Teased to Death (Misty Newman 1) (24 page)

I raised my bottle in the air with a flourish. "To my beautiful baby sister. She's going to make one heck of a lawyer." The room started to spin, and I shut my eyes for a second.

My best friend frowned. "You can't be drunk yet. There's no way."

I suppressed a laugh. "I'm feeling pretty good."

Josie leaned toward Ellen. "She's such a lightweight."

"Puh-leeze." I raised my bottle in the air again. "Another toast. To my new life." I clinked my bottle with their beverages and then downed the rest of my beer in a flash.

"I will definitely drink to that." Josie grinned. "And how good it is to have you back."

"And to the most fabulous cookie designer in the world. My dearest friend Joshie. Er-Josie." I was having difficulty locating my tongue.

She sighed and pushed her beer aside. "Looks like I just became designated driver."

I reached for another beer and snorted, unladylike, into the bottle. "Hey, I should go play some pool and see if I can pick up a biker or two. Maybe I'll take both home with me."

I expected Josie to crack up, but she remained silent, fixated on something behind me. I whirled around too quickly and slid off my lacquered chair onto the floor. Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing to gawk. Embarrassed, I tried to stand. A pair of strong, muscular arms lifted me in a single swoop. Confused, I found myself looking directly into a pair of midnight-blue eyes I would have known anywhere. They belonged to my ex-boyfriend Mike Donovan.

He gazed at me, a playful smile on his lips. "Nice move."

Annoyed, I pushed his hands away and stumbled back into my chair. "Yes, nice to see you too." I touched the back of my head gingerly.

"Are you all right?" Josie asked, concern in her eyes.

"I'll be fine." I hoped I sounded more convincing than I felt. Seeing Mike had sobered me up in a hurry.

He stood there, hands in his jeans pockets, eyes wandering over me. My breath caught in my throat.
What does he want?

He nodded to Josie and Ellen. "Ladies."

"How's it going, Mike?" Josie asked.

He grinned at her. "Hey, Mrs. Sullivan. How's the new baby? What's that make, a dozen now?"

She smirked. "Wiseass. No, number four."

They all seemed to be waiting for me to add something to the conversation, but I continued to sit there in silence. I didn't know what to say or how to react. My stomach twisted into a giant pretzel as I looked at him.

Josie cleared her throat. "Would you like to join us?"

"No, thanks." Mike's eyes searched mine.

Ellen spoke up. "Um, I've got to be going. Early day at the hospital tomorrow. I'll see you guys later." She moved with the speed and agility of lightning.

Josie rose. "I'll go get some ice for your head. Be right back." She glanced at me with a question in her eyes. I got her unspoken message and gave her a halfhearted wave, indicating I'd be fine with Mike. I wasn't sure if the sudden queasiness in my stomach was from the beer or seeing him. Probably both.

Mike and I had dated for the last two years of high school. He'd been my first serious boyfriend, my first love. He had been my first everything until the night of the senior prom when I'd found him in the backseat of Brenda Snyder's Buick.

When I decided to leave Florida after the divorce and return to my hometown, I had known this day would come eventually. In such a small town, I was bound to run into Mike sooner or later. I wished it had been much later though.

"Well, that wasn't awkward." Mike watched me. "Mind if I sit down?"

I gestured toward Gianna's discarded chair. As he sat, my eyes did some wandering of their own. I hated to admit it, but he'd grown better looking in the eight or nine years since I'd last seen him, and that had been at a respectable distance. Not that he'd ever been a slouch in that department. His black hair curled slightly over the nape of his neck, and he still sported his usual five o'clock shadow. He'd always hated shaving and done it as little as possible. The look worked well with his rugged, tanned face.

Mike was no longer the skinny boy I'd dated in high school, but a muscled and powerful-looking man. Josie casually mentioned once that she'd seen him running a marathon. I hoped it helped him blow off steam. In our two years of dating, we'd had several fights caused by his jealous and insecure ways.

A tingle ran through my body, and I hated myself for it.

"I heard you were back in town." He lowered his voice. "You look terrific. How've you been?"

"I'm fine. And you?"

"Never better." His gaze didn't waver from my face.

The room was growing warmer, and perspiration started to collect on my forehead. Perhaps the air-conditioning had stopped working, but more than likely it was from my extreme discomfort. I glanced away, embarrassed.

