Perfect Fit (22 page)

He loved the sound of sex, the grinding of bodies, but this was so much more. He’d never walk away unscathed. Bracing his hands beside her, he lowered his head, taking
her lips in a hard, much-needed kiss. Her sex clenched him, milking him tighter. A tingling in his gut signaled the onset of climax. He stiffened and shuddered, imploding inside and out. He came, the release physical as much as it was emotional, the sensations pulling him under as he came harder than ever before.

From a distance, he heard her cries, gasps, the “Oh Gods,” that signaled she’d joined him for the ride. Spent, he sprawled on top of her, certain he’d never breathe well again.

A little while later, he lay with Cara curled in his arms. The longer they rested in silence, the more time he had to dwell on his meeting with Rex.

Leave it alone, son.
Those words told Mike that Rex knew more than he’d admitted, but he’d been smart enough to hit Mike where it hurt to get himself off the hook. And Mike had allowed it. Still, even if he’d pushed, Mike was under no illusions he’d have been able to break Rex.

His answers didn’t lie in Vegas any more than they did in Serendipity. They were bottled up, unlikely to be revealed. He ought to call the mayor, tell her they’d hit a dead end and call it a day. But Mike didn’t like unfinished business. He hated it even more when it pertained to his life.

In the midst of the chaos with Rex, a surprising need for home surfaced. Mike wanted to talk to Sam and Erin, to feel a part of the family he’d tried so hard to distance himself from. That need surprised him.

Cara stirred, shifting and rolling to face him. “You okay?” she asked.

“I’m with you, so never better.” He leaned over and kissed her.

She smiled and curled back into his side. “Except I wasn’t talking about us. I can practically hear you thinking.”

He chuckled, not surprised how well she read him. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“Want to talk about it?” she asked, extreme caution in her voice.

No doubt because he’d been such an ass the last time she’d approached him. “I would, if there were something to discuss. Rex is a no-good son of a bitch who’d rather hurt his own son than reveal information. That about sums it up, and there’s nothing I can do to change it.”

Cara exhaled hard. “All true. But you shouldn’t dismiss how he made you feel.”

“I
feel
like I don’t want to have anything to do with the man, but since his blood is running through my veins, I really can’t control that either.” He wished he could take back the sarcastic bite in his voice, but it was too late.

“Mike—”

“Look, I know you’re here for me and…I appreciate it.” He cut her off before she could poke at the wound his father opened in him. No matter how well meaning, he wasn’t up to it. “I just need to work through it myself.”

“Mmm,” she said, and the sound vibrated through him. “Been there and thought that many times myself. I get it.”

For the first time, he sensed that she really did. Funny thing was, he hated the thought of her going through any of her personal garbage alone. Still, that was exactly what he needed right now.

“I can’t wait to get home,” he muttered.

“Having that bad a time?” she asked lightly.

“Not when I’m with you.” He squeezed her tighter. “I just need to get away from here.”

“I get that too.” With her head snuggled in the crook of his arm, he couldn’t see her face or read her expression. “Besides, you already showed me the best of Vegas, so I really can’t complain that you’re ready to leave.”

He twirled his finger in her hair, guilt riding him that when he should still be enjoying the next twenty-four hours, he wanted to get out of the state his father lived in as soon as possible.

“Come,” he said, nudging her shoulder.

“Where?”

There was one more sight they’d yet to enjoy together. “Get dressed. I want to go outside and see the light show.” Personally, he could live without it, but he remembered her delighted expression when she talked about seeing the lights.

“Are you sure? We could call the airlines now and get on the next flight home,” she offered.

“Not until after you’ve seen the light show.” He rolled her onto her back and pinned her to the mattress. “And definitely not until after I’ve seen your face when you do.”

Twelve

Mike came home from Vegas, caught up on sleep,
and insisted Cara do the same. He gave her a few days off and took some for himself. As soon as he felt more human and got a handle on his emotions, he called and met his brother and sister for lunch at The Family Restaurant.

He arrived last, as usual. His siblings were waiting, their meals and his ordered and on the table. They looked at him with concern.

“You texted us to say you were going to Vegas to meet Rex Bransom. Then we heard nothing for three days,” Erin said, chiding him in an exact replica of their mother’s voice.

