All I Want Is You (7 page)

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Authors: Kayla Perrin

BOOK: All I Want Is You
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Mikki promptly looked away, her stomach twisting intensely. She gazed out the window at the massive oak trees that lined many of the roads in Coral Gables. Their large, sprawling branches hung well over the streets, looking majestic during the day as they provided much-needed shade from the Florida sun. But at night, those same trees created an eerie feeling. She had always loved those oaks, but the sight of them gave her no pleasure now.
Perhaps it was a fitting punishment that she had run into Barry here. That would teach her better than to jump into bed with someone she had no plans of having a relationship with.
But she was beyond ready to stop talking about their one night of passion, even though she was definitely aroused. So she said, “You're a cousin of Ken's. What are the chances?”
“Second cousin,” Barry explained. “It's a big family. We weren't that close growing up, though, but we reconnected when he came to Illinois for some golf tournament and we hung out.”
“And is he a decent guy?” Mikki found herself asking. “Is he going to do right by my sister?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“I don't know . . .” Mikki had simply been making conversation, but maybe there was something more to her question. She said, “When I met Ken in New York, he seemed like a pretty nice guy . . . but I just got a sense about him. I don't know. Maybe that he's the kind of guy who knows how to charm a woman.”
“Wow,” Barry said. “You got all that from one meeting with him? I'm impressed.”
“So what does that mean?” Mikki asked. “He's a player?”
“Ken's had his share of women, no doubt about it. But I think his player days are behind him.”
“You
think
?”
“As far as I know, Ken's a changed man. He was always spoiled, but even the most entitled kids have to grow up at some point.”
“I guess you're right,” Mikki said, but hadn't she thought the same thing about Alex?
The difference, of course, was that Ken had proposed to Chantal. Alex had dumped
her.
And they were getting married in two days. That spoke volumes about his commitment to her.
Ken wasn't Alex.
“Ah, here we are,” Mikki said as Barry pulled onto the street where her parents lived. By the time he reached her house, Mikki was already unlocking the door.
She exited the vehicle the moment it came to a stop. “Thanks again.”
Barry put his hand on her arm. “Wait.”
Mikki turned to look at him. “Yes?”
“Why do you make it sound like you're heading into the house and not coming out? I've got to take you back to the mall.”
“Right.” What was wrong with her?
But then Mikki realized that her sister's car was there. Which meant Chantal could drive her to the mall. “Actually, my sister is home. So either she or my mother can take me to the mall.”
“Are you sure? Because I don't mind.”
Mikki opened the back door and collected her bags of purchases. “Yeah, I'm sure. But thanks for the ride home. I'll see you later.”
And then Mikki closed both doors and hurried to the house.
Chapter 9
Mikki had felt like a different woman as she'd gotten dressed for tonight's dinner, but stepping into the wine cellar at the club for the bridal party dinner, she saw the difference in everyone's expressions.
Eyes swept over her body from head to toe. Eyebrows rose with interest. The people who had seen her yesterday dressed like a librarian had to be wondering if she was the same person.
The black skirt she was wearing hugged her hips like a second skin and stopped a good couple of inches above the knee. She was wearing black leather boots with a spiked heel higher than she normally wore, but as she'd checked out her image in the mirror, she had acknowledged that the high heel definitely made her legs look sexier.
The bright red scoop-neck blouse with the plunging neckline completed the outfit. No blazer tonight.
Mikki scanned the room, which was a more intimate setting than the much larger Crystal Room. From what she could tell, all the groomsmen and bridesmaids were here.
Everyone except Barry.
No one was seated at the large L-shaped table. Rather, people were mingling around the room.
Ken, who had been standing at the far end of the room with one of his buddies, a glass of wine in his hand, looked at her with widened eyes. He promptly excused himself from his friend and approached her.
“Wow.” His gaze swept over her from head to toe. “You look amazing.”
Even her sister seemed surprised by her appearance. Coming to join her and Ken, Chantal said, “Look at you. Look at that bosom!”
Mikki leaned forward and whispered to her sister, “The magic of a push-up bra.”
“I almost want to ask, who are you?” Ken went on, chuckling.
“I just thought it was time to spice up my image a bit,” Mikki said. She wasn't about to say that her ex-boyfriend had destroyed her confidence and had sent her to extreme measures.
“Well, you've certainly done that,” Chantal said. “If Alex could see you now . . .”
