Soaring (Magdalene #2)(100)

The delivery guy came, Mickey paid and I brought plates, silverware and napkins down to the sectional while Mickey pulled out food. I also got myself a glass of wine and Mickey a beer (something I started stocking when the possibility of him being over became a probability, something that, until then, I’d never had the chance to offer him).

Mickey was lounged back with an eggroll over a plate and I’d torn the corner of a crab cheese wonton loose and had dipped it in some sweet and sour sauce that was resting on a scrap of the brown paper bag the delivery came in that was sitting on the couch between us.

I held the dripping wedge over my plate, my eyes to it, when I said quietly, “I like spending time with you, Mickey.”

“Got that, Amy.”

At his response, I lifted my gaze to him and put the wonton in my mouth.

As I was chewing, Mickey went on, “Need you to get that I like spending time with you, too, baby.”

I nodded, swallowing.

“We both got busy lives,” he told me. “This isn’t going to be easy. We just gotta work at making it worth it.”

He was right about that.

His tone had changed when he continued, “And I gotta admit that I took it for granted you’d get it without me giving it to you.”

It wasn’t an accusation.

It almost sounded contrite.

But I took it as an accusation. “I understand you’re busy, Mickey. That’s not what I’m saying. And don’t take this as ugly, just me sharing, but even knowing you’re busy, it doesn’t feel good that in all that busy, you don’t have a lot of time for me.”

“Got word out that I’m takin’ private roof jobs.”

I held my forgotten plate with its lone, partially dissected wonton on it in my hand and stared at him.

“Already?” I asked.

His eyes warmed. “You gave me the idea. It was a good idea. I thought on it and when I did, I thought, why wait? Either I’m gonna be able to pull this off or I’m not, but either way, I gotta know sooner rather than later. So I told a few folks, talked to a few of the crew. That rain last week, had two people phone me because they had leaks and they didn’t want Ralph to deal with them. They wanted me.”

I smiled big and said excitedly, “That’s great, Mickey.”

He smiled back, popped the rest of his eggroll in his mouth, chewed, swallowed and told me, “Sent boys to do those jobs and do ’em right and also had a meet with Arnie so I could find out what I had to do legally to establish a company. Started work on that too.”

“Arnie?” I asked, resting the plate in my lap to rip off another wedge of my wonton.

“Arnie Weaver,” he answered. “Attorney in town. Him and his partner the only ones I’ve met that I actually like.”

I hoped that didn’t color his hopefully eventual meeting with Lawr.

I didn’t remark on that.

“So you’re busier than normal,” I noted.

His voice lowered. “No, Amy, I’m usually busy. I’m definitely busier, but I’m always busy. Now we’ve had that out, though, won’t take where you’re at with me and what we’re tryin’ to build for granted.”

The light feeling I was experiencing got lighter and I gave him another smile as I replied, “And in return, I’ll try to be more understanding.”

He smiled back but his was different. His was sexy.

“You could. Or you could get pissed, stick up for yourself, get in my face, be a smartass and earn yourself a couple of orgasms.”

I felt my knees tingle in a way I knew they’d be weak if I was standing instead of sitting cross-legged, facing him on the couch.

I didn’t show this reaction. I shook my head like he was annoying and kept eating my wonton.

“Though,” he kept going, “after my dainty heiress went wild for me, we’ll see about you gettin’ orgasms on a more regular basis.”

I felt a tingle elsewhere at that and the tingle traveled north to my nipples when I caught the look in his eyes that told me how much he wanted to give that to me.

And how much he wanted me to give it back.

I liked that. I wanted more.

It was frightening but I couldn’t deny that, from the moment I saw him, I wanted it all from Mickey.

But in getting, I had to give.

“I appreciate you being so sweet about all this, honey,” I said softly. “But I’ll still try to be more patient and get that you have a lot on your plate.”

“That’d be good, darlin’,” he replied softly. “But I’ll repeat, I get in my head or in my life and I’m not givin’ you what you need, you let me know. We both got hot heads. We get into it, we do.” His lips twitched. “Just as long as we make up.”

I liked the variety of ways Mickey was showing that he could make up, so I shoved more wonton in my mouth and smiled at him with my eyes.

“One thing,” he stated.

I swallowed and asked, “Yeah?”

“I’m not him.”

I stilled and forced my mouth to say, “Mickey.”

“I get he scarred you. I get that might take time to sort your head about. But I’m not him. Told you I’d never do that shit to a woman, and it’s arguable, but with the one I had, I actually had cause to go lookin’. I didn’t. If you need to work that out with your girls, or me, you do it. I’m here. I’m gonna make time for you, for us, because that’s important. I’ll definitely make time for that. Us startin’ out, both of us got a lot going on, I know I’m already askin’ a lot of you. But that’s not gonna stop me from askin’ that. I can’t promise I’m gonna do everything right, and it sucks but you already know that with how we got right here.” He dipped his chin to indicate us eating Chinese on my couch. “But I’d never do that to you and you gotta get that.”