Her stomach clenched. She was going to be sick.
“Mickie?” Keith shot out of his chair and came around to her side of the table. His big hand landed on her back, jolting her out of her trance. “Shit, you okay? I was just joking. Damnit, I’m sorry if I crossed a line.”
A joke.
He was joking.
Of course, he was joking. Keith hadn’t given any indication that he had any idea who she was, and even if he did, he sure as hell didn’t seem to follow entertainment news and probably wouldn’t know what happened the day her entire life crashed around her.
The day she had a heart attack that nearly killed her before her thirtieth birthday.
The hot burn of shame rushed to her cheeks as she noticed other customers staring at her with concern. Clearing her throat, she shook her head. “Sorry. I’m fine. Just got dizzy there for a second.” Summoning up every ounce of her acting skills, she smiled and forced a laugh. “Too much coffee and not nearly enough sleep, I think.”
Though he didn’t look convinced, Keith returned to his seat. “If you’re sure you’re okay.”
“I’m great.” And she was. Now that she’d asked for what she wanted, fun nights awaited them.
Somehow, she had to learn to stop expecting someone to out her at any time. It was proving a difficult habit to break, but perhaps putting a bit of trust into Keith was the first step. “Uh, so I can’t offer to make you dinner since my kitchen is in shambles, but I can certainly order delivery if you’re up for dinner tonight.”
He smirked. “You asking me to Netflix and chill?”
Now that the momentary panic had passed, Mickie could breathe and fell back into the fun and flirty banter they’d seemed to develop. “That just sounds wrong coming from you. But yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking. As friends, of course.”
His darkening, lust-filled eyes were all the answer she needed. Rising from his chair, Keith picked up the two coffees and paper bag filled with something that smelled delicious. She had to tilt her chin up to meet his gaze.
“I’ll swing by around seven. Order anything. I’m easy.”
“Hmm,” she said as she admired the ease with which he carried himself. “That bodes well for me.”
He snorted out a laugh that almost had him dropping his coffee.
After saying goodbye, Keith walked two steps away from the table. As her gaze fell to his ass, he turned back to her. “Oh, make sure you wear those glasses. I’m kinda obsessed with them.” Then he winked and continued to the exit.
Mickie didn’t even pretend she wasn’t staring at that stellar ass with each step he took. She’d be getting her hands on that for sure tonight, maybe gripping it tightly as he thrust into her. Leaving imprints of her fingernails on his ass suddenly became the number one goal of her day.
Practically giddy with excitement, Mickie polished off her coffee and cruller as she tried to dive back into what she’d been doing before Keith arrived. Turned out, choosing hardware for her cabinets wasn’t as captivating as fantasizing about the night to come.
So she gave up and let her mind wander.
This arrangement they’d agreed on would be perfect as long as she kept her heart out of the game, which should be easy enough. It’d never gotten involved before.
And as long as no one discovered who she was, which was the more worrisome task. So troublesome, she spent at least an hour before falling asleep at night replaying each encounter of the day and wondering if someone had discovered her secret.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“SO, I’M A baseball fan, but will I be voted off the island if I admit I’ve never sat through an entire football game?” Mickie cringed as she awaited their shocked responses.
Ronnie’s mouth fell open. “Get the fuck outta here.” She wore a Patriots jersey and had her long dark hair in a ponytail high on her head. As usual, her face was makeup-free and flawless.
Seated beside her on the plush couch, Jagger just snorted. “Nah,” he said, gently elbowing her side. “But you will get a ton of side-eye if you interrupt every few seconds with questions.”
Laughing, she said, “Message received. I’ll just cheer when you do so everyone thinks I get it.”
Jagger also had a Patriots shirt on, which tickled her to no end. There they were in the comfort of their own home wearing their team’s name as though someone on the team would see it. “There ya go.” He ruffled her hair like she was his kid sister.
Keith came to her rescue, nudging—okay kicking, Jagger’s legs. “Get your puny body away from my woman.”
With a grunt, Jagger flipped his brother off, but moved over so Keith could take the spot next to her.
My woman.
The two little words sent a thrill straight to her heart. And between her legs. Mickie did internal backflips at the claiming. For the past month, their friends with benefits had led to plenty of hot, steamy nights. What she hadn’t expected was all the incredible mornings where they woke up together. In recent weeks, they’d spent nearly every minute of their spare time together yet hadn’t defined their relationship further than they had that day in the café.