Page 51 of Kiss Me Forever

Mick raised one eyebrow at his presence, then dropped a pile of towels on the chair in front of his desk. "What's up? You look like you just got a call from the IRS."

"I thought you were Andrea. I saw her get out of a car a second ago with some other women. What are they doing here?"

Mick cleared his throat. "Oh, did I mention that I'm starting a woman's self-defense class tonight?"

"No, you didn't."

"Really? I thought I had."

"And you invited Andrea?"

Mick nodded. "When she came to see me the other day. I need the business."

"She wants to quiz you for more information on me."

"Sure," Mick said easily. "But this way I get something out of it, too." He paused as a knock came at the door. "That's probably her. Are you ready?"

He shrugged. He was never really ready to see Andrea.

"Come in," Mick called out.

Andrea walked in with a cheerful smile, her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail on top of her head. She was dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, certainly nothing provocative, but Alex still felt a jangle at the end of every nerve. Unwilling to admit that she was getting to him, he growled at her, "What are you doing here?"

Her smile disappeared. "I'm taking a self-defense class from Mick. Do you have a problem with that?"

"As a matter of fact I do."

"Well, it's not your business," she retorted.

"Hold on," Mick interrupted. "If you two want to go a couple of rounds, I'll get you both some gloves, and we'll do it in the ring, not my office."

"I'm sorry," Andrea muttered, sending Alex a dark look. "He started it."

"You started it when you walked in here," Alex returned.

Mick sighed. "Did you want something Andrea?"

"No. I'll talk to you after class—when you're alone."

"Great," Mick said. "I need to get everyone signed in. I'll see you out there."

As Mick left the office, Alex shifted his feet and fought the urge to grab Andrea and kiss her until he didn't feel restless or needy anymore, but neither of those feelings was going to go away with one kiss.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "What are you really doing here, Andrea? And don't tell me it's about self-defense class."

"It's partly about that, but I also wanted to talk to Mick about you, get some insight into your past."

"You don't need a middleman for that."

"Yes, I do. You get close and then you back away, and I'm getting tired of the dance."

She had a point. He had been playing a game of push-pull, and it wasn't working, because every time he walked away from her, he wanted to go back. He needed to get this story done so he wouldn't have any reason whatsoever to see her.

"What do you want to know now?" he asked. "I thought I answered a lot of your questions this morning."

"Well, I'd really like to know why you lied to me about your parents' car accident."

He sucked in a quick breath. He'd wondered if she'd figure that out. He'd hoped not, but obviously Andrea was not to be underestimated.

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