“Barry tells me he ran into you in New York,” Ken said.
“Yeah.” Mikki forced a grin. “Total fluke.”
“And speaking of my best man . . .”
Mikki whirled around and looked in the direction of the entrance. And there stood Barry.
All the air in the room seemed to be suddenly sucked out. Mikki's heart began to pound so hard that it was the only thing she could hear as she checked Barry out.
My God, he looks good.
Tonight he was wearing black slacks, black cowboy boots, and a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the collar. A tantalizing amount of that golden brown skin of his chest was revealed, and it was easy to see his sculpted biceps and pecs.
It struck Mikki again that Barry had done a total one-eighty. He was a completely different person than the one he had been in high school.
Then, he had been a boy.
Now he was all man.
Talk about making an entrance. Barry stepped into the room, and once again Mikki registered the sounds around her. Happy chatter, the music.
Her heavy breathing.
Barry was walking right toward her, as if she were the only one in the room, and Mikki felt a rush of heat. His eyes held her captive, and she wasn't sure she even breathed.
As he reached her, his lips curled in a sexy smile, and Mikki suddenly found herself thinking about kissing him. It was the one thing she remembered, his slow, hot kisses and the way her body had come alive.
It was alive right now. Oh yes, it certainly was.
“Sorry I'm late,” he said, and greeted Ken with one of those hugs that was more about bumping chests while gripping hands. And then he turned to Mikki.
“Damn, look at you,” he said, his eyes sizing her up. The way he checked her out made the small fortune Mikki had spent on clothing today entirely worth it.
Snaking his arm around her waist, Barry drew her close and whispered, “You look incredible.”
Barry's voice washed over her like warm chocolate, smooth and delectable. She savored the feeling . . . until she saw her sister looking at her oddly.
Mikki promptly stepped away from Barry, saying, “Thanks. Just something I picked up today.”
“Worth every penny.”
Why was it that Mikki wanted to take Barry's hand and leave with him, go somewhere they could get naked?
Thankfully, she didn't have to think about the question much longer because she heard the clinking of a fork against a glass.
“Excuse me,” Chantal said. “Can I have your attention, please?”
The chatter died, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen all turned to look at Chantal, who was now standing at the far end of the L-shaped table with Ken. “First of all, thanks for coming tonight. I know many of you probably want to be out doing last-minute Christmas shopping, so I appreciate you sparing time for me and Ken. But I wanted everyone to get together in a more intimate setting than last night so you could all get acquainted. We know some of you got to meet last night, and some of you may have known each other before, but in case you didn't, this is the time to break the ice and say hi.”
“Hi.”
The deep whisper in her ear caused her belly to tickle. Casting him a sidelong glance, Mikki said, “Hi.”
“Are you wearing anything else you bought at the mall today?” Barry asked.
Mikki's heart fluttered. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“I heard you, but I can't believe you would ask me something like that.” Who was she kidding? The question had turned her on.
Barry smiled, the kind that gave her butterflies. “Sorry if I can't get that night we spent out of my mind. I keep thinking about it. Over and over . . .”
This was madness. Why did the deep timbre of his voice send a chill of excitement racing down her spine?
“And now, everyone,” Chantal went on. “I've been informed that dinner is ready, so let's get seated so we can eat.”
 
 
Somehow, Mikki survived being seated across the table from Barry, who looked at her during the entire meal as if
she
were the main course.
It had been disconcerting, to say the least. Mikki wasn't used to this bolder, sexier version of Barry.
Most of the time, she had tried to avoid eye contact with him but was all too aware that he had continually checked her out.
The guests duly acquainted, Ken and Chantal had gone over the logistics of the wedding day—who was walking down the aisle when, to what music, and that sort of thing.
Everyone had gotten along very well, and there was lots of laughter and lots of wine. Mikki had tried to avoid drinking, given how out of control she'd been that night at the bar, but once the desserts came around, she knew she needed something. She'd been far too on edge for the dinner; perhaps a drink would help her unwind.
She had Irish cream with her cheesecake, and it definitely helped loosen her nerves. But if she was going to get through the last part of the evening, she needed one more.
Many people were standing now, stretching their feet, some still mingling, some saying their good-byes. Mikki got to her feet as well and all but ran toward the server as she saw him approaching with her second drink.
