Perfect Fit (7 page)

He wondered what she’d say to picking up where they’d left off. A no-strings affair, one with a definite ending when he left town. But Cara knew that about him already. She’d said as much herself, and though her jab about knowing not to expect much from him grated, it was the truth.

The one thing he didn’t question was his sudden
turnaround. It was as clear as his need for her and his admission that for now, no one else would do.

Cara had lost her mind. There was no other explanation
for the fact that in Mike’s arms, she’d found peace from her thoughts, or that she wasn’t running from the heavy desire pulsing through her body.

Mike’s large hand splayed against the thick fabric of her shirt, hot against her back. With a grateful sigh, she leaned her head against his chest and listened to the rapid beating of his heart.

His fingertips dipped slightly lower, into the top band of her jeans, and pressed her lower body against his. She couldn’t miss the hard length of his erection or the silent question. Yes, her breasts were heavy, dampness settled between her thighs, and she wanted him more than her next breath. But how could she go there again and walk away whole?

But maybe a better question was, how could she walk away now?

“Cara?” he asked, his voice a gruff, low rumble.

She tipped her head back and met his gaze. “Yes.” She knew exactly what she was saying.

His impossibly brown eyes darkened even more. “Are you sure?”

She nodded.

He leaned close and whispered in her ear. “Go up the back and I’ll meet you outside my apartment in a few minutes.”

Leave separately, she thought. This time he was paying more attention to propriety, which was so un-Mike-like.

“Okay,” she said, and slid out of his arms. Anticipation swept over her and she savored the feeling, heading for the restrooms first.

She paused by the mirror, surprised by the flush in her
cheeks and the glassy eyes looking back at her. She hoped nobody else noticed what a fevered state she’d been in, or sneaking out back wouldn’t mean much at all.

When she hit the fresh air, it was cold outside, and she’d left her jacket and purse in the Jeep, so Cara was glad Mike caught up with her almost as soon as she reached his place.

He unlocked the door, then slid his hand into hers and pulled her inside.

A glance around at the sparse apartment gave her a stark reminder of his constant state of impermanence. The man didn’t need a home base. Just a bed in which to sleep. She’d do well to remember that, and the knowledge helped shore up her defenses, which had slipped while he held her so tightly on the dance floor.

He tossed the keys onto a small table. “I’m glad you didn’t say no.”

She swallowed hard. “We were good together.” He made her feel more than any man ever had. And today, Daniella’s situation had reminded her that what she and Mike had was rare. Great sex and an open, honest understanding of their situation.

“We were combustible,” he said.

Even his voice was arousing, but somehow she managed to keep her wits about her. “I just expect one thing,” she said, forcing herself to turn and face him. “It’s a deal breaker.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “What is it?” he asked, clearly wary.

The poor man was worried she wanted commitment. She actually felt sorry for him. His unwillingness to open himself up to anyone meant he’d miss out on so much in life. She wondered why, coming from such a warm loving family, Mike ran from the same. Cara’s parents’ marriage was far from ideal, yet she refused to give up on the idea that maybe there was a man out there she could trust.

She doubted it, but she refused to let go of that kernel of
hope. Mike had already given it up. But now wasn’t the time to go there.

She stepped closer, her hands on the top of her blouse. She slipped one button out of the loop, then worked on another. “I just want you to promise me that things between us won’t be awkward tomorrow. That you won’t go back to defensive mode and treat me like…”

She was going to say
dirt
, but she realized that hadn’t been his intent. “Like you’re afraid I’m going to ask for forever.”

He actually paled. “You think you know me that well?” he asked, his gaze more on the swell of her breasts pushing upward from the cups of her bra.

“I know I do.” She let another button slip through. “But you should know something about me.”

“What’s that?” he asked, his voice a harsh croak as her hands hit the last button and her blouse hung open wide.

“I only want what you’ll willingly give.”

Apparently her words appeased him because a sexy smile lifted the corners of his mouth and he reached up, grabbing her wrists, stopping her from slipping off her shirt.

