Neighbors with Benefits (Anderson Brothers, #2)(38)

“Good thing I’m very careful,” she added.

Dropping his hands, he took a step back, making sure his expression didn’t reveal his unexpected disappointment.

She leaned down and unsnapped Clancy’s leash. “Go on in, Mr. Fancy Pants. You can hold down the fort when we’re gone.” The dog trotted ahead. After grabbing her suitcase, she pushed into the room and flopped it on the bed next to where Clancy made himself right at home nestled into the stack of pillows. “So we need to get our story straight.”

“What story?” Michael set his suitcase on the bed next to hers since there wasn’t a square inch of floor space to spare.

“How we met, how we fell in love, you know… our story.”

“I suggest we stick to the truth as much as possible. We met when you caught bread on fire and flooded your bathroom.”

She popped the lock on her suitcase “Well, that’s certainly believable.”

“And we just keep all the facts the same, except it happened earlier… say, maybe the day you moved in?”

“I’ve only been next door to you a total of six weeks, Michael.”

“It was love at first sight.”

She rolled her eyes and unzipped her suitcase. “The great and mighty Michael Anderson falling for his flaky nobody neighbor who almost burned his place down…at first sight. Yeah. They’re going to believe that, no problem.”

“Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“The self-deprecation. Why would I not fall for you?”

“Because I’m… me.”

“That’s not a sufficient answer, Mia.”

She pulled out a heap of horrible green and yellow knitted material and slammed the suitcase shut. “That’s because you don’t really know me well enough. Here.” She shoved the blob of knitting at him.

“What on earth is that?”

“It’s a gift for you from Gladys. She made a matching one for Clancy, see?”

It was a sweater…sort of. “Surely you don’t expect Clancy or me to wear those.”

“I think it was a really sweet gift and you should write Gladys a thank you letter.”

He held up the bigger sweater, which had a lopsided M on the front and groaned. “I should have my lawyer write her a Cease and Desist letter.”

She wrapped the matching scarf around her neck and Michael bit his lip to keep from remarking how bad it looked with the cashmere dress. She knew what he was thinking, though, and her eyes narrowed. “I’m guessing you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about by the time this wedding is over. ‘Because I’m me’ will be completely sufficient to answer why a man like you would never fall for a woman like me.”

And as he stared at her, flushed and wearing a spectacular dress with a horrendous handmade scarf, he realized he had fallen—and hard.

From below came male laughter, and then a playful, feminine squeal.

Mia paled and closed her eyes. “Insult to injury,” she whispered.

More laughter drifted up. By the sound of it, Jason and Kelli were going to make the most of their hour before shopping, heedless of the potential audience above them… or maybe because of it. Michael would put nothing past Jason after hearing him insult Mia.

“This was a mistake,” she said. “I should have followed Jason’s advice and not come.”

If there was anything he’d learned in his life, it was to fight fire with fire, and if that didn’t work, piss on the fire and put it out. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, then met Mia’s wide eyes and winked.

Her mouth fell open with disbelief and he laughed again, ending it with a long “Mmmmm, Mia, yes!”

She covered her mouth and giggled as he shoved his suitcase off the bed. It hit the floor with a loud bang as it wedged between the bed and the door.

“I’m pretty sure that’s a fire code violation,” she said, still giggling.

“You think so? Because I’m just getting warmed up. No fire in here yet.” He picked up the sweater. “Though I would love to burn this.” He stepped over his suitcase and grabbed the handle of hers.

“On the bed now!” he ordered loudly and she gasped. He leaned close to her ear. “Please sit so that I can get by you,” he whispered. She sat and he lifted the suitcase over her head, hitting his own on the sloped ceiling, which caused her to burst out laughing herself.

“Do that again!” she cried, grin huge as she played along.

He rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head and placed her suitcase in the shower—the only place with enough room for it, and threw the sweaters on top. “You like that, do you?” he said, amused by his exaggerated volume and her resulting giggles.

“Yes!” she shouted in a breathy voice, clearly for the couple below, but he benefited as well and his whole body hardened at the sound.

Beautiful Mia, completely unselfconscious, sat on the bed with her head back, laughing, soft cashmere fitted to her curves. She was extraordinary and didn’t even know it. But he did, and was damned determined she would, too. But first, he needed to shut down the prick below, who had treated her so badly.

He sat on the bed, and she scooted over to make room for him. Clancy, unfazed by the activity, remained curled up between the pillows.