Chapter Eighteen
Rin didn’t think anything could spoil her mood. The remainder of her afternoon, she hummed while she worked, with Ginny occasionally joining in from the next office over, and their productivity was way up thanks to the happy atmosphere.
Now that she was back at The Cedars, she was quick to shower and dress, though she did take extra time with her hair and makeup. Mike usually saw her all sweaty, with no makeup or like today, in boring work clothes. Not that the outfit she chose was anything too exciting – it was winter after all, and she had to dress for the weather. But the sweater was one of her favorites, soft, with blue and white horizontal stripes, cut just so that it actually looked like she might have a bust. Added to that, a pair of black trousers with a side zip that hugged her backside perfectly. Her mirror told her she looked damn good. She was smiling again, ready to grab up her coat and head down to pull the chicken out of the refrigerator when her eyes fell on the piece of paper she’d left on her nightstand.
With a sigh she picked it up. She really should call her uncle. The puzzle as to why he was trying to get in touch with her could be dealt with simply by picking up the phone, but so far, she’d been hesitant. She barely knew the male, and what she did know, did not lean toward the warm and fuzzy. He was a grouchy, hard-nosed businessman with no time for family. Period. End of story. So what did he want with her? But, not calling smacked of cowardice, and she didn’t want to be a coward. Hadn’t she already convinced herself that she was done running away? A quick call, a bit of conversation, and answers would be hers. Simple.
Before she could change her mind, Rin dialed. She expected her uncle to answer, was prepping what she would say to him when she heard his voice. What she hadn’t expected was to get the voicemail for her uncle’s assistant. His assistant! He couldn’t even be bothered to leave the number to his own cell!
Rin jammed her finger hard into the button to disconnect the call, wishing the phone was one of those old-fashioned jobs that she could slam down into the cradle. It would have been much more satisfying, and far less painful to her now throbbing finger.
Her uncle was a bastard. That was all there was to it. If he couldn’t be bothered to make the effort, then neither would she. Closing her eyes and taking a deep cleansing breath, Rin shook off the anger by imagining Mike’s smiling face. Almost immediately her good humor and excitement returned as butterflies danced in her belly. She was going to go have a delicious dinner with a wonderful male. Best to leave her anger here where it couldn’t poison the evening she had planned.
With a bounce to her step, Rin practically skipped down the stairs and couldn’t suppress the huge smile of surprise to find Mike waiting for her near the reception desk. “I thought I was coming over to your place?” She said, walking straight to him and grabbing one of his calloused hands in hers.
He looked great in his olive green pullover and jeans, his hair still slightly damp from a recent washing, and curling adorably on the ends. But he smelled even better. Rin breathed deeply through her nose and was startled by a rather high-pitched growl escaping her throat. Judging by the surprised, yet thoroughly pleased look on Mike’s face, he’d heard the sound, and Rin felt her cheeks explode with bright color. She’d never made that noise before. In fact, for the most part, her fox was usually pretty quiet as long as she gave it free rein every now and then. Considering she’d just recently shifted, the lack of control was a bit disconcerting.
Ducking her head in embarrassment she whispered, “You smell really good.”
Mike brought his head down and touched his nose to her hair. His low rumbly growl of approval sent shivers down her spine. “You smell really good too.”
With a finger under her chin he nudged her face up, dropped a quick kiss on her lips, and answered her original question. “I thought you’d prefer a warm ride to walking. That wind is bitter out there.”
Her embarrassment forgotten, Rin was once again grinning. So considerate, her male. And she did consider him hers. Since that night that he’d invited her up to his place, when they’d almost kissed, she had staked a claim. She hadn’t had a boyfriend since high school; too focused on her studies at university to find the time, so the thought of Mike as hers was exciting indeed. “Let me just grab the groceries.”
Within minutes they were on their way, cocooned in the warmth of his car, a welcome relief after being slapped in the face by a biting wind as soon as she walked out the door. Mike’s place was quite warm as well – and clean. The entire place held the scent of Febreze and lemon furniture polish, while the rug had fresh vacuum marks. He’d cleaned… for her. Her sweet male. Unable to resist the urge, Rin didn’t even bother to shed her coat before she was wrapping her arms around Mike and hugging him hard.
He hugged her back without a wince but Rin pulled back suddenly when she remembered his injury, concern written on her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think. Did I hurt you?”
Mike shot her a grin before one of his hands sunk into her hair and he pulled her back to his chest. “They’re much better. I spent the afternoon slathered in my stinky miracle goo.”
Rin couldn’t resist taking in another draw of his freshly showered scent. “Well, thank you for showering. My nose appreciates it.”
Throwing back his head with a laugh, Mike released his hold on Rin and helped her remove her coat before shrugging out of his. “So, dinner, what can I do to help?”