Love Resisted (The Real Love Series) (17 page)

Looking to her right, she took in the seating of the room, which consisted of a couch, loveseat, and a big chair with an oversized ottoman in front of it. The ottoman where she found Mike last night after rushing to his place when she realized she’d hurt him. Her stomach turned at the memory of how he looked when she found him, leaning on his knees with his head in his hands. Distraught. The mere thought of causing him pain, like she might be doing right now if she were to leave, knifed through her chest. Looking in the direction of the stairs as if considering going back, she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to leave, to escape, but then the next second wanted to strip out of her clothes and crawl right back into bed with the first man, in five years, who got past her guarded heart.

She shook her head at her indecision, slightly disgusted with herself as she made her way over toward the sitting
area. Sitting down on the edge of the couch, as if she felt she shouldn’t be there and didn’t want to get caught, she looked up at the wall in front of her. There was a giant flat screen television mounted in the middle of the wall over a simple shelving unit that housed various books and simple knick-knacks. She smiled when she saw a picture of Mike and Zane there, and stood to get a closer look at it. Picking it up, she smiled bigger when she took in the two of them out on a boat. She knew Mike loved watersports, and this was something he enjoyed with his son.

They were wearing life jackets and sunglasses as they stared at the photographer, both of their hands signaling hang-loose, and big, happy no-holds-barred smiles. Clearly, Zane looked a lot like his father, because in this picture, they almost looked like the same person at different stages of life instead of father and son. Curiosity over what his wife looked like got the best of her and she set down the picture in her hand. Searching the faces in the pictures on the shelves in front of her, she found one of a younger Mike with a woman and a small boy.

The image was a perfectly posed image of a young family. The woman sat on the grass with her legs going across the field of the picture as she posed for the photographer. She had blonde hair that was long and surrounded her face to fall in front of her shoulders. She had a simple, yet elegant face with features that might not have been considered stunning, but the smile on her face made her glow with the happiness that was evident as she held onto a young Zane. He had to be around eight or nine years old, and his smile looked as big and vibrant as the one his mother had. The contrast of his dark hair to her light hair was shocking and only confirmed that Mike’s genes dominated the kid’s genetic make-up.

Behind them, Mike sat with his legs going the opposite direction of his wife’s, as she leaned into him. He had one hand on the ground for support, and his other arm was slung around her shoulders, holding his family close. Allie’s heart ached at the sight of the beautiful, young family in front of her. The thought that their future wouldn’t be what they expected was enough to bring tears quickly to her eyes, causing them to spill over and drop onto the frame in her hands. They had their whole future ahead of them, oblivious to the fact that it was going to be ripped away from them.

Behind her, a voice startled her and almost made her drop the picture she was holding, her grip tightening, as she quickly glanced to where the voice had come from. “That picture was taken the year before she got sick. It was our last professional family portrait.” When Zane had come in, she didn’t know, but she suddenly felt as if she was trespassing. She quickly dashed away the tears that were rolling down her face and fully turned toward the young man.

Allie didn’t know what to say
except, “I'm sorry.” Even though she said it, she wasn’t sure if she was apologizing for crying or for intruding on their family portrait.

Zane shrugged and moved toward her. Taking the picture from her hands, he looked down at it, and a soft smile graced his face. “Wow, Dad looks almost exactly the same.”

Allie huffed a little laugh and looked back down at the picture. “You look just like him, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. He told me a story about one time when I was little, and he had to pick me up from my new daycare. The lady behind the counter hadn’t met him yet so when he signed me out, she asked for him to verify that I was his son. My dad lifted me up and held me next to his face and said, ‘Oh, he’s mine all right. We’re just trying to figure out who his mom is.’” Zane gently set the picture frame down in the spot she had picked it up from as he laughed at the memory.

It took Allie a few seconds to catch onto what he had said, but then she laughed lightly. “Wait, still trying to figure out who the mom was? That doesn’t make any sense.”  

“That’s exactly what the lady said, too. Right before she shook her head at him and then scolded him for not being serious about the safety of his child or some crap like that. She apparently didn’t have a sense of humor like his.” He backed up, still smiling at the picture. Allie watched him and could see the fond remembrance cross his face, and she fought her ins
tinct to comfort the young man.