“Thank you,” she told the man, and promptly took a sip. The Irish cream went down warm and smooth.
Suddenly, the glass was being removed from her hand. Whipping her head around, Mikki looked at Barry in surprise.
“No,” he told her. “Not tonight.”
“I'm not driving.”
“Maybe not, but I don't want you inebriated. I want you to remember everything this time.”
This time?
Two words, but they said so much.
He intended to take her to bed again.
Mikki felt a rush of heat. She should feel offended at his brazenness, and yet, the very idea of going to bed with him turned her on to no end.
Damn it, she wanted the drink. If for no other reason than to be able to blame it on alcohol, as Jamie Foxx sang in his song. Because the truth was, Barry was looking downright scrumptious. Those broad shoulders, that tantalizing glimpse of skin below his neck . . .
Yes, Barry was looking delicious. And she was seeing him without the haze of liquor.
She wanted him—and that was hard to wrap her head around.
Yet Mikki found herself shaking her head and saying, “You want me to remember everything
this time
?”
“When I take you home.”
Mikki's heart was beating a mile a minute. “Barry—” “Your sister asked if I'd take you home. Didn't she tell you?”
“W-what?” Mikki was confused. Was Chantal suddenly trying to act as matchmaker?
“Oh, good,” Chantal said, appearing at Mikki's side out of nowhere. “Have you told her?”
“Just did,” Barry responded.
“Chantal,” Mikki began. “I'm not sure I understand what's going on here. . . .”
“Ken and I need to go somewhere, and I didn't want Mom to have to come back and pick you up, so I asked Barry to take you home.”
“Oh.
Ohhh.
” How had Mikki so totally misconstrued what Barry had meant?
Sex on the brain, clearly. Damn it, she needed her Irish cream.
“I didn't think you'd mind. Since you already know each other. No big deal, right?”
It
was
a big deal. Because Barry wasn't simply some old friend.
She'd slept with the man. And now she was being forced to spend all kinds of time with him when she didn't want to. She had barely been able to sit across the table from him without serious discomfort.
“What's the matter?” Chantal asked.
Mikki couldn't very well tell her sister the truth— that she'd shamelessly bedded Barry and therefore felt unsettled around him. So she said, “Nothing. Nothing's wrong.”
Chantal grinned. “Good. Now, if you'll excuse me . . .”
Barry's eyes crinkled as he said, “Looks like you're stuck with me.” He placed her drink on the table. “Ready to leave?”
“Almost.” Quickly lifting the tumbler of liquor, Mikki downed the Irish cream. “There.” One more drink wouldn't make her lose her mind like she had the night at the bar. “Now I'm ready.”
Barry slipped his arm around Mikki's waist as he led her out of the room and to the car. Mikki didn't say a word and neither did Barry. But she was aware that as she got into the SUV beside him, her pulse was racing.
Why did it always race around him?
It had to be shame. Shame that she had slept with him and didn't remember. He held some secret over her head simply because her brain couldn't recall what had happened.
As Barry started the car, Mikki asked, “Are you staying with your parents?”
“No. They've moved. They're in Ocala now. Quieter. Not as much hustle and bustle as South Florida.”
“Ah,” Mikki said. “Are they coming for the wedding? I didn't see them at the dinner last night.”
“Sure,” Barry said. Then, pausing, he stared at her. “Is this what you want to talk about? Because I'm thinking there are other . . . more interesting things we can discuss.”
Nerves tickled Mikki's stomach. “Like?”
“Like whether you want me to take you home. Or to my hotel room.”
“You're going to keep doing this, aren't you? You're going to keep making suggestive comments because we went to bed together and I don't remember it.”
“More like because I want to take you to my bed again.”
Heat enveloped Mikki. Good Lord, what was it about Barry that was stoking her desire so intensely?
“I hate that you remember what happened and I don't.”
“I can rectify that.”
“What, you're going to give me a play-by-play of what happened?” Her voice sounded deep and flirty. Good grief.
“I was thinking I could show you.”
Mikki stared at Barry, saw that he was sinking his teeth into his bottom lip. She couldn't help thinking that he wanted to sink his teeth into
her.
“You're being very . . . forward.”
“Am I?” Barry asked, his eyebrow rising. “Because I'm willing to bet my last dollar that the heat I felt every time I looked at you tonight was mutual. I've been waiting for this moment when I could finally get you alone.”

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