Games of the Heart (70 page)

She studied him a moment before she nodded, thank Christ.

“We done?” he asked.

“We’re done,” she answered then added, “Thanks, Mike.”

“It’ll be me thankin’ you if you start contributing to this family.”

She took in a breath.

Then she nodded again.

Mike nodded back and turned to leave but, Rhonda calling his name, he turned back.

The tears were in her eyes again as she whispered, “I miss him.”

“A lotta people do. But you aren’t honoring his memory by falling apart.”

She swallowed again then nodded.

Mike studied her for a moment then he thought,
fuck it,
and finished laying it out.

“Way I see your relationship with your husband, it was a lot of Darrin givin’ and a lot of you takin’. He was cool with that so I pass no judgment. But he gave you so much, Rhonda, there’s some tank inside you that’s gotta be filled. Find it, tap into it and use it. Darrin left that to you. You want to honor his memory, take all he gave to you, use it and move on.”

A tear slid out of her eye and down her cheek.

She again nodded.

Mike was pissed at her, he didn’t get her but in that moment, she looked so fucking lost, he felt sorry for her.

He didn’t let this thought move him.

He simply nodded back and walked away.

* * * * *

Mike stared at the dark pillow.

Ten minutes ago, Dusty had carefully slid away from him, rummaged through the room quietly and she, with Layla’s dog tags following her, went out to the balcony closing the door on the cool air coming in.

It was the middle of the night. She was troubled. He had been giving her time.

Now he was done giving her time.

He threw the covers back, angled out of bed and pawed through the shadowed clothes on the floor until he found a sweater. Then he tugged it on and moved to the balcony.

Layla was already at the door waiting for him and therefore Dusty’s neck was twisted, her eyes turned to him as he stepped out.

He bent and sifted his fingers through the fur on his dog’s ruff as he walked the short distance to her. Then he slid his arms around her stomach and fitted his front to her back, resting his jaw against the side of her head when she turned it to face forward again.

“What’s eatin’ you?” he asked on a whisper.

“Do you think Rhonda listened to you?” she asked back also on a whisper.

He’d given her a blow-by-blow of the conversation.

“I think she listened to Fin then to Kirb and what I said cemented what they said. So, yeah. I think tonight, even though it was shit, one thing on your plate got sorted because the boys broke through.”

She nodded and eased some of her weight into him.

He took it.

“That all?” he asked when she said no more and kept her eyes on the farm without moving.

“No,” she answered.

“Give it to me,” he ordered, squeezing her with his arms.

She hesitated then said quietly, “You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“How ‘bout you let me be the judge of that.”

He felt her draw in breath.

Then she whispered, “Something’s coming, Mike.”

His body went solid.

She twisted her neck and her head slid across his chest as she tipped it back to look at him and he did the same but looking down on her.

“I feel it. Cold in my bones. Deep down. I’ve never felt anything like it. But I can’t deny I feel it. Something’s coming. Something bad.”

Jesus, fuck, Mike felt the same goddamned thing.

He didn’t share that.

Instead he said, “We’ll be okay.”

“I’m not a worrier, Mike and I’m not worried. I’m beyond that. Honest to God, I’m scared.”

Jesus, fuck.

“We’ll be okay.”

“How can you know that?” she asked.

“Because I’m gonna make it so.”

She stared at him then he watched in the moonlight as her face got soft.

Then she gave him a precious gift. Better than her mouth wrapped around his dick. Better than the music she sang that night. Better than any of her smiles.

“I believe you.”

Those three words burned the second hole of that day through his heart but that hole immediately filled up with something far better than the muscle that had been there before.

And to communicate his appreciation, Mike dropped his head and took her mouth. She turned in his arms then wound hers around his shoulders. He held the kiss as he bent and lifted her in his arms.

Then he took her to his bed.

Then he took her in his bed.

Then he fell asleep tangled up in Dusty.

Bakin’ Cakes

Wednesday Morning…

M
ike turned off the shower, opened the door, grabbed a towel and saw Dusty standing at her sink brushing her teeth.

He stepped out and started to rub his body down, his eyes on hers in the mirror watching them watch his hands move the towel over his body.

He felt his lips curve.

“Darlin’, not twenty minutes ago you memorized every inch with your mouth,” he reminded her and her eyes jerked to his smiling ones in the mirror.

Then she grinned a toothpaste grin, turning off then pulling the electric brush out of mouth and saying through foam, “Not
every
inch.”

“The right ones,” he muttered and saw her shoulders shake and her eyes twinkle as she shoved the brush back into her mouth and switched it back on.

He wrapped the towel around his waist, secured it and went to his sink.

“What’s on for today again?” he asked, opening the mirror and reaching for his shave gel and razor.

She bent, spit, rinsed, wiped with a towel and was rinsing her brush when she answered, “Pottery, morning. Hunter says he’s got something on with you this afternoon. He’s taking the rental. I’m taking Rhonda’s car and Jerra, me and the kids are going to the mall to get No’s birthday presents. Back in time to dress up and go out to dinner. We’re all meeting here.”

“Right,” he murmured, squirting the gel in his hand then rubbing it onto his face.

“Tell me, exactly,” she started, “how on earth you can be hot rubbing shave gel on your face.”

His eyes slid to the side seeing her leaning with a hip to the counter, his lips curved again and he answered, “God likes me.”

And that was the truth. The proof was a sink away.

“Unh-hunh,” she muttered, wandering to him, getting into his space.

