Page 20 of Muzzled

Mike watched asRyan paled, his jaw tensing briefly before he schooled his expression. “Pretty name.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I guess. I started going by Mike fifteen years ago because I realized people tended to take male artists more seriously and I could gain a bigger audience if they arrived on site thinking I was a guy. It’s not really necessary anymore, but it’s kind of stuck.” Laughing, she shook her head. “And it was kind of a return to my roots. A nurse checked the wrong box on my birth record when I was born, too, so up until I registered for school and someone noticed the mistake on my birth certificate, I was a boy in the eyes of the government.”

He cleared his throat, his color returning as he stared at the table for a moment, brows furrowed until he took a deep breath and looked at her. “Which name do you prefer?”

“Whatever. Everyone calls me Mike, so I go with it.”

He flagged down the server and passed her his credit card, then set his wallet on the table. “Would you be bothered if I called you Micah?”

“Not at all.” She smiled, rather enjoying the way her name rolled off his tongue.

He signed off on the bill, slipped his wallet into his pocket, and held his hand out to her. “Well, Micah, would you like to take a walk down by the river?”

“I’d love to,” she replied, not wanting the evening to end as she held his hand and led him outside. “Have you had a chance to walk the trails there yet?”

After opening the passenger door, he closed it behind her and got in, then started the engine and carefully examined the placement of his mirror before pulling onto the street. “I haven’t had any reason to see more of the valley than what I could see from the bridge.”

She watched his eyes as they scanned the road methodically. “I’m glad I’m giving you a reason then.” When he looked over at her and grinned, she turned on the radio.

His innate seriousness seemed to be feeding her desire to see him smile. Every time he laughed, it sent a small thrill through her, the elation of breaking through his sedate, collected temperament a rush of its own. Knowing he was so tightly tethered to his job responsibilities that he didn’t reach past them for his own enjoyment merely doubled her determination to give him a glimpse of the world through her eyes.

He parked along a quiet street across from a hotel and sat back for a moment, looking up at the old structure. “If the gardens are open, I wouldn’t mind starting there,” he said, turning off the car. “I’ve seen them from the bridge, though, so we don’t need to begin there.”

She exited the car and straightened her skirt, smoothing down her hair as the wind whipped up again. “Then that’s where we’re heading,” she stated, grabbing his hand. “Seeing some things from a distance is all fine and dandy, but not flowers.” She adjusted her grip on his hand, pleased when he gave hers a light squeeze. “This hotel is incredible. It looks so Gothic and haunted. Like a movie set.”

Leading him up the stairs and through the heavy doors, she slowed her pace to look around. “If I ever make a billion dollars, I’m living in a place like this.”

He smiled, checking out the ornate ceiling. “My boss’s place is a lot like this. Not quite as bright, and he isn’t a huge fan of gold, but the grandiosity and extravagance are similar.” A pretty employee strode past them and smiled at him, her blonde hair falling in waves down her back as she blatantly perused him. His eyes narrowed briefly. “Very similar.”

“So hot chicks check you out at your boss’s place, too? No shocker there,” she laughed, glancing behind them at the woman who had stopped to admire Ryan from the back.

“I…I didn’t mean—” he stammered, his steady footsteps faltering slightly.

“I’m totally teasing you.” She laughed, releasing his hand and winding her arm through his. “It’s actually fascinating to see how clueless you are about the number of women who check you out on a constant basis.”

Even in the dim lighting, she could see his cheeks pinking up as he cleared his throat. “I don’t spend a lot of time around women unless my brothers are around,” he muttered, unhooking his arm from hers to pull out his phone. He swiped the screen a few times and handed it to her. “Alex is on the left.”

She slowed a little more to look at the photo, brows lifting as she examined Ryan’s younger twin brothers. “Damn, they’re poster-boy pretty, aren’t they? Like, they could sell you beer, teeth whitener, and an all-inclusive vacation in Belize and you’d thank them for draining your bank account.” When he grunted, she passed his phone back to him. “Pretty boys are more trouble than they’re worth. I like my men tall, blond, clean-cut, and conscientious.”

He side-eyed her. “Conscientious?”

Tightening her hold on his arm, she led him through the back exit into the gardens. “Someone has to be the mature, reliable, sensible half of the partnership, don’t they? And I am definitely not keen on fulfilling that role.”

His brows lifted slightly, but the tension that had risen in his shoulders became noticeably less. “‘Partnership’ is an interesting word to use,” he said, slowing as he approached the first fence. “I like it.”

They walked through the impressive floral displays, pausing to comment on their favorites and pointing out the ones they disliked until the clouds rolled in and the first drops of rain hit them.

Pulling Ryan behind her, she sprinted to the hotel doors as fast as her spiked heels would allow, smiling up at him when he shrugged off his button-down and threw it over her shoulders.

“It’s a bit of a walk to the car,” he said, peering outside as she arranged the shirt for maximum coverage. “Why don’t you wait here and I’ll go bring it around?”

Watching the sky open up with a deluge, she wrinkled her nose. “You sure? A little rain won’t kill me.”

With a cockeyed glance at her bare legs and shoes, he pushed the door open and strode outside. “I’d rather not take the chance.”

*

Ryan jumped outof the driver’s seat and jogged around the car, opening Micah’s door for her despite her protests. “I’m not dropping you off curbside after a date, so stop arguing.”

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