Perfect Fit (18 page)

She nodded, pulling her walls back up because she wasn’t getting through to him. “My
word
is everything. It’s what defines me.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That cut-and-dried?” he asked.

“You’re damned right. Want to know why? Because I know what it means not to keep it.”

He narrowed his gaze.

Cara went on. “Every time my father swore he wouldn’t touch my mother again, he gave his word. He promised over and over he wouldn’t hit her again. He wouldn’t belittle her. Demean her.” Cara’s thoughts went back to the scene at the grocery store the other day. “Order her around, demand she walk away from her own daughter at his command.” Cara’s voice caught, but she forced herself to go on. “He makes her feel like she’s nothing. And every time he promised not to do it again, he did. He broke his word. And each time was worse than the last.”

She felt rather than saw his shock. The atmosphere changed between them, chill turning to warmth, but Cara didn’t want Mike softening toward her because of pity. He needed to understand why she’d keep a promise no matter what.

“I learned early on, the only thing that matters is whether a person can keep their word. That’s what defines who I am as a human being. That’s what makes me different from him.” Her voice cracked, but she wasn’t going to fall apart on him. “So no, I didn’t tell you what I knew because I promised your mother I wouldn’t.”

This time he came to her, his body heat bracketing her where she stood. “Cara.”

She shook her head, unable to believe that the night she’d looked forward to had gone so far off course. Yet she didn’t blame him for being hurt or angry with her.

“Look at me,” he said, his voice gruff and a lot warmer than when he’d walked in.

She wasn’t ready, but he turned her to face him. “I, of all people, know what it’s like to not want to be like my father. I was pissed at everything, and I overreacted. Took it out on you because I couldn’t have it out with Rex.” His half-grin disarmed her own anger and hurt.

She sighed. “I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t.”

“I get that now.”

And Mike did. Talk about blindsided. All his righteous
anger dissolved in the face of her admission. This woman had the ability to twist him in knots, making him feel things completely foreign to him. They had more in common than he realized, wanting not just distance from a parent they despised but proof they were nothing like them.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Should we go?” he asked, eager to put the discussion behind them. No good could come of talking about it anymore.

She eyed him warily. “That’s it?”

“Do I look like the type to hold a grudge?”

She burst out laughing. “Yeah, as a matter of fact, you do.”

He rolled his eyes, knowing the tension had broken. “Let’s go, okay?”

She inclined her head. “Okay.” She seemed happy to let it go too and reached for her bag.

With his anger gone, he exhaled long and hard, finally getting a real look at the enticing female he’d picked up for a date. Her long, dark hair, normally pulled back in a ponytail, fell over her shoulders; bangs skimmed her forehead; and she’d put on more makeup than he was used to seeing on her. The effect, combined with the sexy outfit she’d chosen, blew his mind.

This wasn’t Cara the cop. It wasn’t Cara who filled out a pair of jeans and looked damned good in a worn T-shirt. This was a sexy siren who’d dressed with him in mind, and he’d shown up here blasting her for hiding things from him instead of admiring her.

“I’m an ass.”

“You said it, not me.” Her lips twitched in amusement.

“I’m sure you thought it,” he muttered. “You look beautiful.”

She blinked, obviously startled, before smiling widely. “Thank you.”

“It’s what I should have said from the beginning. Can we start over?” he asked, extending his arm for her to take.

He knew they’d have to discuss the case sooner or later, just as he’d have to decide what to do about looking up his old man. But those weren’t things he needed to dwell on now.

She nodded slowly and licked her glossed lips. “I’d like that.”

That easily, they were back to normal, leaving Mike to marvel yet again how different Cara was from other women he’d been with who chose arguments for the sake of arguing. Tiffany especially had liked tantrums in order to get something she wanted out of him. No woman he’d known had just simply stated her feelings instead of keeping them inside until they boiled over. Cara made it a habit. There was no guessing where he stood with her, and he liked it.

Twenty minutes later, they’d pulled into the driveway at the house on the hill. Cara, eyes wide, marveled at the twinkling lights coming from on high and the large mansion rising in front of them.

“It’s a town landmark, but I never get used to seeing it,” she said in awe.

