Dangerous Curves Ahead: A Perfect Fit Novel (27 page)

They?

Home?

Ask Mike how he feels?

Why bother? As much as she valued his opinion, this store was her baby and her dream. This was her life, and she’d vowed never to let another man have a say in how she lived it.

The bell over the front door sounded. Ellis paid little attention to it as she tidied her work space, thinking one of the girls had forgotten something. She yawned, trying to stretch the exhaustion from her bones. All she wanted to do when she got home was eat, take a hot shower, and fall into bed, preferably with Mike. He’d waited for her to get home every day this week. Sitting on her doorstep, smiling when she pulled in. Every night they went to bed together. Every morning they woke up in each other’s arms. And every day part of her wondered when the time would come when he wasn’t waiting for her to come home.

“Smelly Ellie?” Dina called from the front of the shop.

Ellis startled.
Dina?
Her sister had only been to the shop once before it opened. She was the last person Ellis expected to visit, the person she had been hoping to avoid. Mike had asked her to tell Dina about them. She hadn’t yet. She was afraid. Afraid that Dina would blow up, would hold a grudge, would sever ties. They were getting close again. Mike Edwards had come between them once. She couldn’t bear for it to happen again.

“I’m in here, Dee.”

Dina sauntered in in a pair of skintight leather pants, motorcycle boots, and a gray leather jacket. She was absolutely gorgeous with her mane of auburn hair flowing behind her.

“Going to a biker bar, dearest sister?”

“Concert in Albany. I just wanted to swing by the ’rents’ house first. I’m a little short on funds this month.”

Dina was always a little short on funds but Ellis held her tongue. It was none of her business if her parents wanted to give their thirty-four-year-old daughter money every other week. Ellis had her own issues to deal with.

“So,” Ellis said, changing the subject. “I heard you have a new boyfriend.”

Dina shrugged. “Yeah, he’s out in the car. We finally ditched the kid tonight. Hey, I like kids as much as the next person but this one is so needy. He won’t even go to bed without Vigo tucking him in. He needs to grow up already.”

Now, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?

Ellis suppressed an eye roll. “Isn’t he five?”

“Yeah, but he’s messing up my mojo. It’s hard to get intimate with a guy when he’s always worried about his kid.”

The guy actually cared about his kid. Maybe he wasn’t so bad. And listening to Dina talk about him he seemed … nice. Maybe it wasn’t the guys Dina choose. Maybe it was Dina.

“You should probably make an effort to get to know his child, Dina. Mom said you were serious about him.”

Dina gave a long sigh. “I was wrong. He’s nice but he lives in a basement apartment. And honestly he doesn’t ring my bell if you know what I mean. Now, Detective Mike…” She sighed. “He had it all—a good job, no kids, no criminal record. I wonder what he’s up to.”

Ellis said nothing, afraid she might give herself away. Mike was right, she should tell Dina and let the consequences be what they were.

Tell her now!

I can’t.

Chickenshit.

“I know. I know.” Dina put her hands up in defense. “I need to move forward, not look back. I need to make choices for the me I am now, the me I think I should be.”

“Your therapist is good, Dee. Worth every dime.”

“He is.” She leaned forward and pecked Ellis’s cheek. “I gotta go. Call me later. We’ll have a girls’ night in.”

“Okay,” Ellis agreed, feeling guilty. They hadn’t had a girls’ night in years. They hadn’t acted like sisters in years. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Dina left. Soon Ellis heard the door again. This time Mike appeared, scaring her half to death. Immediately she wondered if he had seen Dina.

“What the hell are you trying to do to me, Edwards? Give me a heart attack?”

“Sorry.” He grinned, leaning his tall frame against the door and studying her.

She studied him, too, taking note of how good he looked in his dark suit, how his dark hair curled around his ears.

“You’re here late tonight,” he said after a moment. And even though there was no censure in his voice, her guard went up.

Toward the end Jack started wanting to know her whereabouts. He wanted times, and names of people she was with. He wanted details. Ellis balked at being controlled. The arguing started. Jack’s criticisms grew harsher.

“Did you expect me to call you?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I just worry about you after the robbery. I don’t like it when you’re alone in the store.”

“Oh.” She was at a loss for words. He wasn’t Jack. She needed to stop expecting Mike to act like him. She needed to stop waiting for him to hurt her. “Do you know what’s going on with my case?”

