Truly Madly Deeply Boxed Set(129)
Pete shot him a nasty glare. “Well, at least she’s got you.”
Mike didn’t touch that statement because it would open up a discussion he didn’t want to have with his brother. Whatever he felt for Carly, the emotion didn’t change the course of his future. He couldn’t expect her to rely on him if he couldn’t rely on himself or the abilities he’d always trusted until recently. Nor could he expect her to accept a man who lived a transient life, one at odds with the stability she so obviously craved.
He looked at Peter. “If you’d really loved her or were marrying her for the right reasons, I’d never have... Hell, I should never have gotten involved anyway,” he muttered.
Pete’s smile was grim. “Neither one of us ever claimed to be a saint.”
“But I should have come clean with you once she broke things off.” But how could Mike have explained something to his brother that he hadn’t understood himself? Things he still didn’t have a firm grip on understanding.
“You know, I had a lot on my mind... the partnership decision, Regina, the ending of the engagement...”
Mike didn’t miss the order of those things but chose to remain silent.
“You’re right. You should have come clean. But you know something? It wouldn’t have changed a damn thing. You’d have done what you wanted anyway. You always do.” Pete laughed, breaking any lingering tension.
Mike relaxed. He and Pete would be fine. Carly was another story.
* * *
Mike jogged down to the beach and watched as Carly sat on the sand, gazing out at the waves crashing against the sandy shore. A light breeze blew her hair around her face. She had attempted to tie it back with a bandanna, but the wind had destroyed the effort. As he neared the water, the smell of salt air tickled his nose. He’d miss the beach, he realized with a pang of regret.
He’d miss a lot of things. “Carly.”
She turned at the sound of her name. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
She didn’t smile. “Well, how’d it go?”
“Everything’s fine. Back to normal.”
She let out a sigh of obvious relief. “He came to apologize, and you know, I believe he meant it.”
Mike sat down next to her.
“So you’re on speaking terms again. I’d never forgive myself for coming between brothers.”
“You are something special, sweetheart.”
She blushed. Her face turned a shade deeper than the lobsters they’d shared. “Did I ever mention how much I like it when you blush?”
She laid her chin on bent knees. “You have a way of doing that to me.”
“If you’re talking about last night, I’d love to do it again.” His hand came to rest on the back of her neck and he massaged the back of her skull with his thumb. But instead of relaxing, she grew stiff and unyielding beneath the innocent touch.
He swallowed a groan. He had an uphill battle ahead of him and he refused to draw back. Not because he wanted to sleep with her again, but because she had to learn that passion between two people could be a wonderful thing.
“So he really forgave us?” she asked.
“After cheating on you, he really can’t pass judgment. And you two are over, remember? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Depends on your perspective. I can’t believe we jumped into bed without ever considering the consequences. We should have given some thought to Peter’s reaction before we jeopardized your relationship by getting involved. And the fact that we didn’t is telling.”
It sure was. Mike had no illusions. Carly’s emotional withdrawal now wasn’t aimed at protecting Peter, but herself. “Getting involved. Is that what you’d call it?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t you?”
“Hell, no. We had sex. Isn’t that what you’re trying to say? A purely physical relationship, no strings, no ties, no caring involved.”
She winced at his blunt description of what they’d shared, and at that moment Mike hated himself for hurting her. But he knew damn well what she was thinking. That by keeping their relationship on a purely sexual plane, she could equate it to her father’s affair... and all the subsequent pain it had caused. Instead of facing what she felt for him, she’d run far and fast.
A part of him didn’t blame her. He was no safer than his brother for her sense of security. He couldn’t be the hearth-and-home kind of man she needed, yet he couldn’t leave things alone. “Just sex,” he said again. “Am I right?”
Carly licked at her dry lips. “Sounds reasonable to me.” But it didn’t. Hearing Mike’s passionless, uncaring description of what they’d shared cut deep. Yet his words stated what she had forced herself to believe was the proper way to categorize their relationship. The safest way to avoid complications like this afternoon. The easiest way to let him go when he decided it was time to return to his nomadic, dangerous way of life. It was her heart that refused to cooperate and believe.