Laugh Like You've Never Cried (Summer Lake 5) (13 page)

Watching his mom smile down at his son as she hugged him back, Michael knew for certain that coming back to the lake had been the right decision. This was where he belonged. It was so good for Ethan to have the kind of family life he'd never known before.

“I think it's very cool!” said his mom. “And you don't mind?” As she asked Ethan, she raised an eyebrow at Michael. He'd told her he wasn't going to say anything yet.

“Like I said, long as he doesn't mess it up!”

Michael smiled at his mom. “I thought I should check with Ethan that it was okay.”

She nodded, then looked at the boy. “Have a little faith in your father. He's not going to mess it up. He's going to have a very nice evening, with a very nice lady.”

Gabe was grinning at him. “So who is this Miss Reid?”

His dad piped up from the corner. “She's the librarian.” He grinned at Gabe. “Wears glasses and her hair tied up in a bun.”

Gabe laughed and gave Michael a knowing look. “She does, does she?”

Michael waggled his eyebrows at him. “Yep!”

His mom shook her head at them. “Don't you need to get going, angel? You don't want to be late.”

Ethan came and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Told you, Dad. You don't want to be late. You should go. Grandma and I have work to do anyway.”

Michael hugged him tight. “Okay, mate. You be good. I'll see you tomorrow.”

Gabe followed him out. “All right, Michael. Explain it to me. The first time you tell the kid you're going out with a woman, and she's a librarian? That doesn't sound like your type.” He gave a dirty laugh. “Apart from the bit where she lets her hair down and takes her glasses off before she gets naked for you. What's the score?”

Michael laughed. “Typical that you go right to the standard sexual fantasy. If only mom knew how far from an angel you really are.”

Gabe shrugged. “Hey, I'm not the only one. She might have named us after angels, but that's as far as it goes. So come on, tell me about this chick. What's so special about her that you're finally telling Ethan that you're dating?”

Michael stared at him. What was so special about her? He was sure that if he tried to explain it his brother, of all people, would not understand.

Gabe looked at him with a mixture of shock and excitement on his face. “Damn, Michael! I'm guessing she's really special.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The fact that you look uncomfortable, that you're trying to figure out what to say, that you're not making wisecracks, or bragging. This is serious, isn't it?”

Michael took a deep breath. “I don't know Gabe. You're right. She's not my type. She really is a librarian. But I don't know...I only met her at last weekend, but she's gotten to me.”

Gabe nodded. “Watch yourself, little brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“You sound like you did when you first met Kay.” He put a hand on Michael’s shoulder. “You fell hard and fast for that one, and she certainly wasn't the right one, was she?”

Michael frowned. He hated feeling as though Gabe was the wise one and he was just the clown who needed his perfect big brother to look out for him. More than that, though, he hated Megan being compared to Kay. All the warning signs had been there with Kay from the beginning. It was his fault he'd ignored them. Megan was nothing like her. “It's not like that, Gabe. Megan's not like that. She's sweet and shy and smart.”

Gabe raised an eyebrow. “And hot, right?”

Michael nodded slowly. “Hottest little lady I ever met, but you wouldn't know it.”

Gabe looked puzzled. “What the hell does that mean? She's either hot or she isn't.”

“She is, but she hides it. Dad wasn't joking. She really does tie her hair up and wear big glasses. Most of the time she hides herself in jeans and sweatshirts. But damn, Gabe! Underneath all those clothes, she's hiding this hot little self. She's driving me nuts!”

“So get your ass over there, and get her out of all those clothes. Figure out if it's just curiosity that's driving you.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “It's not, mate. I already know that. You don't think I'd have said anything to Ethan otherwise do you?”

“That's true. Just watch yourself, okay? I'm not sure I like the sound of this.”

“Why?”

“I don't know. I guess I'm worried life here is going to be too small for you. I'd hate to see you get saddled with a small-time, small-town girl too.”

Michael thought about it. He shook his head. “Nah. It's not like that.”

Gabe gave him a hard stare. “I hope not. Bear it in mind though, okay? Keep your options open. Don't be led astray by that big head of yours.”

