Now she only
had to make sure it didn't happen again.

Once everyone had taken a turn and the
competition was on, she felt more in control. The good natured
bantering and wagering on the outcome lightened her mood and took
some of the focus off of her reaction to Mitch. She'd forgotten how
much fun a night out with friends could be. Though they were
technically Cara's friends and not hers, they made her feel a part
of the group--a welcome part.

Cara was so lucky to have friends like
these.

"Hey, Gray! Watch this." Reggie lined up her
shot, taking down all ten pins with a loud clatter.

Gray groaned and shook his head. "Sam, can't
you control her? Doesn't she know a woman isn't supposed to show a
man up like that?"

Sam just shrugged and caught Reggie when she
launched herself into his arms.

"Damn, that felt good!" Reggie said, kissing
Sam on the lips with a loud smack. "Let a man win? Ha! Have I
ever?"

"Not as long as I've known you," Sam replied
with a grin. "Not even in third grade. Might as well pay up, Gray.
She's out for blood."

Gray pulled out his wallet and handed Reggie
a ten dollar bill. When she started to tuck it into her jeans
pocket, he said, "Better wait before you put that away. I'm up
next."

Sure enough, he bowled a strike and Reggie
handed him the ten back with an exaggerated pout. "Lucky shot."

"Yeah, you wish." Gray looped an arm around
Cara's shoulders. "Tell her. I'm the best bowler in the group."

Cara shook her head. "Don't put me in the
middle in this. I love you both and I'm not taking sides."

Mitch watched the byplay, a smile twitching
the corner of his mouth. He glanced at Angel and their gazes
locked.

She licked her suddenly dry lips and his eyes
focused on her mouth. The smile faded and his eyebrows drew
together. What was he thinking? Did he think she was sending some
kind of come on signal? Or was he thinking about kissing her? For
the first time, she hoped it was the latter.

Oh, damn. She had to stop these crazy
thoughts. This was Mitch, the one man who was off limits to her
forever.

***

The streets of Austin’s downtown district
sparkled with Christmas lights. Angel arranged Cara’s dress to
spread out behind her on the steps of the gazebo, made sure every
detail was perfect from her hair to the toes of her boots, then
double checked her lights and exposure. This shoot had to be
perfect. Better than perfect. She’d have to look at the results for
the rest of her life.

Reggie stood off to the side, watching, with
a wistful expression on her face. Hopefully next year Angel would
shoot her bridal portraits, too. Now that would be a coup. It might
even open doors to the society weddings she’d only dreamed of doing
up to this point.

Things were definitely looking up.

Which gave her another idea for a pose. She
had Cara look up at the sky, as though wishing upon a star. The
pensive look was a natural and would make a great bridal portrait,
with the fairy lights of the gazebo lighting her face. Her sister
was going to make a beautiful bride.

“Are we done yet?” Cara whimpered. “My feet
are killing me.”

“Just one more. Reggie, why don’t you join
her for an impromptu shot?”

“You should be in it,” Reggie said as she
made her way to Cara’s side. “You’re a bridesmaid, too.”

Angel shook her head. “It’s okay. This is a
friends picture.”

Behind her, Mitch stepped out of the shadows.
“You should be in it. You’re her sister. Can you set everything the
way you want it and show me which button to push?”

Angel nearly jumped out of her skin. “You
scared the cr--uh, the daylights--out of me. How did you know we
were here?”

His teeth flashed white in the near darkness.
“Gray told me. Now, set that thing and scoot over there with the
others.”

She did as he requested, double checking
everything before she showed him where to press to take the shot.
Then she joined Reggie and Cara at the gazebo.

“First we’re going to do smiles,” Mitch said.
“One, two, smile!”

The lights flashed and they all blinked. The
lights flashed again before they had a chance to pose.

“Hey, no fair. You didn’t say
three
.”
Angel put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at Mitch
and the lights flashed once more.

“Okay, hot shot. That was your last chance.”
Before she could march down the steps, Cara threw an arm over her
shoulder and the other arm around Reggie.

With their heads close together, they smiled
on cue and Angel knew that picture would be a keeper.

“Okay. Thanks to Mitch, we’re done here. I
just need you to come into the studio on Monday for some formal
shots and we’ll be all done until the wedding.”

“I’ll be there. Don’t forget your clothes,
too, because I want some pre-wedding shots of all of us in full
regalia. We’ll have to find someone else to shoot the ones with you
in them, though. Anyone you can ask?”

“No need,” Angel said. “I have a remote.
We’ll be fine.”

Cara moved closer to whisper in her ear.
“Want us to wait for you, or do you want Mitch to take you
home?”

“I don’t know,” Angel whispered back. “I have
no idea why he’s here.”

“Okay, we’ll hang around in the parking lot
for a few minutes. If you want us to leave, just flash the light on
your phone at us, okay?”

“Okay.” Angel started packing up her
equipment as she watched Cara and Reggie walk away. She almost
wished she could call them back. She was totally out of her depth
with Mitch. She didn’t even know how to talk to him.

“Can I help?” he asked, standing above her as
she knelt beside her camera case.

“Um, sure. Can you bring me the lights and
that reflector over there?” She pointed toward the gazebo, then
returned to securing her camera and lenses. As he walked away, she
watched him from beneath her lashes. The man had a very nice rear
view, she’d give him that. Tonight he wore soft, well-worn jeans
that molded to his body, a long-sleeved turtleneck under a soft
blue sweater, and supple leather boots covered his feet.

He was one damned good-looking man, she
thought as he turned back toward her. And the more time she spent
with him, the less he looked like Eric. They had the same dark
hair, the same dark eyes, but that’s where the resemblance ended.
Eric had a weak chin, if she remembered correctly. She hadn’t seen
him in years, but that one thing really stood out. Mitch’s chin and
jaw were strong, well-formed. Or maybe it was the way he carried
himself that made it seem so.

Whatever, he looked like…Mitch. Not Eric. Not
a Turner. Just Mitch.

He returned with the light stands and set
them beside her. He glanced toward the parking lot. “Are they
waiting for you?” he asked, inclining his head toward Cara’s
car.