Page 17 of Fierce-Michael

“A hot caring father. You will do what is right regardless of any history. That’s a big thing that most won’t do.”

“She wanted to repay me with sex,” he said. “How is that for drama?”

“Oh,” she said. “She told you that? Today? With Ty there?”

“She ran her hand down the front of my shirt and played her games like she always does. It’s all fun and childish to her. She’s not being mean. She’s just offering up what she knew I liked before.”

“I’m going to hope you said no?”

“I walked out. I’m not interested. But you need to know that about me just like you wanted me to know things about you.”

“Yeah, I’d say we’ve got some drama between us. And you don’t even know the biggest one I’ve got.”

“There’s more?” he asked. Jesus, he wasn’t sure he could get much deeper than this on one date.

But surprisingly, he wanted to.

6

SUGARCOATING IT

“Come in,” Kelly said when they got back to her place. She wasn’t one to have someone come to her place on a first date, but it’s not like Michael was some stranger in her life.

“This is nice,” he said, looking around.

“It’s small but suits me.”

“I meant the decorations. My place looks like I’ve got a kid in it. We pick up, but there is no hiding things.”

“And you shouldn’t,” she said. “Do you want a beer?”

“If you’ve got one I’ll take another,” he said. He’d only had one with dinner.

She walked to the kitchen and he was still standing. “Have a seat,” she said. “I’m going to have another glass of wine too. Don’t think poorly of me having an open bottle in the fridge. I don’t drink it nightly, but I opened it last night when a friend came over. I’m just finishing it off.”

“I don’t judge,” he said. “Lots of women have a glass a night.”

“They do, but I don’t,” she said. “My friend, who is actually a friend from another building, stopped over unexpectedly. She was alone and having man drama and needed an ear.”

“Do people do that to you often?” he asked.

“Sometimes,” she said. “I think I’m the fun one of my friends so they like to come over and have a good time with me more than anything. I had her laughing and hating on her boyfriend for a few hours and she left in a better frame of mine, leaving her wine with me.”

Jill didn’t really hate her boyfriend but just needed a few moments where she could swear freely and get it off her chest. She hoped she was never as needy as Jill to be mad if the guy she was with wanted to go out with his friends now and again.

“You got something out of it then,” he said.

She brought their drinks over and sat on the couch with him, one leg under her hip, facing him. He was in the corner at an angle too. Her couch wasn’t that big so they weren’t far apart but not in each other’s space either.

“You’re being good not asking what my other drama is,” she said, her head tilted.

“Maybe you don’t want to share it,” he said. “Could be that it slipped with my outstanding personality.”

“God,” she said, letting out a laugh. “Where have you been for years?”

He closed one eye at her and she was coming to adore that move on him. A lock of dark hair fell over this forehead and she had the strongest desire to brush it back.

“I’ve been where I’ve always been but don’t make a habit of being that open with people during work.”

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