Dangerous Curves Ahead: A Perfect Fit Novel (26 page)

Mike followed Ellis back to her house. He was a little nervous about what was to come tonight. It was almost like he was a teenager again, anticipating his first time with a girl. It clearly wasn’t his first time, or even his first time with her, but it was the first time he was going to take the huge scary step toward having a real relationship with a woman.

Out of all the women he had been with, he knew in his gut that Ellis was the girl to go forward with.

When he wasn’t around her he didn’t feel right. He felt like he was just going through the motions. Why settle for feeling blasé when he could be happy with a beautiful girl? It made him wonder why he couldn’t let himself fall in love with her. She was lovable, he realized that, but if things didn’t work out, when things failed, because inevitably they did, he wanted to be able to pick himself up and go on like nothing happened. He knew it was selfish to not give 100 percent of himself to her. But his mother loved his father, gave more of herself than she had to give, and look where it got her.

“I’m sorry about tonight, Mikey,” Ellis sighed once they entered her house.

“Don’t apologize. I had a lot of fun tonight. And I asked for this. Remember?” He had. After leaving her yesterday he knew he had to do something to show her he wanted to stick around. Dinner with her parents was odd but it was no hardship. It made him miss being a part of a family.

“I have to apologize. First my father twists your arm into saying you’re committed to me, which I’m not holding you to. Then he asks you how big your penis is. If he asked how our sex life was I was going to off myself right at the table. And my mother! She all but encouraged it. Why on earth did you ask to have dinner with them?”

“Because I wanted to be your boyfriend,” he said seriously.

She gulped. “Wanted to? As in past tense? As in ‘The dinner with your parents was so bad I no longer want to be your boyfriend’?”

He grabbed her hips and pulled him into her, smiling at her rambling. “As in you called me your boyfriend tonight in front of your parents. I think it’s official now.”

“Did I call you my boyfriend?” Her eyes widened. “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

He nodded. “Did you think I would go through all this trouble for a girl I didn’t want to be with?”

“Gee, I don’t know.” She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. “I’m a wreck. An emotional, financial wreck. You shouldn’t want me as a girlfriend. You should get somebody more like you.” She broke eye contact and fiddled with the collar of his shirt.

“What’s more like me, honey?”

“You know.” She bit on her lower lip so hard he was afraid she might break it.

“I don’t.”

“Someone who likes to jog.”

He inhaled deeply, determined to be patient with her. “Do you expect me to base an entire relationship on one common interest? Besides, jogging is my alone time. Do you think I want some mouthy broad ruining that for me?”

She gave him a tiny smile before her worried expression returned.

“What else, Ellie?”

“Somebody who likes sports.”

“Again, that’s man time. No girls allowed.” He patted her bottom. “You’re losing this argument, baby.”

“You should—” She paused, briefly making eye contact with him before returning her eyes to his neck. “—date somebody who’s thin.”

“What!” He wasn’t the shallow asshole she thought he was. He loved her body and every soft curve she possessed. He was sick of her preconceived notions and was about to tell her so—until he saw the tears in her eyes.

He melted. No other woman had such an effect on him.

“I—I saw what happened between you and Jared’s mother yesterday.”

“So?” He was confused. “I’m not attracted to her, and even if I was I wouldn’t even consider her when I’m with you.”

“‘I never thought somebody like you would be with somebody like her.’”

The woman’s words—he couldn’t even remember her name now—came crashing back to him. She’d called Ellis fat. He didn’t think it was much more than a cheap shot at the time but now he knew better. Now he understood how Ellis saw it.

“Somebody beautiful?” He kissed her forehead. “And smart?” His lips traveled down the bridge of her nose. “And sweet?” He kissed her cheeks. “And sexy?” His mouth found hers. “And funny?”

“And fat. Don’t forget fat.” She smiled sadly and hugged him tightly. “I know you like my body but you’re a total weirdo. When we walk down the street together women look at us. They’re wondering how the hell I managed to snag you.”

He didn’t think that was true but he humored her. “Men look at us, too. Didn’t you notice that guy in Roma’s yesterday? If he looked at your ass one more time I was going to punch him.”

“The one by the cooler?” She raised her brows. “Really? He was cute.”

