No such restraints bound him now... but too many others did. They’d come too damn close. “Hell,” he muttered. He didn’t need this aggravation. Whatever happened to brotherly devotion? To loyalty?
He thought of Pete, who counted on this woman for all the wrong reasons. The only right one was love, something his sibling had instantly discounted. This entire situation was a mess Mike could do without. If he was smart, he’d forget he’d ever met Carly Wexler.
He looked into those bottomless eyes. He could no more forget her than he could fail to respond to the innocence in her gaze. Without conscious thought, he fingered her bangs. The strands felt like fine silk. He bent down and brushed his mouth across hers.
She tasted unique, sweet with a hint of champagne. His lips lingered for a second, pulling back before he lost control. “Take care, Carly.”
Forcing his feet to move, he turned and walked out without looking back.
* * *
With Mike gone, the apartment felt more like a lonely prison. She left the living room and headed for the safety of her bedroom. The one place in the small apartment Mike hadn’t marked with his presence.
She paused at the foot of her bed and glanced at the newspaper article she’d been reading earlier. Looking for Mr. Right. Is Your Man the Man for You? She shouldn’t have to wonder, and until the arrival of Peter’s wandering brother, she never had.
With Peter she’d looked forward to an uncomplicated, comfortable relationship. Comfortable being the important word. They shared the same ideals. Marriage, family and career, if not necessarily in that order. They shared the same circle of friends, courtesy of his working for her father. And though he was an attorney like Roger Wexler, she’d trusted that when he said he had to work late, she’d find him at the office, not in another woman’s bed.
Regina’s face came to mind and Carly pushed it aside. People who worked together often bonded. How could they not, with the amount of hours they spent together? But she and Peter shared something more important. The comfort factor she found so important had always been there, and that was something she could count on, and so could he.
She closed her eyes, but instead of her fiancé, Mike’s deep laugh, handsome face and well-honed body filled her mind. She touched her lips with her fingers. They tingled at the thought of Mike’s mouth on hers. Disgust filled her.
She’d come so close...
Close to following in her father’s footsteps.
How could she be so careless as to forget that passion destroys? She picked up the page and gazed at the article in her hand. No, Carly thought. She didn’t need to find Mr. Right. She already had.
For a brief second the sparkling diamond ring caught her eye. She was engaged to the right man. She had to be. With a sigh, she crumpled the article into a ball and arced it toward the center of the room.
Life was filled with compromise. So Peter wasn’t perfect. Neither was she. In an imperfect world, one made the best choices possible and honored one’s commitments. Unlike her father, Carly intended to live by those rules. Intense passion burned itself out fast. It meant little when compared to a lifetime.
Putting Mike out of her mind wouldn’t be easy, but it was necessary. Yet how could she do that with him helping her out at every turn, being so damn nice when Peter all but ignored her, and just being... Mike.
* * *
Mike stretched his arms over his head. He’d hit the sack early, but the hours he’d spent tossing and turning in bed didn’t count. He hadn’t slept much or well and all because of Carly. And that told him that he had too much free time on his hands. So he decided to make some inquiries.
By late afternoon, he’d not only called in a few favors and arranged a Saturday afternoon meeting with the editor of the local paper, but he’d also secured the job. The guy was impressed with Mike’s credentials and portfolio of shots. He was as pleased to have Mike on board as Mike was to have a temporary job to occupy his free time.
Mike had never been one to sit idle while the rest of the world passed him by. On the plane ride home, he’d told himself that a temporary position would keep him from thinking too much, yet allow him time to sort out his future. His ultimate return had never been in question... he just wasn’t ready. Now, with the unexpected Peter and Carly saga, Mike felt more compelled than ever to stick around. The thought of Carly and his brother together turned his usually strong stomach.
So he was staying at least for a while. He’d make his own hours, giving him time to learn more about his brother’s soon-to-be wife. That thought alone should have sent him running for the first flight out of New York. Anywhere USA would work just fine. Unfortunately even the next town over would lack the presence of the bright lights and fast pace of New York. Lack the presence of one dark-eyed beauty who’d been haunting his dreams with more frequency than back-biting bullets and screaming children.
* * *
Carly approached the wedding band issue with bright-eyed optimism. After all, two people sharing a life together wanted to make each other happy. Standing in front of the jewelry store, it was hard not to remember her first meeting with Mike. But she pushed the memory aside. No point in looking to the past when she had a future to build.
She peeked into the window and the cramping in her stomach eased when she saw her favorite rings were still there. She placed a hand on Peter’s elbow. “Look,” she whispered, pointing to the simple wedding bands she’d chosen with Mike.
“They are nice,” he said. It sounded like a reluctant concession drawn from deep inside him. “But how would a ring like that look?” he asked, and she knew she was right.
“Beautiful?”
“Anything would look lovely on you. But people would think I couldn’t afford to get you something special.”
“Those are special.” She grit her teeth while she spoke. She knew she was being obtuse. For the first time she didn’t care.
He sighed. “Perhaps I didn’t explain that correctly.” He paused. “I’d like something with more... presence.” Silence followed while he perused the window display. He tapped the glass thoughtfully. “Something understated but designed to impress.”
“Like those?” Her voice lost any enthusiasm at all, but her fiancé, too caught up in his own needs, failed to notice.
“No... like... those!”
Carly cringed at Peter’s preference, a ring that glittered with diamonds and would overpower her small hand.