I hoped that would put an end to my quandaries over women for a bit, but the following afternoon, I received a call from Mia asking me to come by the house and help her out with a leaking water line.
I’d never been able to tell her no, so I agreed to run by on my way to the clubhouse. When I pulled up, she was waiting for me on the front porch, wearing jeans and a sweater with a pair of boots. A warm smile was plastered across her face as she motioned me to come inside.
“I really appreciate you coming over like this, Thatch.”
“You know I don’t mind.”
I stepped up to the massive front door and took a quick glance around. As usual, it looked like the grounds had just been landscaped, and their enormous porch was decorated to the nines with rockers and a swing covered with elaborate throw pillows. The inside of the house was more of the same: all the finest furniture, elaborate artwork, hardwood floors, crown molding throughout, oversized rooms with massive windows, and a state-of-the-art kitchen.
It was precisely the kind of house I’d expect Camden to own.
As soon as I stepped inside, I was hit with the scent of fresh-baked bread. I wasn’t surprised. Mia was always in the kitchen mustering up some new concoction for her bakery. She closed the door behind me and said, “Camden is away at one of his conventions, and I’m worried this leak is going to ruin our new flooring.”
“It’s no problem.”
Without saying anything more, I followed her into the kitchen.
There was a time when I couldn’t bear to even look at Mia. It was the only way I could stand to be in the same room with her, but lately, that burn I’d always felt didn’t consume me like it once did.
It wasn’t that she looked any different than on any other day. With her insatiable curves and flawless skin, she always looked fucking incredible. I glanced over at Mia, noting the way her hair was tucked behind her ear, and my focus was immediately drawn to her incredibly blue eyes. I’d always been a sucker for those fucking blue eyes.
I quickly looked away as I knelt down and opened the cabinets under her sink. I reached up and turned on the water, then waited for some sign of the leak. As soon as I spotted it, I turned off the water and opened my toolbox.
Mia toyed with the hem of her off-white sweater and asked, “Do you think you can fix it?”
“Yeah.” I glanced up at her. “Looks like it’s just a loose slip nut.”
“Oh, that’s great.”
I grabbed a wrench, then started tightening the nut to the tailpiece. “When’s Camden gettin’ back?”
“Oh, you know him. It could be tonight, or it could be three days from now. I never know until he walks through that door.”
I knew Camden’s career was important to him, but I could never imagine putting it above Mia. It just didn’t make any fucking sense to me. I glanced up at her, noting that same nervous smile from when we were kids, and it was all I could do to keep my dick in check.
It was a problem that I’d become accustomed to over the years, especially back when we were teenagers. Sitting close at a game or a movie, the slight brush of her hand across my thigh, or even the simple scent of her perfume would be enough to set me on edge, and she fucking knew it.
There were times she’d torment the hell out of me.
Just like she did back in high school when I took her out for a ride on my motorcycle. I could remember it like it was yesterday ...
I finally got my old Yamaha up and running and was itching to take her out for a ride. I rode around the block a couple of times, making sure she was road-ready, and then set out to find Mia.
As usual, she wasn’t hard to locate. It was the middle of summer, and like most summer days, she was in the backyard laying out in one of her skimpy bikinis. She looked half-asleep when I peeked my head over the fence and shouted, “Throw on some jeans. We’re going for a ride.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Get on some damn clothes!”
I went back to my bike and wiped her down, and it wasn’t long before Mia finally came waltzing up, looking smoking hot in a bikini top and jeans. A smile crossed her face as she asked, “Are you seriously going to take me for a ride?”
“Hell, yeah.” I offered her my spare helmet. “Unless you’re chicken.”
“Chicken? I’m not chicken.”
“We’ll see about that.”
I slipped on my helmet, then helped Mia get on behind me. Seconds later, she wound her arms tightly around me, and we were whipping out onto the main road. Mia squealed in my ear when I eased the throttle back, picking up speed as we left our small subdivision and headed down an old country road.
There was no way to describe how good it felt to be on that motorcycle back then. It was freedom like I’d never known, and I was tasting it for the first time. It meant everything to have Mia there sharing that moment with me.
She threw her hands up in the air and screamed, “Faster!”
I gave the throttle a little more gas, and it wasn’t long before she was shouting, “Whoo-hoo! Yeah, baby!”
We rode a little longer, and then I pulled off near a creek bed where we could stretch our legs and walk a bit. As soon as we parked, Mia jumped off the bike, removed her helmet, and threw her hands up in the air as she spun around. I got off my bike to join her, and the next thing I knew, she was in my arms with her legs wrapped around me. “That was amazing!”
“You liked it, huh?”
“Liked it? I loved it!”
The words had barely left her lips before her mouth was on mine, and she was kissing me, and I was kissing her back. It was difficult to explain what that moment felt like for me.
Something about Mia made me feel like I could do anything, be anything. In her arms, I felt so alive—like I was exactly where I was meant to be. Her fingers tangled in my hair as I delved deeper into her mouth, and when she inched closer, pressing her warm body against me, I could feel her heart beating next to mine.
We were so caught up in the moment that neither of us thought about the consequences of our actions. We weren’t thinking about Camden or the future or even five minutes from that moment. We were just relishing the feeling of being in each other’s arms.
Sadly, it wasn’t a moment that lasted long.
Mia placed her hand on my chest and gently pushed me back as she whispered, “Thatch, we have to stop. This isn’t right.”
“Feels pretty right to me.”
“What about Camden?”
“What about him?”
She shook her head. “Don’t do that.”
“Camden will understand.”
“Understand what exactly?” Mia cocked her eyebrow. “Because the way I see it, this kiss doesn’t change anything. It was just a kiss between friends.”
“Between friends, huh?”
“That’s right. Really, really good friends, now and forever.” She slipped on her helmet and added, “I don’t ever want that to change, so we’ve got to forget this ever happened. It’s the only way.”
“And what if I don’t want to forget?”
“Forget what?” She gave me a playful smile. “Come on, Thatch. Let’s head back before you get mad at me for being right, considering I’m right, and you know it.”