Page 43 of Perfect Fit

She rose from her seat before either friend could argue and made her way through the crowd to the bar. Despite it being busy, Joe refilled her order quickly and placed the drinks on the counter.

Before Cara could turn, Sam came up behind her. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He wedged in beside her. “We’re friends, right?”

Cara bit the inside of her cheek. She thought she knew where this private conversation was going, and she didn’t want to get into it. “Of course we are.”

“And you trust me.”

She nodded.

“Then tell me you know what you’re doing.”

She swallowed hard. “Mike’s your brother.”

“Yeah, he is. And I know him better than anyone.”

“Which is why I can’t talk to you about this.” She picked up the two glasses, but Sam boxed her in, not letting her pass. “I care about you, Cara, and as much as I love my brother, I know him. He won’t hurt you on purpose, but—”

“Iknow.” Cara met Sam’s gaze and tried to reassure him even though her stomach was twisting at both his words and the reality. “He hasn’t made any promises, okay? I’m in this with my eyes wide open.”

“Getting into my business?” Mike asked, coming up behind Sam.

Uh-oh. “No, everything’s fine. Sam came to help me carry drinks back to the table.” Cara, not wanting to cause conflict between the brothers, shoved one glass at Sam. “Right?”

“Right,” he muttered and took the second drink from Cara as well.

Mike stepped aside to let Sam pass, eyeing him warily the entire time. “I heard the tail end of the conversation, and he wasn’t here to help with drinks.”

“He’s just looking out for me.”

“By warning you away?”

“By making sure I know what I’m getting myself into, and I do. Come on, Mike. You made a public statement with that kiss. Did you really think anyone would let it slide?”

His eyes darkened. “I didn’t think. I did what I wanted.”

Unable to help herself, she ran her hand along his stubbled jaw. “And you live with the consequences,” she told him, liking the feel of his scruffy day-old beard.

“Is this one of those consequences?” he asked, grabbing her wrist and rubbing his thumb along the inside pulse point.

She swallowed hard. “It is.” At their sexual banter, her heart tapped out a rapid beat inside her chest.

“Did you mean what you told Sam about your eyes being wide open?”

She managed a nod. Given a choice between this and not having anything with Mike at all, she’d take this. And deal later.

“Good.” He visibly relaxed but didn’t stop swirling circles on her wrist with his thumb. She felt the pull inside her, causing her breath to catch, her nipples to harden, and pure need to pulse between her thighs. “Ready to go back to the table?”

She thought he would have suggested they head upstairs. “Sure,” she said over her disappointment.

He eased his fingers down and grasped her hand in his. “Don’t worry, honey, we’ll go upstairs later.”

“Honey?” She repeated the word.

“I need an endearment, andbabyisn’t going to work.”

“Oh.” He wanted an endearment. For her.