Then i
t dawned on her that she was standing in the middle of their living room, at an ungodly hour, talking to Mike’s kid. It had to be obvious to him why she was there, which sucked because she was trying to avoid this kind of scenario.
Why was he here?
She thought he was out for the night.

Mike had told her that he and Zane had an honest and direct kind of relationship. He made sure to have an open door policy with his son, and in exchange for that, he would answer his questions honestly. Deciding to be direct with the young man, she said, “I feel a little awkward being caught in your living room in the middle of the night. It’s not really a situation I’ve been in before, and I’m not quite sure what to do.” She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sheepish smile.

He gave a little laugh before dropping his long body down on the couch. “It’s okay. It doesn’t bother me that you’re here. Dad and I have talked about it, and he wouldn’t let you stay here if he hadn’t done that. That’s how he is, and besides, he likes you.” She considered how Zane had essentially told her exactly what his father had told her, so she tried to relax about it. He was eighteen years old and going to college soon; he knew about sex. But that didn’t mean she wanted to have a conversation with him about it. Changing the subject she asked, “Your dad said you were out with friends for the night. Why are you home already?”

He considered something before he said, “Yeah, I went to a party with some friends, but I didn’t like some of what was going on there, so I figured it was best to leave. The friends I was going to be staying with were still at the party when I left so I had to come home.”

She admired that he clearly had a good head on his shoulders. Motioning to the seat next to the couch she asked, “Mind if I sit, too?”

“Go for it. I’m not really tired yet so I was just gonna play a game or two. I don’t suppose you play video games?” He gave her a smirk that told her he was used to grown-ups turning down his question. Little did he know
…

“Well, considering I have three different gaming consoles and three nephews of varying age, you could say that I’ve played a game or two.”

“Oh, really. What kind?” he asked with a skeptical look on his face.

“You name it, I’m sure I can play it,” she said, full of confidence. She could tell Zane was considering which game to convince her to play.

After a few seconds he said, “If I pull out a game with guns, you’re not going to get all girlie and complain like the average female, are you?”

“Well, smart ass, do I look like your average female? Try me.”

He huffed a laugh and got up to put the game in and get it started. Walking back over to her, he smiled and handed her the controller before saying, “Game on, Ms. Baxter.” She stifled a laugh and pretended to act offended. He was trying to get her flustered with a little irritating jab; it was well-played, but it wouldn’t work.

“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that one. Game on is right.” Allie waited for the screen to come to life and jumped right into the action with Zane. Giving as
good as she got, before she knew it, the two of them were fully enveloped in the games of modern day warfare and which was the best way to kill a zombie. All thoughts of escaping the Lawson household were gone and forgotten.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

MIKE blinked his eyes open and stared into the darkness of his bedroom. Something woke him up, he knew that, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Taking a few moments, he laid there and listened to his surroundings. It wasn’t until he heard the muffled sound of talking that he looked to the side and took note that he was in bed alone, even though he was very much
not
alone when he went to sleep. Yep, that wasn’t a dream. He finally had Allie sleeping in his arms when he contentedly drifted off last night, but she was definitely not there now.

Forcing himself to get up and investigate, he crossed his fingers in the hopes he would find Allie downstairs. Slipping his shorts on, he opened his bedroom door. The sounds were more decipherable now and he could identify Zane’s voice, mixed in with the sound of guns and bombs exploding on the sound system.

His heart dropped a little in disappointment as he made his way downstairs to tell his son to turn it down a little. It wasn’t until he found himself turning the corner to face the living room that he heard Allie’s voice. “You think you’re big shit over there, Lawson? Read the numbers and weep ‘cause you’re losing to a girl.” He smiled at her mocking tone and the sight of her standing on her toes, bouncing, while playing the game.

He stood there for a few moments and just watched their interactions. Both of them looked completely comfortable
with one another, and he couldn’t help the spark of hope that ignited in his chest. This was something he wanted. Even though his son was an adult, he wanted to make sure that whatever woman he ended up with, she would be able to have a relationship with him too.

