snorted. “Explain how I was patronizing.” He sounded genuinely perplexed, and maybe even irritated.
She smiled sadly. “Okay, so maybe you are just being a nice guy. A friend. But honestly, you don’t need to soothe my wounded ego, okay? I’m a big girl. Dennis is a creep, and I’ll get over this.” Amazing how saying his name managed to slice through her. She didn’t love him. That truth had slowly revealed itself to her over the past couple of weeks, and then come to a head tonight. But his betrayal still hurt. Did he have no respect for her at all? Why hadn’t she seen that?
If she weren’t so exhausted, she probably would’ve had the good sense to have already changed out of this ridiculous outfit and sneaked back home and into her room before anyone knew she’d left. Glancing down at the skimpy black teddy, she winced. No matter what she’d thought, this had never been a good idea. As a cocky high school jock, Mitch had been out of her league even before he’d left town.
Since then, he’d worked as a personal trainer to the rich and famous, a bodyguard for a gorgeous TV star, and last Kate heard he’d gotten his pilot’s license and now flew a private plane for a rich developer in Miami. She’d bet her brand-new SUV that the man had a beautiful young daughter who’d begged daddy to hire Mitch. He was simply one of those guys who women found charming, and no matter what, he’d always landed on his feet. And Kate was, both literally and proverbially, simply the girl next door.
Catching him off guard, she quickly pushed off his lap. Being cradled against him felt far too good, and even though she’d managed to keep the tears at bay, she didn’t trust herself to remain composed.
“Kate.” He caught her hand.
She stood there, wondering where she’d dumped her clothes, feeling terribly exposed. “Would you turn around, please?”
“Nope.”
She turned to glare at him. “Mitch.”
His gaze ran down the front of her, and she instinctively jerked her hand away and folded her arms over her chest. He cupped her waist and drew her closer. Then using one finger, he lightly stroked the upper curves of her breasts, where they plumped above the black lace and protection of her crossed arms.
She froze, barely able to breathe.
“You’ve turned into a beautiful woman, Kate. A very desirable woman. Don’t think for one moment I wouldn’t want you lying beneath me. But I’d be a bigger jerk than Dennis if I took advantage of you now.” He lowered his hand, his gaze touching the tops of her breasts before meeting her eyes.
For a second, she had trouble finding her voice. The way he looked at her, she could almost believe that he found her desirable. Almost. “Like I said, you’re a nice guy.” To her astonishment, her eyes started to burn. Damn him. She’d been holding it together. She spun away from him, furtively swiping at an errant tear. “My clothes…I don’t know where I left them….”
“Ah, Katie.” He scooped her up from behind and carried her back to the bed. The gentle way he handled her renewed the threat of tears. She did her best to hide her face as he laid her down on the sheets. “Move over.”
She felt like a big clumsy oaf trying to scoot her fanny to the other side, where the bed had been pushed up against the wall. He tucked the quilt around her body, and then sat at the edge of the mattress and pulled off his boots. Leaving on his clothes, he stretched out beside her on the small bed. He didn’t try crawling under the sheets or the quilt, but punched the pillow under his head before giving her another look.
“You okay?”
She nodded, sincerely hoping her nose wasn’t too horribly red. “This bed is too small for you as it is. I shouldn’t—”
“Come here.” He shifted, so that he could slip his arm under her neck and around her shoulders. He brought her close enough that she could lay her cheek on his chest. “Are you more comfortable?”
She hesitated, and then curled tentatively toward him.
“Are you sure you—”
He reached to switch off the lamp and then picked up her arm and put it in a more comfy position around his waist. Giving her shoulders a light squeeze, he said, “I’m sure.”
She smiled wryly. “You don’t know what I was going to say.”
“I figured you were going to tell me about that crush you had on me.”
She gave a startled laugh and lifted her head. Moonlight washed in through the parted curtains and illuminated the amusement in his face. “What?”
He lightly kissed her hair and urged her to lie back down. “Let’s see, how did you put it? You thought the sun rose and set on my ass.”
“You’re awful to bring that up. My admission was made in the heat of the moment. Besides, I was twelve.”
“I’m fascinated because I had no idea.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
Kate laughed. “I thought I was so pathetically obvious.”
“Nope. You were such a tomboy, I figured you were just trying to keep up with Joe, Clint and me.”
“Jeez. All that angst for nothing.”
“So let me get this straight. You only had the hots for me when you were twelve and then it just disappeared?”
“Shut up.”
Mitch chuckled. “I like the idea of being the coveted older man.”
“As if you didn’t have enough girls chasing after you. If I recall, the entire cheerleading squad drew straws to see who you and Clint would take to the prom.”
“Right.”
Along with the sarcasm, she thought she detected a hint of embarrassment in his voice, and she grinned. “Besides, I got over you by the time I went to college.”
“Cast aside for those college hunks, huh?”
“I rarely saw you anymore.”
The sudden tension radiating from his body put her on alert. Although the Colters never confided disappointment in their son’s frequent absences, it had to be an issue. She was sorry to have brought it up.
They lay there in silence until she wondered if he’d fallen asleep. As exhausted as she was, she was suddenly keyed up. The mere act of lying here with Mitch was so surreal it was impossible to relax. Plus, she was wearing a teddy, for heaven’s sake.
Darn it, why did she have to remember that? It shouldn’t matter. The thick quilt was quite an effective barrier between them. The thought of the sheer black lace that did nothing to hide her breasts made her squirm anyway. This was so not her style.
He lightly squeezed her shoulders. “I thought you were asleep,” he whispered.
“I thought you were.”
“We both should be.”
