Tempting Love

  Why was Mitchell being so nice? What did he hope to gain? How did he get to the fire so quickly last night? That last one had kept me awake all night.

  “How did you get to the fire so quickly?” I asked.

  He didn’t bother to look at me. “I heard it over the radio. As soon as they said your address, I knew it was your place and I ran to my truck and raced over there.”

  “Oh.”

  Wringing my hands, I took in a deep breath and exhaled. “Why are you helping me? Why are you doing this, Mitchell?”

  Before I knew it, the truck was pulling into the St. Andrews Catholic Church parking lot. Mitchell put the truck in park and turned to me. “The other night, I wasn’t trying to stop because I didn’t want to be with you.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “You said—”

  “Wait. Let me talk, damn it.”

  My mouth snapped shut.

  Closing his eyes, Mitchell shook his head, took in a deep breath, and blew it out.

  “I wanted to talk to you, I didn’t want to just fuck you against my brother’s damn office door. Well, I did, but I wanted to talk to you first. Tell you I was sorry for what I did. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since our night together. It takes every ounce of strength I have not to pull you into my arms and kiss the living hell out of you every time I see you. I’ve been fighting my feelings and I’m tired of it.”

  My heart was pounding so hard I had to place my hand over it. “Why did you leave that morning and ignore me?” I asked, barely above a whisper.

  His eyes looked sad. “I was scared.”

  “You were scared?”

  “Yes. I’d never spent the night with a woman before. Let alone felt the things I was feeling for you.”

  I stared at him, trying to process his words. “So, you decided the best thing to do was to ignore them? It didn’t bother you, at the time, that I started dating your brother?”

  “Of course it bothered me! Drove me fucking crazy.”

  “Yet you did nothing. Why?”

  He faced the windshield, running his hand through his beautiful brown hair. He sighed. “I don’t know why, Corina. Like I don’t know why I do some of the shit I do do when it comes to you. When I’m around you, I feel twisted inside, and I don’t know which way is up or down. I was confused, things happened too fast, and I didn’t have the balls to admit how I was feeling. I fucked up.”

  The urge to crawl onto his lap was overwhelming. I had to dig my fingernails into my hands to stop myself.

  I wanted Mitchell Parker. There was no denying it. And I could tell by the way he looked at me that he wanted me as well.

  Turning away, I stared out the passenger window as he pulled out of the parking lot. An evil smile grew over my face as my plan unfolded before my eyes. I was not going to let him simply walk into my life or capture my heart again like nothing had happened.

  Oh. No.

  Mitchell Parker was going to have to fight his way back in, and I was not going to make it easy. Or at least that was my plan. When it came to this man, my heart seemed to win out over my head.

  “I’m sorry I make you uncomfortable, Mitch.”

  He parked in front of the vet clinic.

  “I never said I was uncomfortable around you. It’s the opposite, Corina.”

  “What do you want me to say? ‘Oh okay, yay! Let’s go back to your place and have sex’?”

  He grinned, a sexy smirk as he looked me up and down. “No, I don’t expect that at all. I wouldn’t argue if you wanted to do that…but no, I don’t expect it.”

  I searched his face. “Then what do you expect?”

  “To win your heart.”

  I let out a gruff laugh and looked away to catch my breath and calm my racing heart. “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve tried to get over you, Mitchell? I finally decided to push you out of my heart and move on. If you think you can simply smile at me and say something sweet, rescue my cat, give me a place to stay, and think I’m going to back down, then you’ve got another thing coming.”

  His grin grew into a wide smile. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re sexy as hell when you get pissed off?”

  My jaw dropped. “You are unbelievable, do you know that?”

  “I do know it, and you find it cute. I see it in your eyes.”

  I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Mitchell Parker was good at this game, but I intended on being better. He just had no idea how much harder I could play.

  We walked into Dr. Harris’s office, and I smiled when I saw Milo sitting on the counter at the front desk. “Looks like he made himself at home,” I said.