After a few minutes, he stepped into the sitting area and he dropped onto the couch behind Allie, waiting for a pause in the action to touch her. Neither of them had noticed him, as they were so engrossed in the onscreen action. It was clear Allie had some experience playing the game since she was beating Zane, which was just another point in her favor. Not that she needed any more—he wanted her regardless.

Zane’s player died, prompting Allie into some form of victory dance. Standing in front of him, her hips swayed and she bounced from foot to foot. At the other end of the couch, his son cursed and tossed his controller on the seat. Mike said, “Hey, watch your mouth. There’s a lady present.

Allie squealed in surprise and Mike took that moment to grab her around the waist and pull her into his lap. Falling not so gracefully, he secured her in place and smiled at her. She put her arm around his neck. “You scared me.”

“I’m sorry, baby, but I didn’t want to interrupt while you two were playing. Especially since you were obviously winning,” he said.

She smirked. “So you were witness to Zane totally getting his ass kicked by a girl?”

He laughed and looked at his son. “I sure was.”

Zane shook his head and said, “And
now I have to clean her car. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. At least it’s only washing her car. Now I know better.”

Allie smiled at him and said, “You got off easy. Try asking my nephews what I’ve manipulated them into doing in the past.”

“I think I’ll take your word for it,” Zane said as she shut down the gaming console and collected the controller from Allie. “I expect a rematch sometime soon. I can’t go down like that.”

Allie huffed a laugh. “Sure thing,
after
you wash my car.”

“Thank God you don’t drive a truck like my dad’s. I’m heading to bed. Sorry if we woke you, Dad.”

Mike replied, “No worries, good night, son.”

After he heard
Zane close his door, he turned his attention back to Allie. Smiling, he said, “So, my sexy little assassin, who caught who?”

She gave him a questioning look, so he rephrased. “Did you catch him sneaking in? Or did he catch you sneaking out?”

Allie ducked her head, blushing, and gave him an apologetic look. “Both, I guess. I’d come down the stairs to leave, but for some reason I couldn’t. He surprised me as I was looking at your pictures.” She motioned toward the shelves where she had apparently been looking. “Sorry for being nosey.”

His gaze shifted to see what she had been looking at. He asked, “Sorry? For what? I have no problem with you being curious about me.”

“I felt like I was doing something wrong, lurking around your house while you slept.”

“I’m glad you were lurking. It means you really didn’t want to leave, and I
really
like that,” he said as he stood up, keeping her cradled in his arms. Making his way toward the stairs, he stopped at the light switch and she turned it off before they made their way back toward his bedroom.

Closing the door behind them, he set her down on the floor next to the bed and began to undress her. She put her hands up, questioning, “What about Zane?”

Mike snorted a laugh. “Allie, he’s eighteen years old and no longer barges into my bedroom.” Moving her hands out of the way, he removed her top.

“Well, duh, I know that. It’s just … we can’t when he’s here. It was already awkward running into him when it was obvious why I was here.” She spoke in an urgent whisper, even tho
ugh she let him remove her shorts as she said it. He made quick work of his own shorts before pulling her naked body flush with his.

“Allie, it’s okay. First of all, my son is not an idiot, so yes, he knows why you were here in the middle of night.” She groaned and dropped her head to his chest as he continued, “Secondly, if you weren’t trying to sneak out in the middle of the night, you wouldn’t have run into him, therefore making you this uncomfortable.”

“Of course you had to go there. Touché, Lawson, touché,” she said on a groan.

He laughed as he moved her toward the bed. Lifting the sheet, he watched as she turned and crawled under it. The sight of her backside taunting him and assisted in the southbound blood flow. Grabbing a condom, he slipped it on before sliding under the sheet behind her.

Pressing his body firmly against her back, he lifted her leg and slid his hard length against her. She sighed and angled her head back against his chest as he said, “And thirdly, I really don’t care what my son thinks, because we both know this is where you belong, Allie.”

He quickly and deeply thrust inside her body, as if to prove his point. She let out a gasp before turning her head into the pillow as he proceeded to show her just how much she did belong there.

