Awakened (Intimate Relations) (2 page)

Tonight though, she really wasn’t acting like herself. He had no idea at all what was going on, but a drink sounded like a good place to start. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll get the lime and tonic water.”

“Thanks.” She set the bottle on the counter, paused there for a moment, and then bowed her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to be very good company. I already miss Lola.” She raised her head and sent him a sad little smile. “We’ve never been apart more than a couple of days. Not ever.”

“She said this is her first flight.”

Mandy nodded. “It is. I’m still waiting for my turn.” She sighed and handed the bottle to him when he reached for it.

“Sit,” he said. “I’ll make ’em.”

“Thanks.” She took one of the stools at the counter, propped an elbow on the granite, and rested her chin in her palm. She looked absolutely lost.

This went way beyond her sister going on a trip.

He kept glancing her way as he grabbed two glasses out of another cabinet, found the tonic water in the refrigerator, and snagged a lime out of the basket on the counter. She hadn’t budged, hadn’t said a word. “Cheer up, Mandy. She’ll be back before you know it.”

Mandy nodded and stared out the back window.

He added ice and mixed the drinks, but it was weird with Mandy so quiet. She usually had something funny to say about everything. Not tonight, but he wondered if it might be something else—her gloomy behavior seemed a little excessive just because Lola had taken off on a trip.

Maybe she just needed to relax. He knew he did. Ever since he’d learned that Ben and Lola were going to make this trip, that he and Mandy would be here alone, he’d been a wreck.

He finished making the drinks and topped them off with an extra shot of gin. Then, squeezing a slice of lime into each of the glasses, he handed one to Mandy.

“Thanks.” She took a sip and sighed. “Tastes good. How come we never put you in charge of the drinks?”

“All you have to do is ask.” He took the stool beside hers and sipped his drink. Maybe he was taking a risk, sitting so close, but something was wrong and it wasn’t in him to ignore a friend. Especially Mandy. “Okay, Mandy. Are you going to tell me what’s really bothering you?”

She shook her head, but at least she smiled. “How’d you know?”

“Big block letters scrawled across your pouty little face.”

This time she laughed. “You are such a charmer.”

“Perceptive, too, I think.” He wished he could tell her how many nights he’d fallen asleep, imagining her above him, beneath him, her honey-blond hair framing her beautiful face.

No way was that going to happen. Not with Mandy.

She was much too special, and he cared for her too much to take the risk. He never touched Mandy, never allowed himself the luxury, but for whatever reason, he reached out and used his fingers to push her long bangs out of her eyes.

Her head snapped up at his touch, her lips parted. Her brown eyes, so unusually dark with all that streaky blond hair waving this way and that around her face, had filled with questions.

He ignored them. “Talk to me, Mandy. Tell me.”

“I lost my job today.” Her lips trembled, she rubbed her hand over her eyes, and Marc wanted to hold her so much he ached.

“What happened?”

Mandy let out a slow breath, but she wouldn’t look at him. “My boss shut the coffee shop down without any notice or warning. I’ve worked there for seven years, and there was nothing, no ‘thank you for all your help,’ nothing. I went in this morning to work and she handed me my final paycheck and said she’d decided to close this one because the new shop was doing so well. When I think of all the hours I’ve worked without overtime, all the days off I’ve given up…” She raised her head and her expression was bleak. “I feel used, Marc. Like I never mattered to her at all. I thought we were friends. I watched her kids for her when she was in a bind, took her soup when she was sick, but she opened a new shop downtown, hired all new people, and closed this one without even warning me.”

“That sucks, Mandy. Damn. I am so sorry.” He wasn’t sure how, but in a heartbeat she slipped past his defenses. He had his arms around her, holding her the way he’d dreamed since the first time he met her a little over two months ago. She felt even better than he’d imagined. Her cotton knit dress hugged her curves, and once he held her, he knew she wasn’t wearing a bra. Everything about Mandy felt soft and warm and so wonderfully feminine.

Her hands slipped over his waist, slowly crept around him, almost tentatively, as if she wasn’t sure of his response, so he hugged her tighter. She needed it right now, needed him.

