He was pissed. Damn it, he was jealous. And he didn’t want to share Michaela. With anyone.
Seeing her hug Brad just confirmed it.
“Maybe we could all go out together, grab some dinner, a few drinks?” She smiled at Brad before turning that same smile upon Austin. “What do you think?”
He thought the idea sucked complete ass. He wasn’t in the mood to pretend anymore. Brad was right. He needed to tell Michaela the truth.
“I don’t know…” Austin started and Brad disengaged himself from Michaela, his
gaze meeting Austin’s.
“Listen, doll, sorry to say but I have to go. A very important date tonight with a big stud named Renaldo.” Brad wagged his brows, making Michaela giggle. “You two lovebirds have fun tonight, okay?”
“Thanks, Brad.” Relief flooded Austin and he walked Brad to the door, helping him making a quick escape. He shut the door, paused for a moment to gather courage—damn what a wimp he was proving to be, all over a freakin’ woman—before he turned around to face Michaela.
She didn’t look disappointed that Brad left. No, she looked smoking hot in that little bikini. It emphasized her feminine curves, her pretty little breasts. Her nipples poked against the sky blue fabric, her skin flushed from the sun, hair damp from the pool.
“Too bad he couldn’t go out with us.” She watched him, her expression guarded. As if waiting for him to say something about it. The Brad situation.
“I have to go to work in a couple of hours anyway.”
“Oh, right.” Her smile was faint. “I’ll miss you tonight.”
“Michaela,” he started but stopped when she approached him, her hips twitching with her every movement, drawing his attention to her delectable body clad in practically nothing.
His skin sizzled just looking at her.
“Do you have to get ready for work soon?” She nuzzled herself against him and his arms automatically went around her. Her skin was cool to the touch, almost cold, and she shivered when his hands slid down her back.
“In a little bit.” She was going to distract him with sex, and he couldn’t have that. Well, he could but he needed to tell her how he felt first. “Listen, Michaela, we need to talk.”
“Talk about what? Brad? Forget Brad. I realized a while ago it wouldn’t work but I didn’t know how to tell you.” She reached up on tiptoe, pressed her lips right at the base of his neck. “I got nervous, seeing him here. I thought you might’ve planned something and didn’t tell me.”
“You don’t think it will work?” Her words tripped over themselves in his fuzzy brain. Damn it, her mouth on his neck, her hands on his chest was obliterating brain cells by the second.
“No. You and Brad have too much history. I can’t expect you both to forget that and indulge my whims.” Her hands went to and then beneath the hem of his T-shirt, her fingers skittering across his stomach. “There. We talked about it.”
He grabbed her by the crook of her elbows and literally set her away from him. If he was going to get anything said, he needed at least a few inches between them. “I don’t want to talk about Brad.”
“Oh.” Her brows drew down in that cute way of hers when she was confused. “What do you want to talk about then?”
“What’s going on between us.” He needed to just get this out in the open, spit it out and dwell on the consequences later. If he hemmed and hawed over it too much, he’d never admit how he really felt. “How much I…care for you.”
Chicken shit.
Her eyes softened, and she wrung her hands together. “I care for you too, Austin.”
He took her hand and led her over to the couch where they both sat. “Do you want to continue this? Make this exclusive between us?”
She blinked, licked her lips. As if she didn’t know what to say. “Like boyfriend and girlfriend?”
Ah, it sounded a little corny but he had to admit, it also sounded damn good. He’d only had one real relationship and that had been with Brad. He’d been a shitty boyfriend, had only agreed to be with him anyway because Brad had forced him. Not a good way for a relationship to start.
With Michaela, he wanted to be there for her. Wanted to support her, enjoy her, love her like she deserved.
“Yeah.” He still held her hand and he drew his thumb across the back of it, her cool skin like a balm to his heated emotions.
“I thought you didn’t do relationships.”