Michael had to laugh at that. “Thanks, Gabe. I'd better get going for now though.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

M
egan paced the kitchen nervously. Ollie sat in the corner watching her, his head cocked to one side.

“What am I doing, Ollie-bug?” she asked him.

There was still half an hour before Michael was supposed to arrive and she couldn't sit still, or even think straight. She kept getting little shivers of anticipation, goosebumps running down her back when she thought about what tonight would be like. While she was returning books to the shelves this afternoon, she’d worked out that it had been over two years since she'd had sex. Most of the time she tried not to think about Adrian at all. He wasn't a bad man. But being with him had been a bad time for her. The worst time of her life. She shuddered, and absently reached down to pet Ollie. He put a paw on her leg and nudged his head against her. How could it be that a dog she'd only known for a few months showed her more love and support than her own parents had? She hugged him then stood up and gave herself a little shake. That was all in the past. Tonight was the present, her new life, here in Summer Lake. Here she had Ollie, she liked her job, she was making friends—and she had Michael.

What did that mean though? Did she really have Michael? He'd said he wanted to keep seeing her. Tonight for sure, she was going to 'have' him, but what would it mean going forward? She didn't know and didn't need to know. For the first time in her life, she was in a good place surrounded by good people. She was just going to make the most of every moment. She smiled as another shiver ran through her. She was looking forward to every moment of this evening—and tonight. Michael was going to spend the night with her. She was looking forward to sleeping next to him all night almost as much as she was looking forward to what they were going to do before they went to sleep. She was nervous, no denying it. He was sooo big! But she was longing for him too. Her body hadn't stopped aching for him since he'd left last night. He'd made her feel so good, and she knew tonight he would make her feel even better.

Her phone rang bringing her back to reality, back to the kitchen, when all her thoughts had been in the bedroom.

“Hey Kenzie!”

“Hey, little sis. How are you?”

“I'm great thanks. I can't talk for long though. Michael's on his way over.”

“Oh. You're seeing him again then?”

Why couldn't Kenzie just be happy for her? Megan felt bad as soon as she thought it, but it was true. She wished her sister would be enthusiastic for her, just once. “Yes I am. I really like him, Kenz.”

“Well don't go getting carried away. You're not exactly known for choosing wisely when it comes to men, are you?”

Ouch! Megan stared at the phone. “I'm going to ignore that you said that. What's wrong?”

“Why do you think there's something wrong?”

“Because you wouldn't be so mean otherwise.”

Kenzie was quiet for a moment. “Yeah. I'm sorry Megan. It hasn't been the best day. I'm not trying to be mean though. It's just that I worry about you. After Adrian, I'd hate to see you get hurt again. I wish you'd come here. I've told you, we could find you a man.”

Megan frowned. She did not want to move to Nashville at all. Even less so, now that she was making friends and seeing Michael. “I've already found a man! And I really like him. Can't you just be happy for me?”

“Not without knowing what you're getting yourself into, no. I'm sorry, but I do worry. I'd rather you were here with me.”

Megan was frustrated now. She was supposed to be happy and excited, looking forward to her evening, and here was Kenzie putting a damper on things. “There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine. Michael is wonderful and he's nothing like Adrian.” She couldn't help smiling as she said it. “If you're so worried about me, why don't
you
come
here
? You can meet Michael, meet my friends, and see just how well I'm doing here.” A thought occurred to her. “Maybe you could even move here? If you want to be with me, you come live here. I don't want to come there.”

Kenzie laughed. “You're in a tiny dead-end town, Megan. What the hell would I do there?”

“Well, what are you doing there?” Megan could have kicked herself as soon as she said it. But it was true. Kenzie didn't appear to be doing anything. She kept talking about auditions, but nothing ever came of them.

Kenzie was quiet for a long time.

“I'm sorry, Kenz.”

“No, don't be. You're right. I'm starting to wonder what the hell I'm doing here myself.” Megan hated that she sounded so sad and defeated.

“I'm sure something will come up soon. You just have to keep at it, right?”

“Yeah.”

