The Right Choice(36)
Author: Carly Phillips

She had been there for him, offering herself when he needed her. He had taken much more than he had been able to give. No one in his life had ever given of themselves, given at their own expense for his benefit. His good mood this morning reflected the genuine concern he’d received during the night.

He stretched his arms over his head, letting his hand come to rest on her bare breast. It had been a long time since he’d felt so at peace. Perhaps he never had. And though reality tried to intrude, he forced it aside. He’d had little peace in his life. He wanted to enjoy it while he could.

Her brown eyes opened and she smiled.

“Morning.” He placed a light kiss on her lips.

“Already?” She yawned. “Seems like we just went to sleep.”

“I think we did, but there’s always a way to make up for lack of sleep.”

“How?”

Reaching for her, he said, “Spending the rest of the day in bed.”

He wanted her again… as much as he wanted to avoid rehashing last night’s nightmare. Whether she understood his dual need or not, he couldn’t say. But she didn’t argue. Instead she leaned over and kissed his lips, then playfully smacked at his wandering hand.

“Bed sounds good, but I can’t put off my work any longer,” she said.

“How much do you need to do today?”

“Well, I need to begin some sort of organizing for the book. And I need to sort through the letters that my editor forwarded for one or two new summer columns. I think one month of reruns is enough, don’t you?”

“Not really. I could rerun last night with you over and over and never get bored.” He brushed his fingers over her breast in a lazy circular motion. “What about you?”

Was it his imagination or did she stiffen at his touch. “I think we shouldn’t go overboard.” She grinned, but the smile seemed forced. “The work won’t disappear, so I’m kicking you out.”

Her backing off didn’t surprise him and he decided to tread carefully. “Can’t kick me out when I have nowhere to go,” he reminded her, deliberately playing on her good nature.

“True. But I can bribe you to disappear for a while.”

Her attempt at easy banter relaxed him somewhat, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that she obviously needed to escape. And given her admitted fears, that need probably had more to do with their newly discovered intimacy and passion than with her need to work. Since making love had cemented an already strong bond, one he’d be forced to break, he decided to let her have her way.

“I’m a man easily bribed. What did you have in mind?”

“I’ll make you breakfast and then you disappear for a few hours. Get lost. Go take pictures somewhere.”

“Pancakes?” he asked. “You know you can’t get pancakes in the places I’ve been hanging out lately.”

“I think I can handle that,” she said wryly.

“Bacon?”

“Okay.”

“Fresh-squeezed orange juice?”

She grinned and poked him in the chest. “Now you’re pushing your luck.”

“Deal, then.” With the subject off sex and onto food, Carly seemed completely at ease. Or did she just have him fooled? Before he left, the one thing he wanted more than anything was to help her get on with her life and put her painful past behind her.

“I’ll get things started. Meet me in the kitchen in a few.” She tossed off the covers and started to rise.

He reached for her, then changed his mind and let her go. Mike knew avoidance when he saw it. Hell, he was an expert on that subject. She’d helped draw him out last night. He owed her the same. Just because Carly had escaped his bed this morning didn’t mean he’d let her elude her demons as well.

* * *

Carly removed the necessary breakfast ingredients from the refrigerator. She didn’t want to analyze how much she’d enjoyed waking up with Mike beside her, or how relaxing she found making breakfast and knowing he’d be there to share it. Neither one could last.

More than once she stopped to pull down the blue oxford she had pilfered from Mike’s closet. He had wrestled her for it, and of course he had won. Which was why she now wore nothing beneath the denim shirt. She yanked at the hem, but it still only reached as far as midthigh.

Once she began the pancakes, she was grateful for the activity that took her mind off last night. Not only making love but the revelations. Everything about the dark night had inadvertently served to strengthen the emotional bond between them.

She cared for him deeply. When he left her, she would be hurt in a way she hadn’t believed possible. As much as she tried to convince herself that his departure was necessary for them both, the more time they spent together, the harder it was to believe.

Mike entered the kitchen to the delicious aroma of home cooking. The places he normally frequented lacked such a treat. Not only did the kitchen smell good but it felt good, too. Too good, too comfortable. “I guess you can cook.”

“You were worried? I should be insulted. Sit.” she waved a spatula in his direction.

“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned.

“Mike?”

“What?”

She glanced in his direction, a serious glint in her eyes. “You told me why you’re in the Hamptons, but how’d you end up here? At the house?”

“On a hunch, I went to see your father at the office. I asked him for motel names.”

“I see.”

“He showed me a picture of your family. Taken here, I think.”

She turned her head. Her expression was unreadable.

Mike pushed on. “He keeps it on his desk.” The sound of oil in the frying pan drew their attention to the stove, and Carly turned to work on breakfast.

“Nice of him,” she said. “I wonder if it reminds him of happier times.” Sarcasm was evident in her voice. So was the hurt. Hurt he’d also seen in her father’s eyes.

He recalled the photo and the pained look in Carly’s young eyes. Happier times? He doubted it. He wanted to broach the subject without her declaring it off-limits. And maybe help her, as she’d helped him, to at least discuss the source of her fear. “He asked about you.”

“What did you tell him?” She flipped three pancakes over and transferred them to a dish beside the stove.

“Nothing. But he was concerned.”

Her snort of laughter seemed forced. “He’ll get over it. He’s still got his top associate, even if Peter won’t be his son-in-law.”