Chapter Fourteen
Every fiber in her body screamed this was a bad idea. But with Mike standing there in his leather jacket, buzzed head, and the scruff she’d left him with filling out into a short beard, he was temptation defined.
All day she’d been telling herself to keep her distance, telling herself she just needed space to figure out what was going through her head. On one hand, she had been more than willing to throw caution to the wind and poke the bear, so to speak, just to see if Mike would really make good on his threat to give her what she needed.
But then, reality and common sense had reared their ugly heads. She wasn’t Mike’s end game. He wanted someone who would make the perfect little homemaker and wife. She was the girl guys fooled around with until they wanted to get serious. And that was okay, really. That was exactly what she was looking for.
A small part of her wondered what it would be like to believe Mike was the right kind of guy. One who had made a mistake and a bad first impression, but there was more to him. Maybe he really was the good guy with no evil scheme to screw her over or anyone else.
Right now, he didn’t look like the nice, clean-cut guy she’d first met. He looked like a hot piece of trouble she wanted to get into.
And just like that, she was walking past him out the door. “Just a short ride.”
“No problem,” Mike said. She waited as he locked up the door, knowing deep down this probably wasn’t a good idea, but unable to stop it.
Okay, so maybe she just didn’t want to. It was just a ride, right?
As he followed him to the motorcycle, she couldn’t help thinking of how good he looked as he swung his leg over the bike, straddling it. He reached behind and grabbed the helmets, handing her one. She took out her bun and put the helmet on.
Mike had already secured his and had the visor flipped up as he watched her.
“Hop on.”
Ellie did what he said, climbing on behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. It wasn’t her first time on the back of a bike, but just being pressed flush against Mike’s back was titillating. With the thick leather of his jacket between them, there was no way he could feel the hardened nubs of her nipples, but her hands were settled over his stomach under it. His sculpted, rock-hard stomach.
“You ready?” Mike asked over his shoulder.
“Yeah!” Ellie held on as he revved up and took off, heading east down Main Street. The cool wind stung Ellie’s bare skin and she looked out across the peach and purple sky as they sped up. It was beautiful, and as Mike turned left and headed out of town, she didn’t protest or ask where they were going. She just wanted to enjoy the ride.
Ellie’s hands dug into his muscles, and when they flexed, she smiled. Had it been voluntary? And what had possessed him to invite her on this sunset ride?
Or was this another attempt to make up for his bad behavior?
Ellie couldn’t explain it, but she didn’t want every moment or gesture with Mike defined by their mistakes and apologies.
He took another back road and a homemade sign that read Willowmead Bed and Breakfast popped up a few miles down the road. Mike slowed down and finally stopped. He shut off the bike and removed his helmet, turning to face her in the seat.
“How was that?”
“I never had any doubts you would drive safely, but I told you I had to be back soon. What are we doing here?” Ellie swung off the back and took off her helmet, taming her messy hair with the hair band again.
“I thought you might like to check out the sunset from a special vantage point.” Mike took off his helmet and hooked it to the back. As he stood, he pointed behind her. “Through that trail is a spectacular little grove I want to show you. No ulterior motive, no scheming. Just you, me, and the birds.”
Without waiting for her to argue or say okay, he started toward the trail.
“Hey, hang on! You can’t just ditch me like that.”
“I’m not. You got two good legs and I’m walking slowly. You can keep up.”
His words were true, but the stubborn side of Ellie wanted to rebel, to simply wait by the bike until he returned.
But it was being out voted by the curious, entranced part of her that caught up to him at a jog. In the distance, the first hoot of an owl sung its haunting song and the canopy of trees overhead had her looking around for any other critters coming out to greet the moon.
“Are you nervous or something?” Mike asked.
“No, I just hate surprises,” Ellie said.
Mike shot her another sly grin. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to like this one.”
Still skeptical, she followed him until they came to the bank of the Snake River, and Mike pointed up into a huge bare tree on the other side of the bank.
“Watch. He always flies home just about sundown.”
Ellie knew the large nest in the tree had to belong to an eagle. It was just too big to be a hawk’s nest.
Sure enough, a few moments later, Ellie caught her breath. The bald eagle flying above their heads was glorious. His wide, black wings glided on the wind as he soared closer to his nest, and they tucked as he landed. She wished she had binoculars or something so she could get a closer look. She could tell his head was turning this way and that, as if he sensed them there.
“He’s beautiful,” she said breathlessly. “I’m surprised he stays for the trout when he could migrate.”
“There is another nest on the way to Buhl, but for the most part, they don’t hang long. There is this place in Wendell where they gather during their migration and you’ll see upwards of a hundred, several on every branch. It’s amazing. If you stop by the photography studio in town, Gregg or Ryan Phillips will show you.”
“I’ve never seen them migrate,” Ellie said.
“You’ve lived here your whole life and never seen it?”
She shook her head.
“If you’re nice to me, maybe I’ll take you,” Mike said.
Ellie shifted her gaze from the bird to the man. “When does this happen?”