Oh dear. She hated it when her sister sounded like that. She was normally so upbeat. “Maybe you could come just for a visit? You can see that I'm fine, and maybe a break and a change of scenery would be just what you need?”

“Maybe.” She didn't sound like she meant it. “I'll let you go. I hope you have a good time tonight. Just be careful though, will you?”

“I will, Kenzie. Please don't worry about me. I'm more worried about you now.”

“No need.” Kenzie laughed that forced laugh. “Maybe I will come see you, but for now I've got to go. Talk soon, okay?”

“Okay. Love you, sis.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

Megan ended the call and sat staring at her phone, wondering what was wrong. Kenzie didn't normally sound so down, or give up so easily. She hoped Kenzie was okay, but Megan really, really didn't want to move there. She could hardly see her sister coming here though. She was right—what on earth could she do here? If it came down to it, Megan knew she would go to her. All they had in the world was each other, and that counted for more than anything else. Still, she hoped it wouldn't come to that. For now, she wasn't going to worry about it. She was going to enjoy this evening, enjoy being with Michael, and keep her fingers crossed that this was the beginning of her life here, that it wouldn't have to end anytime soon.

She checked herself in the mirror in the hallway. She loved the way she looked! Her hair fell around her shoulders. She hadn't told Kenzie, but she was wearing one of Kenzie’s dresses—out of the box. It was short, but other than that it wasn't too risky. It had long sleeves and a high neck. Apart from her legs, she was all covered up. She knew she had great legs, so why not show them off? She knew Michael would like it. The way he'd looked at her when she was naked last night had made her feel so sexy. She wanted him to keep looking at her like that, even while she still had clothes on. She had a feeling that this dress would do the trick.

Ollie ran past her to the front door and started his pawing and whining. She smiled. It was time to put Kenzie, and Nashville and everything else out of her mind. Time to enjoy a wonderful evening, and night, with Michael.

She opened the door and caught her breath at the sight of him. He was so incredibly sexy! She watched the dimple on his cheek deepen as he looked her over and his smile grew. There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes when his gaze met hers.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” She knew her voice sounded husky. She wanted to lean against the doorframe for support. Her body was heating up and her knees were ready to buckle. They were going out for dinner, but all she wanted to do was go straight upstairs, and pick up where they'd left off last night. He stepped towards her, his arms outstretched. “C'mere, Meggie.”

She gladly leaned against him, every cell in her body aware of his arms closing around her, of the feel of him. She reached her own arms up around his neck so that she could press herself against him, pushing her breasts against his hard chest, her hips against the big, hard bulge in his pants. He crushed her to him and his mouth came down on hers. He backed her into the hallway and closed the door behind them with his foot. She was trapped between him and the wall. His hips were thrusting against hers, rubbing that big, hard bulge of his between her legs, making her moan, making her wet. She clung to him and kissed him back, stroking her fingers through his hair, giving herself up to the way he made her feel. He lifted his head and looked down at her. His breath was coming fast, his huge hands closed around her backside, holding her against him as he pressed into her.

“We'd better get out of here, little one.”

She shook her head. “I don't want to.”

He held her closer. He knew what she meant, but he said nothing. He was leaving it up to her.

She took a deep breath. She really didn't want to wait any longer. “Take me upstairs?”

His green eyes bored into hers. “We're supposed to be going for dinner, Meggie.”

She smiled. He didn't want to go out any more than she did. The way he was pressing into her, the way his hands were moving over her, made it obvious what he really wanted.

“Maybe we can go out later, but I think there's something we need to do first, don't you?” She didn't know what it was about him that made her feel so safe. There was definitely something though. She felt safe enough to let him take her to bed, and safe enough to be able to tell him that was what she wanted.

He kept one arm around her and brought his other hand up to her cheek. Sliding his fingers into her hair he cupped her head and held her in place for a kiss that left no doubt that it was what he wanted too. She clung to him as he slanted his mouth over hers, crushing her lips with his own as his tongue thrust deep. She'd never been kissed like that in her life, but she kissed him back, loving every moment, hungry now for what she knew would come next—and it certainly wasn't dinner!