Mike settled in a chair across from her. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“I heard you dragged Cara along with you.” Sam made it sound like an accusation.

“She offered to go,” Mike said tightly.

“Sam, leave him alone,” Erin urged.

“No, let’s finish this conversation once and for all.” He and Sam hadn’t gotten past Mike’s seeing his brother’s best
friend, and Mike was tired of pretending everything was fine between them when it wasn’t. “Do you want Cara for yourself? Is that it?” Mike asked his brother.

Sam clenched his jaw. “No. I just want to know that when you pick up and leave—and you will because you always do—you won’t leave her heart stomped beneath your feet.”

Mike groaned. “All I can tell you is that I’ve been honest with her from day one.” He opened and closed his hands, fisting them beneath the table. “I don’t want her hurt any more than you do.”

Sam expelled a harsh breath. “I believe you. I just…her father’s a bastard. Her mother takes it. Cara’s never stayed in a relationship long. She won’t put herself out there for fear of being hurt, but she’s different with you.” He shook his head. “And I can see disaster coming from a mile away. But I love you both, so…” He raised his hands in front of him. “I’ll stay out of it.”

Mike knew what it took for Sam to step back. There was no better man, no one more loyal than his brother. “Thanks, man.”

“Okay, now that you two have settled things, what happened in Vegas?” Erin asked.

Mike drew a deep breath. “I met him.”

“And?” Erin asked in a whisper.

Mike closed his eyes, and the memory of Rex Bransom flashed before him. “We look alike,” Mike admitted. “We…spoke alike. He’s more outgoing. He enjoys being the center of attention. I don’t. But I’m afraid that in here”—he tapped his chest, over his heart—“we’re more alike than I want to believe.”

He felt his brother’s hand slap him on the shoulder. “That’s bullshit,” Sam said, defending Mike so strongly that he almost believed it himself.

Almost.

“He left. So did I. He abandoned a woman—”

“Don’t go there,” Sam warned him. “Tiffany was nothing like Mom.”

That, at least, was true.

“Mike, you’re one of the best men I know.” Erin, her eyes wide and damp, met his gaze. “And that’s because you’re like Simon, not Rex.”

He didn’t reply.

His sister covered his hand with hers. “Hey. You have to believe me.”

Mike didn’t know how to feel or what to believe. It was Rex’s blood running through his veins. Rex, who couldn’t stay in one place, who never gave a piece of himself to anyone he came into contact with. Mike’s search for Rex had revealed that the man jumped from state to state, never forming ties or relationships. Mike was much the same.

“Forget him,” Sam said. “Call the case cold for good and put it behind you.”

Mike didn’t know if he could. “He called me
son
. And afterward, I never felt more dirty in my life.”

His siblings looked at him with pity, which had him squirming in his seat.

“What about Mom and Dad? You going to tell them what happened?” Sam asked.

“I’ve spoken to Mom. And as soon as Dad finishes his last treatment, we agreed to sit him down and explain everything, including that Rex contacted her through Facebook.” He’d already told his brother and sister the background before he went to Vegas.

“Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation,” Erin said, with a shake of her head. “Good thing their bond is tight enough to withstand anything.”

“Amen,” Mike said.

“So. Does anyone have any good news to talk about?” Erin grinned.

“Same old,” Sam muttered.

They finished eating in relative peace, for which Mike was grateful. His cell rang as he was finishing, and he took the call from work.

He listened without much interest. “Just leave it on my desk,” he said to the desk sergeant on call. “I’ll get to it when I come in tomorrow.” He disconnected the line.

“Anything important?” Erin asked.

Mike shook his head. “Someone left an envelope for me.” And he hoped that was the most interesting thing that happened to him for the rest of the week. He could do without drama and excitement for a little while.

Cara had been back in Serendipity for almost a week
when Alexa finally had time to meet her at Cuppa Café Saturday morning. Cara needed a female friend fix desperately, and she’d had to wait until her friend’s day off.

“Sit. I have your drink ready and waiting,” Cara said when Alexa arrived. “I have so much to tell you!”

Alexa shrugged off her winter coat. “I wish you’d told me you needed to talk! I’d have made time sooner,” she chided.

