“Still can’t decide on a color,” she responded, sending him a cryptic glare. She kept her eyes locked with his until Lacey was out of the room. “Choosing a color is a commitment, Mick. What color are your walls?”
Mick’s stony expression made it clear he heard Maeve’s real meaning. “My walls are white. Same color as they were when I moved in. Guess I have a hard time making a commitment.”
Maeve’s eyes drilled holes into Mick as he sat back down on the couch. “I don’t want to see Lacey get hurt.”
He picked up three letter tiles. “I don’t want that either.”
“Look. I think you’re great. I think you’re great together. But I love her like a sister. She needs something lasting, and you know you’re not it. Don’t lead her on.”
“I’m not, and I won’t.” Raising his head, he looked at her pointedly.
Jack’s cheery voice broke in. “You know, in his defense, officers aren’t actually allowed to paint the rooms in those houses in the Yard.”
Mick looked down at the tiles in his hand, seeming to hesitate before adding them to the board. Then, giving a nearly imperceptible shrug, he placed them on the board.
Maeve, Bess, and Jack looked down at the board at the three tiles Mick had added to the L. The tiles spelled “love.”
Maeve and Bess glanced at each other, their eyes wide.
“Interesting word choice,” Bess said in a near whisper.
“Damn. That V’s on a triple letter square,” Jack commented.
Maeve shot Jack a look. “You’re so oblivious.”
“No, he’s so right.” Mick rose to help Lacey in the kitchen. “Fifteen points, Maeve. And stop thinking so damn much.”
Stepping through the doorway, Mick saw Lacey stooped over an open dishwasher, steam already frizzing the hair that had fallen from her ponytail. “Let me help,” he said, stacking several clean plates from the washer and putting them in the cabinet.
“Thanks.” Lacey passed a handful of forks to him. Mick reached for them, and held her hand for a moment, frozen, wondering how the simple act of emptying a dishwasher could seem to intimate.
“What?” Lacey’s eyes met his.
He held her gaze, at loss for words, then shook his head. “We should have gone out to eat again tonight.”
“Why?”
“Call me selfish, but I’d rather be alone with you.”
Laughing, Lacey nudged him aside as she reached for the refrigerator door. “You’ve taken me out three times this week already. I’m gaining weight from all the restaurant food. Besides, we’ve been neglecting our friends.” She poured orange juice into Bess’s glass. “And call me selfish, but sharing you with a restaurant full of people is a lot less private than playing Scrabble here.”
Standing behind her as she put the juice back in the refrigerator, Mick rested his hands along her waist and pressed his body to hers, hoping she could feel just how deeply he wanted her right now. “You’re right. How about I make you dinner tomorrow night? It will have to be chili. Extra spicy.” With a devilish grin, he turned her by her shoulders and pulled her close again.
Standing tiptoe to raise her lips less than an inch from his, her eyes sparkled. “The hotter, the better,” she whispered, and tasted him.
***
Amid a sea of pillows, Lacey rested her head on Mick’s chest, listening to the slow beating of his heart as he stroked her hair.
Pure bliss, Lacey decided, savoring the simple pleasure of having her skin pressed against his. Almost as satisfying as the sex she had been enjoying just moments before.
Almost.
Mick traced the skin along her collarbone and down her arm, and then lifted her hand to his lips. “Maeve’s worried about you and me.”
Lacey raised her head. “Did she say something?”
“Mm, yeah. Earlier tonight. Told me I better not lead you on. I’m not doing that, am I?”
“God, no, Mick. You’ve been completely straightforward. I’ll talk to her.” She eased back into the center of his broad chest and caressed the muscles that spanned out to his arms. “I know you’re not wanting anything that extends past this job and I’m fine with that.”
“You are?”
“Of course.”
Beneath her, Mick shifted his weight in the plush mattress. “So you wouldn’t want to try to extend this after I get orders to go someplace else? You haven’t thought about that at all?”
“Not a bit.”
“Okay.” There was a brief silence. “I need something to eat. Want something?”
“Some water would be great,” Lacey said, suddenly anxious to be alone to gather her thoughts. She watched him pull on some shorts and leave the bedroom.