“Not the point.” He frowned at her. “I’ve never dated a girl for more than two months in my adult life. But I want to keep seeing you. I want to be with you, Ellis. Stop trying to push me away.”

*   *   *

“Fine. You win.” She should feel happier. He was saying all the things that she wanted to hear, that any woman wanted to hear, and more important she believed him. He wanted to make this work, to give them a shot. Why was she so reluctant to take a chance on him? “Just promise me that when you’re ready to bail you’ll talk to me about it. Don’t get all weird and mannish on me.”

Don’t be like Jack.

Her heart couldn’t take it.

Anger flashed in his eyes, and she knew she had said the wrong thing. “Why do you assume it’s me who’ll bail? Why are you predicting the end of us before we begin?”

Because the end is coming
, she didn’t say. It was just a matter of time and as much as she wanted to trust him not to hurt her, she couldn’t. She was in love with him and unless he loved her, too, they wouldn’t work. “Why didn’t you have sex with me yesterday?”

She changed the subject to a safer one. She didn’t have the energy to argue with him. She wanted to enjoy him while she could.

“Because of this.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I wanted you to be sure.”

“Test results?” She frowned. “Negative for…” She read down the list, her heart rate slowing. “You got tested? For me?”

“For us.” He looked bashful for a moment. “It bothered me when you told me that we were a mistake. But you were right. You don’t know who I had been with. You’re the only one I’ve never used…” He looked her helplessly at her for a moment. “I want you to trust me.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Say something.”

BOOM.

“I’m going upstairs to get naked now.” She headed toward the stairs, smiling at him over her shoulder. “Are you coming?”

*   *   *

The first time they made love that night was quick, hard, and explosive. It had been weeks since their last time. Weeks of pent-up sexual frustration to fuel them. She came twice before he did and he gave her that little cocky smile that she found both infuriating and adorable. The second time was slower, more leisurely. He took his time exploring her body with his mouth, kissing every exposed inch of her skin, licking her in her most sensitive places, till she was a quivering happy mess. And when he finally entered her, he experimented with rhythms and positions. He asked her what she liked, what she wanted from him, what he could do to make it better. It brought her to tears. She didn’t know that sex like that existed. She didn’t know that there were men on this earth who were made to please a woman.

“Are you okay, Ellie?”

He was propped on one elbow, looking down at her, his free hand stroking the hair from her face.

She shrugged. “I’ve been better.” She was a bad liar, unable to stop the grin that spread across her face.

“When I saw the tears in your eyes I—I thought I had hurt you.”

“No. No! Of course not.” She raised his hand to her lips kissing his palm. “You were very good, so good that I’m thinking of renting you out.”

“Really?” he grinned. “How much would you charge?”

She shook her head. “Can’t tell you. It could affect your ego.”

“It could?” He absently touched his fingertips to her nipple, causing it to pebble. “If it’s anything less than a grand an hour I will be sorely disappointed.”

She smiled at him. “The truth is that I don’t like to share, so I guess I can’t rent you out.”

He gave her a gentle peck on the mouth. “I want you to do something for me.”

“Anything.”

“Tell your sister about us.”

“Oh.”

She nodded. They were no longer just sleeping together, just seeing each other on occasion. They were a couple now. Tonight made it official. It was only right that Dina should know. But telling her big sister was the last thing she wanted to do. She knew how Dina would take it. They were just starting to get along. This would undo everything—but Mike wasn’t just some guy to her anymore. He was her boyfriend. She loved him. It shouldn’t be a secret. But she still didn’t want to do it.

“Give her more credit, baby. She’ll be cool with this. It’s not like you stole me from her.”

“Okay, Mike,” she said.

“We can do it together if you want. Ask her to come to lunch.”

“No.” The last thing Ellis wanted was to have Dina see her with Mike. This was something she was going to have to do alone. She would need to think of a gentle way of informing her sister that she was dating that once tore them apart. “I’ll tell her, Mike. Please don’t worry about it.”

Chapter Twenty

Lactose Overload

I apologize for the short blog today, but I ate half a gallon of strawberry cheesecake ice cream and I’ve got a bad case of the sugar shakes. Please feel free to shame me in the comment section.

