Page 35 of Night and Day
He pulled up on his driveway and unfastened his seatbelt. As he reached for the door latch, he heard another engine. Deke’s yellow Ford Mustang puttered as he parked next to them, waving from behind the wheel.
Mia grabbed Izzy’s arm. “Wait! What do we tell him?”
“Who? Deke?” He shrugged, making another attempt to open the door, but Mia’s grasp on his arm tightened.
“Yes, Deke. Is he coming to the barbecue? Does he talk to your family? He’ll blow our cover!”
Izzy blinked, watching his flatmate haul two shopping bags out of his car. He wore a sleeveless shirt and a pair of wrinkled linen shorts, probably fished from the bottom of his laundry basket. Deke stopped in the middle of the path, casting them a smile over his shoulder, then skipped up the steps and disappeared into the house. Mia was right. Deke and his family knew each other. Even if they hadn’t invited him to the barbecue, he might talk to one of them. Mac often chatted to him when he visited. Deke had come along to a working bee at his parents’ community garden.
“You’re right. I told him you have a boyfriend. How do we undo that? ”
Mia stared at Deke’s car, deep in thought. “Maybe you meant that you’re the boyfriend. I mean, he thought you were acting a bit... possessive.”
Her voice didn’t waver but her cheeks reddened, and she raised her hand to her neck, hiding from his view. Izzy smiled, fighting an overwhelming desire to steal that hand and force her to meet his gaze, to feel the fire that coursed through him when he saw beneath the surface. He secured his hands around the steering wheel. “Deke’s not great with secrets. He acts on impulse with little forethought. If we tell him the truth, he might let it slip.”
Mia nodded slowly. “Okay. Let’s stick with the same story. We met online through work, got to know each other and... you know.”
Her blush was adorable.
“You mean you fell in love with my mind and decided to travel around the globe to find out if you also liked my body?”
Just like he’d hoped, Mia swung a playful arm at him and he caught it. As she raised her other arm to free herself, he secured it with his left hand, holding her hostage. She fought to free herself, muscles tensed, breath coming in short bursts.
“Come on!” She hissed, cheeks flaming red, blue eyes boring into his. “You fell in love with me but weren’t brave enough to travel to Finland, so you begged me to come here.”
Feeling a stab in his heart, Izzy softened his grasp but didn’t let her go. “Fair enough.”
“Good! Now, let me go.”
He released her wrists and she pulled away, gathering her bags and exiting the car so hastily he had no hope of opening the door for her.
***
MIA TRIED TO DRAW INcool air, keeping her focus on the house as she rushed to the door. Her wrists still throbbed from Izzy’s touch and her legs wobbled like jelly. The way his giant hands had held her, not giving an inch as she fought with all her strength... She should have been scared... Was she scared? He overpowered her by so much. He could do anything to her.
As she reached the front door, Izzy threw his arm across to stop her. “Did I hurt you?” His voice brimmed with genuine regret and he stepped back just enough to avoid touching her.
She didn’t meet his eyes. She couldn’t. “No.” Her voice came out in a throaty whisper and her insides trembled. If she was honest, she couldn’t feel anything other than the searing heat that flooded her the moment he’d grabbed hold of her. Her body still throbbed in anticipation, longing for more. She wanted to be overpowered by him, which sounded so stupid and archaic that she wanted to kick herself.
“Are you sure? I didn’t mean to...” the desperation in his voice rose to a painful level.
Mia forced herself to look up and nearly lost her train of thought as she met his searching eyes. “Relax. You didn’t hurt me. You... flustered me.”
“Flustered?”
The heat crept up Mia’s neck and she threw him an indignant eye roll. “Come on! You know you’re attractive. And huge. You can’t be playful like that... it’s... it’s... very flustering. I’m not that much of an ice queen.”
Izzy shook his head, his expression dissolving into a smile. “You’re not an ice queen at all. And if it makes you feel any better, I’m constantly... flustered... around you. But I promise I’ll be more careful.”
Mia fixed him with a sharp stare. “How? We’re meant to step in there and pretend we’re together.”
“Fair point.” Izzy raised his hands. “Maybe we’re together, but not that cuddly or hot for each other? Some couples are like that.”
“Would you be like that?”
He shook his head, hiding his smile behind his hand. “No. If you were mine, I’d be all over you.”
Mia let out a shaky sigh, reaching for the doorknob. This wasn’t helping, and they couldn’t solve anything standing at the door. “Okay. Let’s just... wing it?”