  The girl behind the desk jumped up. “He’s a sweetheart! I fell in love with this cat.”

  Milo did his little bark meow that was special to him. I scooped him up into my arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Snuggling under my chin, Milo purred.

  “So, you’re going to be okay with the cat at your place, Mitchell?” the girl asked.

  My eyes snapped up to her.

  “News really travels fast,” Mitchell said with a slight chuckle.

  With a shrug, the girl winked. “Small town, big mouths. Lilly told me at breakfast this morning.”

  Standing there with a stunned expression, I got my crap together and cleared my throat. “There is nothing between Mitchell and me except friendship. That’s all.”

  The girl grinned before focusing back on Mitchell. “Does this mean you need a date for the Pecan Street Honky Tonk?”

  Mitchell looked at the receptionist, then me. “Sorry, Julie. I’m going with someone else.”

  I made a mental note of her name. I was positive her disappointed face matched mine. How could he say all that to me in the car, only to have a date to one of Oak Springs’ biggest summer events?

  “Bummer, who’s the lucky girl?” she asked.

  “Corina.”

  If I had turned my head faster, I would have broken it.

  “Me?”

  Mitchell laughed. “Yeah, Paxton said you didn’t get to see it last year and asked me to make sure you went this year, so, yeah, I guess you’re my date to the Pecan Street Honky Tonk.”

  I didn’t know whether to be excited or pissed that he would assume I’d go with him. I wanted to tell him I already had a date, but if I said it now, that would leave it open for Julie to go with him.

  Oh, no. I needed to play this right.

  “How much do I owe you, Dr. Harris?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “Nothing. It was my pleasure to take care of the little guy.”

  The kindness of the people in this town never ceased to amaze me. You wouldn’t get this from a vet back in Chicago.

  “Thank you so very much. I truly appreciate it.” I extended my hand to the vet.

  “I’ve put together some items to help get Milo settled,” Dr. Harris said, handing two bags to Mitchell.

  Tears filled my eyes, but I somehow managed to keep them at bay. “Thank you so much. Your kindness is overwhelming.”

  The doctor waved it off. “That’s what we do in small towns. Take care of each other.”

  “Well, I certainly appreciate it. Thank you.”

  Julie brought over a cat carrier and helped me put Milo in. “See ya around, handsome boy!”

  I thanked her for all her help and followed Mitchell out the door as a round of goodbyes took place.

  Mitchell walked to the passenger door, and I opened it for him to put the bags in, followed by Milo.

  “What did Julie mean when she asked if you’d be okay with Milo at your place?”

  Mitchell gently put Milo’s case in and shut the door. “I’m allergic to cats.”

  My hand came up to my mouth. “Oh no!”

  Leaning closer, Mitchell smiled as he whispered, “Don’t worry, I’m sure I can handle a little pussy being at my place for a while.”

  I felt the heat in my cheeks and the pulse between my legs. Swallowing hard, I ke
pt a straight face, or at least I tried to. “I’m sure Milo’s not the first pussy to stay at your place.”

  His eyes turned dark, and he slowly rolled his tongue over his mouth. I had to press my lips together to keep from moaning. “Nope, you were.”

  And like that, he was walking around the front of his truck as I let out a breath. My head was spinning from this latest development.

  Mitchell had never had a girl stay at his place.

  Interesting.

  With a quick shake of my head, I got into the truck. I needed to remember the plan.

  “By the way, how do you know I don’t already have a date to the Pecan Street Honky Tonk?”

  Mitchell pulled out into the street and asked, “Do you?”

  His eyes met mine for the briefest of moments before he focused on driving. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lie. As much as I wanted to tell him I was going with someone like Lane, I couldn’t. “No. But you never know. Someone might ask me.”

  “What you’re saying is, I have to ask you officially, to make it so you won’t say yes to anyone else?”

  I half shrugged. “I’m not sure I’d want to go with you.”

  He pulled over and threw his truck in park. “Why not?”

