Perfecting the Odds (39 page)

“Come here, Michael.”
As if approaching a timid animal, he walked toward her slowly. Once he was a few inches away, she quickly brought out her hand and grabbed him, or rather
it
.

“
Shit, Karis,” he breathed out.

She
should have been on edge of desire, but twisted agony resided. “Don’t you see, Michael? I’m losing my mind, and you’re hard. How are we going to get through this dinner? I’m an idiot for thinking I could do this.”

Then Michael did what he always did when things got too tense. He
belted a deep, throaty laugh, and Karis’s eyes shut to mere slits. “Karis, sheesh, what do you expect? We haven’t had sex in nearly two weeks. I’m a little hard up.”

“Nice
pun, asshat,” she spat, and he smirked.

“
Besides that”— he held out his hands and dropped his chin toward the bulge—“this is his normal reaction whenever I see you. He has a mind of his own.”

“Arg, Men!”
She crossed her arms, caging herself.

He lifted one cocky brow.
“I guarantee you’re as turned on right now. Come here.”

“You wouldn’t,” she hissed, backing away.

“It’s only fair.
You groped me first.”

“
To make a
point
, Michael! I’m not going to let you do that.”

He quirked up his brows
. “You’ve done it before.” He tsk-tsked. “Is this another scheme to proposition me?”

Karis’s
mouth gaped open. “Has anyone ever told you that you have horrible comedic timing?”

He stepped closer.
“Nope, never. How about just a hug then? It’s only fair,” he asked, his lips in a slight pout.

“
How old are you!”

“
Pretty please,” he said as he closed the space between them. Her breath halted in her chest.

“
Fine, a hug, quickly.” He leaned toward her, and she shut her eyes to fill her mind with unappealing images: chunky yogurt, wrinkly Aunt Claire having sex, that bathroom in the Underground Tavern. Then all of a sudden her ass flew into the air, being slung over Michael’s shoulder.

“Put me down, Michael Joseph
Finn.” To her demand, she was rewarded a laugh. She slapped his back over and over, and she did as much damage as a feather does to a brick wall. “You’re treating me like a child!”

After striding up the steps
to the house, he flung her down onto the porch swing.

“Then stop acting like one
.”

She opened her
mouth and quickly shut it. Acting like a child? Well, shit. That was the understatement of a lifetime. Any sane, reasonable woman would sit through dinner and go home, but not Karis. Her conflicting feelings shot out in bursts of adolescent tantrums.

“Are you finished,
Karis?”

She huffed and
crossed her arms. “Yes,” she whispered then wrinkled her nose.

“
Now, what’s wrong, darling,” he asked with a sigh, placing his hands on his hips.

“I’m embarrassed.”

He actually rolled his eyes this time and sat down next to her. “Don’t be. Plead momentary insanity. No one was watching. And I already warned my mom that you may have an… adverse reaction to me at first.”
Why is he so damned forgiving?

She studied him for a moment, tilting her head. “
What if she doesn’t like me?”
And why do I care?
“What if she thinks I’m--.”

“
Beautiful, kind, and intelligent?”

She
cringed. “I was thinking bat-shit crazy.”

He laughed. “
You’re crazy, but I love you, and so will she.”

Karis
brushed off the ‘L’ word, again, and stood up. He shook his head in mock exasperation and opened the gateway to Hell. With a smile, he gestured for her to go and meet her doom. She brushed against his chest as she stepped inside and nearly shivered when his hand palmed her lower back and pressed her toward the kitchen.  As soon as she stepped in, a small woman no taller than Eve turned the corner with so much grace, she seemed to float across the floor.

***

Michael was thrilled to introduce Karis to his mother. The circumstances could be better, but like he’d said on the porch, he loved her, and so would his mother. In fact, her stunt outside had only proven to him she still loved him. Unfortunately, it also meant she was a prisoner to the idea that she couldn’t forgive him.

“
Karis, this is my mother, Charlotte Finn. Mom, this is Karis Bennett.”

Karis
extended her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Finn.”

Charlotte
shook her hand and smiled. “Please call me Charley, dear.  Michael’s told me so much about you. I feel like we’ve known each other for years.”

Karis
seemed to relax as Michael’s palm mimicked the ebb and flow of water along her back. She was wound so tight, he actually feared for her health. She looked like she’d lost weight, and by the shading beneath her eyes indicated she hadn’t been sleeping. If Michael would do anything today, he would get her to eat, and hopefully, relax.

“
Thank you so much for the invitation to your home, which is absolutely beautiful. What a blessing to live so close to the shore.”

“
I agree.” Charlotte gestured for them to follow her through the kitchen. Sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the solarium, and Michael watched Karis’s eyes widen as the sun bathed her porcelain skin. Just inside the room, Karis halted and took in the vision before her. She walked toward the nearest window and nearly placed her nose to the glass.

“
Oh, Michael,” Karis whispered in awe, “this view is….” Facing the Chesapeake Bay, the room’s windows framed a panoramic only captured on cheesy post cards. Looking out any one of the windows, a person could see the private dock extending nearly fifty feet into the ocean. Moored to its right side, a small sail boat bobbled with the noon tide. He hoped the irony wasn’t lost on Karis. They may be within their own personal hell, but they were surrounded by Heaven on Earth.

“God, h
ow could you ever move away,” she asked, still gazing at the view before her.

Michael chuckled
against her ear, and he felt her shudder against him. “Something about living with my mother for the rest of my adult life seemed unappealing.”

She
then flashed her first genuine smile of the day. He quickly catalogued into his memory. Those smiles were few and far between, especially now.