Ellis, Cherri and Belinda stood side by side in the storeroom, their heads tilted, staring at Ellis’s work.

“Wow.”

“It’s breathtaking.”

“You like it?” Ellis bit her lower lip and studied her work.

Karen’s wedding dress was complete and it looked like a … wedding dress. A bona fide designer gown that you might pick out of any bridal salon. And it was pretty. Ellis was surprised with the outcome. She’d never thought she was capable of creating something so … complicated. Her chest swelled with pride. Making a wedding dress was a better high than selling clothes, for the simple reason that Karen would wear the dress on the day she started her new life with the man she loved. She would look back on it fondly. It would always mean something to her.

“I don’t like it. I love it,” Cherri gushed. “I want you to make mine.”

“Yeah, Ellis,” Belinda added. “I thought you were out of your mind when you told me you were going to make one, but it’s gorgeous, and not Bitzy’s Bridal gorgeous but Vera Wang Couture gorgeous.”

Ellis’s cheeks burned. “You’re only saying that because I sign your paychecks.”

“No.” Cherri squeezed her hand. “We wouldn’t lie to you. The five grand you’re getting is what you deserve. I think you stumbled upon your calling.”

“My calling?” Ellis blinked at Cherri. She thought owning Size Me Up was her calling—but it wasn’t selling clothes that she was passionate about. It was altering them, redesigning them, seeing the looks on her customers’ faces when she presented them with garments that were made just for them.

“Have you ever considered designing bridal wear?”

She shook her head. “Whoa. We’re just getting on our feet with this place. I can’t imagine taking on something else right now.”

“But you’re so good at this. Besides, you won’t do it alone. We’ll help you,” Belinda said. “I’ll take over the books, and my mother is great with a needle. She can come in a few times a week to help. She gets bored being at home all day.”

“I could come in earlier,” Cherri volunteered. “It’s not busy in the mornings, so I could do some of my schoolwork here.”

Ellis’s throat tightened, slightly uncomfortable but infinitely touched by their offer. “You’re both so sweet but I can’t ask you to do that. I barely pay you enough as it is.”

“You don’t have to pay me any more, dummy,” Belinda said. “I don’t just want to be an employee; I want to be an investor. I was with you when you dreamed of opening this place. I want to be with you when you expand. I’ve got some money saved up. I think your work is amazing. I think we could go far with bridal.”

“I’ll be an investor, too,” Cherri added. “I’m broke but I’ll invest my time and whatever else I can, so long as you promise to make my dress for free when my day comes.”

Ellis stood absolutely still for a moment. This was too much. Too far beyond the scope of her dreams. “I cannot take your money, Belinda.”

“Look at me, Ellis.” Belinda motioned to herself. “Does it look like I am a person who would ever settle for being broke?”

“Huh?” Ellis rubbed her throbbing head.

“Listen to me carefully, honey. I’m not just giving you money. I’m investing, and I don’t invest unless I know I’m going to get a return. I know I’ll earn my money back plus loads more with your fingers on the needle.”

“But I don’t have anybody else who wants a dress. I don’t even know if Karen will like this one.”

“You know she will. And if there is a Karen out there, imagine how many women are out there like her. I mean, look at me. I have never been able to just buy clothes off the rack. You’ve had to alter nearly every item of clothing I own.”

Ellis studied her best friend. Belinda was the curviest of the three, reminding her of every pinup girl and sexpot of the past. She was exotic and gorgeous with red hair and bronze skin and a way about her that made the world want to stop and look. But she was an outsider. Just like Ellis. Just like Cherri, who was nearly six feet tall. They had bonded because they had a hard time finding clothes that fit. From her blog followers alone she knew that there were many women out there like them. Who didn’t fit in. And out of those women who didn’t fit in, some of them had to be getting married.

Holy shit. This could work.

Belinda grabbed hold of Cherri’s arm and headed for the door. “Just think about it.”

They left her alone with the wedding dress and a head full of thoughts. Mike’s face flashed through her mind again. She needed to talk about it with him, ask him how he felt. Maybe when he came home tonight they could make this big decision. The wheels in her mind stop turning with that thought.