Page 50 of Wasted On You

“What’s that?” Jacob asked, eyes glued to the car seat. The baby was hardly visible, with a pink fuzzy hat that practically smothered her.

“It’s not a what. It’s a who.” Mike Paul fixed the hat, then grabbed his keys off the hook by the door. He activated the remote start for his truck. “She’s my niece, and she’s pretty new.” He glanced at the pizza box, then made an executive decision. “I’ve got to watch her for a couple of hours, so she’ll be coming with us.”

“Us?” Jacob’s head shot up. “Where are we going?”

“Family dinner with friends.”

“I don’t do family dinners.” Churlish, the kid dug in and shook his head.

“You’re going to do this one.” Mike Paul nodded toward the young man’s jacket and boots. “Non-negotiable.”

He waited—thought that maybe he’d get some pushback—but was surprised when Jacob gave an exaggerated sigh and walked over to his boots. While the boy got dressed for outdoors, Mike Paul slipped into his leather jacket, double checked to make sure Belinda was secure in her baby carrier, then nodded toward the kitchen where the trays Arlene had brought the day before sat.

“Grab those will ya?”

“Anything else, captain?”

Mike Paul smiled to himself. “That should do it.”

The three of them headed off into the early winter evening. A man. A baby. And a surly teen.

Not exactly the Saturday night he’d been expecting, but Mike Paul was okay with that. He still had plans to execute. It was time to ramp things up. The clock was ticking, after all, and he wasn’t above using a little extra sugar to get what he wanted.

Maybe a cute baby was the perfect way to level up.

Chapter14

Colored lights twinkled,draping the Sundowner’s windows and doors in festive red and green cheer. With fresh snow falling, a reindeer on top of the roof, and a large snowman beside the entrance, the place looked about as holidayed up as a bar could ever be.

Ivy inhaled the fresh smell of winter and took a few moments to appreciate it all. There was something about this time of year in Montana that was magical, and it never failed to impress. She smoothed out her hair and picked her way through the shoveled path that cut through ankle-high snow. She was late and had no one to blame but herself.

She’d spent far too much time on her hair and makeup, and then,God, she must have tried on ten different outfits. Maybe fifteen. All for nothing because the first one had been the winner.

And why had she wasted all that time? She could tell herself it was because of the party—more to the point, aChristmas party, so folks would be dressed up. Jeans and a sweater wouldn’t cut it. Or she could pretend that she’d been bored with casual dressing and needed a pop of something more. Maybe it was because shewantedto wear a dress. But none of that was true, and she was a big enough girl to admit it.

She’d spent hours getting ready. Heck, she’d even shaved her legs and used one of those mud masks she’d found in Millie Sue’s bathroom. It was supposed to make her face glow. She’d pulled out the good makeup, the expensive stuff she hardly ever used, then grabbed the perfume she only hauled out on special occasions. She’d dabbed it behind her ears, between her breasts, and even on the backs of her legs.

All because she knew Mike Paul would be there. As if he was a scent guy.As if she’d let him get close enough to appreciate the intimate notes of vanilla and lavender.

Whatever the reason, at some point, a girl had to accept that there was no use in trying to avoid her kryptonite. Mike Paul would always be there in some form or fashion, and she’d rather be at her best when they interacted because being at her best was the only kind of armor she had. And if that meant the smoky eye effect and a dress that was so damn tight she had problems walking up the stairs, then so be it.

She would ignore the fact that she’d fantasized about him and all the sex they’d had that one night. Of how his mouth was like a little taste of heaven that lingered. Of how big his hands were, the fingers nimble and inquisitive in the best way possible. She sure as hell wouldn’t think about the fact that the three orgasms she’d managed to pull off with those fantasies flooding her mind had been the best orgasms she’d had since…well, since she’d gotten busy with the real deal.

God, her lady parts still tingled at the thought, and with a hot blush, she exhaled and hopped onto the bottom step that led to the entrance. Maybe she needed to get laid. Maybe she needed to tell Kip their arrangement needed some spice. She could do the friends-with-benefit thing.Maybe.

She grabbed the railing and glared at the steps as she hopped up a couple more, cursing the material that stretched tight over her hips and thighs.

Get your shit together, Wilkens.

She heard voices and music. The voices weren’t loud, and the music was low for a few reasons. One, the invite-only gathering was limited to a close circle of friends. And two, no longer in their twenties (for the most part), their friends had kids, and those kids were generally included. Heck, she’d heard that Santa had made it to the last few parties with treats for the next generation.

We’ve all grown up, she thought, finally reaching for the door. She hesitated and shored up some of that resolve she’d looked for earlier, then with a gut full of butterflies she wished would just fly away already, Ivy stared at the door for a couple more seconds and pushed in.

She stamped snow from her black booties and glanced up. The first thing she saw had her insides turning hot, then cold, and then back to hot. Ivy glanced back at the door. She could leave. No one had seen her yet. She considered the notion for all of two seconds, but then something curious happened. Something unexpected and, she couldn’t lie, more than a little worrisome. A yearning, a feeling she’d never felt before, hit her square in the chest and knocked the breath out of her.

With a gasp, she stepped back and leaned against the door while she struggled to control it and sort herself out.

What in the actual fuck.

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