The Right Choice(26)
Author: Carly Phillips

“Anyplace special?”

No place she’d share with him, but she had an idea in mind. Someplace where she could be alone to learn about herself and what she wanted out of life. A place far from Mike and his charismatic influence, she thought. “No destination in mind,” she said, forcing a smile.

“One minute you’re planning a wedding, the next a vacation. You go with the flow. I like that in a woman.”

She couldn’t see pointing out that until now her rigid schedules and plans had ruled her life and kept her sane. She was on a wild free fall now and had no idea where she would land. The thought frightened her. He might like that carefree way of life, but she didn’t.

He closed the gap between them and reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. She shook her head. “I’m okay.” His touch would be her undoing. Both emotionally and physically she wasn’t strong enough to resist him right now. She needed to keep her distance.

“I know.” He lowered his hand to the side. “How will you keep busy?” he asked, as if understanding that she needed a mundane subject change.

“School is out, my column is in reruns and I’d planned on using the summer to write my book. I can work anywhere with a computer.” She fingered her still damp bangs.

“Maybe someplace with a beach,” she said, thinking aloud.

“Sounds therapeutic.” He spoke as though his mind had escaped elsewhere.

“True. My life has just been thrown a curve. A vacation might get it back on track.”

“Makes sense.”

She nodded.

He offered no response.

An uncomfortable silence surrounded them. She glanced at him, her gaze drawn to the taut muscles in his arm, then the wide expanse of his chest. In her mind, she was back on the floor, Mike’s firm body pressed against hers. This time, her lips tasted bare skin.

He cleared his throat

She blinked and her eyes met his. Amusement etched his features. A wide smile told her she’d been caught. She raised her hands to her flaming cheeks.

The safest move would be to get him out of her apartment. Once he left, he’d be out of her life. And she refused to analyze her feelings on that subject just yet.

She walked past him and headed toward the door. His footsteps sounded behind her. She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned.

“I can take a hint, however subtle.”

She turned toward him. “Good. Then no hard feelings and good night.”

“Get some rest and try not to dwell on anything too upsetting.” He grasped her hand in his, entwined their fingers and caressed her palm with his thumb.

What should have been a casual gesture heated her senses. A flicker of warmth began deep inside and radiated throughout her body. Through sheer force of will, she didn’t pull away.

He brushed her knuckles with his lips. “ ’Night Carly. Sleep tight.”

He might as well have said dream of me, since she doubted she’d do anything else. “ ’Night, Mike.”

She shut the door behind him, knowing in her heart that it was for the last time.

* * *

Mike knew he was taking unfair advantage. He knew Carly wanted to be alone. Yet he sensed deep pain beneath the surface, hurt that went way beyond a broken engagement. And he believed that pain could be traced back in time. Although he couldn’t be the man in her future—he had too many scars of his own and a lifestyle she couldn’t understand or accept—he wanted to be the one to help her heal and move on.

He’d deal with his own pain of losing her later, when he’d pulled his life together and was back wandering the globe on assignment. He knocked and let himself into her father’s office. Roger Wexler rose from his desk. “Good to see you, Mike.”

“I appreciate you fitting me in, Mr. Wexler.” He shook the older man’s hand.

“Roger. And it’s no problem. What can I do for you?” He gestured to the chair in front of his desk and waited for Mike to sit before lowering himself back into his own seat.

“Carly mentioned she was going on vacation. The beach sounds like a good place to recuperate.” Mike was acting on a hunch, but he had no other leads.

Roger nodded and leaned forward on his elbows. “Sure is. We’ve spent a month at that beach house every summer for the past twelve years or so.” The man’s eyes narrowed, his curiosity evident. “Why?”

Mike wondered how much to reveal. Gazing into the older man’s eyes, he opted for the truth. Too much in the way of lies had passed between this man and Mike’s family. “One reason is a photo layout I’m doing for a local paper. I need a place to stay while I research the area and take some pictures.”

“And the other reason?”

Mike cleared his throat. “Your daughter.” Uncomfortable with the topic of conversation, he pushed himself up from his chair. He paced the plush office, admiring the view and the furnishings.

Despite the fact that this man was a lawyer, his office held a warmth that surprised him. The place reminded Mike of Carly. She obviously had more in common with her father than he’d realized. More than she wanted to admit

“I see,” Roger said.

Did he? Did the older man understand how Mike felt about his daughter, or did he put him in the same category as his brother? Mike shoved a hand beneath his blazer, into the back pocket of his jeans.

“Mr. Wexler…” Mike paused. How did one overcome the sins of one’s brother? And did he have that right considering his intentions were good but not long-term?

Roger rose and met him in the center of the large room. “I’m not going to judge you based on Peter. And in case he didn’t tell you, I’m not going to judge his work based on his action toward Carly.”

“I haven’t spoken to Pete.” Mike had left the apartment early each morning and returned late at night. Until he’d come to terms with what his brother had become, he wasn’t ready to deal with him. At least not yet.

“Well, I was all set to toss him the hell out. Until Carly begged me not to mix business with her personal life.”

Mike should have been surprised, but he wasn’t. Carly was too sweet for her own good. He met Roger’s assessing stare. Brown eyes, the same warm eyes he’d looked into last night stared back at him.

“He’ll have to work hard to keep his partnership. And right or wrong, I’ll be watching him. One slip and I’ll do everything in my power to have his partnership revoked.”

The older man let out a sigh, one that seemed old and overdue in years. “Whatever else I may have done, I do love my daughter.”