Tempting Love (Cowboys & Angels 3)

He grinned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Frank Peretti is an amazing writer. Christian mystery.”

“I’ll have to read it.”

“Are you ready to go?”

Glancing down, I said, “Um, no. I need to get the bags Amelia brought.”

“I already did. They’re in your room. I’ll give you a few minutes to get ready while I run down to Lilly’s. Want a breakfast taco?”

I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my mouth. I knew he didn’t cook!

“That would be great. Just a bacon and egg. I’ll meet you down there?”

He nodded. “I’ve left you a house key on the dresser in your room. Just lock the door when you leave.”

I watched Mitchell retreat. Letting out the breath I hadn’t noticed I was holding, I made my way into the guest room, the book still clutched in my arms. It wasn’t lost on me that Mitchell referred to it as my room. Once I found out how long it would take to get my house back, I would make the decision on what to do.

After finding something to wear from the clothes Amelia had brought, I washed my face, applied a small bit of make-up and pulled my hair into a pony. I slipped on my sandals I had worn last night and made my way downstairs.

“Dang it! The key!”

Dashing back into the room, I grabbed the key. My phone was sitting on the dresser, as well. Fully charged, thanks to Mitchell finding an extra charger for me last night. I hit the home button and saw I had a text from Lane.

I chewed on my lip for a few seconds before heading out of the room, leaving behind the phone and the unread text.

The drive to the vet’s office was relatively quiet, which left me wallowing in my own silence. I had nothing to do but think. And, boy, did I think.

Why was Mitchell being so nice? What did he hope to gain? How did he get to the fire so quickly last night? That last one had kept me awake all night.

“How did you get to the fire so quickly?” I asked.

He didn’t bother to look at me. “I heard it over the radio. As soon as they said your address, I knew it was your place and I ran to my truck and raced over there.”

“Oh.”

Wringing my hands, I took in a deep breath and exhaled. “Why are you helping me? Why are you doing this, Mitchell?”

Before I knew it, the truck was pulling into the St. Andrews Catholic Church parking lot. Mitchell put the truck in park and turned to me. “The other night, I wasn’t trying to stop because I didn’t want to be with you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You said—”

“Wait. Let me talk, damn it.”

My mouth snapped shut.

Closing his eyes, Mitchell shook his head, took in a deep breath, and blew it out.

“I wanted to talk to you, I didn’t want to just fuck you against my brother’s damn office door. Well, I did, but I wanted to talk to you first. Tell you I was sorry for what I did. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since our night together. It takes every ounce of strength I have not to pull you into my arms and kiss the living hell out of you every time I see you. I’ve been fighting my feelings and I’m tired of it.”

My heart was pounding so hard I had to place my hand over it. “Why did you leave that morning and ignore me?” I asked, barely above a whisper.

His eyes looked sad. “I was scared.”

“You were scared?”

“Yes. I’d never spent the night with a woman before. Let alone felt the things I was feeling for you.”

I stared at him, trying to process his words. “So, you decided the best thing to do was to ignore them? It didn’t bother you, at the time, that I started dating your brother?”

“Of course it bothered me! Drove me fucking crazy.”

“Yet you did nothing. Why?”

He faced the windshield, running his hand through his beautiful brown hair. He sighed. “I don’t know why, Corina. Like I don’t know why I do some of the shit I do do when it comes to you. When I’m around you, I feel twisted inside, and I don’t know which way is up or down. I was confused, things happened too fast, and I didn’t have the balls to admit how I was feeling. I fucked up.”

The urge to crawl onto his lap was overwhelming. I had to dig my fingernails into my hands to stop myself.

I wanted Mitchell Parker. There was no denying it. And I could tell by the way he looked at me that he wanted me as well.

Turning away, I stared out the passenger window as he pulled out of the parking lot. An evil smile grew over my face as my plan unfolded before my eyes. I was not going to let him simply walk into my life or capture my heart again like nothing had happened.