Mike edged the chair a little closer to me, scraping it on the floor.

Panicked, I tried to move mine backward and, in the process, hit my head on the wall. "Ouch."

His face broke out into a huge grin. "Still a bit klutzy, I see. You haven't run over anybody's foot lately, have you?"

I bristled at the comment. "Why'd you have to bring that up? You know how upset I was after it happened."

Mike had always been a conscientious driver, unlike me. One time we'd had an argument, and I'd taken off in my usual, impatient huff. I'd accidentally hit him with my car as he ran beside it, trying to stop me. He'd broken his foot, and I'd been hysterical. Fortunately, he forgave me, and we'd experienced a great make-up session afterward. Heat rose through my face as I remembered the intimate details.

"I was sorry to hear about your divorce. It must have been rough on you."

I shrugged. "It's over with, and I'm fine. Thanks for your concern though."

His face fell, and I knew my tone conveyed sarcasm, which hadn't been my intention. So many emotions ran through my head as I stared at this man. In the past ten years, I'd thought of him often. Too often.

"Sal, you never gave me a chance to explain."

I took another sip of beer. "Please, Mike. It was a long time ago. I don't want to get into this now."

"I was drunk that night. I didn't know what I was doing."

I blew out a sigh. "Leave it in the past, okay? Ancient history."

"I never did anything, I swear. She kissed me. I always—"

I dropped my empty beer bottle on the table and stood, albeit shakily. "Nice seeing you. Excuse me. I have to get up early." I started toward the door. Why was he doing this to me? Here I was trying to make a new life for myself, but the old one kept haunting me.

Mike caught my arm as I tried to move past him. His expression changed from forlorn to annoyance in a split second. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Furious at his tone, I spun around to face him. I moved a little too fast and almost lost my balance. His strong arm steadied me, and I stared into his eyes. Their beauty had always managed to hypnotize me. They were still breathtaking but had hardened, perhaps from a life too full of pain and devoid of happiness. Similar to mine the last couple of years.

I hadn't known it would hurt this much to see him again. "Please let me go."

Mike said something inaudible under his breath. Even in my inebriated state, I knew he was becoming irritated as his tanned face turned the color of flame. He released his grip on my arm and stood there motionless, hands on hips, continuing to watch me. "You haven't changed a bit. Stubborn and pigheaded, as always."

I desperately tried to clear my foggy head. "Did you just call me a pig? That's extremely rude."

His mouth twisted upward in a smile. "You're sloshed. Does it still only take two beers?"

I tossed my head and held up three fingers. "I beg your pardon. For your information, I had this many."

Mike gave a low whistle. "Wow. A new record for you."

Is he making fun of me?
I couldn't tell
. And why is the floor on the ceiling?
Again, I started for the exit.

"You're not driving, girl," Josie yelled. "Let me pay the bill, and I'll be right there."

Ignoring her, I pushed through the door and stood on the front steps, inhaling the warm, sticky air with several gulps. My head throbbed, and my stomach was starting to do flip-flops. Suddenly my arm was grabbed from behind, and I whirled around. Mike.

"Sal, talk to me. I'm not the monster you think I am."

I didn't want to dredge up our history again. Maybe my biggest fear was that I might have always been wrong about that night. It was no secret how much Brenda had wanted him. She'd possessed stalker tendencies where Mike was concerned and a reputation that preceded her. Heck, she wasn't called Backseat Brenda for nothing.

I yanked my arm free and pushed at his chest, but couldn't budge him an inch. He was over two hundred pounds of solid muscle. He smirked at my futile attempt, and this infuriated me. Was I some kind of warped entertainment for him? Furious, I reached up to smack him across the face.

In a single motion, he captured my fingers and held them against his chest. His heart drummed rapidly beneath my hand. He placed his other arm around my back, pulling me toward him. Again, I stared into those deep-set eyes and was lost. Mike didn't hesitate as he pressed his soft lips against mine. I closed my eyes and, for a few split seconds, let myself enjoy the tender kiss. It was so natural to be in his powerful arms again, safe and protected. Two words I'd learned to live without.

I quickly came to my senses and struggled to free myself from his grip. Mike released me without protest, but didn't move away.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" I grabbed my stomach in sudden pain.

Mike didn't reply as he reached a hand up to stroke my hair. I immediately swatted it away.

Then I threw up all over his shoes.

TASTES LIKE MURDER

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