He turned when she was way into it and she plastered her body against his. Then she wrapped one arm around him, the other hand slid over his shoulder blade and up into his wet hair.

She pressed down but he didn’t make her work too hard for it. She got up on her toes and pressed her lips to his and he didn’t make her work too hard for that either. He engaged tongue, after a while she whimpered into his mouth and, Christ, his dick twitched and he’d just had her twenty minutes ago.

He broke the kiss, lifted his head a couple of inches and saw his woman with shave cream all over her face.

He held her keeping his gelled hand away from her nightie and with his clean one started swiping gently at her face, murmuring, “No fuckin’ joke, get done fuckin’ you, ready to go again. I feel like I’m seventeen.”

She pressed deeper into him and whispered, “I know. Isn’t it
awesome?
”

She was not wrong.

He looked deep into her eyes, checking to see if any of the anxiety she had last night was evident and he could see none.

So he grinned at her and whispered his agreement, “Yeah, honey.”

She dipped her head, kissed his chest and her arms slid from around him. He let her go and watched as she tagged a towel, wiped the rest of the shave cream off her face and wandered out of the room.

Then his eyes went back to the mirror and he continued slathering gel on his face.

* * * * *

Wednesday afternoon…

His cell on his desk rang, Mike saw what was on the display and his mouth got tight.

But he picked it up, hit a button and put it to his ear.

“I got a meeting in fifteen so don’t have a lot of time,” was his greeting.

“Okay,” Audrey replied. “I’ll be quick.”

Mike took in a breath wishing she was back to not talking to him.

“I was wondering if you have time tomorrow night after work to get a quick cup of coffee.”

Yes. Definitely wishing she was back to not talking to him.

“Things are busy this week,” he told her. “I can’t do it.”

“Well then, I’ll have coffee and you can just come by. It won’t take five minutes,” she replied.

“Audrey –” he started, sensing movement, his eyes went through the unusually empty bullpen to the stairs where Rivera just appeared.

Mike jerked up his chin at Rivera.

Audrey spoke into his ear. “Five minutes, Mike. I promise and it’s important.”

“Can you tell me what this is about?” Mike asked.

“Clarisse’s school.”

Mike stopped watching Rivera walking to his desk, looked down at it and blinked.

“Pardon?”

“Clarisse’s school. I talked with Mrs. Layne last week and I know there are two of them you and she are approaching with applications for acceptance and scholarships. I want to see you quickly about this.”

“Can’t we do this on the phone?” Mike requested.

“No, because I have something to give you.”

Christ. He didn’t like the sound of that. Audrey rarely gave him anything unless some occasion forced her to and then whatever she gave him, he was the one who actually paid for it and it was more than they could afford. Her being generous now did not give him a good feeling.

 
“Audrey –” he started.

“Mike,” she cut him off. “Mimi’s. After work. It’s two blocks away from you. Just text me when you’re almost done and I’ll meet you there. I promise, it won’t take long.”

“Can you promise it won’t piss me off?” Mike asked.

“Yes,” she answered firmly and immediately and Mike again blinked at his desk.

Then he muttered, “Five minutes. I’ll text you.”

“Thank you, Mike,” she said quietly.

“Later.”

Then he beeped off the phone and his eyes went to Rivera to see Rivera’s on him.

“I’m guessin’ that was not a call from your BFF askin’ you out for martinis,” Rivera remarked and Mike’s lips curved but he shook his head.

“Ex-wife and if my BFF asked me out for martinis they would no longer be my BFF.”

“Hear you, bro,” Rivera muttered then stated, “You got seven dozen more of those donuts you owe me but I’m lettin’ you off on two since you got me outta goin’ to the mall with Jerra and Dusty.”

Mike sat back and his grin became a smile. “Never shopped with Dusty but everything with Dusty is no-nonsense and laidback. Jerra not that way?”

“Jerra can take or leave a mall. She’ll set the computer on fire with on-line shoppin’ but a mall,” he shrugged. “Now
Adriana,
who I will remind you is
six
, lives to go to the mall. She doesn’t even wanna buy the shit. She just wants to try it on. Even Jerra says it’s jacked.”

“My advice, nip it in the bud. Now,” Mike told him and Rivera studied him.

“Your girl dig the mall?” he asked.

“She practically lived there until she got a boyfriend. And her mother was the same.”

Rivera grinned. “So that’s why you let your girl who looks like your girl and acts as sweet as your girl go out with a kid who’s probably got more notches in his bedpost than me.”

Rivera, Mike had already noted repeatedly, didn’t miss much.

“That and he’s a good kid who settled her ass down, got her studying and moved her off a path I didn’t like all that much. Her interest in the mall has vanished, her grades have improved and he gets that I’ll shoot him if he goes there with my Reesee.”

Rivera held his eyes and said quietly, “He gets that all right. I told that kid his girlfriend wasn’t made of the finest porcelain, he’d call me a liar but that would be after he’d punched me in the face and spit at me. Sun rises and sets for him in her, Mike. You get that?”

Mike nodded. He got that. It was impossible to miss. And he couldn’t say he didn’t have reservations but still, he liked it.

Rivera leaned forward slightly and kept talking quietly. “No. I mean that in a way that shit doesn’t die. She’s The One for him. He found her at seventeen. And brother, brace, because the way she looks at him, acts around him, she’s fifteen but she feels the same way.”

“I get that, Rivera,” Mike replied. “And I can’t say I don’t have concerns. What I can say is they aren’t much to get riled up about.”