And damn it all, he needed her. Needed Mandy Monroe more than he’d ever needed or wanted anyone or anything in his entire life.

*   *   *

She’d wondered what it would feel like if Marc ever hugged her. She’d imagined all the bells and whistles, the thrill of their bodies coming together, the shivers and fireworks of sexual awareness she’d read about but had never experienced. Now? As she nestled close to his broad chest, heard the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear, felt the warmth of his breath on her cheek, she felt none of those things. What she felt was something so much stronger, so powerful, it left her stunned.

For the first time since she was a little girl growing up with the world’s most dysfunctional mother, Mandy felt as if she’d truly come home. Sighing, she allowed herself this one moment in time and held on to Marcus Reed as if she’d never let him go.

But the most amazing part of his simple hug given for comfort? It didn’t feel like Marc wanted to let go of her, either.

Long minutes later, he sighed. “You okay?”

Well, she knew it had to end at some point. “Yeah.” Drawing in a deep breath, she straightened. “Thanks.”

He smiled as he released her; she sat straighter on her stool in front of the counter. Took a sip of her drink. Stared at the lime slice floating on top of the ice. It was easier than looking at Marc, easier than seeing that “I’m your good buddy” look on his face.

His drop-dead gorgeous face. And the best thing about all that absolute deliciousness? He didn’t have a clue how attractive she found him. He was naturally classy, his body trim and toned, not muscle-bound, but all lean strength and almost patrician good looks. His short, thick hair was so dark brown it was almost black, and he wore it neatly trimmed most of the time. Only on a few occasions had it come even close to touching his collar the way it was now. Marc looked like an aristocrat—it was easy to imagine him in a sleek, black tux, sipping a martini in a classy nightclub somewhere.

Not here in her kitchen wearing a ragged T-shirt that fit like a second skin, and faded black jeans resting low on his hips, hugging his perfect butt.

Even his bare feet were sexy.

“I’ve got an idea.” He stood and held out a hand, bringing her back to reality.

Raising her head, she grinned at him. “What? Besides getting blitzed on gin and tonic, that is.” She took his hand. They never held hands unless he was tugging her somewhere, but she’d never been so aware of being alone with him before. She glanced at their clasped hands. He must really be feeling sorry for her.

His fingers tightened around hers and he laughed. “Well, we can do that, too. I unpacked a couple of boxes I hadn’t emptied since the move and found the six-episode set of Star Wars movies I thought I’d lost. How’s that sound?”

He leered at her. Mandy giggled. Marc didn’t strike her as the leering type, but then she wasn’t much of a giggler, either.

“I promise to continue refreshing your drink.”

Actually, that didn’t sound like too bad an idea. “Be still my heart,” she said, reaching for her gin and tonic. Laughing as he tugged her along behind him, she followed Marc into the front room. “A Star Wars marathon while being plied with cheap gin sounds like a marvelous way to spend a Saturday evening.”

Sliding Rico, her basset hound, to one side, Mandy got comfortable on the couch while Marc stuck a DVD in the player. When he walked back to sit, she thought he’d take the recliner, but instead he slid Rico a little bit farther along the leather seat and sat between the old dog and Mandy.

He put his bare feet on the coffee table. “You’re not going to yell at me, are you?”

“No. What for? You’re not wearing shoes.” Lola had strict rules about feet on furniture with shoes.

He grinned at her, and damn but he had the sexiest smile. “Not the feet on the table, silly. This.” He settled close beside her on the well-worn couch and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You’ve gotta have an arm around the girl if you’re at the movies.”

He had to be kidding if he thought she’d yell at him for this. Kidding or just terribly dense. She welcomed the weight of his arm resting over her shoulders. Snuggled close and inhaled his scent, subtle but so very much his own. “No,” she said. “Not gonna yell.” Then she sighed. “Too bad we’re out of popcorn.”

“So we drink instead.” He raised his glass as he settled back. Rico grunted and resettled himself closer to Marc, and the only sound was the DVD cycling through the legal notices before the opening credits to the first movie started. That, and the pounding of Mandy’s heart.

It took her only a few more heartbeats to relax against Marc. He was warm and solid and strong, and so welcome, tonight of all nights. He was offering friendship and comfort, but she was greedy. Mandy wanted more. Tonight, if Marc seemed willing, she’d take whatever she could get.

