Careless (28 page)

She knew he was really asking whether she
wanted to leave him so soon after they’d finally found each other. “It’s my
job. I have to go. Everyone’s countin’ on me.” She reached across the counter
to take Mike’s hand. “You understand, don’t you?”

“Yeah, sure.” He cleared his throat before
glancing at Luc. “I’m gonna head downstairs, get a workout in. Can we talk
later?”

“Sooner rather than later,” Luc said,
reaching across the counter to offer Mike his hand. “I can’t thank you enough
for everything you did. Seriously, you went above and beyond.”

“I didn’t do it out of some sense of
obligation to get the job done, Luc.” He glanced at Tori. “I did it because she
means everything to me.” 

Tori closed her eyes, a smile playing on
her lips. His words seeped in, and she knew he was the only man who would ever
mean more to her than money, accolades, or music. He was her everything. “I
love you,” she mouthed.

Mike winked and smiled at her before making
his way downstairs.

Luc watched him go before turning his
attention back to her. “I want the truth. You ready to get back out there so
soon?”

“Absolutely. I can’t wait.”

Luc drew her in for another hug and kissed
the top of her head. “Everybody wants to see you. What do you want me to tell
them?”

“I just need a little more time with my
man. I’ll catch up with them at the airport tomorrow.” She tipped her head back
to look at him. “Tell ’em I love them.”

Mike turned up the volume on his iPod
before increasing the incline on his treadmill. Tori’s raspy voice crept into his
head, making him want her all over again. It scared him to think about how much
of his mind-space she was already occupying. If he accepted Luc’s offer, Tori
would become his entire world, and there was a part of him that feared losing
himself in the bargain.

Tori entered the room and smiled at him as
she set a pair of pink ear buds in her ears.

He watched her un-zip the hot pink warm-up
jacket covering her little black spandex tank top and shorts and toss it on the
weight bench. Reaching for his bottle of water, he muttered, “I’m already
workin’ in my target heart rate, thanks.”

She laughed as she mounted the elliptical.
“Don’t mind me, Lieutenant. I need to burn off some of this excess energy.”

He pulled his ear buds out and licked his
lips as he watched her bounce up and down. “I can think of better ways.”

“Is that all you ever think about?”

“With you lookin’ like that? What the hell
else would I be thinkin’ about?” In reality, he’d much rather think about
making love to Tori than trying to decide his fate, but he knew he couldn’t put
Luc off forever. “So, Luc came here to make me an offer.”

Tori twisted the cap off her bottle. “What
kind of offer?”

“He wants me to quit the force to become
your head of security.”

“No, you can’t!”

Mike was surprised and a little hurt by her
reaction. He expected her to be elated at the prospect of them spending every day
and night together. “You don’t want me to take the job?”

“No, it’s just… I know how much you love
bein’ a cop. I know you’d never ask me to give up my music ’cause you know how
much it means to me. How can I ask you to give up the force for me? It wouldn’t
be fair.”

Mike wiped the sweat from his forehead with
the terry towel wrapped around his neck. “You’re not the one askin’, Luc is.
You can’t deny it would solve a lot of our problems.”

“Yeah, but what if you ended up hatin’ me
because I encouraged you to leave your job? I can’t do it.” She shook her head,
her blond ponytail swinging furiously. “I won’t let you accept the offer.”

Mike smirked. “You won’t
let
me?”

She had the grace to blush. “I’ll just tell
Luc to find someone else.”

“You think I’m gonna be able to trust
someone else after what happened?” He pressed the button to slow down the
treadmill. “I keep thinkin’ about you out there without me for months on end,
trustin’ someone else to take care of you, and I can’t do it.” He stepped off
and linked an arm over her machine. “I need to do this.”

A tear slipped down her cheek, melding with
the perspiration. “Please don’t; I don’t want to lose you.”

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?
You’re not gonna lose me.” He reached over to shut her machine down. “I’m doin’
this because I love you… because I don’t even want to think about losin’ you.”

