Page 46 of Wasted On You

His question surprised her. It caught her off guard, and she didn’t know how to answer it. She liked her job a lot. Loved the hustle and bustle and problem solving. But there was a lot of downtime, and with nothing else of substance in her life, it got lonely.

“Cal and the boys and my other clients keep things interesting.” She reached for the door and was having a hard time with the handle when Mike Paul leaned over and clicked it open.

Her breath caught as her body filled up with zigs and zags that ricocheted all over the damn place. What the hell? He was too warm. Too male.His mouth was inches from hers.

She gave herself a mental shake. Ordered herself not to stare at his lips. That was a hard one because all she could picture was his mouth trailing kisses down her stomach, his hands on her knees, opening her up to him.God, get a hold of yourself.

With a shudder, she jumped outside, turned, and was about to close the door when he spoke.

“Are you going to the Sundowner on Saturday?”

“For what?” She frowned.

“Friends Christmas?”

“Oh. That’s this weekend.” Millie Sue generally hosted a gathering of friends before the craziness of Christmas made it impossible to see everyone. She closed down her bar, and it was invite only. Ivy had missed so many that she’d forgotten.

“You going?”

“I think so.” She took a step back.

A lazy, slow smile spread over Mike Paul’s face as he put the truck in reverse. “Good. I’ll see you there.”

She closed the door and stood to the side as he backed out of her driveway and drove toward the Martin farm. Knowing him, he’d be on the clock for at least two more hours. Maybe more.

That was dedication.

That was love.

Ivy headed inside. She was cold and tired and hungry and more than a little grumpy. Generally, leftover pizza and a glass of red wine in front of the television was enough to do the trick.

But tonight, she felt like something was missing. And it wasn’t her fiancé. Fake or not. She fingered her cell phone and wondered what time it was in Japan, then realized Kip was probably still in the air. She had no one else to talk to about Mike Paul because she didn’t want to put Millie Sue, and Cal in the middle. She thought of Ollie—he was always down to lend an ear—but decided she didn’t have the energy. Maybe tomorrow.

She grabbed a cold slice from the fridge and sat on the edge of the sofa. She wasn’t used to feeling like this. Out of sorts. Glum. Angry.

But at what? Mike Paul for making today an amazing experience, even though he was the one man on the planet who drove her batshit crazy? Or for allowing herself to enjoy him when she knew it was a bad idea. He was hardwired to be a bachelor. Everyone knew it.

And then there was Val and all that history that got in the way. How could he have been with her after everything she’d done to Ivy?

Maybe he doesn’t know.

With a groan, she slid onto the sofa and searched for the bloodiest, grossest serial killer documentary she could find. Anything to quash the hot and heavy fuzzies bouncing around inside her. But it was no use. All she could think about was how thick Mike Paul’s lashes were. How good he smelled. How his eyes changed color when he smiled.

How close his mouth had been to hers.

And that made her think about the kissing and the touching and how good he’d felt inside her. That one night with him had been the best sex she’d ever had.

It still haunted her. Or rather, taunted because it wasn’t fair.

Wired, horny, and about as unfulfilled as she’d ever been, Ivy sank back and closed her eyes. She let the memory of that night with Mike Paul slip over her like an old friend. She undid her jeans, and as her hands crept between her legs, she finally let go.

She surrendered to the darkness and said to hell with regret.

Chapter13

It wasFriday and Mike Paul was in a good mood. Had been all week. Heck, even his mother couldn’t shake him out of it. She’d stopped by the office the night before—had used the excuse of wanting to make sure he had all the family Christmas dates in order—but he’d seen through it. She’d been hankering for a sit down since the bachelor auction the week before.

Melody Darlington wanted the skinny on how his so-called date had gone with Ivy because she was concerned. He got that. She was his mama, after all. And because she was his mama, he tossed her a bone to keep her happy. Then kept the conversation short and sweet, just like he liked them.

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