Mikah flexed his biceps. “Makes you tough.”
His tension eased the farther they got from his home. They showed their passports at the border, put up with slight teasing from the border patrol, who recognized Mikah, and then they were on Canadian soil.
Mikah tapped the steering wheel and spoke without looking at her. “What if you were to ask me to stay over in Canada for the weekend?”
Piper looked at his profile to discern his meaning. Was he having the same relationship questions as she? Had the blue sweater put ideas in his head? He’d worded the question weirdly though. Must be a northern thing. “Is that you asking me out?”
CHAPTER 16
Mikah stared at the road. “I’m casual. Just saying if you were into casual…”
Pleasure that he found her attractive was swamped by disappointment in the half-assed suggestion. They’d felt like a team last night and this morning. Clearly, he wasn’t feeling the partnership. “Hookup? Advance booty call? That’s not me.” From this angle, she could only see half his masculine pout, and wasn’t unfamiliar with the look. “If it were, yours would be the first number I called and then lost.” There. That would salvage his ego. Why did she care? Why wasn’t he massaging her ego? The next guy she dated needed to have less money and less confidence. That sounded attractive. Right?
“But you’re not that woman.”
“I’m not.” This was good. It didn’t feel good, but it was. He’d stated his position. She’d stated hers. She’d wanted clarity, and clarity had landed on her morning like a big fat ice block.
A notification flashed on her phone. Text from Willow. “Decided to fly up to Canada and check out the accommodations. Setting up on my own. Can’t believe you’re not here.”
“Ugh.” Not cool. She could not work with Willow. She should have opened up to Dahlia about Willow and Warren and how they’d carried on behind her back. Too late now.
“What? Warren texting again?” Mikah had an edge to his voice.
She didn’t mind the sound. He was being a good friend there, having her back. That was all. She understood their dynamic now. “Willow.” She disliked Willow being all up in her part-time job, but Warren was the one who’d done her wrong. While it was tempting to blame Willow, it was Warren who’d fed her the lies. If Warren could be had by another, and clearly, he could be, that was his character flaw. Willow had been duped, or she’d taken advantage. Like Anne Boleyn and the very married Henry the Eighth. If she made that comparison for Dahlia, maybe her cousin would find a new heroine to model her marriage after.
“You look bummed. If anything changes…” Mikah motioned from her to him and back. “The offer’s open. Don’t feel like you missed a window.”
“I wasn’t thinking about us.”
“Oh.” Mikah sounded disappointed.
And right he should because he wasn’t getting his own way, life could be like that.
Mikah adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. “I won’t bring the offer up again. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable around me, but just know…”
“Got it, you’re open for business. As long as the start and stop date don’t exceed…?” Piper tilted her head. “What is the timeframe for a player like you?”
“It’s not like that.”
Oh, it was. And now Piper had an almost academic curiosity. No, that wasn’t right. She didn’t want to write a paper on the topic. She had a newly formed shell. He’d hurt her feelings, like he had at the bar, both of which happened after Warren had made her feel like she couldn’t be vulnerable and open to a guy for a long time. Guess she’d let her guard down too soon, her romantic judgment was still off kilter. She drew in a breath and released it. That was okay. Momma had said the twenties were for romantic tests, exploring her dealbreakers. She’d find the one. “Sorry. Just curious. And a touch frustrated. I’m better off not knowing.”
Mikah said nothing.
Dude needed to tell her. “I mean, is it a one-night wonder? Flavor of the month? Season of love?”
“It’s not like that. With defined terms.” Heat flushed his neck.
Piper let up and touched his arm, because hey, he had the best body she’d ever squeezed, and she was fairly sure she’d never feel his biceps again after they got out of the car. Her hormones protested that truth, but her head overruled them. “It’s cool.” She rubbed his bicep quickly, in appreciation, not in a creepy grope. Once more. Okay, now she was bordering on trouble. She made her hand fall. “You’ll catch a new fish.” She looked out at the lake to her right. “I’ll catch one too.”
“What are your terms exactly? Ring? Marriage?”
Would be easy to fight with him right now. Annoyance spiked, but Piper shoved those emotions down. She didn’t have the bandwidth to drain herself with an argument, and honestly, there was something at his core she really liked. She wasn’t ready to snip the threads that would sever their friendship. She went with honesty to answer him. “I don’t need a ring or a wedding to be serious about a guy. But I need the possibility of those. Does that make sense?”
Mikah made a noncommittal sound.
They kept the topics fairly neutral throughout the rest of the drive to the team’s hotel.
* * *