He closed the gap between them and stroked her cheek with his thumb. The bruise was long gone but the memory of that day stayed with her. She could still see her attacker’s face, smell his overpowering cologne, feel the bite of his ring as it slashed her skin.

“They have nothing. I’m sorry.” Mike sighed in frustration. “I thought he would have hit again but he’s not as stupid as we hoped. I wish I was on the case. I don’t like that the bastard’s still out there.”

“You shouldn’t have kissed me that day. You’d be on the case right now.”

“I had to kiss you.” He shrugged and then gave her a little grin. “These are for you.” He pulled a set of keys out of his jacket.

She stared at the shiny silver objects. “What…”

“The first one is to my front door. The second is my mailbox key.”

She looked up at him.

UH-OH.

She wasn’t prepared for this. Exchanging keys was a big step, one she wasn’t sure they were ready for. “These are … for me?”

“No, they’re for your parents so they can walk in on us again.” He looked at her as if she were insane. “Of course they’re for you!”

“I—I just wasn’t expecting them.”

“No shit.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her into him, boring his beautiful eyes into hers. “I don’t want you doubting us. Okay? This isn’t a fling. This is real for me.”

She fiddled with his tie, unable to look in his eyes any longer. The playboy was trying his hand at settling down and she wanted to believe it. Wanted to. She swallowed the golf-ball-sized lump in her throat. “I suppose you want a set of my keys, too?”

He nodded. “It’s starting to get cold outside and I rather not freeze my ass off waiting for you to get home.”

She rubbed against him. “But it’s so much fun warming you up.”

“Don’t tempt me.” He kissed her brow and set her away from him. “If you don’t want to give me your keys right now it’s okay, but when you’re ready to…”

She nodded, not at all sure if she was making the right decision. “You can have the key I wrestled from my mother’s hand.”

“Good. Now get your purse and let’s get out of here. I’m taking you out for dinner.”

*   *   *

Mike watched Ellis from his seat on the couch. She was across the room with Belinda and Cherri, all three of them laughing at something. She was so different around her friends, so unguarded. He could see it in the way she threw her head back and laughed, the way she openly smiled at her friends. Things weren’t always like this between them. She seemed surprised every time she came home and found him there. It made him feel like she waiting for him to screw up.

She didn’t trust him. It wouldn’t have bugged him so much if he didn’t care about her. But he did. And there were times when he caught her looking at him, when her expression was soft and her shield down, that he thought she might be in love with him. He wasn’t sure how he would handle it if she told him that. Women had told him that they loved him before. He was horrified the first time he heard it, wondering how the hell somebody could love him after such a short time. He wasn’t looking to be loved by those women, but if Ellis loved him … it wouldn’t be so bad if she loved him. He might like to be loved by her.

“Are you afraid she’s going to vanish if you take your eyes off her?”

Colin sat beside him on Ellis’s couch. It was Sunday, one of those rare days when they all had time off from work. Ellis had invited them over for dinner. They had drinks, played cards, talked for hours. It was comfortable. It wasn’t his usual nightclubs and drunken nights but after years of that lifestyle Mike kind of liked this better.

“She looks good in green,” he said, acknowledging his friend’s comment.

“I’m guessing you’d say the same thing if she wore blue, orange, or yellow.”

Mike shrugged. “What’s your point?”

“You’re more pleasant when you’re getting some.” He glanced at Mike before returning his gaze to the television. “You’re not such a cranky arsehole.”

“Fuck you,” Mike said without heat. He liked this whole relationship thing.

“You think you can bear to be away from your sweetheart for a few days? Your birthday is coming up.”

Mike raised a curious brow. “No Vegas. I left two thousand dollars, the contents of my stomach, and half my brain there last time we went.”

Colin flashed him a wide grin. “I know,” he sighed. “I stank of tequila for two weeks afterward. But that’s not where I was thinking. A client of mine has a skybox in Pittsburgh. He was so pleased with the slot machine I restored that he gave me the box seats as a tip. Wanna go?”

Mike thought for a moment. It had been a long time since he and Colin had taken a trip. It was their tradition, but for the past few years it had been forgotten. “Ellis, can you come here for a second?”