He knew what she meant. He and Cara came from working-class families, and though Mike grew up in a nice house in a decent neighborhood, their four-bedroom home could probably fit in the pool behind the mansion.

“It is something,” he agreed.

They parked and walked to the door, and Mike rang the bell. A few seconds later, the door swung wide and a teenage girl stood before them.

“Hey, Tess,” Cara said to the girl.

“Ooh, you got yourself a hot one,” the teenager said, glancing at Mike.

“I most certainly do.” Cara winked at her, shocking Mike completely.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

“Mike, this is Ethan, Dare and Nash’s smart-mouthed sister, Tess. Tess, Mike Marsden. The
police chief
,” Cara said, emphasizing his job description.

“Oh. Shit.” This time Tess grew silent, and Cara burst out laughing.

“Are you going to invite us in or let us freeze to death out here?” Cara asked.

“Come on in,” the teenager said grudgingly.

“Gee, thanks.” Cara’s light laughter washed over him.

Tess stepped back, and Mike noticed she was wearing a fitted top over jeans, her clothes too tight to be comfortable, but a typical teenager outfit from what he’d seen around town.

“Tess, did you get the door?” Ethan asked, the sound of his footsteps coming closer.

“Duh,” she muttered.

Ethan met them in the foyer with a smile, but he glanced at his sister and asked, “What’s with the attitude?”

“You said company, not the chief of police,” Tess hissed at him, her cheeks pink.

“I’m not here on official business,” Mike said, hoping to put her at ease.

Ethan laughed. “I should hope not. She’s been off probation for a while now.”

“What?” Mike asked, sure his friend was kidding.

“A long story for another time,” Ethan said.

Tess looked at him, narrowing her eyes. “I can’t believe you!” With a solid foot stamp, she took off, heading back upstairs.

“Bye, Tess,” Cara called out.

“Bye,” the teen yelled back.

“What was that all about?” Mike asked.

Ethan shook his head and laughed. “That was Tornado Tess. Come on into the den and I’ll tell you all about it.” He gestured for them to follow him into a large room with a bar in one corner and a big-screen television in another. “Faith is upstairs with the baby. She’ll be down soon.”

“Ooh, can I go on up and take a peek?” Cara asked.

Ethan grinned like a proud father. “Sure. Just follow the
smells,” he said, making Mike wonder how the hard guy he’d known in high school had gone from rebel to parent with seeming ease.

Mike shuddered.

Cara laughed and headed out the door. He watched her walk out, her tight behind swaying in that little skirt and short jacket.

“Damn, you have it bad,” Ethan said.

Mike raised an eyebrow. What could he say? He’d been caught.

“So what’s it like being a father?” He changed the subject.

Ethan grinned. “I wasn’t ready for it either.”

“Hell, you’re old enough to know if you’re potentially getting your wife pregnant.”

Mike shook his head at his friend, and Ethan burst out laughing. “I was talking about love, not kids.”

“Who the hell said anything about love? We’re just having fun.”

Ethan walked to the bar. “At least you didn’t say it was just sex. Scotch?” he asked.

Mike nodded. “Thanks.” He already knew it wasn’t just anything. Not that he’d get into that with Ethan.

“It’s amazing being a father.” Ethan poured two glasses of alcohol and handed one to Mike.

The man switched subjects like a pro. “Are you talking about Tess or baby diapers?” Mike asked, joking.

“Both.” Ethan met his gaze, his expression as serious as Mike had ever seen it. “I thought I’d grown up when I moved back here, and I had, but Tess, she turned me into the man I wanted to be. Faith did the rest. Then she gave me our daughter.” Ethan raised
his glass. “To women,” he said, the foolish grin of a man in love on his face.

Mike wasn’t that far gone, but he had to admit Cara had him in an unfamiliar place that had him reeling. Mike raised his glass and took a large gulp, needing it to feel more centered.

“Want to see my princess?” Ethan asked with pride.

“What’s her name?” Mike asked.

“Allie. After my mother, Alicia.”

Mike nodded, understanding the sentiment. He followed Ethan out of the den and up the long circular stairs.

