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She was quiet at first, but he knew she was still on the line because he could hear her breathing. “Mikey…” she whispered, her voice calming his nerves far better than a drink or a cigarette could do.
“I know.”
“I’ll see you if you need me to help with a craving. But you said it yourself… we have to keep this professional.”
He opened his eyes and nodded as if she could see him. “I know. Damn it, I know.”
“Wanna meet in a public place?”
Michael considered the question for a minute. A public place. The fact that they had to do that said so much – the attraction was there. The timing was not. “The same coffee shop we always go to?”
“I’ll be there in about ten minutes. See you soon.” The line went dead, and Michael was left feeling panicked. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. Maybe he needed to go home and take a cold shower.
Putting the truck in reverse, he drove down the main road to the coffee shop. There was a neon sign with the outline of a coffee cup and steam displaying they were open. It was about the only business in town that stayed open past six o’clock.
Going inside, the waitress smiled as he chose the same table they always sat at. It was off to the side, away from the main area where they could have a discussion without too many people listening in. He ordered his usual – a plain black coffee and let the lady know Haize would be there shortly.
As he waited, he told himself to play it cool. They had kissed, but nothing more had happened, and he had to keep it that way. He thought of other things – he tried to keep Jace front and center of his thoughts to keep any other feelings at bay, including a rock-hard arousal he was sure he’d experience when Haize walked through the door.
The bells above the door jingled and there she stood – her blond hair wavy and wet from the rain, her makeup basic but allowing her true beauty to shine through. She spotted him at their table and waved, scooting onto the chair across from him. He smelled the subtle scent of fresh air and something floral. She always smelled so good.
“I forgot my umbrella.” Laughing, she ordered her usual – black coffee with room for some half and half. “Hey, Mikey.”
“Hey, Haize.”
“I’m glad things went well with Jace today.”
“Me too.” He sipped on the coffee, savoring the warmth down his throat. “You look good, Haize. I know I shouldn’t say things like that, but you do.”
Her cheeks reddened as she stirred the cream into her coffee, moving the spoon far more than it needed to be before she looked up at him, her blue eyes meeting his. “You do too, Mikey. You’re doing so good. Sober looks good on you.”
He leaned forward and took her hands in his. “A good girl like you doesn’t need to be with a man like me.”
“Stop saying things like that, Mikey. Please. You’re not a bad man.”
“You have no idea. I haven’t told you what I’ve done. If you ever find out what I’ve done, you won’t want to sit across from me, much less let me hold your hands.”
A pained look shot across her face, and she scooted her coffee to the edge of the table. “I can’t take you talking so bad about yourself, Mikey. I like you. Probably a little more than I should, considering I’m your sponsor and you’re probably not in a position to be dating anyone, but I can’t help it. You’re good-looking, you’re kicking ass at staying sober, and you’re trying to be a father to that boy of yours. And then you sit here and put yourself down and I just can’t…” She slid from the booth and stood up. “I gotta go, Mikey.”
He held onto her hand until she slipped from his grasp, exiting the door quickly. He debated on following her. What should he do? He placed a ten-dollar bill on the table, far more than what the coffees cost, but he didn’t care. She was already halfway down the road when he got in the pickup and sped up, following her back to her house.
He pulled into the driveway behind her, lost and unsure of what was happening. “What in the hell am I doing?” he said to himself as he got out and followed her to the porch. “What in the hell am I doing?”
Chapter Sixteen
Haize knew he had followed her from the moment she hit the traffic light going home. She saw the headlights in her rearview mirror. She saw him take the turn a little too fast. And she was glad he did. It was a difficult situation, but one she couldn’t shake. And when she saw him approach the porch where she stood, rain falling on top of them, her heart raced so fast she was scared she’d have a heart attack.
His dark hair was plastered to his forehead, and he was soaked to the bone as he stepped toward her. “My therapist and my parole officer both told me this is a bad idea.” He reached out and took her hand. “They say I’m not ready to date someone.” The rain was so hard she almost couldn’t hear him, despite standing so close to her. “What do you think, Haize? Do you think it’s too soon?”
“I think you need to come inside and dry off.” She led him through the door and shivered when she felt his hand snake around to her stomach and rest at the top of her jeans. Turning to face him, she leaned in, her clothes wet against his. “I think you need out of those wet clothes.”
He arched his eyebrow and smirked, the smile subtle but reaching his gorgeous green eyes. “Help me get outta them.” He lifted his arms, and she took the lead, slipping his shirt up over his head, revealing a white tank top underneath that quickly followed.
His bare chest was exposed – he was muscled, but nothing too extreme. Just a man who looked to work out some, along with some tattoos she assumed he had gotten in prison. She traced her finger over the cross stenciled over his heart. Taking her hand again, he led it down to the button on his jeans, where she slid the fabric over his hips as they gathered at his ankles.
He stood before her in only his boxers, a look of longing on his face. The reflection of a silver chain around his neck made her almost lose control – the charm on the necklace was of a small compass. She’d ask about it later. Just the sight of a man wearing a necklace turned her on in ways that scared her.
“Do you agree with my counselor and my parole officer?”