She stroked his cheek and smiled. “I know
you feel that way now, but how’re you gonna feel five or ten years from now
when you’re hirin’ security guards instead of chasin’ down murderers and
rapists?”

“That’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
They shared a smile. “I know what I’m doin’. You’re gonna have to trust me on
this, sweetheart.” He reached over to kiss her. “I love you, and I’ll be damned
if I’m gonna trust some hired gun to take care of you.” If there was any doubt
in his mind before, it was gone. He knew what he needed to do. It was time to
say good-bye to his old life so he could start a new life with Tori.

Mike rang his mother and stepfather’s
doorbell and stood back, rehearsing in his mind what he wanted to say. He never
imagined having this conversation with Derek, but now that he’d made the
decision, it felt right.

Ashley answered the door and gasped when
she saw him. “Get in here,” she said, reaching for his hand to pull him inside.
“I’m so glad you’re home safe.” She framed his face with her hands as she
looked him in the eye. “And Tori, how is she?”

He instinctively pulled his mother into his
arms. “I love you, Mom.” It had been a long time since he’d told her… too long.
His mother was the one woman in his life, up until now, he’d always been able
to count on. She was the one who taught him that it was possible to love a
woman with your whole heart.

“I love you too, sweetheart,” she
whispered, choking back a sob. “I was so worried, we all were. I love her so
much, like she was my own daughter.”

“I know you do.” His mother had never made
a secret of her feelings for Tori, and when he talked her down in inane attempts
to guard his heart, Ashley was the first one to tell him he wouldn’t be able to
spot a good woman if she tripped him. “So do I.”

She pulled back to look at him. “I’m so
happy you two finally got your act together. Tori’s been in love with you since
the first time she laid eyes on you, Michael. I saw it then, and I’ve seen it
every time she’s looked at you since then. I think that’s why I thought so much
of her. I could see she was the one woman who loved you as much as I do.” 

“When I thought I’d lost her, I wanted to
die,” he whispered, looking down at the ground between them. “I’ve never felt
that way before. I mean, I don’t think I could’ve gone on without her. I’ve
tried to tell her, to show her…” He felt the heat rise up his neck when he
realized who he was talking to. “Sorry, too much information.”

Ashley laughed. “It’s okay, I realize my
sons have been sexually active for a long time.” She pointed a finger at him.
“Probably too long.”

“I’m not havin’ this conversation with
you.”

“You want Tori to be your last?” Ashley asked
quietly. “I mean, does it scare you, knowin’ she’s the last woman you’ll ever
make love to if you decide to take this relationship to the next level?”

“Hell no, the thought of sleepin’ with
someone else does nothin’ for me.” He grimaced when he realized he was actually
having a conversation with his mother about his sex life. This was wrong on so
many levels, but he’d come this far, may as well stay the course. “I’ve just
been goin’ through the motions for the last two years, tryin’ to find a woman
who made me feel the way she did, but nothin’. I mean, there were times when I
couldn’t even bring myself to go through with it.”

Ashley grinned. “That’s sayin’ a lot.”

“Seriously, she’s the one. There’s not a
doubt in my mind.” He looked at his mother a long time before he said, “I’m
sorry.”

“For what?”

“For givin’ you and Derek such a hard time
when you two were tryin’ to figure things out. I didn’t have a clue how you
were feelin’ at the time, but I get it now.” He shook his head. “How the hell
did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Live your life without him?”

A look of sadness clouded her eyes. “You
make sacrifices when you’re a parent, Mike. You’ll understand one day.”

“I hate that we cost you guys so many years
together.” He sighed. “Derek’s one of the best guys I’ve ever known, and we’re
damn lucky to have him in our lives.”

“Stop, you’re gonna get me started,” Derek
said, smiling. He pushed off the doorframe he’d been leaning on and walked into
the foyer. He looked Mike in the eye before extending his hand. “I was so proud
of the way you handled yourself. Honestly, I don’t think I could’ve done a
better job.”

