“I want casual, you know, like I said, a killer weekend.”
The words punched directly into her heart. You’re not enough. “Oh. God.” Piper pressed her hand to her temple. “I’m an idiot.” She had somehow convinced herself Mikah had changed his mind or that she could change his mind. Her brain raced over their interactions, but he’d never said anything of the kind. She needed to get out from under him. She shoved his shoulders.
Mikah let her go, flopped onto his back, and threw his arm over his eyes. He groaned like he was the one hurt.
Piper grabbed her dress, slammed her way into the bathroom, and stared hard in the mirror. Her pretty makeup had taken an hour to get perfect. Her lipstick was new. The hurt in her eyes old. Glittery tears burned her eyes and she forced them back. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
* * *
Mikah stared at the ceiling, wondering what had gone wrong. From blissful, anticipatory heaven to hell. Primal urges pushed at him. His body was pissed. Screamed at him. Lie to her.
Damn.
He wasn’t that guy. Where had their wires crossed? Why? She felt amazing. Now he had a taste of her and his brain couldn’t shake it out. He’d been on the precipice of everything his body wanted—satisfaction, softness. Her voice, her mouth, her skin, their deep chemistry, there were no words. Why? What did boyfriend mean to her? How long was she talking? He didn’t understand her, he needed to understand her.
He could not think and could not have the conversation while this needy. He’d cave. The urge to offer her the world was pushing through him. Had been for a while.
Dad always said, no pillow promises, no decisions before satisfaction, and the best woman for a player was the woman he met when he retired. Keep the game at the forefront. All his hard work unscathed. Rewards came later. Chanting Dad’s mantras killed his sex drive. Mikah got up and dressed. He threw open the curtains and went out onto the balcony to take a breath not fragranced with lemon cream and sex. Damn.
The door to the bathroom clicked open. Piper came out, not looking at him. “Sorry for the misunderstanding, I’ve called a car, I’m going to take off.” Her expression was neutral, and her voice was flat without her usual liveliness. She grabbed her bag and left.
* * *
Mikah opened the door to Liam and Kiernan, right on time for lunch. He needed the distraction. Kiernan carried a twelve pack under his arm. Liam was staring at his phone. Mikah waved them in. “Day drinking? That’s where we are?”
Kiernan strode forward to the kitchen and plunked the case on the island. “No game this week, no restrictions, no Purity Minders to pop in.”
Don’t start. He couldn’t think about Piper right now. He had to shove that down, and no game meant all his pent-up energy, competitive streak, and focus had no outlet. Zee was probably at the gym right now, striving for an edge to move his team up in the ranks. Mikah carried the beverages to the fridge. They joined the fresh fruit and veggies his housekeeper stocked each week. Nothing in there sounded good. He could toss up a salad and blend a fruit juice for the guys, grill, order in. None of those ideas really rocked him. “Not sure it’s as fun when nothing is forbidden.”
“Someone needs to tell the church that.” Liam lifted his finger but didn’t look up from his phone.
Kiernan grinned slowly. “Wonder what our Purity Minder’s doing right now?” He rolled the provoking words out in a tauntingly slow accent worthy of any Texan, but Mikah knew damn well he was from Boston.
Why was Kiernan poking at him? What was Piper doing? Why hadn’t she texted him? They were friends, right? The word tasted bad. Mikah’s head popped up. “I wasn’t…” He shook his head. “…wondering about her.”
“Because you don’t have to.” Liam waved his phone. “I know what she’s doing.”
Jackass was messing with him. Where was she? X-rated images flashed through his mind, then sweet ones, then hurt eyes. “You don’t know shit.”
Kiernan looked over Liam’s shoulder at his phone screen. He snickered. “He does, and now, I do.”
Wait silently until they maturely shared the information? Bash their heads together? Take the phone? Demand what was his to know? Tension tightened Mikah’s shoulders as if ready to take a swing at the net while zooming across the ice at speeds too fast to control. “What?”
Kiernan stretched back out of reach. “I will give you three choices. Should you choose correctly, I will grant you a boon, sir.”
Liam laughed.
Idiots. He didn’t want to know anyway. He wouldn’t engage. Mikah looked away from them. They could get takeout. He wasn’t cooking for either one of them. He breathed in and out. What did they know? Where was she?
“A. At the library. With a guy who can commit to studying.” Kiernan spoke slowly and clearly.
Piper was working on her thesis. Possible. And Mikah was not threatened by whatever history geek she dug up to study with her. History majors were mostly women, right? Weren’t they? Were they? What the hell kind of campus guy had she dug up? What was he going to do? Take her to his dorm?
“B. On her knees, taking a purity pledge,” Kiernan said in the tones of a schoolmaster.
He freaking hoped not.
“He’s turning so red,” Liam said. “Even his ears. From frowny face to horrified. This is hysterical.”