Mr. Imperfect

chapter 25



Mike was trying not to freak out. Before Kris and Luke had disappeared downstairs they’d been having the kind of argument that led to one of two things. Sydney had totally called it. One little push and his best friend and his sister would fall straight into bed.

Mike was ready to accept it, but that didn’t mean that Rori needed to see it. If only she would just listen, or stop walking, or both. But she didn’t. She wouldn’t. And when she opened the door to the downstairs all Mike could do was thank his lucky stars that both Kris and Luke were fully clothed and standing a good three feet apart. Neither of them heard the door open, though. They were both too busy arguing.

“You deserve better!” Luke said, punching the wall for emphasis.

“Who are you to choose what’s best for me? If I love Caleb—”

“You do not love that a*shole!”

“Yeah? And why shouldn’t I? He’s smart, funny, and talented. He sends me flowers at work and pulls out chairs for me. Why shouldn’t I like a man like that?”

Luke stepped forward, bringing their faces inches from each other. “Because he’s a player. He does that shit to pave the way into your pants.”

Kris didn’t step back. “And what if I don’t mind having a guy in my pants? What if I like it?”

“Oh, so you’re into random f*cking now, is that it?” Luke sneered. “Any man will do?”

“I—”

Mike started to push past Rori, ready to rip his friend’s head off, but Rori stopped him in his tracks with a light touch to let Luke do the interrupting.

“Any guy who buys you a bunch of flowers these days has an all-access pass? I had no idea so much changed while I was in Thailand.”

Rori stepped forward. “Nothing changed in Thailand, Luke.”

Kris and Luke spotted her at the same time and flinched away from each other as if burned.

“Rori,” Luke breathed, and Mike braced himself for the worst. “That wasn’t—”

“It was,” Rori said gently. “It’s called foreplay, Luke. And the answer to the frustration you’re feeling right now lies in a kiss—and not a gentle one. One that lets Kris feel how much you need her.”

Kris stepped forward. “Rori, you have it all wrong. He would never—”

“He should,” Rori said, looking at both of them in turn. “That’s what I came down here to say.” She looked at Kris, shaking her head. “Stop it with this Caleb crap, Kris, and tell Luke the truth. Tell him where you want his hands, his mouth—who you want them on.”

Kris pinked visibly and Mike felt his own cheeks go a little hot at Rori’s overly frank advice. But Luke just grew very still, his hands fisting at his sides as he looked at Kris.

“That’s the conversation you two need to have right now,” Rori added. “And trust me, it’ll be a short one. Don’t come up until you’ve had it, okay?”

Then, just as quickly as she’d entered, Rori spun on her heel and exited, dragging Mike behind her.

“Shut the door,” she said, and Mike did right before she dragged him up the stairs.

“Holy crap,” he breathed.

“Yeah,” Rori said in front of him, not sounding so stoic this time. “Those two have some serious sexual tension.”

Mike chose not to confirm nor deny the claim as they reached the top of the stairs and he gathered up his bags. Yeah, he was totally getting out of there. Neither of them said another word until they were out the front door. What blew his mind was Rori’s reaction. So calm. So unsurprised. What in the world was going on in that pretty head of hers?

“That was crazy,” Mike breathed when he was finally out in the fresh air.

“More like inevitable,” she said holding out her hand. “It was a pleasure, Mike Cannon.”

He looked at her hand, blinking. “Wait, is this goodbye?”

“This is goodbye,” she said with a smile. “It has truly been a memorable weekend. For all of us, I think.”

“No joke,” he said, taking her hand and giving it a pump. “What about Luke? Are you going to say goodbye to him?”

She shrugged, withdrawing her hand. “We already have, in a way. But if he wants to hash it out, we can have a call.”

Mike shook his head. “He’s not a hasher-outer.”

“I know.”

So this was it? This was goodbye? On a scale of 1-to-10 Mike tried to gauge how much of an ass she’d think he was if he invited her somewhere for the night. As friends. He had no idea where he was going, but—

“I have a flight,” she said, backing away from him.

“So soon?”

She nodded. “I moved it up.”

“Oh.” What else was there to say? “Well, it was a pleasure.” So. Lame.

She grinned, her eyes sparkling at some joke she wasn’t sharing. “If you say so.”

“I say so.”

There was an awkward beat of silence that Mike was sure he would recognize as a missed opportunity at some later date.

“Thank you for your hospitality. I put in an order with Wendy as a thank you to your parents for hosting me. It should arrive tomorrow, if you don’t mind keeping an eye out for it.”

“Will do,” Mike said stiffly.

“Thanks,” she said, backing away. “Have a good night.”

“You, too,” he replied lamely.

“Well, not as good as you,” she said with a wink.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Mike hesitated in asking until it was too late to ask without chasing her down first. Instead, he simply watched his dream woman as she walked away and grabbed her packed suitcase from inside the front door of his parents’ place just as a cab pulled up.

Then she was gone.