Cara waved a hand. “As if I’d ever ask you to drop a patient or turn down an emergency. You’re a workaholic, but don’t worry. I know that if I needed you, you’d be there for me. I guess I wasn’t ready to share just yet.”

Alexa listened, her eyes glazing with a bit of envy at the description of Las Vegas—at least before meeting Rex. From the suite in the Bellagio, to the most intimate dinner she’d ever experienced, to the light show, where Mike had encircled her in his arms and held her while they watched, Cara was falling hard.

“Your man sounds yummy. Are you sure we’re talking about Mike Marsden?” Alexa asked on a laugh, as she drew a sip of her black coffee.

Cara winced at the way her friend drank to keep herself
awake and downed her own heavily sugared latte. “I’m sure. When he’s hot, there’s nobody sweeter.”

“But?” Alexa prodded, waiting for Cara to pull her thoughts together and answer.

Which wasn’t easy. The
but
was the whole reason she was here with her friend. Cara was falling hard, and it had to stop. Her runaway feelings were getting out of hand, and she needed a reminder that anything more than a hot affair with Mike would burn out fast. And she needed to hear it from another woman, not from Sam.

Cara swallowed hard. “But when he’s cold…Brrr.”

Alexa narrowed her gaze. “So he’s not Mr. Perfect.”

Cara shook her head.

“Good. Who is?” Alexa grinned. “Glad to know he’s as human as the rest of us.”

Cara sighed. “Listen, we talked about this a few weeks ago at Joe’s. I know who and what Mike is.”

Alexa tipped her head and eyed Cara with those appraising, smart eyes. “And you love him for it.”

Cara blinked, stunned at her friend’s words. “No. No, of course not.” She couldn’t be in love. “I told you I’d only love a man who I can trust with my whole heart. I need security and predictability. Not someone who blows hot and cold, or who’s reminded me more than once he’s not interested in anything permanent.” Her heart squeezed at the reminder, but that was what she wanted out of this talk. The brutal truth said out loud. “I need to know what to expect from a man, and when.”

Alexis shook her head and put her empty cup down. “Not every man is your father.”

Cara’s stomach cramped. So maybe she wasn’t looking for anything quite that brutal. Still, Alexa had a valid point. “True. And I’m not saying Mike’s anything like my dad. He wouldn’t hurt me—or anyone—that way, but I don’t have to wonder if Mike’s the guy I can entrust my heart to because he doesn’t want it.” She rose and tossed her cup in the trash. “I’m so glad we had this talk!”

“Cara Hartley, sit yourself down!”

Cara stared at her normally quiet, sedate doctor friend. So did everyone else in the small café. In order to avoid making a scene, she lowered herself back into the chair. “Who are you and what have you done with my friend Alexa?”

“I
am
your friend, and as such, I’m here to tell you to get your head out of your ass,” she said, much more quietly this time. “Mike took you with him to Vegas to meet the man who abandoned him for the first time. And you don’t think he’s someone you can trust your heart to?” Alexa held up a hand. “And I don’t want to hear about some relationship he had when he was pretty much still a kid himself.”

“I don’t need his past as proof. He told me so himself! His exact words were,
no hearts involved
!”

Alexa frowned. “In the beginning, maybe. But now you’re the one keeping yours sealed shut.”

“That’s right, and it’s called self-preservation, thank you very much. And now I have to go to Havensbridge. I’m hoping someone heard from Daniella.”

“Still nothing?” Alexa asked, concerned

“No.” Cara drew a deep breath. “Listen, I appreciate that you’re looking out for me, but I knew what I was getting into with Mike. And I asked you to meet me today because…maybe I am falling for him a little bit and I needed the reminder of why that’s a bad idea.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give that to you.” Alexa shook her head. “I guess I need to believe someone can find the right guy.”

Personally, Cara thought Alexa could find that man if she stopped working so hard and let herself look around. But she knew better than to have the old argument.

“That’s okay,” Cara said instead. “I gave it to myself.”

Alexa rose, walked to Cara, and gave her a hug. “I just want you to be happy, and honestly? Being with Mike makes you happier than I’ve ever seen you.”

Too bad it couldn’t last. But Cara didn’t say that.