 
“Good point. But what a wonderful place to visit.  Your own beach. Sailing, swimming, fishing, crabbing, playing in the sand. It’s like summer camp at home.” Karis shifted her eyes left and right, taking in every inch of the spellbinding horizon.

He slid his
fingers along the curve of her waist, and she jumped. “We can go for a walk on the beach later if you’d like.”

She turned, excitement
animating her features. “The kids would love that.”

“Then it’s a
plan. Come. Let’s have some cheese and fruit.”

“And wine,” she said, looking
adorably desperate for the reprieve.

“And wine,” he said with a smirk.

***

Karis
turned her attention back toward the sun room and a lump caught in her throat. Furnished with three rattan couches, a family portrait came to life in front of her. Robby and Grace sat on the left couch, devouring various fruits and cheeses. Charley leaned down in front of them, stacking chocolate-covered strawberries on their already overflowing plates. She was already doting on them as if they were her own. Karis threw motherly eye daggers toward them, reminding them of their manners, but really, Karis just needed to give her eyes charge so the tears would stay at bay.

Eve
and Scott sat to the right, close enough so that one more person still could fit on the small couch with them. Scott rested his hand on her knee and rubbed his thumb back and forth. Eve fed him a grape, and he teased her by nipping her finger lightly, prompting her school-girl giggle.
Great
, Karis thought.
That looks way too much like love
. Karis would be forced to see Michael more if they stayed together. But she’d do it for Eve. She deserved it, especially now after everything she’s had to endure.

Michael broke her
thought when his lips grazed her ear, instigating yet another shiver through her body. The man had been touching her since they entered the house, and it was taking a toll on her resistance.

“White or red?”

“White or red what?”

“Wine.” He chuckled. “Would you like white or red?”

“White, thank you.”
He retreated to fetch the wine, and she made her way to the open couch and sat. The scenery out the window didn’t hold a candle to the happiness before her. And once Michael’s sisters and their husbands arrived, their addition to this portrait may just start a deluge-like sob. A big family, something Karis yearned for. She had little extended family near her. She’d heard of relatives but never met them. Even her great aunt Claire, the eternal spinster, had married a few years ago and moved about an hour away. She loved her aunt dearly and credited her with the reason she didn’t turn into such a screw up, but they saw each other only on Christmas and Easter and a few dates in between. It wasn’t something she called
family
.

Michael sat next
to her and passed her the wine. “You look like the tears are about to fall, sweetheart.”

Karis
blinked a few times then took a gulp of wine, almost draining the entire glass. “They’re happy tears. It’s just...I’m not used to a big family like this. Everyone sitting around, laughing, smiling, doting. It just brings back wishes I haven’t thought about in a long time. A very long time.”

Michael
lightly pulled her chin toward him. “You know, it doesn’t have to end. You could have this”--He gestured his hand toward the room--“as much as you want.”

Karis
blinked rapidly as he attempted to grant her wish with comment and a wave of his hand. She’d been trying her hardest to avoid his gaze. But now she couldn’t help but drop her eyes to his mouth. Her tongue darted out, wetting her suddenly dry lips.
Oh, brother, did I just do that
? She leaned in slightly and then jerked her head back to center, remedying her impulse.

“
Isn’t there another seat, Michael?”

“Why don’t you j
ust kiss me already…you know you want to,” he murmured across the shell of her ear before teasing her lobe with his tongue. He grinned as she bit her lip and shifted her eyes sideways then back to center.

“If I do, I won’t want to stop,
” she hissed and jumped up, excusing herself to hunt for the bathroom.

Looking behind her confirmed Michael wasn’t following her to the rest room.
Thank god.
She’d spoken too soon. As Karis’s foot feel on the first step, she found herself surrounded by the evolution of Michael Finn. Charly had stair stepped portraits of her children up the walls. Karis couldn’t help but grin and run her fingers along Michael’s smile; each step he grew from boy to man. He had a signature grin, sweet but a little arrogant. He should have had children, all donning that pretty smile and his decadent eyes. Michael would be a wonderful father. As acknowledgment drew out a single tear, Karis imbibed the ache and ascended the final step.

Making her way down the hallway, she
peeked into each bedroom. Two clearly once belonged to his sisters, one painted pink, the other lavender, amassed with twin beds and various items of their childhoods. One could learn a great deal about a person by snooping into the childhood bedroom. Filled bookshelves, discreetly placed dolls, and a music stand in the lavender room. A poster of Johnny Depp, a CD tower, and a huge vanity in the pink room.

The
last room was blue, and Karis stopped in the doorway. She inhaled before crossing the threshold. Michael. His scent overwhelmed her nose, forcing her to sit on his double bed to steady herself. The room was so… Michael.

Neutral walls
held various movie posters:
The Godfather, Full Metal Jacket,
and
Platoon
. Such a guy’s guy. No wonder he and Robby clicked immediately. She turned around on the bed. Boxing gloves, worn and ripped, wrapped around the head post. For the life of her, Karis couldn’t imagine Michael hurting anyone. She knew his strength. She knew his boyhood affinity for playground bouts. And his body indeed was one of a trained fighter, but Michael was as gentle as they came. Even-tempered. Just the right amount of restraint, and unbridled power when it counted.

She couldn’t stop her mind from traveli
ng to their night of lovemaking that seemed light years ago. He was so attentive, giving her pleasure before even addressing his own needs. And despite that their relationship was in the “honeymoon” period, she was sure Michael would always be that way…because he didn’t know any other way to be. She sighed at the loss and swiped away another rogue tear. She may not understand why he chose to lie to her, but she knew one thing for sure. He was truly invested in conveying the depth of his love for her.