“Thanks, man,” Mike said, taking his hand
as he pulled him into a half-hug. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“So, why’re you here instead of home with your
woman?” Derek asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“I needed to talk to you about somethin’.”

“I’m not gonna like this, am I?”

“Probably not.” Mike sighed. He knew there
was no way to soften the blow for either of them, so he opted for the direct
approach. “I’m leavin’ the force.”

Ashley took a step back. “Why? What’re you
talkin’ about? You’ve wanted to be a police officer ever since you were a
little boy. It’s the only thing you’ve ever wanted to do with your life.”

Derek held his hand up. “This has somethin’
to do with Tori, doesn’t it?”

“It has everything to do with her, but I’m
makin’ this decision for me. It’s time for me to start buildin’ my life around
somethin’ other than my career.”

Ashley covered her mouth with her hands as
tears sprang to her eyes. “Would it be selfish of me to admit I’ve always
prayed you’d come to your senses eventually?”

Mike couldn’t contain his smile. He knew
how his mother felt about his chosen profession, but she’d always supported his
decision. “No, I think you’re allowed.”

Derek looked at his wife. “You may be happy
about this, but I sure as hell ain’t. I’m losin’ the best damn cop I’ve got.”

Ashley threaded her arm through Derek’s and
laid her head on his shoulder. “You’ll get over it, sweetheart.”

“So what…” Derek asked, throwing his hands
up in the air. “You’re hookin’ up with a gazillionaire and you’re gonna be a
kept man now?” 

“Don’t be a smart-ass,” Mike said, glaring
at him. “Luc’s offered me a job as Tori’s head of security, and I’ve decided to
take it.”

“Damn him,” Derek muttered. “Hirin’ you
right out from under me. I should’ve known he’d pull somethin’ like this.”

“You could tell me you’re happy for me,”
Mike said quietly. Derek’s opinion had always been important to Mike, not just
because he was his stepfather, but because for years he’d been his idol, his
mentor, and his friend.

“You know I am,” Derek said, shoving his
hands in his pocket. “But I’m allowed to sulk a little too.”

Mike laughed. “No, grown men aren’t allowed
to sulk.”

Ashley slipped her arms around her son’s
waist. “I’m so happy for you, for both of you. But I can’t deny I’m gonna miss
you, being out on the road for so many months at a stretch.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have Tori to take care
of me.”

Ashley looked up at him and smiled, her
eyes moist with unshed tears. “I’m trusting you two to take care of each
other.”

Tori expected to be mobbed at the airport,
but nothing could have prepared her for the scene that unfolded. Between the
press, her fans, and friends, it seemed everyone wanted a piece of her. But
Mike never left her side, obviously taking his newfound role as her protector
seriously.

She was still apprehensive about the
sacrifice he was making, but the thrill of having him by her side overshadowed
her uncertainty.

Trey pulled her into his arms the second he
saw her, pushing aside the reporters clamoring for a statement about Joe, her
relationship with Mike, and the tour. “I could tear him apart with my bare hands,”
he whispered in her ear.

Tears sprang to her eyes. Trey had been her
idol for as long as she could remember and knowing she’d earned his respect and
friendship meant everything to her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you
guys,” she whispered, feeling the love of her friends enveloping her as Sierra,
Josh, Lexi, Marisa, Luc, Ty, Avery, Nikki, J.T., and Mike moved in to block her
from the prying eyes of the hundreds of people trying to catch a glimpse of her.

“We’re just so glad you’re okay,” Josh said,
gripping her chin. “You are okay, aren’t you?”

She brushed away the tears sliding down her
cheeks. “Yes.” She sniffled. “No.” Seeing her friends, feeling the depth of
their love and concern for her, opened a floodgate of repressed fear and
anguish over the ordeal she’d been through. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to fall
apart like this.”