This was the Mike she remembered, calm and in control. The man who fired her blood and stirred her arousal. His dark gaze bore into hers as he slowly lowered his head, leaving no doubt that he intended to kiss her. But instead of his lips landing on her mouth, he turned his head and pressed his cheek against hers. His razor stubble rubbed against her skin and felt warm and good, making her want to cuddle closer.

Before she could act, he latched onto her earlobe, nibbling and suckling until she felt the pull straight down to her toes. He never did what she expected or anticipated. That was also the man she remembered.

The man she still wanted.

He slid his lips from her ear to her jaw, grazing her skin as he slowly worked his way to her lips. By the time he
settled his hot mouth over hers, she was shaking with need. And he’d barely touched her. He knew the power of their attraction, understood how to heighten the anticipation, and she loved every second.

He’d worked his tongue lazily inside her mouth and proceeded to devour her. His tongue tangled, sliding against the roof of her mouth, the sides, leaving no part of her untouched. Suddenly his hands came to her hips and he lifted her, carrying her to the kitchen counter, which in this small apartment wasn’t far away.

Once he placed her down, he settled himself between her legs, braced his hands on either side of the counter and leaned in for another kiss. One that was too quick.

“How is it you can be so tough on the outside and yet so damn sweet?” he asked.

His words poked at the barriers she had to keep erected against him, but he made it so hard. Thankfully he kissed her again, devouring her before she could formulate a reply.

He surrounded her, a hot male who smelled good and promised delicious things with his sexy gaze and heated kiss. Liking everything about what he was doing, she wrapped her legs around his waist, locking him in place, and he rewarded her with a groan of approval. And when she threaded her fingers through the silken strands of his hair, his groan deepened, reverberating through her.

He broke the kiss, his breathing rough, then reached for her shirt. He slipped it off her shoulders, trapping her arms at her sides, finally revealing her to his hungry gaze.

Thank goodness she wore a lacy bra and panties when she wasn’t on duty or else this would be a lot more awkward, she thought, unable to suppress a smile.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Just thinking it’s a good thing I wore something sexy,” she said, being completely honest.

He fingered the lacy fabric of her bra with roughened fingers. “That you did,” he said as he drew one fingertip down her abdomen, stopping at her navel.

He leaned in, breathed deep, and pressed a hot kiss to her stomach. Her entire body quivered with need as moisture flooded her panties.

“You taste sweet too,” he murmured, leaving her with an aching yearning for him to fill her, hot, hard, and fast.

“Michael,” she murmured, arching her back and lifting her hips in an effort to tell him what she needed.

“Soon.” The gruff word was a definite promise.

Suddenly the sound of a phone ringing interrupted the heated moment. “That’s mine,” she said, unable to hide her disappointment.

“Don’t move.” He reached behind her and pulled out the cell phone she’d tucked in her pants pocket and handed it to her.

She glanced at the screen. “It’s the station,” she said to Mike, surprised she’d be called now when she was off duty. She freed her hands, hit a button and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Cara, it’s Andy, the night dispatcher. I thought you’d want to know a call came in from your parents’ neighbors.”

All the warmth in Cara’s body dissipated, and a chill took over. “What did they say?”

“They reported shouting and the sound of something hitting the walls. I sent a car to check it out,” Andy said.

She nodded, feeling Mike’s concerned gaze, knowing he’d been standing so close he’d heard every word the dispatcher uttered.

“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll meet the car over there.” She disconnected the call.

Nauseated and embarrassed, she couldn’t look Mike in the eye. “Sorry. Gotta go,” she said, pushing herself off the counter as she hopped to the floor.

“I’ll go with you.” She heard the steel in his voice and knew it wasn’t an offer.

“No!” She jerked her head toward him. “I mean, no thanks. There’s no need.” She didn’t want him to see her father at his drunken worst. Bad enough he could read the report later and feel sorry for her.