“April.”
Ellie’s heart hammered at the implication. “I guess I better be on my best behavior.”
Mike didn’t say anything but his intense, dark stare was turning her insides to goo.
Mike moved slowly, and in two steps he was a hairsbreadth away from her, one of his hands cupping her cheek. His thumb brushed her bottom lip and a quiver rolled through her body, pooling between her legs. Her lips parted of their own violation and Mike’s head dipped.
Closing her eyes, she waiting for the warmth of his mouth, the press of his lips…
“I really want to kiss you, but I’m afraid if I do, it will screw up something great.”
Ellie’s eyes snapped open and she stared into his eyes, their faces so close she could feel his breath against her mouth. Teasing her, tempting her.
What she wanted to do was grab the back of his head and kiss him, but he was right. As much as she wanted to kiss him, was attracted to him, he wasn’t for her. He was for the faceless good girl who wanted to bake cookies and plant roses and pop out babies right away.
Ellie hated her faceless guts.
“If you kissed me right now, I’d let you, but we both know it’s a bad idea.”
She backed away from him and her feet felt as stubborn as cement blocks. She didn’t want to put distance between them, but it was the only way she was going to keep her hands to herself.
“What we have…” She paused, trying to think of the right way to say it. “We started off hating each other, and now we’re almost fiends. We have fun and I know I can cross lines, but I think we’re better off keeping our relationship platonic.”
Mike didn’t say anything for several minutes and Ellie wanted to scream, just to break the silence.
“You’re right,” he said suddenly. “Things just started getting good between us, despite a few little hiccups. Why ruin it when we both know it will never work?”
Hearing him say the words out loud hurt, but he was just being honest. Mike was different. He was looking for the real deal, and that wasn’t her.
“Exactly, so we’re on the same page. I’ll keep helping you find someone, and you help me clean up my reputation.”
“Absolutely,” he said, with his hands in his pockets. “I should get you back to your car so you can go to work.”
Mike walked past her and she followed behind, her stomach tied up in knots. If they were both right, and acting on their attraction was wrong, then why was she so disappointed?
Later that night, Ellie was mixing drinks for a couple at the bar who couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Every time she looked up, they had their tongues down each other’s throats.
It was gross. It was annoying.
Ellie hated the fact that she was jealous of them.
She wanted someone serious, for once. She wanted someone who was hers alone, a guy she could kiss and hug and touch whenever she wanted.
She set the two drinks down in front of them and cleared her throat. “Ten bucks.”
The guy set twelve on the bar and went back to playing tonsil hockey with his girlfriend.
With a roll of her eyes, she took the bills and went to add them to the till. When she turned around, she saw Mike walk in with Drew, Travis Bowers, Chase Trepasso, and her brother-in-law, Gabe Moriarty. Ellie almost laughed as the group of them together turned every woman’s head in the bar, even the ones currently taken.
She couldn’t blame them. All of the guys were hot, but her gaze kept straying to Mike. The five of them took a table at the edge of the dance floor and she smoothed back her hair as she came around the end of the bar toward them.
She stopped right behind Mike and when Gabe caught sight of her, he smiled, the white of his teeth flashing in his dark face.
“Hey, El. Didn’t realize you were working tonight.”
“I traded with Simone so she could have the night off. Are you guys getting drinks or a thirteen-dollar pitcher of beer?”
“I’m good with beer,” Chase said.
The rest of them murmured their agreement, and Ellie nodded. “I’ll be back with your pitcher, then.”
She walked away, ignoring Eric’s curious gaze. She normally didn’t leave the bar to take orders, but hopefully he would just think it was because of Gabe, who was family, and had nothing to do with her protégé.
“You don’t have to bring those back to the table.”
Mike’s deep voice startled her and she almost dumped the pitcher on the ground. She turned around, disgruntled, and set it on the counter. “It was fine. I was just saying hi.”
“To who? Me?”
She didn’t like the way he was grinning at her, or his ability to read her mind. “You wish. I was saying hi to my brother-in-law. You know, the future father of my niece.”
“My mistake.” She set the mugs on the bar and before he picked it all up, he set a twenty-dollar bill on the bar.
“I’ll get your change,” she said.
“Keep it.” His brown eyes met hers and she could have sworn they actually smoldered. “Have a good night, Ellie.”
She watched him head back to the table, looking too good in his new T-shirt and jeans.
Before long, Ellie was slammed with customers, but her gaze kept straying to the table. Women were flocking to the group of men, but before long, Travis, Chase, and Gabe headed home, leaving Drew and Mike alone to handle the ladies.
Ellie noticed that the blonde from last week was among the women surrounding Mike, and when she sat down next to him, Ellie tried not to grit her teeth. This was exactly what was supposed to happen. It was the goal of all of this. She was helping Mike get a girl and keep her.
Except, Ellie wanted to be the girl stroking Mike’s arm and smiling coyly at him.
For the first time, she realized she was insanely jealous. She wanted a guy she couldn’t have.
And it sucked balls.