“I don’t believe that for a second. It’s the right of the aunt—or uncle. You can deny it all you want, but that’s the way it is.”
“But if you did have kids...” Jason started, and Sienna cut him off.
“I believe that ship has sailed,” she said, and it hit Mick how he had said the same exact thing for the same exact reason just a few days ago.
For the rest of the meal, they talked about everything from food to travel and somehow ended back on music.
Not by his choice.
As soon as they had finished dessert, Bree picked up her phone and frowned. “I hate to say it, but we need to get going. Tomorrow’s a work and school day, and I promised the babysitter we wouldn’t be home too late.”
Jason went to pay the check, but Mick reached for it first. “Go,” he said. “I’ve got this.”
“Mick, you don’t need to...”
He held up a hand to stop him. “Please, you saved me from a night at home by myself, so... this one’s on me.”
Beside him, Sienna was still sipping her cappuccino, and he took that as a sign that maybe she wasn’t ready to leave yet.
“I hope the two of you don’t rush off on our account,” Bree said as she stood and slid her coat on. “It was so nice to meet you, Mick.”
He stood and kissed her on the cheek before shaking Jason’s hand. “Thanks again,” he murmured.
“It was good to see you,” Jason replied. “Let’s not wait another ten years to make this happen.”
“Deal.”
Once they were out of sight, Mick sat back down. “So...”
“So,” she repeated before placing her cup down and twisting slightly to face him.
There were a million questions going through his mind, but for the life of him, he couldn’t seem to utter a single one.
She was smiling at him, and then they both started to laugh.
“It shouldn’t be this hard, right?” he asked. “We’ve been talking all night.”
“True, but... Bree is extremely chatty, and I think she sort of dominated the conversation tonight.”
It would be rude to agree.
“Still,” he commented, deciding to go with brutal honestly, “I honestly can’t believe I’m sitting here with you. How are you?”
Sienna ducked her head for a moment before looking at him. “I’m good. Although... you’ve been hearing me say that all night. I think the real question is, how are you?”
“Me?”
She nodded. “Seems a little odd that a big shot like yourself was in danger of being alone tonight. I would think you have famous friends all over the place to hang out with.”
Her tone was light and teasing, but it still irked him that she saw him that way.
“Contrary to popular belief, every night’s not a party,” he told her. “I happen to enjoy the quiet. Especially lately.”
All she did was arch one perfectly shaped brow at him.
Shrugging, he figured, go big or go home.
“I’m beginning to feel my age a little. Lately, it just feels like everything is a little... much.”
For a moment, she didn’t say anything, but when she did, it wasn’t quite what he expected.
“I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been a little... disenchanted lately with work. As of four o’clock this afternoon, I’m officially on vacation.” Then she leaned in a bit closer. “Any chance you’d like to spend some of it with me?”
Jaw.
Floor.
****
Midway through dinner, Sienna decided that—if given the opportunity—she would boldly go after what she wanted.
And she wanted Mick.
Yeah, the name bothered her, but if that’s what he was calling himself, she’d go with it.
The look on his face was near comical, and she knew she’d shocked him.
“If you’re not interested,” she began...
“No!” he said quickly. “It’s not that. I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.”
Reaching over, she finally allowed herself to touch him.
Well... his arm.
His skin was warm and there were muscles under the expensive shirt—muscles she’d love to explore more in private. She heard his soft hiss of breath and when she looked up and met his gaze, it was just as heated as she knew her own was. It was like they were the only ones in the room, but she was smart enough to know they weren’t. So she pushed the sexier images aside and decided to discuss this logically with him.
“Look, the last time you and I saw one another, I basically threw myself at you.”
“Sienna...”
“But,” she interrupted, “I realized almost immediately how wrong that was of me to put you on the spot like that. Even though I was graduating high school two years early, I was still only sixteen and there was no way I could go with you.”
That seemed to make him relax a little.
Squeezing his bicep, she added, “The attraction is still there, though.” Slowly, she pulled her hand away and it was more like an inviting caress. “Of course, I’ll understand if you turn me down. After all, I have no idea what’s going on in your life or if you’re involved with anyone. But from the way the conversation went tonight, it didn’t sound like you were. Still, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask. But... I’ve got two weeks with nothing to do and I just thought maybe tonight you and I could...” She paused and hoped she was giving him a sexy look. “Find something to do.”
Her heart was hammering so hard that she almost thought she was going to be sick. Her palms felt a little clammy and right now she felt like she couldn’t sit still. She’d never been this bold—this sexually blunt—before, and she wasn’t sure if what she was saying came across as seductive or pathetic.
Please be seductive...
Mick’s expression was unreadable, and Sienna was just about to backtrack and say she was just joking when he reached for his wallet. His eyes never left hers as he threw a wad of cash down on the table and held out a hand to her. “Let’s go.”
It was crazy to be this giddy, and yet... she was.
With her hand in his, Sienna did her best not to appear too anxious. They casually made their way across the dining room and down the stairs. Mick stopped and tapped out a text to someone, and she was mildly curious.
“A car,” he told her before she could ask. “It’s too cold out to walk.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say she didn’t care about the cold, she just wanted to get back to the hotel as soon as possible.
“Do you mind if we go to my place?” he asked.
“Um...”
“Where are you staying?”
“The Marriott,” she told him. “It was only a ten-minute ride here and...”
He tugged her in close and she felt herself gasp. The hunger in his gaze made her feel a little weak. “We’ll pick up your things tomorrow,” he said gruffly. “Will that work?”
All she could do was nod because this had been such a long-time fantasy of hers that she didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it.
She had no idea what she expected, but this wasn’t it. Maybe. She thought there’d be a little more back and forth; more discussion. She never thought he’d simply take charge of the situation. If anything, she thought that by being the one to put the offer on the table, that she’d be the one in charge. But she had to admit that she liked where this was going and liked how some decisions were simply taken out of her hands.