  Turning to face him, I answered. “For starters, you broke my heart.”

  “Are we always going to come back to that?”

  “Probably. It’s kind of a big thing for me.”

  His brows pinched. “And? Why else wouldn’t you go with me?”

  I folded my hands in my lap. “You might have a disease or something.”

  Mitchell’s expression was priceless. “Excuse me?”

  “You know, from all the women you sleep around with.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You weren’t so worried about that when we fucked practically everywhere in your house.”

  I pointed to him. “You’re crass.”

  “You like it.”

  “I do not.”

  “You do.”

  Shaking my head, I emphasized each word. “I do not.”

  Mitchell stared at me hard for a minute. “When I was making love to you and I whispered how I loved that your pussy squeezed my cock, and you came, you didn’t like that?”

  Oh. Dear. God. He’s gonna play dirty, huh? I’ve underestimated his game-playing skills. Well, two can play at that game.

  “That I liked. A lot.” I paused for a second and added, “I wonder if Lane’s a dirty talker.”

  Mitchell’s face went white.

  Score one for me.

  His reaction went one step further; a step I wasn’t expecting, and it had me regretting my outburst. He turned away, put the truck in drive, and pulled back out onto the street. Not a single word was spoken until we got back to his place.

  I sat on the sofa, trying to concentrate on the paperwork the insurance company wanted me to fill out after my meeting with the adjuster. Mitchell hadn’t said a word, and I knew my little stunt earlier had gone too far. I wanted him to hurt like he’d hurt me, but deep in my heart I knew that I was being cruel.

  Blowing out a frustrated breath, I found Milo sleeping in a little ball on the recliner. “Hey, buddy, don’t you want to snuggle with me?” My cat stared at me before getting up and turning around. My eyes widened. “Milo!”

  “Looks like he’s pissed at you.”

  I jumped at Mitchell’s voice. When I looked over, I let my eyes trail over his body. He was wearing a dress shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. “You look nice.”

  He smiled. “Thanks.”

  Watching him walk into the kitchen, I tried not to stare at his perfect behind. Ugh. Why does everything about him have to be so sexy?

  Milo jumped up and headed into the kitchen. “Hey, buddy, you want something to eat?”

  Milo jumped on the counter, something he was never allowed to do at my house, but I guess he thought he would see how far he could get here.

  “No way, little dude.” Mitchell picked up Milo and set him on the floor. Then sneezed. For some reason, that made my stomach flutter. “Not on the counters, buddy.”

  I smiled and had to hand it to Milo for trying.

  Mitchell pulled out a small can of cat food that I had bought at the store. “Can he have some?”

  I kicked off the blanket I’d wrapped up in on the sofa and made my way to the kitchen. “Sure. He loves that stuff more than he likes his crunchy food.”

  Mitchell glanced at me then fumbled with the cat food. It dropped to the floor, and when Mitchell tried to pick it up, he hit the corner of the counter.

  “Ouch!”

  “Oh God! Mitchell, are you okay?”

  Rushing to him, I pulled his hand away and gasped. “Cheese and crackers, it’s swelling and turning black and blue already.”

  “Yeah, I hit it hard.”

  “Do you feel dizzy or sick to your stomach?”

  “No, just a massive fucking headache.”

  I grabbed a towel and filled it with ice. “Here. Put this on the corner of your eye and go sit down.”

  “It’s alright. I’ll be fine.”

  With a tilt of my head, I glared at him. “You are not alright. You hit the corner of your eye, hard. It’s swelling as I speak.”

  He touched it and winced.

  Pushing the ice toward him, I said, “See, I told you.” Mitchell took the ice and pressed it against his eye. “Now you can have an interesting story to tell the guys at work.”

  “Shit, I’m not telling them I hit my head on my own counter trying to get cat food.”

  I peeled the lid of the cat food back and dumped it in Milo’s dish. One quick pet from me, and Milo was in heaven.

  “What even happened? You started fumbling the cat container in your hand like you were playing hot potato.”