*   *   *

He knew the moment Mandy finally let go and fell asleep. She sort of nuzzled his chest and the next thing he knew she was all scrunched up against him, her lips slightly parted, taking slow, even breaths. He carefully lifted her and settled her slight frame in his lap with her head tucked up against his shoulder.

She was so much tinier than Lola, barely five three to Lola’s five eight, her slight but perfectly proportioned frame giving her a pixie quality that hid what Marc and Ben privately referred to as a personality that was a force of nature, and a spine of pure steel. Mandy might be kind and loving, a truly good-hearted soul, but he’d heard tales of her bravery that gave him chills. The thought of her calmly facing down Lola’s crazy ex-boyfriend when the guy barged in armed with a gun made Marc really glad he and Ben had decided to put better locks on the doors, even though they’d done the upgrade a couple of years after the actual event.

Of course, that hadn’t been the entire reason—when Ben showed up in search of his brother Jake a few months ago, he’d unknowingly brought a whole lot of unexpected trouble home from his tour in Afghanistan, including some scary guys with guns trailing him.

Putting extra deadbolt locks on the bedroom door had been Marc’s suggestion. In case anyone actually managed to break into the house, he’d said. He hadn’t been able to explain the real reason—that it was a way to keep him out should he ever be the source of danger. Until he knew the truth about the old nightmares that had returned in full force, Marc preferred to keep that fear to himself.

Still, it was better to keep future bad guys out rather than worry about Mandy playing heroine. The locks on the bedroom door were for Marc’s peace of mind, but that thought slipped into the ether as Mandy twisted a bit in his lap and curled against his chest. The first movie ended but he didn’t get up to slip in another. Both their drinks were empty—they’d each quit after a second one—but he wasn’t willing to let this evening end.

He’d wanted to hold her since the first time he’d seen her—his best friend’s girlfriend’s roommate, the cute little barista with the perpetually optimistic outlook on life.

Except for today, when she’d confided in him. She hadn’t wanted anything but a hug, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do something to help her out. Maybe she’d like to have her own coffee shop. One of the units on the bottom floor of his building was going to be empty in a few days. A coffee shop would work perfectly in there, but only if he could figure out a way to approach the subject without it sounding like charity.

That was the problem with having a shitload of money when your best friends were still earning their way. There was a fine line between helping, and looking as if you were trying to control things. He didn’t want to be that guy, but he did want to help.

He sat there a while longer, holding her. Realized it might be hard to explain if he fell asleep and they both woke up out here in the morning. It wasn’t worth the risk. He hadn’t had any blackouts for quite a few years now, but he wasn’t up to taking any chances. Not with Mandy.

He tightened his hold on her and stood with her in his arms. She blinked and focused on him as he walked with her around the room, turning out lights and checking the locks.

“What’cha doing?”

He kissed her forehead. Imagined tasting her lips instead. “Turning things off. Checking the locks. Making sure Rico’s dog door is unlocked. And then I’m carrying you into your bedroom so you can get some sleep. It’s late.”

“Oh. Okay.” Her arms went around his neck and she held on.

He got to Mandy’s room and shoved the door open with his hip, carried her to the bed, and carefully placed her in the middle. She sat up, blinking, still half asleep, her hair all tousled, full lips soft and inviting. Damn, she was sexy as hell.

Then she looked at him like a tiny waif, reached out, and took his hand.

“Stay with me tonight. Please? I don’t want to sleep alone.”

He hadn’t expected that. He sat on the edge of the bed. “Do you think that’s a good idea?” He hardened against his jeans. His cock thought it was an amazing idea. He’d managed to keep his arousal under control all evening long. One simple request from Mandy and he was glad he was wearing snug jeans that hid the evidence. He hoped.

She tilted her head and studied him. He met her gaze and held it, because there was nothing he wanted more than Mandy in his arms, no matter how bad a move it might be. His good intentions only went so far.

“Yeah,” she said. “I think it’s an excellent idea.” Then she frowned, but she looked so cute he almost kissed her. “Unless, of course, you’re not attracted to me.”