There was no way I was going to let Mitchell see my reaction when Amelia spoke.
“Yes, Amelia. Thanks for clearing that up.”
Amelia smiled. “Sure, no problem. Okay, so if you need anything, let me know? I’m late for a conference call with my agent.”
Walking to her, I pulled her tight and whispered, “Thank you for everything.”
Her hold tightened. “You were there for me, and I promise I’ll be here for you. No matter what.”
When we stepped back, we both had tears in our eyes. I never imagined when I moved to this small town I’d make such amazing friends. Paxton had been a gift in my life, but the addition of Amelia and Waylynn was like icing on top of my favorite cake.
“I’ll call you later,” Amelia said. “Maybe we can all head into San Antonio and do some shopping.”
I nodded. “I’m meeting with the insurance company around noon, so I’ll let you know when I’m finished.”
“I’m glad they’re not making you wait until Monday.”
My chest tightened as I thought about the phone call last night. I could hardly talk when I called the insurance company. Mitchell ended up telling them what happened while I sat on his couch and held my knees into my chest. I’d had my few moments of weakness, and now it was time to pull my big-girl panties up and handle this like an adult.
Yes, I lost everything. But no one died. Milo was safe. I was safe. And currently standing in Mitchell’s kitchen with him half-naked. As much as I loved the view, I would never let him know. I needed to remember the wall I’d built. He might have been acting all sweet and kind, but if I let him in, I’d risk being hurt again.
A part of me knew he was trying, but I needed more time to figure things out. The last thing I needed was to let my guard down.
Hurt me once, shame on you. Hurt me twice…shame on me.
“Hey, you okay?” Amelia asked, touching my arm.
With a forced smile, I nodded. “Yeah, tired and ready to see Milo.”
Leaning in, she kissed me on the cheek. “Alright, talk to you soon. Later, Mitchell.”
“Bye Amelia.”
The second she disappeared I felt a tingle move across my body. Mitchell had walked up behind me. I wanted him to touch me…anywhere. I wanted something to ease the ache. But I also wanted to run like crazy.
“I’m, um, I’m gonna go get dressed so we can get Milo,” Mitchell said. “Doc isn’t usually open for long on Saturdays.”
I swallowed and watched him walk past me with his cup of coffee, into his bedroom. He’d given me a quick tour of his place last night, but I took these few moments to myself to really explore.
I’d already checked out the entire kitchen earlier. It was obvious Melanie had a hand in the design. Plus, Mitchell had every kitchen gadget known to man. I didn’t even think the man knew how to cook, but he was well stocked.
The kitchen opened into the living room, which lead to the terrace. I stepped out and took in a deep breath. It was a corner balcony that went around the side of the building. Glancing down, I looked at Main Street and all the people walking toward Lilly’s Café.
I sat down on one of Mitchell’s chairs and sipped my coffee while I people-watched. Lane walked up and I went to call out his name but he stopped in front of Lucy, Lilly’s daughter who worked at her mom’s café. I watched as they talked and couldn’t help but notice how much Lane flirted with her. It wasn’t like I cared—I didn’t have those types of feelings toward him. He was good looking, but there was something about him I didn’t like.
I also wasn’t sure he would last as a first-grade teacher.
He smiled, and then walked in the other direction while Lucy headed into the café. I shrugged. Of course, I could have Lane pegged all wrong. I doubted it, though.
I headed into the house and made my way through the living room. The décor was simple, classic with a slight ranch feel to it. His sofa and love seat were both made of a beautiful, soft leather. Running my fingers over it, I smiled. “This screams Mitchell Parker.”
I made my way down the hall and took the right turn that led to either the guest room on the left, or the office on the right.
“Which way do I go?” I asked myself. “Right. Office.”
I smiled at the large desk. I instantly fell into a fantasy of Mitchell taking me from behind as I laid across the massive oak desk. The things I wanted Mitchell to teach me. I closed my eyes and squeezed my legs together.
Ugh, stop this Corina.
After pushing my naughty daydream away, I glanced around the office. Everything was neat and in its place. Not really what I was expecting, but then again, why not? Mitchell was a cop; he was a responsible kind of guy, except when it came to my heart.
My eyes lifted to the bookcase behind the desk. Mystery books. I let out a chuckle while I made my way over to them.
“Let’s see, James Patterson, John Grisham, Agatha Christie…nice pick there.” I bent down to read the others. “Patricia Cornwell, David Baldacci, Frank Peretti.” Reaching for the Peretti book, I stood up and looked at the title. This Present Darkness.
“It’s a great book. You should read it.”
I jumped and let out a small scream. Spinning, I looked at Mitchell. “You scared me.”
He grinned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Frank Peretti is an amazing writer. Christian mystery.”
“I’ll have to read it.”
“Are you ready to go?”
Glancing down, I said, “Um, no. I need to get the bags Amelia brought.”
“I already did. They’re in your room. I’ll give you a few minutes to get ready while I run down to Lilly’s. Want a breakfast taco?”
I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my mouth. I knew he didn’t cook!
“That would be great. Just a bacon and egg. I’ll meet you down there?”
He nodded. “I’ve left you a house key on the dresser in your room. Just lock the door when you leave.”
I watched Mitchell retreat. Letting out the breath I hadn’t noticed I was holding, I made my way into the guest room, the book still clutched in my arms. It wasn’t lost on me that Mitchell referred to it as my room. Once I found out how long it would take to get my house back, I would make the decision on what to do.
After finding something to wear from the clothes Amelia had brought, I washed my face, applied a small bit of make-up and pulled my hair into a pony. I slipped on my sandals I had worn last night and made my way downstairs.
“Dang it! The key!”
Dashing back into the room, I grabbed the key. My phone was sitting on the dresser, as well. Fully charged, thanks to Mitchell finding an extra charger for me last night. I hit the home button and saw I had a text from Lane.
I chewed on my lip for a few seconds before heading out of the room, leaving behind the phone and the unread text.
The drive to the vet’s office was relatively quiet, which left me wallowing in my own silence. I had nothing to do but think. And, boy, did I think.
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.