Soft female voices sounded from a room at the end of the hall, where a light glow illuminated the darkened hallway. Music played from another room, the heavy rock telling him where Tess, the teenager, had gone.

Mike paused outside the baby’s room and, with Ethan, looked inside. To his shock, Cara, not Faith, held the tiny bundle in her arms. Before he could process the warmth spreading through him, Cara leaned in and pressed her nose to the baby’s head. “I love the smell of baby,” she whispered.

“It’s the Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. Makes you want to eat them up,” Faith agreed.

“She’s so precious,” Cara said in awe. “I was afraid I’d break her.”

Faith waved a hand dismissively. “From the way you changed that diaper, you’re a natural. All ready for when you have one of your own.”

Ethan stood beside him, the silence charged. Mike felt as uncomfortable listening to the women’s dialogue as he did having his old friend undoubtedly put his own spin on what he thought Mike was feeling. Hell, he barely knew himself.

“I don’t know if that’ll ever happen,” Cara said, surprising him. “I’d need to believe that relationships can last and that there’s someone out there who I’d trust with my whole heart not to hurt me.”

The way her mother had been hurt. Mike heard the unspoken end to her sentence, her quiet words and painful thoughts a sucker punch to his gut.

She didn’t think she believed, but she so obviously yearned for what Faith had—and Cara deserved that kind of love and devotion. He wasn’t the guy to give it to her, and for the first time in his life, Mike was disappointed that he couldn’t be what a woman needed.

Not
a
woman.

This one.

No hearts involved
, wasn’t that what he’d told her? If that were true, then why did his chest ache so badly now?

Ethan cleared his throat, and the women glanced up. “Hi!” Faith said. “Come on in.”

The quiet spell that enveloped Mike broken, he followed Ethan into the room, but Mike knew this night would stay with him for a long, long while.

After they put the baby to bed, Faith and Ethan said good night to Tess and checked in with the housekeeper, Rosalita, who would be babysitting for the evening. They had dinner in a neighboring town at a steak restaurant, where they were seated in a small booth.

With Cara next to him, she invaded his personal space. Cara’s scent, a new warm, musky fragrance, cocooned him in a sexual haze. It was a miracle he’d been able to focus on conversation with the hard-on he had beneath the table. Faith and Ethan seemed happy to be out for grown-up time, so they ordered a bottle of wine and lingered over drinks, dinner, and dessert.

By the time they headed back to Cara’s, Mike realized he’d had a genuinely good time. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone on a regular date with another couple and was even more shocked to discover that not only had he liked it, he wasn’t itching to get back to New York or his solitary life.

All he could focus on was getting Cara into bed and keeping her there.

Ten

For a night that had been a roller coaster of emotions,
Cara ended up having a really good time. She’d adored Faith’s baby, the sweet, innocent smell providing her with unfamiliar warm fuzzy feelings floating in her brain. Then she’d looked up to see Mike staring at her with a hot but unreadable expression on his face, and if she hadn’t handed the baby back to her mother, Cara might have ended up letting a deeply buried yearning creep inside. She couldn’t afford to think about things like babies, family, or even long-term relationships. The very thoughts were anathema to her on a normal day, but with Mike in her life, they were downright dangerous.

She’d been grateful when Ethan said it was time to go, and they’d said their good nights to Tess and Rosalita and headed off for dinner, just the adults. Cara had relaxed and let go, drinking more wine than she was used to, and even now, on their way home, she still felt a happy buzz.

Mike pulled into the driveway of her condo and cut the engine of his truck. Before she could focus, he’d come
around to her side and opened her door. She fumbled for the seat belt, the fuzziness from the wine making her fingers less than nimble, and she couldn’t suppress a very un-Cara-like giggle.

“Let me.” Mike immediately leaned over her and unbuckled the seat belt with one easy click, releasing her.

She turned to hop out of the high truck seat and came into direct contact with his hard body, and his large hands came to her waist. It was all she could do not to lean farther into his warmth and the intoxicating scent she’d come to associate with Mike.

Instead of stepping back and giving her room to climb out, he lifted her out of the seat and deliberately allowed her body to feel the hard length of his as he lowered her to the ground.