Mike reached out and turned off the car radio. Carly felt his steady gaze. She clenched her jaw and flipped the stereo back on. Easy-listening music filled her ears but wasn’t nearly loud or distracting enough. She fiddled with the dial until she found hard rock. His hand reached out and stilled her frantic movements.
“What’s bothering you?” he asked.
“Nothing. We had a great time.”
“Am I wrong in thinking there’s a connection between us?”
She didn’t want to hear this. She had kissed him while engaged to another man. Kissed him while engaged to his brother, she amended. Worse, she had enjoyed it. Apparently her father’s blood flowed through her veins after all. “Don’t you love carnivals?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Carly, do you trust me?”
“Of course. That’s a stupid question. How did you fit that bear in the backseat anyway?” She fidgeted uncomfortably, hoping he would take her not-too-subtle hint and drop the idea of discussing them.
“I stuffed it in headfirst.” He muttered a curse and slammed his hand against the steering wheel.
Ignoring his agitation, she turned the radio louder. She replayed their first meeting and today’s brief kiss in her mind. Her traitorous body responded to the mere thought of his lips on hers. Two men at the same time. Two brothers, no less. And she thought her father should be tarred and feathered? With a groan she laid her head against the car window.
He made a few more attempts to draw her into any kind of conversation, which she childishly ignored, pretending instead to be asleep. Finally he lapsed into blessed silence. She knew her behavior was infantile, but she couldn’t help feeling relieved nevertheless.
Anything he might have said would only reinforce the fact that each time she let her guard down around Mike, she lost a little more self-control.
She and Mike were an
explosion waiting to happen and Carly knew one thing for certain. Explosions, once they occurred, were impossible to control.
* * *
This afternoon Mike had visited heaven. Now he prepared himself for hell. Sure, Pete had asked him to watch out for Carly and help with last-minute wedding details. But he hadn’t asked Mike to take his fiancée out for the day, nor had he asked him to kiss her... or enjoy the experience quite so much. Pete also hadn’t asked Mike to push her into questioning her upcoming marriage.
Mike muttered a curse. He approached Pete’s apartment with as much excitement as a man facing a firing squad. Turning the key in the lock, he silently prayed for the strength to do the right thing for everyone involved. Damned if he knew what that was.
He stepped into the dimly lit apartment. “Hey, Pete, you back yet?” Silence greeted him, granting him a temporary reprieve. He tossed the keys on a shelf near the door and walked inside unprepared for what he saw.
Pete and a young woman sat on the floor of the living room poring over files and legal briefs. They didn’t glance up, obviously too engrossed in work to have heard him come in. Nothing unusual or untoward about that, Mike thought.
Unless you knew Peter. The last time Mike had seen Pete casually dressed, they’d been teenagers... and he’d asked Mike for pointers on how to dress to impress the opposite sex. Looking at his brother now, Mike suppressed a groan.
Dressed in one of Mike’s Polo shirts, a pair of khaki chinos and Docksiders, his brother looked like he’d stepped out of a Ralph Lauren ad. The woman gave the appearance of a little pixie, but based on Carly’s description, he’d guess barracuda would be more accurate.
Mike walked into the room and was about to say hello when Pete burst out laughing, prompting the attractive associate to place a manicured hand on his shoulder and laugh with him. Her bare feet nudged Peter’s calf. Then, as if a silent understanding had been reached, they returned to their respective files and work.
Innocent, and yet... Mike shook his head. He ought to throttle his brother, but even as the thought took hold, he felt the vise that had gripped his heart for the last few weeks lessen and ease, until breathing became effortless.
“Hi.” Mike cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt.”
His brother glanced up from his seat on the floor. “No big deal. We were just finishing up some work.” Pete stood, then reached out a hand to help the woman up from the floor.
Was it Mike’s imagination or did her fingers linger seconds too long before releasing Peter’s hand?
“Regina Grey, this is my brother, Mike.” Pete smiled. “Mike, Regina.”
Mike shook the dainty hand she held out toward him. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same here.” Regina began collecting items off the floor. “I just want to go over some things at home and we can meet first thing Monday morning and discuss strategy,” she said.
“I’ll be there.”
No haggling, no bargaining, no compromise. Interesting, Mike thought.