ALLIE woke to an empty bed, which of course wasn’t unusual for her, but it wasn’t
her
empty bed. Pulling the sheet to cover her, she sat up and glanced around the room. She had been a little preoccupied last night both times she’d entered the room, so she hadn’t noticed the décor. It was a simple, masculine room, done in deep blues, browns, and tans. The sleigh-style bed was a beautiful mahogany with clean lines, and a thick blue comforter was bunched up against the footboard. The dresser and night tables both matched the bed. The walls were tan and trimmed with a rich chocolate color to match the carpeting. The room was shaded from the morning sun by dark wood blinds, topped off by curtains the same shade as the comforter. A chair with matching ottoman sat next to the window.

The room was simple, clean, comfortable, and it was exactly what she would’ve envisioned for Mike. Wondering where he was, she turned to his pillow and saw a note to her. It read:
Making breakfast, come down if you wake up … I’ve got coffee
.

Smiling, she climbed out of bed to throw her clothes on for a second time. After a quick visit to the bathroom, she made her way downstairs. The smell of coffee and ham hit her nose as soon as she stepped out of the bedroom, making her stomach growl. As she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear Mike talking with Zane, and she suddenly felt like she was intruding on their time. When she heard Zane mention the party he left the night before, she really felt like she should wait to walk in.

Hovering in the front room, just outside the kitchen, she couldn’t seem to find the right time to make an entrance. Spotting her keys on the floor near the ottoman, she moved to pick them up when Mike came around the corner. “Good morning, beautiful lady.”

Jumping, she turned to him and asked, “Why is it that you always catch me by surprise?”

He smiled and walked toward her. He was wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a white undershirt, and had slightly rumpled hair.
Downright edible
, she thought. Wasting no time, he swept her into his arms and kissed her on the lips before saying, “Maybe I always catch you when you’re up to no good.”

Sucking in a breath, she playfully hit him on the chest. “That’s not true. I was not
up to no good
. I noticed my keys on the floor and went to pick them up.” Lowering her voice, she added, “I didn’t want to intrude on your conversation with Zane.”

“That was very considerate of you, but if it was a private conversation, we wouldn’t have had it when you were here,” he said with a kiss on her forehead and a pat on her rear. “Hope you’re a breakfast person.”

Grabbing her hand, they made their way into the kitchen together. Zane had just finished putting a platter of food on the table when he looked up, smiling at them. “Good morning, Allie. Ready for a rematch?”

Allie sat in the chair Mike had pulled out for her as she shook her head. “Nice try, kid. Car washed first.”

Zane grumbled as he sat, “Worth a shot.”

She let out a laugh and took in the spread of food on the table. There was an insane amount of food, including eggs, ham, bacon, hash browns, and cinnamon rolls. Reaching for a cinnamon roll, she asked, “Do you guys normally eat this much?”

Mike shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what you preferred, so I made a variety.” Once she plated her roll, Mike and Zane proceeded to serve themselves.

As they started eating, silence filled the room for a few moments. Noting the lack of coffee, she searched the counter space behind her for the much-needed beverage. Standing up to retrieve it for them, Mike stood to help her pull her chair out. “Are we missing something? Tell me what you need, and I can get it.”

Allie smiled and patted his arm. “Sit down and eat. I was just going to grab the coffee. Where are the cups?”

“Oh, sorry, not sure how we forgot to put that on the table,” Mike said as he glanced at his son.

Zane put his hands up in defense. “Don’t look at me. You were in charge of coffee this morning. I think you were distracted by all the meat you were cooking.”

Snorting a laugh, she said, “I like meat.”

Zane, quick to respond, added, “That’s what she said.”

She stopped and looked at Zane. He had a smirk on his face as he stared back at her. She extended her fist for a bump, a look of admiration on her face. “Nicely delivered. I walked right into that one.”

“You sure did,” he agreed, voice full of humor.

Making her way to the cupboard, she asked, “Zane, you want a cup, too?”

“Yes please.”

Mike made his way to the fridge for cream. They met back up at the table and he pulled her chair out again. The three of them resumed eating as talk of Allie’s epic beat
down of Zane the night before, the procedure of how Allie preferred her car be washed, and other plans for the weekend filled the room.

Mike’s hand found Allie’s
bare thigh and gave a small squeeze before resting comfortably there. Allie looked over at him and smiled as her hand dropped on top of his. At the moment, Allie couldn’t help but think that
trying
, for Mike, wasn’t really all that hard.