Four

From the determined look on Cara’s face, Mike knew
better than to offer to drive or go with her on the call. He knew embarrassment when he saw it, and Cara didn’t want him to witness her parents’ issues. Too bad. She might be a tough thing when it came to the job, but she had her vulnerabilities and he’d seen those tonight when she’d talked about the woman at Havensbridge. She might not want him there, but she needed him.

He waited until she’d buttoned her blouse and practically run out the door before grabbing the keys to his truck and heading out. At the very least, the cold night air and the drive to her parents’ place would give him time to cool down. He was still erect from their encounter. When he inhaled, he could smell the luscious scent of her body and remember the feel of her soft skin as he breathed her in deep.

He drove with the window open, the rush of cold air blasting him and tamping down on the heat still flushing him from the inside. By the time he pulled up to the garden apartment complex address he’d gotten from dispatch, his
officers were back by their car, one talking to Cara, the other writing up the incident.

She watched Mike climb out of his truck, a scowl on her pretty face.
What the hell are you doing here?
He could hear her thoughts as if she were broadcasting them out loud, but because he was her superior and there were other officers present, she held back and he admired her restraint. Found it sexy, even as he had no doubt she’d let him have it in private.

“Hey, Chief,” Rob Sumter said.

Mike nodded.

“Any arrests?” he asked, not meeting Cara’s gaze. He didn’t have to. Her glare bore holes right through him.

Rob shook his head. “Mrs. Hartley declined to press charges,” he said, without looking at Cara. “We’ll just write up the incident so it’s on record.”

“Thanks, Rob.”

The other man inclined his head and joined his partner in their squad car. A few silent minutes later, they drove away, leaving Mike and Cara where they’d started. Alone.

“I thought I told you not to come.” Cara’s eyes flashed angry fire.

“Since when do I do what I’m told?” he asked, stepping closer.

He didn’t miss the shiver that rippled through her. Unable to stop himself, he pulled her close. “What happened?”

Stiff at first, she surprised him, letting herself relax into his embrace. “My father was drunk and started ranting at my mother. Apparently he threw dishes at the wall, and the neighbors didn’t appreciate the noise. That and they were worried for my mother’s safety.”

“Is she okay?”

Cara shrugged. “According to Rob.”

Mike paused. “You didn’t talk to her?”

She shook her head, still burrowing into him. “I can’t. I’ve told her I won’t see her again unless she leaves him.”

Mike was considering his reply carefully when without warning, Cara pulled out of his grasp. “I need to go.”

“Wait,” Mike said. It wasn’t a request. He’d laid down the order like he expected her to follow. He wasn’t sure if she’d listen, but he was determined to try. He didn’t dig into why it was so important she not run off alone right now.

She turned back to face him. “What?” Her teeth chattered and she wrapped her arms around herself for warmth.

“Where’s your jacket?”

She blinked at him, startled. “In my Jeep. Is that what you wanted to know?”

He stifled a laugh. “No.” He shrugged his leather jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” she asked, digging in her heels, literally refusing to walk another step.

“You’re freezing and upset. We’re going to get a cup of coffee and talk, and then you can get in your car and drive home.”

“Bossy,” she muttered, as she pulled his jacket tighter around herself for warmth.

Okay, so she wasn’t bolting, and relief gripped him. He grabbed her hand and led her down the street from where her parents lived, then around the corner to Lynette’s. The small diner on the corner was a favorite of locals and cops assigned here.

He opened the door, allowing her to step ahead of him inside. At this hour it was fairly empty, and they walked to the back, slipping into a booth. Instead of sitting across the table, Mike slid in right beside her, intentionally crowding into her personal space.

“What are you doing?” she asked, still defensive, probably from embarrassment.

He couldn’t hold back a grin. “Using you for body heat.”

She shot him a disbelieving stare.

“What? You have my jacket and it’s January, remember?” That and he just wanted to be close to her.

He hadn’t gotten over the heat they’d generated in his apartment, and though he wouldn’t make a sexual overture when she was vulnerable, he still wanted her. And his body demanded he stay close. A part of him he didn’t recognize wanted to take care of her now that she was upset, but again he refused to look at that too closely.