  His eyes scanned my body. One quick peek at myself, and I knew why. I was wearing shorter-than-all-get-out shorts and a super tight tank top. I was a little more blessed in the chest area than Amelia. Most of her tops were too small.

  “I need to go clothes shopping. With the insurance lady taking longer than I thought, Amelia and I decided to go into San Antonio tomorrow.”

  The only thing Mitchell did was nod.

  “Sorry,” I said.

  He shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize for being drop-dead gorgeous, Corina.”

  I couldn’t help the grin that moved across my face or the heat that flushed my cheeks.

  “You look pretty good yourself,” I said. “Where are you off to?”

  “Dinner.”

  My stomach twisted when he didn’t say who he was meeting. “Well, enjoy your evening.”

  Mitchell opened his mouth to say something, but his cell phone rang.

  “This is Mitch.”

  He turned away, a clear hint he wanted privacy. I headed back into the living room.

  A date. He must be going on a date. Darn it. I went too far with the Lane comment.

  “No, I don’t mind if she comes to dinner.”

  Two women? He’s going out with two women! Ugh. Asshole.

  I got off the sofa and headed to the guest room. I hadn’t even bothered to check my phone all day. Picking it up off of the dresser, I read Lane’s text from earlier.

  Lane: Hey, next weekend is the Pecan Street Honky Tonk, you free to go?

  I rolled my eyes. Crap! Mitchell had never officially asked me.

  I decided to deal with that later as I tossed my phone onto the queen-size bed. One quick glance around the room, and I wanted to cry. I was living with a man I was secretly in love with—but pretending not to be in love with—and it was slowly pulling me apart.

  Admitting I was in love with Mitchell was nothing new. I had admitted it to Tripp—told him I was in love with a man whom I’d spent one amazing night with. Who’d kissed me goodbye the next morning and never looked back.

  How stupid am I?

  I jumped up and headed to the closet of clothes I had hung up earlier. Paxton had thro
wn in some of her clothes, and one of them was a little black dress that would be perfect for tonight. If Mitchell was going out on a date, I’d go out on one too. Although, I had no idea who my date was gonna be.

  My phone buzzed on the bed. Glancing down, I saw Paxton’s name.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, has your day gotten any better?”

  I wanted to laugh. “No. It has gotten worse.”

  “I’m sorry. Listen, really quick, will you do me a favor and tell Mitchell that Steed forgot his phone, and he and Chloe just left to meet him for dinner. Can he ask Steed to pick up milk on the way home? I tried calling him, but got his voicemail.”

  “Wait. What?”

  “Wait what, why?”

  My brows pulled together as I dropped onto the bed. “Huh?”

  “What are we talking about, Corina?”

  “You said Steed and Chloe are meeting Mitchell for dinner?”

  “Yeah, Melanie and John too. They wanted to talk to Steed and Mitchell about a birthday party for them.”

  “A party?”

  Paxton chuckled. “Yeah, Chloe is insisting on throwing them a birthday party for their twenty-ninth birthday together since they’re twins. We tried to tell her thirty would be better, but she wants to be different.”

  I giggled. “That’s so cute.”

  “Not if you heard what she wants to have Patches do.”

  Covering my mouth, I laughed. “Let me see if Mitchell’s still here, and I’ll let him know.”

  “Thanks! Hey, got to run. Gage is crying.”

  “Okay, talk soon.”

  “Kay, bye and love you!”

  The line went dead before I could respond. I walked into the living room to find Mitchell standing on the terrace, still holding ice on his eye. I tapped on the glass door, and he looked my way. “Steed doesn’t have his phone and Paxton asked if you could tell him to pick up milk on the way home.”

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  It was clear Mitchell was still hurt about the whole Lane comment. If we were going to be living together for a few weeks, I needed to play nice. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I was trying to hurt you, and I think I went a little far.”

  Not bothering to look at me, Mitchell replied, “Not sure what you’re talking about. Everything’s fine.”