“We’ve been on a date, Mickey,” I replied. “I’m rusty with this but I do think it’s within your rights not to want exclusive at this early juncture. However, I do believe it’s within my rights, if you don’t want that, not for you to expect that from me.”
He lifted up a hand, snapped loudly twice and clipped, “Reality check, babe. You are not standin’ here havin’ it out with your ex. I’m,” he leaned toward me, “Mickey.”
I felt my eyes get wide in preparation for my head to explode.
“Did you just snap at me?”
“Yeah, seein’ as you were in the middle of a flashback, havin’ a conversation with a guy who’d be asshole enough to make you end somethin’ with a douche so he could start somethin’ with you at the same time carryin’ on with somebody else. That guy not bein’ me.”
“Well, I’m sorry I’m troubling you with this conversation, however, I’ll make my apologies reminding you that we haven’t actually had this conversation or many conversations at all since we never see each other.”
“Amy, I work.”
“I’m aware of that, Mickey.”
“Got kids,” he went on.
“That hadn’t escaped me either.”
“And give my time to the department when I got it to give.”
“Which is a lot,” I noted.
The thunderous went out of his face and angry, surprised wariness slid in when he asked, “That a problem for you?”
I shook my head incredulously. “You doing what you’ve always wanted to do?”
“I made that clear enough you know that’s what I need, which makes your comment about me spendin’ a lot of time doin’ it somethin’ that doesn’t sit real good with me.”
“Perhaps I made that comment since you spend a lot of time doing a lot of other things and all those other things don’t really involve me,” I retorted.
His expression again changed to disbelieving with a hint of repulsion. “So you’re havin’ a shit fit because you want your piece of me?”
“No, Mickey Donovan,” I snapped. “I’m having a shit fit because I want you to give some indication you want your piece of me.”
His upper body swung back and his voice quieted when he replied, “You know I do, Amy.”
“Really? I’m sorry, that escaped me.”
“Got shit on, a lot of it, and you know it.”
“You’re right. I do. And I understand that. And I wouldn’t have a problem with it. One date we’ve had, I am aware that doesn’t shoot me up to the top of your priority list. But I’d like some indication I’ve actually been scratched on it.”
His face started to go hard again when he stated, “The shit in my life, I bring a woman into it, I need some understanding.”
“And you’d have that,” I returned. “If I knew what I was understanding.”
“And you’d know that,” he fired back. “If you’d fuckin’ asked.”
“Fine,” I bit off, throwing out my hands. “Consider this my formal request.”
His eyes flashed. “Jesus, you’re a serious fuckin’ smartass.”
I lifted my brows. “Shall I take that as you declining my request?”
“Yeah, babe,” he clipped while on the move toward me. “That request is declined until I can cool off and speak to you without doin’ that at the same time I wanna spank your ass.”
I didn’t have the chance to make a dramatic gesture by opening the door for him, considering he was moving so quickly he got there before me, but I did manage to get in my final shot.
“That effort would be appreciated, Mickey.”
I got that off, aimed at his back, right before he slammed the door behind him.
I glared at it.
Then I leaped to it and locked it.
That done, as Billie Holiday serenaded me, I stomped back to my kitchen, tossed down my phone and stared at the omelet on my fantastic new plate, trying to convince myself not to pick it up and throw it across the room.
Billie barely got in there before I heard banging at my door again.
My eyes shot there and I saw Mickey framed in the glass.
“This man cannot…be…believed,” I groused as I stomped back to the door, unlocked it and threw it open, looking up to him and on a near-yell demanding, “Do not bang on my—!”
I didn’t get it out because Mickey was kissing me. A hard, invasive, shut-up kiss that he delivered at the same time shuffling me in and closing the door with his boot.
I put my hands to his chest, pushed free and snapped, “I cannot believe—”
I didn’t finish that either because Mickey’s hand darted out, catching me at the back of my neck. He yanked forward and I slammed against his body right before his mouth again slammed down on mine.
I pushed back at my neck while lifting my hands to press against his chest. But he caught one wrist then swept it across and caught the other one, holding both tight in one hand between us.
This meant the only thing I could do was twist my mouth from his and order loudly, “Take your hands off me!”
He did.
I took a furious step back.
He took a furious step into me, lowering his torso and catching me in the belly with a shoulder.
Then I was up and he was stalking across the landing, taking me with him.
“Mickey!” I shouted.
He didn’t reply.
I was so angry I decided a fall from his shoulder was unlikely to kill me so I rotated my body to twist away.
Being the trained firefighter he was, he simply adjusted his hold to keep me where I was and kept stalking.
Down the hall.
To my bedroom!
“Put me down, Mickey Donovan!” I shrieked.
He did as I asked but only after planting a knee in my bed and tossing me off his shoulder onto my duvet.
My breath swept out of me as he instantly gave me his weight.
I stared into his irate, very heated, amazingly beautiful blue eyes and it struck me immediately that I’d made them that way.
Me.
“Mickey,” I whispered.
And that was again all I got out before he was kissing me. In his dusty construction clothes, his weight and heat pressing me into my bed, his mouth on mine wet and hot and demanding.
I’d given it a try, fighting him off.
I’d failed.
And if I’d learned anything, it was when to stop fighting when it was getting you nowhere and find alternate ways to get what you needed.
So I did that and kissed him back.
The second I did, he made a sexy, manly noise that drove down my throat and detonated right between my legs.
It was on.
And I was for once going to get what I needed.
I got it.
But Mickey helped me.
I didn’t care about his dusty construction clothes. I didn’t worry that I was out of practice. I didn’t get tense that I wasn’t going to give it like Mickey liked it.
I just took what I wanted, kissing him, touching him, ripping off his shirt.
He arched away to let me to do this then went back at me, rolling us so I was on top, then knifing up, still kissing me. I was forced to straddle him and his hands went to the hem of my top.