She crossed the room, a slight smile on her face. She looked pretty with her hair around her shoulders and the sweater hugging her curves. He pulled her into his lap. She let out a squeak but quickly settled, looping her arms around his neck.

“You must want something.” She gave him a naughty grin. “Which means I get something in return.” She looked at Colin. “What do you think I should ask for, Colin? An all-day trip to the Garment District? Oh! How about to the outlets?”

“Too small, love. Go bigger. I’m thinking diamonds.”

“Tennis bracelet? Studs?” She shook her head. “We’ll negotiate after you tell me what you want.”

“There’s a football game in Pittsburgh that I would like to go to.”

“Go. Have fun. You don’t have to ask my permission.”

He was a little disappointed that she acquiesced so quickly. “It’s next weekend.”

“Okay.” She blinked at him.

“That’s my birthday weekend.”

“I know. I’ll just have to give your very special birthday present to somebody else.” She got off his lap and lightly deposited herself on Colin’s. She hugged his best friend, rubbing her nose against his cheek, teasing Mike with her naughty smile and gold-flecked eyes.

“How would you like Mike’s present, Colin?”

Before Colin got the chance to respond, Mike tugged Ellis off him.

“What?” She feigned innocence. “I got you some thick socks. It gets cold here.” She kissed his cheek. “Your birthday is on a Monday. We can celebrate when you get back.”

“You sure?”

She nodded and he almost believed her. But there was something off about her lately. There were things she was keeping from him. He would have to talk to her when everybody left. “I’m sure. Now let me go. I’ve got warm chocolate brownies and ice cream waiting. I’ll bring you some.”

They watched her walk away. Colin let out a low whistle. “Damn it, Edwards. Now I get why you’re nuts about her.” He watched her hips sway. “I’d…”

Mike punched his best friend of fifteen years on the leg. Hard. “Watch it, Irish.”

“Ouch! That hurt for fuck’s sake.” Colin rubbed his throbbing thigh. “I was giving you a compliment. I like her.” His eye settled on Cherri for the moment. Mike followed his gaze, seeing her through his friend’s eyes.

Cherri was a beautiful girl with long golden-blond hair that fell to the middle of her back and big bright green eyes. Her lush body was one that would be pleasing to any man. Plus she was sweet, and wholesome, always smiling, always polite. But she was just a girl, not even out of college, and yet Colin’s eyes were feasting on her. It was a look he had never seen from his friend.

“She’s only twenty-one.”

“What?” Colin tore his gaze from Cherri.

“Cherri’s a baby. She’s only twenty-one.”

“She’s my sister’s age. Bloody fucking hell,” Colin cursed softly. “But I talked to her. She never told me she was twenty-one. She doesn’t look twenty-one. She sure as hell doesn’t act it!”

“She’s not your type anyway,” Mike pointed out. Colin liked worldlier women, with grace and elegance. Cherri was none of those things, and while she was sweet she was no match for Colin O’Connell.

“And Ellis is yours?” he said hotly.

Mike didn’t respond, not wanting to get into it with his friend. It seemed Colin had a thing for Cherri, and Mike hoped for all their sakes that he stayed away from her.

*   *   *

Ellis stared at the pan of leftover brownies. She was supposed to be tidying the kitchen but she got distracted. Homemade. Fudgy. Chewy. Orgasmically delicious. All words she would use to describe them. She already had one brownie, a big one, with a side of vanilla ice cream. But she wanted another one.

Throw them out.

DON’T! What’s wrong with you? There are starving children in Darfur.

Then send them the damn brownies.

A pair of strong male arms wrapped around her, distracting her from her nemesis. Warm lips found the back of her neck. She sighed. They were finally alone. With their friends gone their night could finally begin. Falling in bed with him was the best part of her day. It was right up there with sweets, shoes, and clothes.

“What are you doing?”Mike asked her, his voice low and seductive.

“I’m having an argument with myself.”

She stared at the evil brownies. She had no willpower when it came to food or Mike. He was always bringing her sweets. Two days ago it was warm bread pudding. Today he made brownies. But he also took her on long walks. Sometimes he would put on Cuban music and dance with her until they were panting and laughing. Every night he made love to her until she was sweaty, out of breath, and exhausted. She moved more with him than she had her entire life. And there were moments with him when she was happier than she had ever been.