As Hot as It Gets

But he refused to let himself dwell on that heartrending situation. It was over and done with, couldn’t be changed. What he needed to focus on was the present, and when Mia returned a little while later and curled up beside him, that sense of pure joy only intensified. He stroked her hair, twining one silky strand around his finger, enjoying the steady beating of her heart against his chest.

Danny popped back into the room almost an hour later, took one look at them and made a gagging noise. “Can’t you two cuddle somewhere else?”

Mia snickered. “Says the guy who was making out with Angie on this very couch last night.”

“We wouldn’t have to make out on the couch if you hadn’t enforced your crazy keep-the-bedroom-door-open rule,” her brother retorted.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” she grumbled.

“Yep.” He grabbed his letterman jacket from the armchair. “Later, Jackson,” he said as he headed for the door.

“Goodbye to you too, Daniel!” Mia called out after him.

Jackson couldn’t help but laugh. “You two kill me. Are you ever not bickerin’?”

“Not really. It’s kind of our thing.” Grinning, Mia sat up and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Hey, listen, so I wanted to ask you for a favor.”

“I’ll do it,” he said instantly.

A laugh flew out of her mouth. “You haven’t even heard what it is yet!”

“Fine, I’ll humor you. What’s the favor?”

“Danny’s going to Irvine next weekend with the team. The game is on Friday night.”

“Yeah, he mentioned that.”

“Well, you know I usually go to all his games, right? But I just found out I have to work at the sandwich shop on Friday right after I finish up at the park.” She nibbled on her bottom lip in dismay. “I promised myself I wouldn’t miss a single one of his games, but I could really use the money, so I told Wendy I’d work that night.”

Jackson raised himself into a sitting position and touched her cheek in a reassuring caress. He knew how hard Mia worked to support herself and her brother, and he wished she didn’t have to struggle so much. But at the same time, he admired her for it. The woman was so frickin’ amazing. She’d sacrificed everything for that kid—her privacy, her freedom, her love life. She juggled two jobs in order to take care of him, and no matter how stressed out or tired she was, she was always sitting there in the bleachers every Friday night to cheer her brother on.

“So I was wondering if maybe you could drive up and be there for the game,” she finished. “You wouldn’t have to stay the weekend—the charity game isn’t important. I mean, it is important for whoever they’re raising money for, but Friday’s game is the one that counts for the team’s standings. Um…yeah…do you think you’d be able to go in my place?”

“Of course.”

His swift reply brought a big smile to her face. “Really?”

“Absolutely.” He stroked her delicate chin with his thumb. “I consider it my boyfriend-ly duty, sugar.”

Her smile instantly faded. “Oh. Um.”

Jackson narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“Boyfriend, huh? Is that what you are?”

The wariness swimming in her eyes raised his hackles. “We’ve been seein’ each other for over a month. What else do you wanna call me?”

“I don’t know.” She gave a helpless shrug, her features lined with discomfort. “I guess I didn’t think about…I mean…nothing’s changed, Jackson. You know that, right?”

“And what does that mean, sugar?”

She bit her lip again. “I told you from the start I didn’t want a serious relationship.”

He nodded. “Because you were too busy. But far as I’ve seen, we ain’t been having any trouble making time for each other.”

“I know. But…look, it’s not only my schedule. I just don’t see a relationship in my future.”

He frowned. “A relationship with me?”

“With anyone.”

Her answer threw him for a loop. He didn’t know what to say to that, and his silence had Mia hurrying on.

“Look, I love having sex with you. I really, really love it,” she said, her green eyes shining earnestly. “And I want to keep seeing you.”

“But?”

“But I don’t believe in forever.” Her voice grew pained. “Relationships don’t last. They always end eventually, and I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t put myself through all that sadness and heartbreak. I love being with you, but I’m always going to keep you at a bit of a distance. I know that’s a shitty thing to say, but I’m honest to a fault, you know that.”

He did know that, and her candid nature was one of his favorite things about her.

What he hadn’t known was just how deeply her mother’s actions had affected Mia. Because this was, indisputably, all about Mia’s mother and her countless divorces. He didn’t need to be a shrink to figure it out, but he was surprised it had taken him this long to connect the dots. It made sense, though. If one of his parents had been married nine times, he’d probably have a skewed view of relationships too.

He wished he could make Mia see that just because her mother hadn’t been in a lasting relationship didn’t mean Mia wouldn’t either, but he wasn’t about to push her. Not now, anyway. She was one of the most strong-willed women he’d ever met, and she spooked faster than the skittish pony he’d ridden as a kid. If he put too much pressure on her, she’d bolt and he’d never see her again, which meant he had to tread lightly from this point on.