Page 3 of Play With Me
“Baby, there’s never been anything in my entire lifemoreappealing than the thought of you belonging only to me.” He scoops me up in his arms, carrying me bridal style down the hall and kicking open the door to what I assume is his bedroom.
Gently, he lays me down on the bed and makes me his in every way imaginable. It’s the perfect first time—and second, and third. And even though we use condoms, I remind myself to talk to Lisa about how to get on birth control without Mami and Papi finding out.
Four months later
“You’re going out of town with Mick again?” Lisa watches me from her bed while I finish applying Mick’s favorite shade of red lipstick. “I feel like you’re always gone, Cara. We never get to hang out anymore.”
“I’m sorry. Mick will be busy traveling for work here soon, so we’re just trying to spend all the time we can together.” Turning, I see that Lisa is wearing a look of hesitation, chewing on the corner of her lip like she does when she’s not sure if she should tell the truth about something. “What is it, Lisa?”
She heaves a deep sigh. “I didn’t want to be theone to tell you, but Holly said that Nathan told her Mick is engaged.”
Ice fills my veins. There’s no way there’s any truth to that. Mick and I have spent nearly every weekend together since we met. He’s even come over during the week when I have class and hung out with me while I’ve done homework. If he were engaged, I’d know. He wouldn’t be able to spend time with me if that were true.
“Um, I think Nathan is mistaken. How could Mick spend all this time with me if he’s engaged?” Stiffly, I finish putting my clothes in my Chanel travel bag—a gift from Mick, who’s taking me out of town for the weekend but won’t tell me where.
“Yeah, I didn’t want to believe it either. According to Nathan, though, they’ve been together for years. I just don’t want to see you get hurt, Cara.” Lisa looks genuinely upset, and I’m torn between believing what she’s saying and putting no stock into Nathan’s gossip.
A ding goes off, and my phone lights up. It’s a text from Mick saying he’s waiting for me outside.
“Are you still going to go?” Lisa asks.
I’m momentarily frozen as I internally debate what to do. Should I go outside and ask him point blank? Or should I trust that he would never do something like that to me?
Ultimately, my heart wins, but the drive to our destination is filled with heavy silence. “Is everythingokay, Mellie?” Mick reaches over and threads his hand through my hair, running his thumb and forefinger down my neck to release the tension I’m holding.
I melt into his touch. “Yeah. I’m okay. Just tired.”
He keeps his eyes on the road and pulls me over the center console to kiss my temple. “Well, I’m afraid you won’t be getting much sleep this weekend, babe. Trust me, you won’t want to miss a second.”
“What is it? You know I hate surprises.” I giggle, curling my legs beneath me as I shift in my seat to face him.
He just grins as he pulls onto a street that takes us next to the water. Giant homes line the road, facing the New York City skyline across the Hudson.
“Did you rent a home for the weekend?” I ask as he pulls into the gated driveway of one of them. He doesn’t answer me as he rolls down his window and punches a code into the keypad.
“Definitely going to be replacing that,” he murmurs. My heart skips a beat as the meaning of his words sinks in.
“Mick? Where are we?” The gate opens, and he drives through it slowly. Large trees surround the property, shielding the massive house from the neighbor’s view. It’s a three-story classic colonial made of brick. As he pulls around the back to a three-car garage, I see a pool and a Juliette balcony off one of the bedrooms on the second level.
“Welcome home, tiny dancer.” He puts the car in park and grins over at me. “Happy birthday, Mellie.”
My entire body warms. “My birthday isn’t for another few weeks. Did youbuythis?”
He laughs and gets out of the car, coming around to open my door for me. “Honestly, I’ve been looking for a while. When I saw it, I pictured you in it and knew I had to have it.” I’m still staring at the house in awe as he wraps his arms around me. “I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you dancing at that club. I just want you close and safe and to know you’re taken care of when I’m not here.”
My questions of why he bought a house in Jersey when he works and lives in New York get pushed to the back of my mind with his declaration. “I love you too, Mick.” Pressing up on my tiptoes, I kiss him, pouring all my love and devotion into the way my lips meld with his. “I can’t believe you bought me a house.”
“I boughtusa house.”
Something about the finite way he says it has our future flashing before my eyes. Brimming with excitement, I exclaim, “I want you to meet my parents.”
My admission causes him to stiffen against me. “I don’t think it’s quite time for that yet, Mellie.”
“You bought a house and expect me to live in it.I’d say it’s time.” I tilt my head to catch his eyes, but he moves to grab our bags out of the car.
“We can talk about it later. For now, I just want to enjoy this with you. Just you and me, okay? No distractions.” He grabs both bags in one hand and bends to wrap an arm beneath my butt, picking me up in the other. “Now, let me give you the grand tour.”
Two months later